Alabama 6 - 9 Louisiana St. (Final - Overtime)

The first SEC regular-season game ever to feature the AP number 1 and number 2 teams took place last night in Tuscaloosa, and it was a doozy. Alabama and LSU played a violent and passionate game that, in my opinion at least, did the old conference proud. I'm sure there were lots of neutral fans who were bored by the lack of points -- and, in fact, this was one of the very few games you'll see without a touchdown. But the truth was that neither team had a quarterback capable of making plays against the other team's defense. And that's OK. For those of us who love the SEC, and who know that Southern football is about rivalries, and hitting, and tenacious defense, this was a genuine classic.

In the end, the views of traditional old SEC coaches like General Bob Neyland and Johnny Vaught were vindicated, because the game was won by the team that made the fewest mistakes. Alabama's All-American running back, Trent Richardson, was the best offensive weapon on the field, and he accounted for 169 yards of total offense. Mainly because of his efforts, the Tide outgained LSU, 295 yards to 239. But Alabama lost the game because it made too many errors:

1. The first two Alabama possessions ended in missed field goals, and the third ended with a blocked field goal.

2. With the score tied 3-3 in the third quarter, Alabama intercepted a pass and ran it back to the LSU 3. But Alabama was called for an illegal block on the play, and the Tide had to start at the LSU 35. They got a field goal to take a 6-3 lead, but not the touchdown they needed.

3. With less than 2 minutes to go in the third quarter, a first and 10 on his own 41, and his defense actually looking as though it could make a 6-3 lead stand up, Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron threw a very weak sideline pass that was picked off and returned to the Alabama 15. The Tide defense held again, but LSU got a field goal to tie the game.

4. With just over 11 minutes to go in the game, and a 1st and 10 on the LSU 28, Alabama put wide receiver Marquis Maze in the wildcat formation. Instead of running, however, Maze lofted a pass down to the LSU 1 yard line. His receiver was open, but the ball floated in the air for so long that Alabama's tight end and an LSU defender leaped for the ball at the same time. The tight end had the ball in his hands. But by the time the play was over, LSU back Eric Reid had ripped the ball away.

5. The Tigers couldn't do much from their own 1, and with 9 minutes to go in the game, LSU faced a 4th and 2 from its own 9. Alabama sent out Maze -- who is normally a deadly returner -- to receive the kick. But Maze had turned an ankle earlier in the game, and his limited lateral movement caused him to miss the booming punt, which landed at the Alabama 40 -- but rolled all the way to the Alabama 18.

6. With 2d and 10 from its own 25 in overtime, Alabama was hit with a five-yard substitution penalty that ruined its chances of making a first down. The Tide's subsequent field goal attempt missed -- their fourth miss of the night -- and LSU knew that it only needed a field goal to win. They got it, and now they have the inside track for the national title.

The old coaches would also have been pleased that the kicking game was so important in this contest. Alabama went a remarkable 2 of 6 in field goal tries, while LSU was 3-3. And LSU's Australian punter Brad Wing put on an amazing performance, forcing the Tide to start from inside its own 20 on four different occasions.

Here I must reiterate once again that I hate tiebreakers in football, and I really hate the tiebreaker used in college football. In last night's game, a tie represented the fairest and most realistic assessment of how the two teams played. And a tie would have kept both teams alive in the national title hunt. Even if we were going to break the tie, the NFL's method -- which at least looks like real football -- would have been much fairer than the college method, under which Alabama was pretty much doomed as soon as it was hit with a five-yard penalty on its second play in overtime.

But the world is the world, and the rules are what they are. Alabama knew the rules, and they could have avoided overtime by playing smarter. They did not, and as a result, I imagine Alabama fans will be replaying this game in their minds for a long time to come.