The LSU Tigers went as far to bench Garrett Nussmeier in attempt to wake up the offense, but nothing works as they fall 20-9 to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The LSU Tigers' defense gave them a shot, but the offense could not get a single thing working as the Alabama Crimson Tide took a 20-9 home victory.
The biggest story from this game is certainly the benching of Garrett Nussmeier.
Nussmeier completed 18-of-21 passes, which is normally the sign of a good night, but he had just 121 yards. Everything was an easy completion, dink-and-dunk offense. He continued to look horrid when throwing the ball deep and the new leadership decided to go with Michael Van Buren from the late third quarter on.
Van Buren wasn't really set up for success and his weaker chemistry with his receivers showed, but it was still a tough night in the context. He was 5-of-11 for 52 yards through the air and had six rushes for one yard with a fumble.
A lot of the struggles from both quarterbacks can also be traced back to the worst offensive line that the Tigers have trotted out on the field in years.
The Crimson Tide defensive line has actually been fairly disappointing this year, considering the talent they have. That didn't matter tonight has they walked away with three sacks and were a constant presence in the backfield.
LSU's run game also couldn't get going. As a team, they ran the ball 26 times for just 59 yards. Harlem Berry had a solid game with 12 rushes for 66 yards, but most of that came from a 37-yard gain early.
New playcaller Alex Atkins made some nice changes to the offense early. They were running out of shotgun, getting Nussmeier to move the pocket with his legs and gaining consistent yards.
Once Alabama adjusted to it, though, Atkins' play calls didn't really change and then nothing worked.
Hats off to Blake Baker and the Tigers' defense, though. They are the only reason that the team remained within one possession for much of the night. Even if the offense was just ok, LSU could have won this game.
Ty Simpson connected for a couple of big plays off of great throws, but he was far less efficient than usual. Harold Perkins also got to him on a strip-sack that he ended up with the ball from.
The Crimson Tide ran the ball 26 times for 56 yards and a touchdown.
The Tigers will head back home next weekend against the Arkansas Razorbacks for a morning kickoff as they search for just their second win since October began.