Alabama vs. LSU: Jalen Hurts, Tide defense the difference in hard-hitting game

Zac Al-Khateeb

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Alabama vs. LSU: Jalen Hurts, Tide defense the difference in hard-hitting game image

Alabama beat LSU 24-10 on Saturday in one of the uglier games the Tide have played in this season.

LSU outgained the Tide 306 yards to 299, but still only scored 10 points in a game that saw Alabama dominate defensively.

MORE: Two-SEC team playoff a possibility with Bama, UGA and Auburn

On the other side of the ball, Jalen Hurts did just enough to help Alabama's offense make the plays that mattered. He completed 11 of 24 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown while rushing 14 times for 44 yards and another score.

All told, it was another rough-and-tumble SEC West showdown. Here's how the game played out ( all times Eastern ):

Fourth quarter:

11:17 p.m.:  Alabama looks like it has no interest in scoring inside the LSU 10-yard line.

11:15 p.m.:  Bama can run out the clock here unless LSU insists on calling a timeout.

11:14 p.m.:  And Dylan Moses sacks Myles Brennan. That  should  do it for this one. Tide to take over at the LSU 17.

11:13 p.m.: Fourth down for LSU at its own 28. Tigers have to go for it here, down 14.

11:10 p.m.:  Derrius Guice is Myles Brennan's favorite target so far. He's hit him for two chunk plays so far. 

11:08 p.m.:  Interesting choice for LSU. It's important to note Danny Etling was slow to get up after the sack on the last series.

11:08 p.m.:  JK Scott with a 51-yard punt inside the 10. Wow that guy's good.

11:07 p.m.:  Another three-and-out for Bama. Offense just not doing it for either team tonight.

11:01 p.m.:  Da'Ron Payne and Dylan Moses get ann 11-yard coverage sack on Danny Etling. Tigers wasted about four minutes of game time and are forced to punt on fourth-and-17. Those types of drives won't help LSU now.

11 p.m.:  Another third down upcoming for the Tigers. Danny Etling missed another guy open in the field. Rough.

10:59 p.m.:  And they pick up 16. Can LSU string a drive together here?

10:58 p.m.:  LSU faces third-and-5. Badly needed for them right now.

10:55 p.m.:  JK Scott with a 58-yard punt. LSU takes over at its 17. That dude is a huge benefit to this team.

10:51 p.m.:  Alabama forces the punt. Danny Etling misses his receiver short of the chains and is now 3 of 7 passing in the second half. A Tide score here could end it here.

10:48 p.m.:  Big third down coming for LSU. It needs 14 yards to convert.

10:46 p.m.:  D.J. Chark misjudged that long ball. Anthony Averett and Ronnie Harrison in coverage and lucky he dropped that ball. That would have put LSU deep inside Tide territory.

10:45 p.m.:  Danny Etling hits Darrel Williams out of the bakfield for a gain of 8. Second-and-2 coming from the 33.

10:41 p.m.:  Alabama definitely wanted a touchdown there but I can say with certainty they're happy Pappanastos got that kick. Tide lead 24-10 and he improves to 14 of 17 kicking this season.

10:40 p.m.:  Welp, here comes a 40-yard field goal attempt from Andy Pappanastos.

10:40 p.m.:  Alabama WR Devonta Smith drops the ball (though you could argue pass interference on LSU). Bama third-and-8 from the 23.

10:39 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts has time on third-and-4, and he hits Irv Smith for 21 yards. Interesting to see what he can do with a clean pocket.

Third quarter: Alabama 21, LSU 10

10:34 p.m.:  That's three down. Something tells me it's not going to get much prettier than this. 

10:33 p.m.:  Bo Scarbrough drags a defender on a 10-yard run. We might start seeing a bit more of him in this game.

10:32 p.m.:  Speaking of Jerry Jeudy, he cleans the clock of Donnie Alexander on a crack-back block on Jalen Hurts' scramble. Alexander is now down on the field. Not good for LSU:

10:31 p.m.:  Great couple of plays right there. First play, steps up in the pocket, hits Jerry Jeudy right in his hands, but the latter dropped it. Second play, he escapes the pocket and rushes 10 yards on third down for the first down.

10:29 p.m.:  Something to keep in mind as Bama takes over at its 25:

10:26 p.m.:  Darrell Williams pounds it in for the score two play laters. LSU makes it 21-10. What an answer from the Tigers. By the way, Williams accounted for 56 of those 67 yards. 

10:25 p.m.:  One play later, Darrel Williams takes 54 yards, it all the way down to the 2-yard line.

10:24 p.m.:  LSU hits Derrius Guice on the swing pass and he takes it 11 yards for the first down. 

10:21 p.m.:  One play later, Hurts runs it in from three yards out. Bama leads 21-3 now. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 46 yards and rushed twice for 18 yards and the score.

10:20 p.m.:  LSU sells out to stop the run on Damien Harris. Jalen Hurts fakes the handoff and hits a wide-open Calvin Ridley in the middle of the field for 23 yards down to the 2-yard line.

10:19 p.m.:  Alabama gets some of the yardage back on second-and-18. Then he hits Cam Sims for 15 yards and another first-down catch. Great throw on the rollout.

10:18 p.m.:  Alabama's best offensive play of the half (38 yard pass from Hurts to Ridley) called back for holding.

10:17 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts' keeper on the option fools everyone — including the CBS camera. He rumbles for 15 into LSU territory.

10:15 p.m.:  Alabama forces a three-and-out. This could be Alabama's best starting field position, at the 43-yard line.

10:13 p.m.  Tell you what, JK Scott might be the player of the game for Bama right now. Tide can't move the chains but he's still helping Alabama win the field position battle. LSU to take over at its 10.

10:12 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts hits Calvin Ridley but doesn't hit the sticks on fourth-and-17. Another three-and-out for Bama.

10:11 p.m.:  Another LSU sack. The offensive line is unable to stop the Tigers rush. Arden Key and Devin White on the sack.

10:09 p.m.:  The way Bama defensive players are going down now, the offense might need a sustained drive here. Jalen Hurts struggling in the passing game now.

10:07 p.m.:  Shaun-Dion Hamilton walks off on his own power in obvious frustration. Alabama swarms the wide receiver in the flats on third-and-4. Bama to take over after the punt on its 37.

10:04 p.m.:  Another Bama defensive player down.

10:03 p.m.:  LSU takes another deep shot on D.J. Chark. Alabama's Levi Wallace was in coverage.

10 p.m:  JK Scott doing his job, pinning LSU inside its own 20.

9:59 p.m.:  Bama has another three-and-out. Damien Harris gets 5 yards on two rushes and then Jalen Hurts overthrows his receiver on third-and-5 (he's now 0 for 5 on his last pass attempts).

9:55 p.m.:  Another third-down stop after an exotic Bama blitz stops the LSU quarterback draw. Tide to take over at their 23 after the punt. Offense could use an extended drive on this to give the defense a breather.

9:53 p.m.:  Another third-down conversion for LSU, this one from a yard out. And Derrius Guice is getting lots of chunk plays agaist the Tide front seven.

9:51 p.m.:  James Mosley, little brother of C.J. Mosley, down after the first play from scrimmage. Walking off with a limp and help from the training staff.

9:50 p.m.:  Third quarter underway. LSU receives and takes over at its 25.

Second quarter: Alabama 14, LSU 3

9:35 p.m.:  Alabama has outscored opponents 204-29 this season after that first half. While that sounds impressive (it is), Bama's first-half performance against LSU didn't contribute mutch to it.

9:30 p.m.:  Some stats from the first half:

Total yards — LSU 177; Alabama 166
Rushiing yards — LSU 77; Alabama 62
Passing — Alabama 5 of 11 , 101 yards, 1 TD; LSU 8 of 16 passing, 103 yards, 1 INT
Third downs — LSU 6 of 10; Alabama 2 of 6
Time of possession — LSU 18:44; Alabama 11:16

9:30 p.m.:  Derrius Guice gets another first-down run to end the half. Surely, Nick Saban calm but obviously not pleased in the halftime interview.

9:27 p.m.:  LSU converts on third-and-4 with 1:30 remaining in the game. Unless LSU decides to take some shots, looks like Alabama will take a 14-3 lead into halftime.

9:25 p.m.:  Mack Wilson now heading to the locker room on a medical cart.

9:24 p.m.:  JK Scott punts it 47 yards to down the Tigers at their 6-yard line. He's having a monumental impact on the battle of field position.

9:24 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts again flushed from the pocket. He does a good job to get 7 yards on the scramble but it's fourth-and-3 and a punt is upcoming. JK Scott will likely try to pin LSU deep.

9:22 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts gets 19 yards on the quarterback keeper before two of his passes fall flat. Bama facing third-and-10 from its 43.

9:21 p.m.: Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson in the medical tent.

9:21 p.m.:  LSU gets a nice punt from Von Rosenburg and downs Alabama inside its 20-yard line. But Tide fans will likely be happy Xavian Marks just caught the ball without muffing it.

9:20 p.m.:  Bama had enough of LSU converting on third down (5 of 8 before that third-and-5 play). Tide defense blitzes and Ronnie Harrison gets the sack on Danny Etling.

9:14 p.m.:  JK Scott booms another punt after another Bama three-and-out. D.J. Chark gets a nice little return, but it's called back after a block in the back call. LSU takes over at its 13.

9:12 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts on his first designed run of the game goes for nada.

9:09 p.m.:  LSU finally falters on third down (after Anthony Averett drops an interception) so Tigers have to settle for a field goal. Still, LSU was on the field for 14 plays and 5:39 of game time. That's the way to go for LSU.

9:06 p.m.:  Danny Etling hits D.J. Chark again on third-and-8 and LSU now has it at the Bama 4-yard line. 

9:04 p.m.:  Danny Etling hits D.J. Chark on third-and-5 for 21 yards to keep the Tigers drive alive. They're driving at the Bama 30.

8:53 p.m:  One play later, Bo Scarbrough plows ahead for a 9-yard touchdown run. Alabama now leads 14-0.

8:53 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts hits Calvin Ridley on a strike on third-and-6. That's a pickup of 24. Hurts is looking good throwing.

First quarter: Alabama 7, LSU 0

8:47 p.m.:  Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison gets a huge interception in coverage of Derrius Guice! Tide take over inside LSU's 40-yard line. That's Alabama's 36th straight game with a takeaway, as well.

8:45 p.m:  Jalen Hurts faces pressure on two of three plays in that three-and-out, including that last sack. Bama's O-line is in for a long game if they don't pick it up soon. Tigers take over at their 39.

8:42 p.m.:  Apparently Minkah Fitzpatrick's last trip to the medical tent was head-related. He's still trying to get into this game. 

8:39 p.m.:  LSU trying a lot of jet sweeps against Bama, mixed in with some long balls. Seems to be working: They're driving inside the Tide's 40-yard line.

8:34 p.m.:  Minkah Fitzpatrick down again for Alabama. He's likely done for the game — he's obviously frustrated but didn't like he was 100 percent after tweaking his hamstring.

8:30 p.m.:  Minkah Fitzpatrick back on the field. It'll be interesting to see how he looks. LSU driving at it own 25.

8:29 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts so far: 4 for 4, 80 passing yards, one touchdown; two rushes for 11 yards (not including a sack). One of his runs:

8:27 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts hits Irv Smith Sr. for a 4-yard touchdown on the fake toss. He looked really, really good in the pocket on that drive.

8:27 p.m.:  Meanwhile, Alabama's offense is chugging along, driving at the LSU 4-yard line.

8:26 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts hits Henry Ruggs for 47 yards ... but no touchdowns. It's his first catch that didn't go for a score. Scrub (sarcasm).

8:24 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts hits Calvin Ridley on third down to convert. Good pocket presence from Hurts. Bama driving at hits 24.

8:23 p.m.:  And now Arden Key, easily one of LSU's best defenders, tackles Bo Scarbrough for a loss of 5 yards. Bama not on its game early.

8:22 p.m.:  Bama will need to improve its pass coverage:

8:20 p.m.:  Alabama takes over at its own 10-yard line after the LSU punt.

8:19 p.m.:  Alabama gets off the field on LSU's second third-down conversion, but the more pressing news is whether Minkah Fitzpatrick comes back in this one.

8:18 p.m.:  Uh-oh. Minkah Fitzpatrick going down holding his left hamstring (after some incidental contact to break up a long pass play). He's easily the most important player on the Tide's defense. They'll want him back for this one for sure.

8:17 p.m.:  Gutsy call from LSU: Danny Etling hits Stephen Sullivan for a 31-yard gain practically from his own end zone. Tigers driving at their 44.

8:16 p.m.:  Shaun-Dion Hamilton and Rashaan Evans crashed in on that shovel-pass fake. Ouch.

8:14 p.m.:  LSU gets a false start on the first play from scrimmage. Not a good start.

8:13 p.m.:  JK Scott gets a wonderful 56-yard punt off, pinning LSU at its 9-yard line. Let's see how LSU handles its first offensive series.

8:12 p.m.:  Jalen Hurts sacked by LSU on second-and-5 after a nice gain from Damien Harris. He'll need to move a little faster in the pocket. Hurts follows up with good pocket composure and hits Robert Foster, who falls 1 yard short of the first down. Bama punt upcoming.

8:10 p.m.: Alabama will receive the ball to start the half.

Pregame

8:10 p.m.:  And now here comes LSU. ...

8:09 p.m.:  Alabama admittedly would probably be intimidated by a honest-to-goodness tiger rushing at them.

8:07 p.m.:  Here comes the home team. ...

8:06 p.m.:  Lane Kiffin, what mischief can we expect from you tonight?

8 p.m.: That is a lot of red in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

7:54 p.m.: Now that's how you get a crowd ready for a big-time game.

7:54 p.m.:  You could say this game is a big deal.

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.