The annual battle between the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers didn’t have as much luster as it’d possessed the past few years. Nothing that happened on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa made a case for there to be more, as the Tide muddied their way to a 24-10 win over their rivals from Baton Rouge. The victory pushed the Tide’s win streak over the Fighting Tigers to seven, which is now four shy of the longest win streak ever in their favor.

LSU was able to hang around against the Tide with a stout defensive effort in the first half. But as they always seem to do, Alabama found a way to pull away late. Jalen Hurts certainly helped, as the sophomore quarterback scampered for a rushing touchdown late in the third quarter to put the score up to 21-3. A rushing touchdown by Darrel Williams brought LSU within 11. However, after a field goal, the 2-touchdown deficit became too much for LSU to overcome.

Williams and Derrius Guice combined for 154 yards, but their efforts were not enough to pull out a win. Danny Etling was just 12-for-26 on pass attempts, throwing for only 137 yards with no touchdowns and an interception to free safety Ronnie Harrison.

What We Learned

Alabama did not come out unscathed

A litany of injuries rattled the Tide (on the surface, at least) against LSU. Shaun Dion Hamilton left the game with a knee injury. Star defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick suffered a hamstring injury himself, while Rashaan Evans suffered an ankle injury. It didn’t stop there, as Jamey Mosley had an ankle injury while Mekhi Brown got a shoulder injury. With Mississippi State’s high-powered offense next, the hope for ‘Bama is that they heal up over the next week. They may have won against LSU on Saturday night while taking these hits, but for their sake, the damage won’t be too bad next time.

LSU fought hard, but their efforts just were not enough

Up until Jalen Hurts turned it into a 21-3 game, LSU’s gameplan was executed pretty well defensively. They bottled up the usually potent Alabama ground game, and the end-of-game stats show that too: Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris combined for only 72 yards, with Harris just getting 33. The offense just could not get it going though, which seems to be a repetitive statement for their efforts against ‘Bama. Sometimes, that’s just the way it goes, though.

Alabama could hop Georgia, but the end game remains the same

The Top 20 win that ‘Bama got on Saturday night certainly won’t help their cause to be the No. 1 team in the land on Tuesday. But, in the end, staying in the Top 4 is the goal. Alabama’s win on Saturday won’t deter them from that for now. So, all in all, mission accomplished.