LSU’s missed chances and punt return set up 31-13 loss to Alabama
The Tigers outgained Alabama by 172 yards but went 0-for-4 on fourth down and scored one touchdown in four red-zone trips. Lane Kiffin said field goals would not have been enough.
No. 5 Alabama beat No. 14 LSU 31-13 in Baton Rouge on Nov. 7, handing the Tigers their third loss of the season. LSU outgained Alabama by 172 yards, but struggled to turn its drives into points.
- LSU went 0-for-4 on fourth down, the most attempts without a conversion in Lane Kiffin’s career, ESPN reported.
- The Tigers made four red-zone trips and scored one touchdown and one field goal.
- After LSU briefly took the lead, a 32-yard Alabama punt return was followed by a 25-yard touchdown pass on the next play.
Why LSU’s scoring chances did not become points
ESPN reported that LSU gained 457 yards, including 380 passing yards from Sam Leavitt, but scored only 13 points. Kiffin said he was surprised that Leavitt’s passing total, Jackson Harris’s 11 catches for 166 yards and Trey’Dez Green’s 10 catches for 85 yards added up to so few points. “I wouldn’t think that would equal 13 points,” he said, before adding: “But you got to score touchdowns in the red zone.”
Kiffin said he often went for it on fourth down because he expected field goals would not be enough to beat Alabama. LSU failed on all four tries. Its red-zone returns—one touchdown and one field goal from four trips—left little reward for moving the ball, while the failed conversions ended opportunities to extend drives.
The punt return that set up Alabama’s touchdown
LSU briefly led 13-10 late in the third quarter. Alabama’s Ryan Coleman-Williams returned a punt 32 yards, then quarterback Keelon Russell found Cederian Morgan for a 25-yard touchdown on the next play. CBS Sports reported Alabama scored the final 21 points. ESPN also reported that LSU missed a 56-yard field-goal attempt and dropped a punt late in the game. Kiffin called the special-teams performance “not a really good special team today.”
What it means for LSU’s season
The loss left LSU 6-3 overall and 0-3 against teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, CBS Sports reported. Alabama’s late scoring run followed LSU’s brief lead and made the Tigers’ failed fourth-down attempts and special-teams errors especially costly in a game where they had gained more yards.
Kiffin said LSU would host Texas the following week and called the matchup another chance to get back on track. He said the team had to return to work rather than dwell on the Alabama result. The immediate task, reflected in Saturday’s figures, is to turn offensive production into more touchdowns; LSU scored only once in four red-zone trips.
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What this story rests on
2 sources from 2 organisations: 1 broadcaster, 1 news outlet.
- 1LSU flops on fourth downs in 'really disappointing' lossESPN.com · espn.comBroadcaster
- 2Lane Kiffin falls flat against Alabama as massive LSU hype crashes into realityCBS Sports · cbssports.comNews outlet
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
Researched and drafted with AI tools from these sources, then checked against them paragraph by paragraph before publication. How we work · Everyone we cite · Report an error
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