Alabama Just Exposed LSU, Revealing A Serious Problem For Lane Kiffin and His Tigers

Through eight games, LSU’s offense looked elite. It was so entertaining to watch.

It ranked sixth nationally and first in the SEC in total offense, with 510 yards per game. That included an average of 318 passing yards per game and 192 rushing yards per game, with a scoring average of 40.1 points.

The Tigers ranked 7th in passing offense and 31st in rushing offense nationally. And the 40.1 points per game ranked seventh nationally and second in the SEC.

LSU's offensive profile is pass-heavy, with the run game looking good, but not being used as the primary offensive option keeps it from being dominant.

This is all, of course, a big jump from last year, when LSU ranked 101st in scoring offense at 22.8 points per game and 109th in total offense at 333.5 yards per game.

All of this came before the Alabama game, in which LSU scored just 13 points, despite outgaining Alabama and racking up 457 total yards, of which 380 yards came in the air.

That failure to score despite so much efficient offensive play is exactly LSU's major problem that could keep it out of the playoffs - if they can't fix it. And it's all in one part of the field.

A Bad Problem

Tigers Quarterback Sam Leavitt 10, The LSU Tigers take on Alabama. November 7, 2026; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; at Tiger Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Before Alabama, scoring looked like a strength. LSU actually had a higher average score than the Crimson Tide did going into the game.

LSU was 40-of-45 in the red zone for 32 touchdowns and 8 field goals, and its 45 trips and 40 scores were both second in the nation. But LSU's red zone offense was 37th in the country, scoring on 88.9% of opportunities.

The Alabama game made the red zone issue appear again this season, and in a much worse fashion.

LSU’s four red zone trips on Saturday produced just 10 points.

The blame is evenly spread between coaches and players alike, but there's still a lack of effective playcalling in that area. LSU needs to craft the calls down there around its strengths.

The complaints are less about head coach Lane Kiffin's decision-making to go for it on a pair of fourth downs, but more about the inability to scheme up working plays in that part of the field.

LSU was running the ball a lot, and when it did pass, there were blocking breakdowns causing Leavitt to have to scramble. Alabama's defense was phenomenal in that area too, to give credit where credit is due.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

But LSU just couldn't find the right play, or the right packages, on its trips into the red zone. And that falls onto the play calling.

Kiffin's Thoughts

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin answers questions during a press conference after a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. Ole Miss defeated LSU 32-24. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After the game, Kiffin said the game “comes down to red zone and fourth downs.”

And he's right. Those are the plays that cost LSU the game against Alabama.

On Sunday, Kiffin added that Alabama changed its red zone looks after the bye week. He also said Sam Leavitt’s late-first-half interception was “trying too much” when a field goal was available.

Earlier in October, after the Kentucky loss, he said his team was just missing plays. Like a receiver open in the end zone that nobody sees, or a missed block.

But no matter the reason, Kiffin was blunt on the issue.

“You got to score touchdowns in the red zone," Kiffin said.

A Sure-Handed Solution

But there's one thing that LSU has failed to try in the red zone. Using the country's best tight end and the best athlete on the team in the red area.

LSU turned to the 6-foot-7 Trey'Dez Green just twice on 15 red zone plays against Alabama.

LSU refused to turn to the player who led the 2025 team with seven touchdown receptions.

And it's not because LSU turned to other lethal threats. Jackson Harris, LSU's only other big-time pass-catching weapon, got just one red zone target.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google