No 1 Alabama Rolls to Win over LSU

10 Nov, 2013

The top-ranked Crimson Tide flashed its overwhelming punching power to knockout No. 10 LSU in Saturday night’s 38-17 victory Saturday, scoring the final 21 points in punishing fashion.

AJ McCarron threw three touchdown passes, T.J. Yeldon ran for 133 yards and two scores and the Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) turned to smash-you-in-the-mouth football to take control of a game that was tied early in the third quarter. Yeldon carried 18 times in the second half, 25 overall.

And down went LSU (7-3, 3-3).

“I think we probably played our best half of football,” Tide coach Nick Saban said. “We didn’t play great in the first half, but man I tell you what, a lot of character out there in the second half.”

Yeldon and McCarron had hooked up for the game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute of last season’s meeting with the Tigers. This one had no such dramatic finish.

Two-time defending national champion Alabama brushed aside its first challenge since Game 2 against Texas A&M. It was a dominant performance two days after one contender, No. 2 Oregon, fell to another, No. 6 Stanford.

LSU’s Zach Mettenberger completed 16 of 23 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown but was also sacked four times.

It was the most points Alabama has scored against LSU since a 41-12 victory in 1947.

LSU had won five of the last six meetings in Tuscaloosa, but lost fumbles on its first two possessions, including one on the goal line. The Tigers, who came in averaging 40.2 points, couldn’t regain the lost momentum and managed just 52 yards in the second half and minus-9 in the final quarter.

Alabama limited Jeremy Hill, who came in as the SEC’s No. 2 rusher, to 13 carries for 42 yards and a touchdown.

AP

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