Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
LSU tops Tide in OT
Gutsy 2-point conversion pass boosts Tigers
BATON ROUGE, La. — Jayden Daniels ran for 25yard touchdown in overtime and then found tight end Mason Taylor for a do-ordie 2-point conversion, and 15th-ranked Louisiana State defeated No. 6 Alabama 32-31 on Saturday to give first-year Tigers coach Brian Kelly his first victory over Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban.
The surprising victory in a riveting game that included six second-half lead changes and a tying field goal by Alabama (7-2, 4-2 Southeastern) with 21 seconds left in regulation gave LSU (7-2, 5-1) control of the SEC West Division with two league games left.
The Tide began overtime with the ball and took a 31-24 lead on running back Roydell Williams’ second rushing TD of the night.
Daniels needed one play in overtime to score and force a decision by Kelly to try to tie it with a kick or let Daniels try to win it.
“I just love the way our guys competed. I didn’t want to keep going in overtime,” Kelly said as jubilant fans stormed onto the field. “It just felt like it was the right time to try to win the game.”
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Alabama, favored by nearly two TDS, lost at Tiger Stadium for the first time since 2010. Kelly, who as Notre Dame’s coach lost to Saban and the Tide twice in the postseason, became the coach to break that streak in the first year of a 10-year contract worth nearly $100 million.
“To come here and restore the pride and tradition of this program just means so much,” Kelly said. “It just feels so good to return the faith and trust that they’ve given to me.”
Daniels passed for 182 yards and two TDS and ran for 95 yards and a score. Bryce Young passed for 328 yards and one TD with one interception for Alabama.
There were three lead changes in the final 4:44, starting when Young narrowly escaped a sack, rolled right and found wide receiver Ja’corey Brooks for a 41-yard TD.
LSU went back in front 24-21 with 1:47 left in regulation when Daniels hit Taylor in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard score. But Young drove Alabama to the LSU 28, and Will Reichard’s 46-yard field goal with 21 seconds left tied it.
The Tigers then chose to run out the clock.
Alabama took its first of two fourth-quarter leads with the help of face mask and defensive holding penalties by LSU that negated what would have been a third-down sack at the Tigers’ 36.
After Jahmyr Gibbs’ 14yard run to the 2, Williams barreled in to make it 15-14 after a failed 2-point conversion with 12:37 to go.
LSU responded by driving inside the Alabama 15, but the Tide snuffed out Daniels’ third-down keeper, limiting the Tigers to Damian Ramos’ 32-yard field goal with 6:52 to go.
Alabama took its first lead on Reichard’s third field goal of the night, concluding a third-quarter drive on which the Tide twice converted on fourth-and-short on runs by Williams.
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No. 21 North Carolina State 30, No. 20 Wake Forest 21:
At Raleigh, N.C., freshman M.J. Morris threw for 210 yards and three TDS for the Wolfpack (7-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast), who had three interceptions and held the Demon Deacons (6-2, 2-3) to 17 yards rushing. Wide receiver A.T. Perry had 12 catches for 159 yards and a TD for Wake Forest.