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No. 1 Alabama dominated No. 3 LSU on Saturday night in Death Valley, winning a 29-0 shutout to secure the SEC West crown and proving to the world that is the unquestioned king of college football. Sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went 25-of-42 pbading for 295 yards, two touchdowns and one interception – his first of the season. The Crimson Tide defense held the Tigers for just 196 total yards and 3.3 yards per play.
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was 18-of-35 pbading for 184 yards with a losing effort. He got no help from his rushing attack, which gained just 12 yards on 25 attempts against the stout Tide front seven. The loss for LSU was back to the 2012 BCS Championship Game. The Tide has shut down the Tigers in Louisiana, two in Death Valley.
The SEC Championship Game between SEC West champion Alabama and SEC East Georgia champion – a rematch of last season's College Football Playoff National Championship. The Tide and SEC title-defending Dawgs will be off on Dec. 1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
What did we learn Saturday night in Baton Rouge?
1. It's not just Tua, it's everybody: Coming into this game, the only knock against the world. That gripe can not be used anymore because it's all about Alabama's talent, depth and ability to dominate the best of the best in college football. Sure, you can knock the LSU's offense and claim that its lack of explosiveness made the Tigers … "paper Tiger." But let's be about what happened Saturday night in Death Valley, which is the fact that the Tagovailoa show reads a stout LSU defense like Clark Griswold's house in "Christmas Vacation."
That's the primary takeaway – it's the best Alabama offense of all time, and it's not even close. Tagovailoa has thrown two touchdowns into the first half of every game, and has been in the middle of the world.
It is not just Tagovailoa, though. It's Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, Irv Smith and Jaylen Waddle getting open for him. It's Jonah Williams and Ross Pierschbacher up front doing the dirty work. It's Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs and Najee Harris not only pounding the rock, but wearing one of the deepest and most defensive fronts in college football. Tagovailoa is a video game cheat code, and we've known the title last year. But it's only one piece of an offense that we've ever seen.
2. It's the same old LSU: The Miles got fired at LSU for having a stagnant offense which is not only based on trenches and wearing down opponents, but is only capable of winning the battle in the trenches and wearing down the opponents. When somebody does it better, LSU has no luck. It is not equipped to win the game outside of its comfort zone. Alabama's ability to consistently one-up LSU in the trenches is why the Tigers have dropped eight straight to the Crimson Tide, and the Crimson Tide's offensive is why Ed Orgeron's crew had no luck the moment they walked out of the tunnel. This is not what modern college is, and LSU still has not realized it. You can not build a team to play the way it wants to play and not have the ability to adjust. These stats illustrate it better than anything else can.
- Alabama has shut down LSU out six times since 1996
- Alabama has outscored LSU 39-0 in the last two games in Baton Rouge
- LSU has not scored against Alabama in Baton Rouge over the last 11 quarters; 167: 07 of total game time
Miles did it in Baton Rouge and got fired. Orgeron is nowhere close to, but it has to be changed in the past. If that's with this staff, fine. If it's with another scheme, so be it. But it can not be said, not with the talent on LSU's roster and talent in the state of Louisiana.
3. Rumors of Alabama's defensive demise were greatly exaggerated: We all knew the knock on Alabama's defense heading into the LSU game, and the total yards it will not change it. This is not the case, but it is much different than it is at other schools. Choosing the best and the worst Alabama defense is like choosing between $ 50 steaks; you're not going to be wrong no matter what you choose. There is nothing wrong with this defense.The Crimson Tide racked up five sacks against the Tigers, 10 tackles for loss and not only paid for in their backfield, but paid off the entire mortgage.
Leading the way for the Tide was defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who had 10 tackles 3.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks, all of which being double-teamed on multiple occasions by an offensive LSU line that was simply overmatched. His performance Saturday solidified him as one of the best players in the country regardless of position. Even when he was not one of the making plays, the attention of the Williams team was revealed to the rest of his teammates to expose one-on-one matchups and hold LSU in check.
It's time to stop comparing Alabama's defense to other Alabama defenses. That name alone should be enough to describe exactly what it is: terrifying.
4. The new "Game of the Year" is set: Tagovailoa hit DeVonta Smith in overtime last January to lead Alabama to a win over Georgia in the national title game, and the rematch is now set. Georgia topped Kentucky Saturday afternoon SEC SECOND SECOND SECOND ON SEC.
One thing is certain: Georgia will not be intimidated.
Most teams walk out of the locker room, see the crimson and white uniforms of the Crimson Tide and lose the coin flip. Georgia will not. The Bulldogs did not back down when the game was on the line, and there's nothing to suggest that will change this time around. We'll get mentor vs. pupil again when Alabama coach Nick Saban takes on Georgia's Kirby Smart. Hopefully, for college football's sake, this one will be as much of a clbadic as the last one.
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