32 Points: 32 Takeaways from LSU’s win over Alabama

No. 10 LSU knocked off No. 6 Alabama in another memorable November showdown in the SEC West, this time putting the Tigers into the top spot in the division standings during head coach Brian Kelly’s first year with the program.

From shutting down the reigning Heisman Trophy winner to making the earth shake, here are 32 takeaways to match LSU’s 32 points on the scoreboard.

1…  For the first time since 2010, LSU beat Alabama in Tiger Stadium. For Brian Kelly and Co. to pull off the feat in Year 1 speaks volumes, and it sends a clear message to the rest of the SEC that the Tigers are trending in the right direction following back-to-back .500 finishes to the regular seasons in 2020 and 2021. With two SEC games remaining, the Tigers are in the driver’s seat in the SEC West.

2… LSU has now won back-to-back games against Top 10 teams. Two weeks ago, the Tigers knocked off No. 7 Ole Miss to hand the Rebels the team’s first loss of the season. After the bye week, LSU picked up where it left off by knocking off No. 6 Alabama, which likely ends the Tide’s hopes of making the CFB Playoffs and keeps hope alive for a potential SEC Championship game appearance for the Tigers.

3… Brian Kelly had faced Alabama twice as the head coach at Notre Dame. The Irish lost the BCS National Championship Game 42-14 in 2012, then fell 31-14 in the College Football Playoffs (Rose Bowl) in 2021. But in his first matchup with the Tide while coaching an SEC team, the Tigers handled business to get the overtime win and give Kelly his first career win over Nick Saban.

4… Take a bow, Mason Taylor. There was a time earlier this year when some LSU fans questioned why the Tigers leaned on the true freshman so often. No matter, Brian Kelly and the staff never blinked. And when the Tigers needed big plays in the most important game to date, Taylor delivered. First, he snagged the go-ahead touchdown in between two Alabama defenders in the final minutes. Then he made the grab and crossed the goal line on the final snap of the night for the game-winning two-point conversion. With three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown, Taylor won’t soon forget the night he had 100,000+ fans celebrating a victory over the Tide. LSU’s got a good one at tight end.

5… A hat tip to No. 5. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels played turnover-free football against the Tide, tossed two touchdowns and ran for another. When it came to crunch time, he delivered a big run late in the fourth quarter before hitting Mason Taylor for the go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes. When overtime arrived, Daniels took the first snap and ran it 25 yards for the touchdown, then put the ball on the money to Taylor for the game-winning two-point conversion. From the loss to Florida State in the season opener to the win over Alabama in November, it can be argued that Daniels is college football’s most improved quarterback.

6… Another note: Jayden Daniels is one of three quarterbacks in the country who has at least 1,500 passing yards and at least 500 rushing yards this season. He is now just six yards away from a 2,000-yard passing season.

7… No. 7 logged seven catches in the win over Alabama. Kayshon Boutte hasn’t put up the eye-popping numbers LSU fans grew accustomed to in 2020 and 2021, but he caught seven of his eight targets against the Tide – including some big first down grabs. He’s also been consistent as a blocker, proving time and again that he’s locked in and ready to play his role in the new-look LSU offense. 

8… No. 8 wasn’t too shabby, either. Malik Nabers caught six of his seven targets while also drawing a number of pass interference calls. LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock continued to give Jayden Daniels the green light to go to Boutte and Nabers in matchups against Alabama cornerbacks Eli Ricks and Kool-Aid McKinstry, and far more often than not, the Tigers won the battles. Boutte and Nabers combined for 13 catches on 15 targets, and the only other LSU wide receiver to record a catch was Kyren Lacy on a 5-yard grab for a first down. In a game when Brian Thomas Jr. and Jaray Jenkins didn’t record a catch, Nabers and Boutte stepped up in a big way. 

9… The 32-31 score doesn’t reflect just how good the Tigers were on defense. In six red zone appearances by the Alabama offense, LSU’s defense only allowed two red zone touchdowns – one of which came in overtime. The Tigers also held Alabama to 6-for-16 on third down attempts, which went a long way towards forcing the Tide to settle for four field goals. It was another big showing for defensive coordinator Matt House and that side of the football.

10… LSU football has a long list of great linebackers who have worn purple-and-gold. Harold Perkins is next up on that list. The freshman was brilliant against the Tide, finishing with 8 tackles, 7 pressures, 4 stops, 3 hits, 3 hurries and 1 sack. He was disruptive from start to finish in a game where he played more snaps than he had all season. LSU fans, sit back and enjoy the ride the next few years with Perkins on defense… He’s special.

11… Did you know Alabama and LSU have only gone into overtime five times in the series history? And with the win, the Tigers now hold the 3-2 edge in games beyond regulation. Other overtime games between the Tigers and Tide were in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014.

12… For LSU, it was the program’s 17th overtime game, and not only did the Tigers take the lead on Alabama in overtime matchups, but LSU also moved to 9-8 all time in overtime games.

13… 100,821 people saw the Tigers knock off Alabama in Tiger Stadium, and there wasn’t an empty seat in the stadium until the fans rushed the field in overtime. When it comes to memorable games in Death Valley, this one will rank high on the all-time list.

14… Running back John Emery Jr. had to sit out 15 games across more than a season because of an academic suspension handed down by the NCAA. The former five-star prospect hasn’t needed to be the bell cow for the Tigers, but when he’s been called upon, Emery has delivered. And much like he did in the win at Florida, Emery made an impact in the passing game when he hauled in a wheel route from quarterback Jayden Daniels, made a defender miss while keeping his feet inbounds, then scampered into the end zone for the 30-yard touchdown to put LSU ahead 7-0 five minutes into the second quarter.

15… In the Tennessee loss, Brian Kelly went for fourth down attempts time and again. In short, he felt the Tigers needed points to keep pace with the Volunteers. But in the win over Alabama, Kelly kept things simple as the Tigers never attempted a fourth down conversion. And after going 3-for-3 on red zone trips, Kelly saved the biggest call for the end when he elected to go for two points and the win during the first overtime.

16 On Monday, LSU confirmed the campus seismograph twice recorded the earth shake. First at 10:03 p.m when the Jayden Daniels scrambled for the 25-yard touchdown in overtime, then again at 10:06 p.m. when Daniels hit Mason Taylor for the game-winning points. 

17… Brian Kelly has said recently that November is for contenders. Fortunately for LSU fans, Kelly has been dialed in during the final month of the regular season. Dating back to his time in South Bend, Kelly has now won 17 straight games in the month of November – which includes four victories over ranked teams.

18… BJ Ojulari remains one of the most important pieces to the LSU defense, and once again, No. 18 delivered when the team needed him most. Ojulari led all LSU players with 11 tackles – the lone Tiger to hit double-digit stops against the Tide. He also was in on a sack and had a pair of quarterback hurries, which went a long way towards keeping Alabama quarterback Bryce Young flustered on Saturday.

19… There’s no Tuscaloosa native happier this week than LSU punter Jay Bramblett. After transferring in from Notre Dame, Bramblett was on fire against his hometown team, punting six times for an average of 41.8 yards with three punts downed inside the 20-yard line. In a first half when both teams traded plenty of punts, Bramblett helped the Tigers win the field position battle in a big way. 

20… Don’t sleep on kicker Damian Ramos, either. He was clean on his extra points and drilled the lone field goal he was called upon for – a clutch 32-yarder with 6:52 left in regulation to give LSU the 17-15 lead in a game that continued to go back-and-forth. 

21… When Maason Smith went down with a season-ending injury on the first defensive series of the season, the Tigers suddenly had some depth concerns at defensive tackle. But Mekhi Wingo and Jaquelin Roy answered the call in a major way. Wingo had a couple batted balls (and perhaps a third, though the officials didn’t think so…), and he was handed a game ball by Kelly following the win. The interior of the defensive line won’t get a ton of tackles, especially on a night when Alabama tried running it off the edges. But don’t be fooled, Wingo and Roy went a long way towards securing the interior in a game where both played more than 90-percent of the snaps.

22… It can’t be understated how big senior Micah Baskerville has been at linebacker. Sure, Harold Perkins gets a lot of the publicity, and rightfully so. But Baskerville’s versatility against the run and in pass coverage has been key, and he finished the game with seven tackles, five solo stops and a quarterback hurry. If Baskerville wasn’t on roster, I’m not sure where the Tigers would find answers for what he’s been able to contribute this season.

23… Remember the days when LSU couldn’t run the football against Alabama? On Saturday, the Tigers out-gained the Tide on the ground with 185 rushing yards to 135 rushing yards. In fact, with 182 passing yards, the Tigers rushed for more yards than they passed for against Alabama, which has been far from the norm in year’s past.

24… How about No. 24? It can be argued that this was the best game LSU defensive back Jarrick Bernard-Converse has played since transferring in from Oklahoma State. Converse blanketed Alabama’s wide receivers for much of the night, and he led the defensive backs with a pair of pass breakups. He also was in on a tackle for loss, but his biggest moment came on the opening drive of the game when he intercepted Alabama quarterback Bryce Young in the end zone on the lone turnover of the night.

25… 25 completions on 51 attempts. Those were the final numbers for reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, who fell short of hitting on 50-percent of his passes against an LSU defense that gave him fits all night long. Young is one of the nation’s most talented players, but the Tigers never blinked on Saturday night in Death Valley. In 23 career starts, Young has been held to under a 50% completion mark just twice. In 2021, Young was 25-for-51 passing in a four-overtime win at Auburn. On Saturday, Young was on the wrong side of a 25-for-51 passing night in the overtime loss at LSU.

26… Will Anderson and Dallas Turner, Alabama’s talented edge rushers, figured to be a major advantage for the Tide given they were matched up against a pair of true freshmen at offensive tackle. But that turned out not to be the case. LSU’s Will Campbell and Emery Jones stood tall and held the pair to a combined 2.5 sacks and six total tackles, including just two tackles for Anderson – who is likely a Top 5 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. The future is incredibly bright for LSU’s two best young offensive linemen.

27… Let’s keep matching numbers. No. 27 for LSU is special. I’m not sure of the complete history of every walk-on running back LSU’s program has had, but I’m willing to bet Josh Williams is one of the best. When LSU’s needed important carries late in games this season, Williams has delivered time and again. On Saturday, Williams carried the ball seven times for an average of 7.7 yards per touch, and his touchdown run late in the third quarter put the Tigers ahead 14-9. Whether it’s carrying the ball or helping out as a blocker, Williams continues to show up in the biggest moments.  He’s been massive for the team this season.

28… No. 28 came up with one of the plays of the game. After getting beat for a completion, Major Burns chased down Jace McClellan to make the tackle at the LSU 11-yard line. It might have been a 65-yard gain, but it was a touchdown saving tackle on the hustle play by Burns. The Tigers buckled in and forced a field goal, which preserved the lead at 7-3 with less than six minutes until halftime.

29… LSU beat Alabama in a game where offensive tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones got the best of Dallas Turner and Will Anderson, tight end Mason Taylor caught a go-ahead touchdown late and the game-winning two-point conversion, and linebacker Harold Perkins was arguably the most disruptive player on the field. And all four of them are true freshmen. The early impact from the 2022 crop of high school signees can’t be understated. 

30… Lately, 30 points = a victory. Following the 32-31 win over Alabama, the Tigers have now won 12 consecutive games when scoring 30-plus points. 

31… With Alabama sitting on 31 points following a touchdown and extra point in overtime, the Tigers could have matched the total with an extra point of its own. Instead, Brian Kelly said he wanted his players to decide the result then and there. The result: a win and first place in the SEC West.

32… LSU entered the season with an over/under set at 6.5 wins. Now, the Tigers are 7-2 with three games to play. LSU enters the week as three-point favorites at Arkansas, and with the Razorbacks coming off a loss to Liberty, it appears to be the classic trap game after an emotional win in Death Valley. The Tigers control its own destiny with only two SEC games left (at Arkansas, at Texas A&M). If the Tigers win both, LSU is headed to the SEC Championship in Brian Kelly’s first season. If LSU wins just one of the two remaining SEC games, the Tigers would need Ole Miss to drop one more game to stay on track for Atlanta. The Rebels face Alabama this weekend.