Jalen Milroe rushed for a career-high 185 yards and 4 TDs as No. 11 Alabama defeated No. 14 LSU 42-13

BATON ROUGE, La. – Jalen Milroe ran across the south end zone of LSU’s Tiger Stadium with both arms in the air and dove into a crowd of enthusiastic, crimson-clad fans near the entrance to the visitors’ locker room.

Another celebration of the outstanding performance that kept No. 11 Alabama in contention to make the College Football Playoff.

Milroe added a career-high 185 yards rushing with four scoring runs as the Crimson Tide defeated 14th-ranked LSU 42-13 on a rainy Saturday night.

“I’m definitely excited after a game like this because we were able to get into a tough spot and get the win,” Milroe said. “A game like tonight showed what we can do when both defense and offense are in good shape.”

Milroe’s fourth goal was also his longest run. 72 yard sprint That gave the Crimson Tide (7-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) a 29-point lead early in the fourth quarter of a game crucial to both teams’ postseason hopes.

“I felt like this was the most complete game we’ve ever played, we came out tough and just stayed on the field after play after play,” first-year Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said.

While Alabama’s victory kept the Crimson Tide firmly in CFP contention, the Tigers (6-3, 3-2) were all but knocked out of the race with not only their third loss this season, but their second straight defeat by 15 or more points.

“We were disappointed with our performance,” third-year Tigers coach Brian Kelly said. “I’m disappointed we didn’t live up to the standards of LSU football. This affects us more than the playoffs.”

Milroe’s other three scoring runs went for 39, 10 and 19 yards. His performance as a rusher eclipsed his previous single-game best of four TDs and 155 yards rushing in a 42-28 victory over LSU in Tuscaloosa a year ago.

“He has a superpower when it comes to running the football,” DeBoer said. “He’s not just a guy who gets first defeats. He enters the end zone. What he was able to do in the beginning really got the ball rolling.”

This time, Milroe did it against an LSU defense that was coming off a bye and had an extra week to respond to how Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed was injured on option runs.

“If you’re watching the game, you’re like, ‘What did these guys do for two weeks?'” Kelly said. “You think,” he said. “We had a plan to stop the quarterback. … We definitely need to fix that because it’s been a few weeks and two games in.”

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had a turnover for the second straight game. His failure in the first half led to Milroe scoring his second goal.

Nussmeier was intercepted by Deontae Lawson at Alabama’s goal line early in the third quarter, with the Tigers having a chance to extend the Crimson Tide’s lead to one point. The beleaguered LSU quarterback, who did not speak to reporters after the game, was also stopped in the fourth quarter; He recorded his sixth turnover in his last two games.

“We can’t overcome the countless things that didn’t go our way tonight, and that’s the reality of it,” Kelly said. “Tonight, when we kept putting ourselves in these tough positions, the dam broke.”

Milroe passed for 109 yards and no turnovers.

Justice Hayes and Richard Young also rushed for Alabama TDs – Hayes from 1 yard out in the first half and Young from 8 yards out in the fourth quarter.

Shortly before kick-off, in a move that delighted some fans but sparked protests from animal rights activists. LSU brings the caged Bengal tiger onto the field By order of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry.

LSU had discontinued the pregame ritual involving the tiger, which lived in a 15,000-square-foot habitat on campus, in 2015, so Landry had another tiger shipped from Florida.

As it turned out, Alabama was unimpressed and took the lead for good when Milroe capped off the game’s opening possession with a 39-yard field goal.

After Milroe’s second TD made it 21-6 late in the second quarter, LSU tried to score points at halftime but stalled at midfield and ran toward the locker room to boos. The situation got worse for the home team from then on.

takeaway

Alabama: The Tide’s lead caused fans to head for the exits before the end of the third quarter, when the score was 28-6. Alabama outgained LSU 420 yards to 343 yards and held the ball for 33:55. Alabama has won 12 of its last 14 games against LSU.

LSU: Due to Nussmeier’s recent turnovers and the defense’s difficulty stopping quarterbacks, LSU’s season has faltered since the second half of a 38-23 loss to Texas A&M in the team’s previous game.

next

Alabama hosts Mercer next Saturday.

LSU plays at Florida next Saturday.

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