The Tide’s Revenge

Top ranked Alabama made a statement in a highly personal win over LSU on Saturday. No matter what happened in 2019, this is a new year and Alabama is still Alabama. LSU may have learned that during the first half of the game.

For the most part, the only similarity between this game and last year’s showdown between these two teams is the fact that one team’s QB strengthened his Heisman case. Alabama QB Mac Jones passed for 385 passing yards and four touchdowns, a lot of which took place in the first half of the game. Three of these touchdowns fell gracefully into the talented hands of senior receiver DeVonta Smith, who is a Louisiana native.

As if Smith wasn’t tough enough for the LSU defense to handle, three touchdowns from senior Running Back Najee Harris completely destroyed them, and that is actually the nicest way to put it. It’s safe to say that these two remember everything that was said and done after LSU’s win over Alabama last year. This was personal.

Although the score and stat sheet say otherwise, this game could have been worse. For instance, Alabama could have pitched a shutout and it’s safe to say that Coach Saban would have enjoyed that. LSU was bold enough to start a freshman QB against Alabama’s strong defense and it wasn’t a complete failure. LSU’s offense showed a little bit of life in the second quarter, scoring on two long plays. Running back John Emery Jr. was able to score on the longest running play allowed by Alabama this season.

While there were positives for LSU, their opponents had an answer for everything. Most of the time that answer was a fast and acrobatic touchdown from DeVonta Smith. With a win in Death Valley, Alabama secured a spot in the SEC Championship game against Florida. If anyone is able to stop the Tide from rolling, they had better do it fast. If not, Nick Saban’s team might just win another National Championship.