Lane Kiffin did not try to downplay LSU’s 31–13 loss to Alabama. The defeat was a frustrating setback for the Tigers, who entered the matchup ranked No. 14 and briefly held a third-quarter lead against the No. 5 Crimson Tide. But while Kiffin acknowledged LSU’s mistakes, he also argued that the final score did not capture everything his team showed during the game.
“If we’re just getting beat in matchups, then we have problems,” Kiffin said on his radio show on November 13. He described the loss as a game decided by a handful of plays and said LSU had shown it could compete with Alabama. “That’s a top-5 team we played, and we should have beaten them. We showed them that.”
The Tigers moved the ball effectively, finishing with 457 total yards to Alabama’s 285. LSU even took a 13–10 lead in the third quarter. Yet that offensive production did not translate into enough points to secure the win. Alabama regained the lead late in the third quarter and scored 21 unanswered points to pull away.
When a fan asked Kiffin what LSU supporters could do to help the team, the coach said the crowd was not the issue. “That’s not a problem. Fans are good,” he said. He pointed instead to the team’s execution in scoring territory. “It’s not a fan problem. It’s a red zone execution problem.” Kiffin added that LSU supporters had been backing the program for a long time and did not need to be coached on how to do so.
The statistics in the red zone help explain his concern. LSU reached that area of the field four times but scored just 13 points across those trips. The Tigers failed to convert on all four of their fourth-down attempts, and LSU also gave the ball away twice. Kiffin said the team did not finish its red-zone opportunities, despite getting into scoring position more often than Alabama.
“We didn’t make any. 0-for-4,” he said of LSU’s fourth-down attempts. “And we got in the red zone more than they did. And that’ll give you a problem on the scoreboard. You’ll get a lot of yards and not many points when that happens.”
The missed opportunities began early. LSU opened with a 70-yard drive that took 14 plays and reached Alabama’s red zone. The Tigers could not turn the possession into a touchdown, however, and Scott Starzyk kicked a 23-yard field goal for the game’s first points.
In the second quarter, LSU had another chance to add to its score. Starzyk attempted a 56-yard field goal but missed. Later in the quarter, with 3 minutes and 31 seconds remaining, LSU faced fourth down at Alabama’s nine-yard line. Rather than send Starzyk out for a field goal, Kiffin kept the offense on the field and went for the conversion.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt tried to complete a pass to a receiver, but Alabama defensive back Chuck McDonald III got a hand on the ball and knocked it down. The failed attempt left LSU without points from a promising position.
The Tigers had another opportunity before halftime after advancing into Alabama territory and reaching the 36-yard line. That drive also ended without points when Leavitt threw an interception. LSU’s failures to convert those chances became more damaging as the game progressed.
The fourth quarter brought three more unsuccessful fourth-down attempts, as LSU tried to make up ground. By then, Alabama had taken control, and the Tigers were unable to turn their yardage into a comeback. The combination of missed conversions, turnovers and limited red-zone scoring left LSU with a much different result than its total yardage might have suggested.
Kiffin’s comments placed the focus on execution rather than fan support or a lack of ability to compete. LSU had moved the ball against a highly ranked opponent, but it needed to finish drives and make key plays in high-pressure situations.
The Tigers still had important tests ahead. Their upcoming matchups against ranked Texas and Tennessee offered two more opportunities to demonstrate their progress before the season-ending game against Arkansas on November 28.
