Jayden Daniels and the LSU offense accounted for 478 total yards on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, but Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide were too much to handle, defeating the No. 14 Tigers 42-28 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Milroe was a threat through the air and with his legs, going 15-of-23 for 219 yards passing, also leading the Alabama rushing attack with 155 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries.
LSU falls to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play. The Tide improve to 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the SEC.
“It’s the challenge that we knew,” head coach Brian Kelly said of Milroe. “He’s elusive. I think, for the most part, the big runs were probably the things that hurt us the most tonight.”
Daniels ended the first half 10-of-16 passing for 165 yards and three total touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing) to go along with eight carries for 137 yards on the ground. A prolific 30 minutes of play was capped off by a 26-yard touchdown to Kyren Lacy with five seconds to go in the half.
The California Kid finished 15-of-24 for 219 yards and two touchdown passes along with 163 yards rushing and a score on 11 carries. Daniels was intercepted by Terrion Arnold with 14:54 to play in the fourth quarter, which proved to be a critical momentum shifter in the game.
Daniels left the game late in the fourth quarter due to a head injury and did not return.
“They didn’t play mistake-free,” Kelly said. “There were too many missed tackles, we had too many drops, we had a turnover, and that’s just not good enough.”
Malik Nabers eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for his LSU career after connecting with Daniels on a 64-yard touchdown on the opening possession. It marked the third straight game with an opening drive score (75 yards Auburn, 75 yards Army, 85 yards Bama).
It’s the 11th time an LSU player has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. Nabers became one of two Tigers to do so twice (Josh Reed, 2000, 2001). He finished with 10 catches for 171 yards and a touchdown.
Linebacker Greg Penn III led the team in tackles with 10, one for loss, while safety Andre Sam finished with eight and linebacker Harold Perkins finished with seven to go along with a sack and a TFL.
A valiant effort on the road is not enough to beat a top-10 team, Kelly says. Elite play is required to beat elite competition.
“Good is not good enough,” Kelly said. “We played good tonight. But you have to play elite when you are on the road playing a top-10 team. We just didn’t reach that elite level tonight.”
The Tigers return to action next Saturday against Florida in Tiger Stadium. TV and kickoff information will be announced on Sunday.