Just enough offense for Bama as they defeat LSU, 10-0

Jalen Hurts accounted for more than 200 yards and scored the only touchdown of the night as Alabama defeated LSU 10-0 in a Southeastern Conference game at Tiger Stadium on Saturday.

HOW THEY SCORED

FIRST QUARTER

No scoring

SECOND QUARTER

No scoring

THIRD QUARTER

No scoring

FOURTH QUARTER

Alabama 7, LSU 0

Score: Hurts 21-yard run. Adam Griffith kick. Time Remaining: 13:08. Drive: 90 yards in 12 plays. Time of Possession: 5:57. Key Play: On fourth-and-one, Bo Scarbrough ran 11 yards for a first down at LSU’s 22.

Alabama 10, LSU 0

Score: Griffith 25-yard field goal. Time Remaining: 2:41. Drive: 50 yards in 15 plays. Time of Possession: 9:51. Key Play: On third-and-15, Hurts ran 23 yards for a first down at LSU’s 17.

LSU OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME

It is pretty difficult to name such a player on a night when the Tigers scored no points and gained just 125 yards – 25 in the second half. D.J. Chark made the only substantial gain for LSU when he grabbed a pass from Danny Etling for a 41-yard gain in the first quarter. Chark ended the night with three receptions for 45 yards.

LSU DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME

There are numerous Tigers defenders who played well enough to be given this recognition. Inside linebacker Kendell Beckwith was steady throughout the game as he registered a career-high 16 tackles. Beckwith, who made five solo tackles, was credited ½ tackle-for-loss.

WHY LSU LOST

The offense was not up to the task of moving the ball against Alabama. Running backs Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice combined for 43 yards on 19 carries – slightly more than two yards per attempt. Etling completed just 11 of 24 passes and was sacked five times. Twice, the Tigers started in Crimson Tide territory following turnovers and came way empty both times.

NOTABLE TEAM STATISTICS

LSU recorded just six first downs – one in the second half. . .Alabama had a net rushing total of 216 yards, while the Tigers had 33 yards on the ground. . .LSU averaged 2.5 yards per play. . .The Crimson Tide had the ball for 34 minutes. . .Alabama was 7-of-17 on third-down plays, while the Tigers converted four of 15 third-down plays. . .The Crimson Tide had five sacks, while LSU had one sack.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS

LSU

Leonard Fournette: 17 carries, 35 yards; 1 catch, 8 yards

Danny Etling: 24 attempts, 11 completions, 92 yards, 1 interception

DJ Chark: 3 catches, 45 yards

Malachi Dupre: 3 catches, 17 yards

Kendell Beckwith: 16 tackles, ½ tackle-for-loss

Lewis Neal: 11 tackles, 2 quarterback-hurries, 1 tackle-for-loss

Dwayne Thomas: 9 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss, 2 pass breakups, 1 quarterback-hurry

Duke Riley: 9 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss

Tre’Davious White: 3 tackles, 1½ tackles-for-loss

ALABAMA

Jalen Hurts: 20 carries, 114 yards, 1 touchdown; 19 attempts, 10 completions, 107 yards, 1 interception

Damien Harris: 12 carries, 53 yards; 1 catch, minus-2 yards

Bo Scarbrough: 11 carries, 52 yards

ArDarius Stewart: 3 catches, 55 yards

Reuben Foster: 11 tackles, 1½ tackles-for-loss, ½ sack

Dalvin Tomlinson: 6 tackles, 1½ tackles-for-loss, 1 sack

Tim Williams: 4 tackles, 1½ tackles-for-loss, ½ sack

NOTES

Maea Teuhema started at right tackle. He played left tackle in the second half after K.J. Malone went out with an injury. . .Toby Weathersby played right tackle for most of the game. . .Alabama failed to score in the first half for the first time in nine years. The Crimson Tide and Florida State were scoreless in their 2007 game. . .The last time LSU was involved in a scoreless first half occurred in 1997 at Vanderbilt. The last time there was a scoreless first half in Tiger Stadium came in 1990 against Texas A&M. . .It had been 31 years since a LSU game was scoreless after three quarters. In 1985, the Tigers scored ten fourth-quarter points to beat Kentucky 10-0. . .The last time LSU was shut out in Tiger Stadium Nick Saban was its head coach. The Tigers lost to Alabama 31-0 in 2002. . .The last team other than Alabama to hold LSU scoreless at home was Tennessee in 1992 (20-0). . .Chark has caught a pass in seven consecutive games. He has had at a least a 40-yard reception in four games in a row. . .Colby Delahoussaye’s 49-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter was blocked. . .Travin Dural has caught a pass in each game this year. . .Neal’s 11 tackles were a career-high. . .Alabama is 9-0 overall, 6-0 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide and Auburn are the two teams in the Western Division who control their own destiny. . .LSU is 5-3 overall, 3-2 in the SEC. The Tigers need another victory to be bowl-eligible. . .The paid attendance was 102,231.

FROM THE LOCKERROOM

Coach Ed Orgeron’s comments: “The effort was there. The execution was not good enough. The defense played awfully well except for two third-down runs by the quarterback. On offense, we didn’t get the ball in space. We didn’t block well. We didn’t complete passes. We didn’t take advantage of the two times with the ball in plus territory (after turnovers). At times, there was pressure on the quarterback. At times, there wasn’t pressure and there wasn’t proper mechanics back there. We had some guys open and we couldn’t get the ball to them.”

UP NEXT

LSU will play Arkansas at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Saturday. The kickoff is set for 6pm CST and broadcast by ESPN. Arkansas (6-3, 2-3) defeated Florida 31-10 in Fayetteville on Saturday afternoon.