BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Jalen Milroe ran through the south end zone at LSU’s Tiger Stadium with both arms raised and jumped into a gathering of jubilant, crimson-clad fans near the entrance to the visitors’ locker room.
One more celebration of an extraordinary performance that kept No. 11 Alabama firmly in contention for a College Football Playoff berth.
Milroe highlighted a career-high 185 yards rushing with four scoring runs, and the Crimson Tide routed 14th-ranked LSU 42-13 on a rainy Saturday night.
“I’m definitely excited after a game like that because we were able to go into a tough place and get a victory,” Milroe said. “A game like tonight showed what we can do when the defense and offense are both clicking.”
Milroe’s fourth touchdown also was his longest run, a 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 pivotal game for the postseason hopes of both teams.
“I felt like this was the most complete game that we played, coming into a tough environment and just staying the course play after play,” Alabama first-year coach Kalen DeBoer said.
While Alabama’s victory keeps the Crimson Tide firmly in CFP contention, the Tigers (6-3, 3-2) dropped virtually out of the running with not only their third loss this season, but their second straight by 15 or more points.
“We’re disappointed in the way we performed,” Tigers third-year coach Brian Kelly said. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t live up to the standards of LSU football. That affects us more than the damn playoffs.”
Milroe’s three other scoring runs went for 39, 10 and 19 yards. His performance as a runner eclipsed his previous single-game best of 155 yards and four TDs rushing in a 42-28 victory over LSU a year ago in Tuscaloosa.
“He’s got a superpower when it comes to running the football,” DeBoer said. “He’s not just a guy that gets first downs. He gets into the end zone. What he was able to do early on 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 try to respond to the way it had been gashed on option runs by Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed.
“If you’re watching the game, you’re like, ‘What did these guys do for two weeks?’” Kelly said. “We had a scheme to stop the quarterback. … We’ve got to get it fixed, certainly, because it’s been a couple weeks now and two games.”
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was plagued by turnovers for a second consecutive game. His first-half fumble led to Milroe’s second touchdown.
Nussmeier was intercepted on Alabama’s goal line by Deontae Lawson early in the third quarter, when the Tigers had a chance to cut the Crimson Tide’s lead to one score. The beleaguered LSU quarterback, who did not speak to reporters after the game, also was intercepted in the fourth quarter — his sixth turnover in his past two games.
“We can’t overcome the myriad things that didn’t go right tonight and that’s just the reality of it,” Kelly said. “Tonight, the dam broke when we kept putting ourselves in those tough positions.”
Milroe passed for 109 yards and did not commit a turnover.
Justice Hayes and Richard Young also ran for Alabama TDs — Hayes from 1 yard out in the first half and Young from 8 yards in the fourth quarter.
Shortly before kickoff, in a move that delighted some fans but drew protests from animal rights activists, LSU paraded a caged Bengal tiger onto the field at the behest of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.
LSU had stopped that pre-game ritual with the tiger that lives in a 15,000-square foot habitat on campus back in 2015, so Landry had another tiger shipped in from Florida.
Apparently, Alabama was unfazed, taking the lead for good when Milroe capped the game’s opening possession with his 39-yard touchdown.
After Milroe’s second TD made it 21-6 late in the second quarter, LSU tried to produce points before the break, but stalled at midfield and trotted to the locker room to a cascade of boos. It only got worse from there for the home side.
Takeaways
Alabama: The Tide’s dominance had fans headed for the exits before the end of the third quarter, when the score was 28-6. Alabama outgained LSU 420 yards to 343 and possessed the ball for 33:55. Alabama has won 12 of its last 14 games against LSU.
LSU: Between Nussmeier’s recent rash of turnovers and the defense’s difficulty stopping running quarterbacks, LSU’s season has fallen apart since the second half of a 38-23 loss at Texas A&M in the team’s previous game.
Up next
Alabama hosts Mercer next Saturday.
LSU plays at Florida next Saturday.
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