LSU Grades

I have been thinking this morning about comebacks; about being written off but refusing to give up. About overcoming adversity, elevating your own game, and achieving improbable victory. Think about James J. Braddock defeating Max Baer in 1935 for the heavyweight championship in boxing. Or Liverpool overcoming a 3-0 deficit at halftime, to defeat Milan on penalty kicks to claim the 2005 European Cup championship. Or, perhaps Paul Lawrie coming from 10 strokes back in the final round to win the 1999 British Open.

You may have a list of your own. If so, you can add to it: Alabama 20 - LSU 13 on a chilly night in Baton Rouge, November 8, 2014. 

For 59:10, LSU had taken the measure of Alabama. A punishing rushing attack had compiled 183 yards on 56 running plays as the Tigers amassed 17 first downs and controlled the ball for over 38 minutes of the game. LSU's defense had limited one of the nation's most prolific offenses to less than 100 yards rushing, and had held Alabama to 8 offensive possessions of three and out. With the score tied at 10, and the game clock at 1:13 in the 4th quarter, LSU forced a fumble from TJ Yeldon, at the Alabama 6 yard line. Three plays later, the Tigers kicked a field goal giving them a 13-10 lead with only :50 to play.

The Commissioner, and The Commissioner's Long Suffering Wife, watching the game in Franklin, told each other that the game was over. LSU had won. Alabama had proved itself to be  unworthy of championship aspirations in 2014. The Road to 16 would not be traveled this season.....but there were 50 seconds left on the clock.....

One of our Correspondents, who has been to many LSU games, tells what happened where he was at Tiger Stadium:

"I was sitting in premium seats on row 14 at the 45 yard line surrounded by

lifelong Tiger fans. Wise, old ones. When Yeldon fumbled and then LSU set

up its field goal I turned to my wife and all the LSU fans around me and

congratulated them. They were having none of it. They all said the game

isn't over. I insisted it was. They accused me of trying to jinx them. They

recalled the comeback two years ago. They said it's never over against

Alabama until the end. I was resigned to a loss. I chuckled at them. I had

heard these whispers before -- indeed as recently as 2 years ago when my

wife predicted the Alabama drive after LSU missed its try for a field goal.

She always sees it coming.

And then it happened. Their kicker squibbed it out of bounds. Blake

scrambled. Our receivers got it out of bounds. We drove the ball to the

seven.  Field goal from the same distance Griffith had missed his earlier.

And then that hit by Reuben!

When overtime started every LSU fan thought what I had thought several

minutes earlier: 'It's over. My team is gonna lose.'

And both times the LSU fans were right.

I've been to many improbable comebacks in Tiger Stadium. I watched Mike

Shula quarterback Bama to a tie in the mid 80s to keep our non losing

streak in Tiger Stadium alive. I watched Alabama score two TDs in 1998 in

the final minutes with help from an onsides kick.  I watched Saban return

in 2008 and Alabama snatch the win in overtime. I watched TJ run for glory

two years ago at the end of the drive.

But last night was the most improbable win of all-and the sweetest.

I have a special window into why LSU fans hate Alabama.  The hate grew

deeper last night. Les Miles is now seething. And I love it."

It would be tempting to award grades based on the results alone. Just as it would be tempting to award poor grades based solely on those 59:10 of regulation time. I think, however, that the numbers are determinative. So, with an eye on the math, here is how I grade the game:

Offense: B- Through 4 quarters and a single OT period, Alabama gained 315 yards of total offense [106 rushing], earned 15 first downs and converted 8 of 20 third downs. Blake went the distance and completed 20 of his 46 pass attempts for 209 yards and 2 TDs [Cooper, White].

TY gained 68 yards rushing on 15 carries. Derrick Henry rushed for 24 yards on 8 plays, while Sims gained 12 on 5 plays. Of those 12 yards, none were more important than the 5 Blake gained on 3rd and 4 from the Tide 41 to earn a first down with :30 to play. 

Amari Cooper gained 83 yards on 8 catches to secure both the career and single-season records for yards-receiving, as well as the single-season record for receptions [79]. Christion Jones and DeAndrew White each had 3 receptions for 38 and 36 yards. OJ Howard gained 21 yards on 3 receptions and Brandon Green gained 24 yards on his lone reception on the first play of overtime.

The offense had 14 possessions. Only three, produced sustained drives [70, 51, 55] resulting in a missed FG, a TD and a FG. The final drive, which produced the game-tying FG, took :47 and was accomplished with no timeouts. 

To his great credit, Blake Sims told reporters that he alone was responsible for Alabama's offensive woes in the game. Coach Saban acknowledged that Blake did not "play his best game." But when Alabama needed a leader, it found one in number 6.

Defense: A- LSU is a very good football team. Like Alabama, it was greatly diminished earlier this year by players, with a year of eligibility remaining, opting to take their chances with the NFL draft. The Tigers are very physical on both sides of the ball, and they play and old-style of power football calculated to break an opponent's will. The Tigers took their best shot at the Tide Defense, and Alabama proved itself to be the better side.

LSU's power running game was limited to only 183 yards on 56 carries. The Tigers 14 offensive possessions produced 9 punts, an interception, a turnover on downs, and, most importantly, only 13 points. 

Jarran Reed had 15 tackles [2 solo; 1 TFL] and Reggie Ragland made 13 stops [4 solo; 1 TFL]. Trey DePriest was credited with 9 stops, while Brandon Ivory and Nick Perry each notched 8 tackles. Landon Collins and A'Shawn Robinson each made 7 tackles. 

Tide defenders made 6 tackles for 20 yards of lost yardage, and interception [Eddie Jackson], broke up 3 tackles and hurried the LSU QB twice.

Special Teams:

Punting: A JK Scott averaged 48.6 yards per kick, had 3 punts that traveled in excess of 50 yards, and nailed 2 inside the LSU 20 yard line. The Tide did not return any of LSU's punts, but neither did Alabama suffer a muff or turnover. 

Kicking: B+ Griff averaged 58 yards gross per kick and the coverage unit allowed LSU an average of only 22.5 yards on 2 returns. For the fourth game this season, Reuben Foster made a highlight-reel tackle on a kick return. It came at just the right time with 0:00 to play in the game and serve as an exclamation point going into the OT period.

Place Kicking: C Griff missed from 27, was good from 39 and 27 and made both of his PAT attempts.   

Coaching:    B Alabama gained 416 all purpose yards while yielding 316 and was penalized 3 times for 29 yards.  The participation report lists 51 players who saw action against LSU. The defense had a hard time getting off the field on third down, and the offense had a hard time staying on the field by converting 3rd downs. Coach Saban told reporters that from the moment the Defense held LSU to a field goal following Yeldon's fumble, the energy level among the players went up. "I had  been going up and down the sidelines during the game trying to get the energy up. The other coaches had been trying to get the energy up. But that stand by the Defense is what got the energy up. And it stayed up for the rest of the game." He could also have been talking about his two coordinators, who were jumping into each other's arms at the end of the game. 

Unlike "Cinderella Man" Jimmy Braddock, the Red Birds of Liverpool, and Paul Lawrie, Alabama's improbable comeback in Baton Rouge did not win a championship of any sort, but it did keep alive the possibilities of championships in the SEC West Division, the Conference title, and the inaugural College Football Playoff. Whether the Tide will complete its journey down the Road To 16 this season remains to be seen. Immediately ahead lies a rendezvous with its oldest conference rival, Mississippi State, which is reveling in unprecedented late season success. Following a homecoming game, the toughest November schedule in the county concludes with a visit from Auburn on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Will the Tiger Stadium comeback be the prelude to a championship run? Who knows? What I do know is this: Alabama's football team successfully mounted a comeback, on the road  against an excellent LSU. Remember this moment......and expect more to come.

See you in Tuscaloosa next weekend. Roll Tide, Y'all.

The Commissioner