LSU Defeats Alabama 32-31 In Thrilling Fashion With Game Winning Two Point Conversion In Overtime

It was one for the ages in a critical SEC West Showdown in Tiger Stadium.

In LSU’s exceptional history of big plays, Billy Cannon’s Halloween run, the Bluegrass Miracle, the Earthquake Game, there is now another play that will live in LSU glory and that play is three simple words. Daniels to Taylor.

After Alabama scores a touchdown in overtime to get the 31-24 lead, Jayden Daniels uses his legs and scampers 25 yards for the touchdown to make it a 31-30 game.

LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly decides not to go for the tie and continuation of overtime, but the win. Alabama calls the timeout to talk it over, but that does not waver Kelly, who still decides to go for the win.

The gamble paid off as Jayden Daniels hits Mason Taylor for the game winning two-point conversion at 32-31.

Not even a second after Taylor falls into the end zone with the game winning score, the LSU fans came storming on the field swallowing up the Tiger Stadium turf with nothing but a purple and gold swarm.

The ending was epic, but so was the game itself.

The Crimson Tide was on an impressive opening drive until LSU’s defense makes a great play with Jarrick Bernard-Converse intercepting Bryce Young in the end zone.

For a while, that was the only big play to happen as both teams struggled to move the football. The first quarter was scoreless, but entering the second quarter, it was LSU that broke the scoreless tie as Daniels hits John Emery Jr. from out of the backfield for a 30-yard touchdown.

Alabama would respond with a field goal to make the score 7-3 on the next possession. Major Burns makes a huge play by saving six points when tackling Jase McClellan after he catches a pass 65 yards from Bryce Young. Right before halftime, Alabama had a chance to put even more points on the board and possibly take the lead at the end of the first half. It looked like LSU got themselves another gift with a forced fumble by Sage Ryan and a fumble recovery by Greg Brooks, but the Crimson Tide would end up keeping the ball after it was ruled that the player touched out of bounds while he touched the ball. Therefore, the play was ruled dead. Will Reichard hit his second field goal and LSU took a 7-6 lead into halftime.

There was a lot of action in the second half as eight lead changes occurred.

Alabama took its first lead of the game on the first drive of the second half with a third Reichard field goal to make the score 9-7. Alabama converted two fourth downs on that drive, which lasted almost seven minutes.

This began the see saw battle between both offenses. After it was the defenses that dominated the first half, both offenses found their footing in the second half. LSU responded with a 11 play, 75 yard drive that was highlighted by three receptions by Kayshon Boutte and a pass interference call on Alabama’s Eli Ricks that led to Josh Williams’ touchdown run to give the Tigers a 14-9 lead. Williams played a big role on that drive accounting for 48 rushing yards.

However, Alabama would respond entering the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide leaned heavily on Jahmyr Gibbs, who had 59 yards on the Tide’s 76 yard scoring drive. Roydell Williams gets the touchdown to put the Tide ahead at 15-14, but the Tide does fail to convert on the two point conversion.

It was LSU’s turn. Daniels marches the Tigers down the field 69 yards to give the Tigers back the lead. Daniels started the drive completing a 22 yard pass to Malik Nabers for a big completion to set the Tigers at midfield. A second Eli Ricks pass interference penalty gave the Tigers the football inside the 30 yard line, but the Tide defense forces a 32 yard field goal attempt from Damian Ramos. He converts and the Tigers have the 17-15 advantage.

For the most part, the Tigers held Bryce Young in check from making explosive plays all night long, but the defending Heisman Trophy winner did his best Harry Houdini impersonation by escaping what looked like a potential Tigers sack and finding a wide open Ja’Corey Brooks for the 41 yard touchdown with 4:44 left to play. Alabama has the lead and the momentum at 21-17, but again, the Tigers’ defense stiffens by stoping the two point attempt.

With under five minutes left to play, it was time for Jayden Daniels to become a hero. On third down and five, Daniels uses his legs and has a highlight reel 31 yard run to set the Tigers inside Alabama territory. Alabama then gets called for pass interference, which sets up the Tigers at the Alabama 24 yard line. On third down and seven, the Tigers elect to run the football with Josh Williams and he powers through Alabama defenders to pick up 14 yards. The very next play, Daniels fires a touchdown pass to Mason Taylor, who has two Alabama defenders around him, and still makes the catch. It sounds like a broken record, but the Tigers have the lead again at 24-21 with 2:57 left to play.

Still, it was plenty of time for Young and company to either tie or take the lead. Young methodically went down the field finding his tight end Cameron Latu, Jermaine Burton, and JoJo Earle for 15 yards each. The Crimson Tide runs the clock down to 21 seconds setting up a game tying field goal for Reichard. Reichard hits the clutch field goal from 46 yards to tie the game at 24.

After LSU ran the rest of the clock by choosing to play for overtime, LSU did win the coin toss in overtime and elected to play defense. Alabama had a third down and four at the six yard line when Young’s pass was incomplete, but pass interference was called on Sage Ryan. The play was under review to see if Mekhi Wingo tipped the pass, but the play stood. Two plays later, Roydell Williams punches in his second rushing touchdown of the night to make it 31-24.

The rest was history as Jayden Daniels’ 25 yard touchdown run and game winning two point conversion completion to Mason Taylor gave LSU the 32-31 win over their SEC West rivals while also giving the Tigers the golden opportunity of controlling their destiny when it comes to playing in the SEC Championship Game.

LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly gets his first win against Nick Saban and earned it by going for the win when trying to take down the Alabama juggernaut.

“It was a decision at that moment. I just felt, as I thought about it, if we could boil this game down to one play and win the game before the game started, if you will. If you asked me, ‘Hey, I’m going to give you one play, and if you’re successful on that one play, you beat Alabama,’ I would’ve taken that 100 times out of 100. At that moment, it kind of hit me that way, and I knew we had a really good play we hadn’t used, and they hadn’t seen. When you get five out on the perimeter, you truly have a threat, so I felt really good about that play. It was well executed and that was the thought behind it.”

LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly on game winning two point conversion.

Having the game at Tiger Stadium was a big advantage for LSU entering this game, and Brian Kelly knew that it was going to be a total team effort including the home crowd at its best in order to have a chance of beating Alabama.

“Well, first, pretty excited locker room in there as you can imagine. So proud of my football team and the way they took it one play at a time. For me, just to see them grow, this was the next stage in development for our football team. They needed to not think about outcome and think about one play at a time, get to the next play, focus, refocus. That was the charge all week. Many people had talked about not getting off to a good start. How do you change that? We’re talking so much more about locking in mentally on one play at a time. I thought they did a great job.”

“The second thing I would like to bring up is that the crowd was unbelievable. They created an energy unlike one that I can remember. That was truly a home advantage for us.”

“I thought tactically we played smart. We were able to pin Alabama in poor field position mostly the first half. I thought we played smart. We didn’t turn the football over. We had the one play where we came out of coverage late. Other than that, I think our guys played really smart football. The basic tenets of winning games like this is one play at a time, play tactically smart, take care of the football. I think we did all those things and really grew up today.”

LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly on the win

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was the hero and has now won over the hearts of all the LSU fans with this performance tonight. The former Arizona State quarterback completed 22 of 32 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 95 yards and another touchdown. Then, there was of course, the two point conversion. It was the third big performance in a row for the LSU quarterback as he continues to play at an all-time high.

“It gives us a lot of confidence knowing we’ve beat two top ten teams in back to back game weeks. A lot of it comes from everybody saying we can’t do it and that just gives us more fuel to the fire.”

LSU QB Jayden Daniels on the win

Daniels had a great supporting cast tonight offensively. Both Josh Williams and John Emery Jr. had touchdowns. Mason Taylor had the touchdown grab and the game winning two point conversion. Then, Kayshon Boutte and Malik Nabers proved to be safety outlets for Daniels accounting for 13 of Daniels’ 22 completions.

“When they first called the play, my heart lowkey dropped, I’m not gonna lie, but we practiced for this. Pressure is a privilege at LSU, so I went out there and executed just like practice. I’m glad our coaches trust me with the play and the ball.”

LSU freshman tight end Mason Taylor on catching the game winning two point conversion

Defensively, LSU held its own against one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Bryce Young did throw for 328 yards and a touchdown, but he completed less than 50% of his passes. Jahmyr Gibbs proved to be the Crimson Tide’s X factor with 99 yards rushing and 64 yards receiving, but besides Ja’Corey Brooks’ 41 yard touchdown reception, and Jase McClellan’s 65 yard reception, the Tigers prevented big plays from hurting the Tigers.

Harold Perkins continues to show why he is a freshman All-American with eight tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and three quarterback hurries putting pressure on Young constantly. BJ Ojulari showed why he is a potential first round draft pick with 11 tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries. The secondary made plays as well with Jarrick Bernard-Converse getting his first interception of his Tigers’ career. The defensive play made by Converse set the tone for the defense’s confidence throughout the entire game.

“We made an emphasis on starting faster in practice and just getting after it. As a defense, we always say, ‘they can’t score on this first drive.’ We’re tired of teams coming in here and just scoring on the first drive and then slowing down. We made that an emphasis and we were successful.”

LSU DT Mekhi Wingo

In all phases of the game, the Tigers needed an A+ performance to dethrone the Crimson Tide and they got one in what will always be a phenomenal night.

LSU controls their own destiny in the SEC West and has the lead on that side of the conference improving its record to 7-2. Meanwhile, Alabama falls to 7-2. Next up, LSU will travel on the road to take on Arkansas.

Like the Guy Fawkes quote says, LSU fans will always remember the fifth of November.

Check out these great photos taken during the LSU/Alabama game by Billy Metcalf.

Social Media Tweets Throughout The Game:

1st Quarter:

2nd Quarter:

3rd Quarter:

4th Quarter:

Overtime:

LSU wins 32-31.

Final Stats:

Offensive Cumulative Stats:

STATAlabamaLSU
NET TOTAL YARDS465367
NET RUSHING YARDS137185
Rushing Attempts3034
Average Per Rush4.65.4
Rushing TDs22
Yards Gained148204
Yards Lost1119
NET PASSING YARDS328182
Completion-Attempts25-5122-32
Completion Percentage49%69%
Avg Per Completion13.18.3
YAC164107
Passing TDs12
Drops (%)0 (00%)0 (00%)
TOTAL 1ST DOWNS2521
Rushing 1st Downs96
Passing 1st Downs1411
Penalty 1st Downs24
TOTAL PLAYS8166
Avg Yds/Play5.75.6
Rushing-Passing30-5134-32

Offense Efficiency Comparison:

STATAlabamaLSU
RED ZONE ATTEMPTS4-53-3
Red Zone Points1517
RZ TDs Rush-Pass1-01-1
RZ FG Made-Att3-31-1
RZ Turns10
3rd Downs6-165-12
4th Downs2-20-0
Penalties9-927-64
Fumbles-Lost0-00-0
Pts Off Turns00
POSSESSION TIME27:4132:19

Special Teams Comparison:

STATAlabamaLSU
Punts-Avg4-49.86-41.8
Inside2003
Field Goals4-41-1
Kick Returns0-03-62
Punt Returns0-00-0

Defensive Comparison:

STATAlabamaLSU
TACKLES6662
Solo Tackles3830
Tackles for Loss114
TFL Yards-24-12
Pass Breakups26
QB Hurries110
Sacks62
Sacks Yards-15-10
Takeaways FR-INT0-00-1
Forced Fumbles00
Fumble Recoveries00
FR Yards00
Interceptions01
INT Yards00
TDs INT-FR0-00-0

Alabama Passing:

#PLAYERC-AYDSTDIC%RTG
9YOUNG,B25-513281149105.6

Alabama Receiving:

#PLAYERNOYDSTDLNGAVGTGTC%YACDR
1GIBBS,J86401481267330
7BROOKS,J79714113.91741400
81LATU,C35002116.7743300
2MCCLELLAN,J274065372100590
3BURTON,J2190159.545020
10EARLE,J1150151533300
5WILLIAMS,R1505525000
80PRENTICE,K1404433300
8 RECEIVERS2532816513.151491640

Alabama Rushing:

#PLAYERATTYDSTDLNGAVG
1GIBBS,J15990346.6
2MCCLELLAN,J417074.3
5WILLIAMS,R711221.6
9YOUNG,B4100112.5
4 RUSHERS301372344.6

Alabama Punting:

PunterNOYDSAVGLNGI2050+
BURNIP,J314347.75801
TEAM156565601
TOTAL419949.85802

Alabama Field Goals:

KickerTimeDistResult
W.Reichard2nd-05:5629GOOD
W.Reichard2nd-00:0036GOOD
W.Reichard3rd-08:1138GOOD
W.Reichard4th-00:2146GOOD
TOTAL4-4LONG OF 46

Alabama All Purpose Yards:

PlayerTotRushRecKORPRIR-FRTDs
GIBBS,J16399640000
BROOKS,J970970001
MCCLELLAN,J9117740000

Alabama Defense:

#Player (Starter)TotTkSoloSackTFLIntBrUpQBHFF
2D.Hellams (DB)129010000
14B.Branch (DB)97000110
42J.Moody (LB)86020000
9J.Battle (DB)74000000
10H.To’oTo’o (LB)63120000
15D.Turner (LB)421.51.50000
47B.Young (DL)41110000
50T.Smith310.51.50000
1K.McKinstry (DB)22000100
31W.Anderson Jr. (LB)20110000
41C.Braswell200.50.50000
94D.Dale200.50.50000
7E.Ricks (DB)11000000
13M.Moore11000000
19K.Law10000000
30J.Campbell10000000
91J.Oatis (DL)11000000
TOTALS66386110210

Alabama Punt Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD

Alabama Kick Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD

Alabama Team Stats By Quarter:

1stRushPassCAITotYAvg3rdsPens
1st45-399-463-9-1856.10-23-35
2nd55-515-1249-15-01296.53-62-15
3rd49-229-354-9-0573.20-42-12
4th106-5616-1178-16-01737.92-32-30
OT25-152-61-2-02131-10-0
Total2530-13751-32825-51-14655.76-169-92

Alabama Scoring Summary:

QtrClockScoreTypePlayDriveScore
205:56FGW.Reichard 29 yd Field Goal7/63/3:507-3
200:00FGW.Reichard 36 yd Field Goal12/63/3:217-6
308:11FGW.Reichard 38 yd Field Goal15/55/6:497-9
412:37TDRUSHR.Williams 2 yd rush
PAT pass by B.Young (FAIL)
8/76/2:2414-15
404:44TDPASSJ.Brooks 41 yd reception thrown by B.Young
PAT pass by B.Young (FAIL)
6/65/2:0817-21
400:21FGW.Reichard 46 yd Field Goal10/47/1:2624-24
OT1TDRUSHR.Williams 1 yd rush
PAT kick by W.Reichard (GOOD)
7/25/15:0024-31

LSU Passing:

#PLAYERC-AYDSTDIC%RTG
5DANIELS,J22-321822069137.2

LSU Receiving:

#PLAYERNOYDSTDLNGAVGTGTC%YACDR
7BOUTTE,K7510177.388850
8NABERS,M6490228.2786140
86TAYLOR,M336115123100260
27WILLIAMS,J37052.33100100
4EMERY JR.,J234130172100520
2LACY,K15055110000
6 RECEIVERS221822308.332691070

LSU Rushing:

#PLAYERATTYDSTDLNGAVG
5DANIELS,J18951315.3
27WILLIAMS,J7541167.7
4EMERY JR.,J526095.2
22GOODWIN,A17077
8NABERS,M15055
21CAIN,N1-100-1
6 RUSHERS341852315.4

LSU Punting:

PunterNOYDSAVGLNGI2050+
BRAMBLETT,J625141.85532

LSU Field Goals:

KickerTimeDistResult
D.Ramos4th-06:5232GOOD
TOTAL1-1LONG OF 32

LSU All Purpose Yards:

PlayerTotRushRecKORPRIR-FRTDs
DANIELS,J959500001
CAIN,N61-1062000
WILLIAMS,J615470001

LSU Defense:

#Player (Starter)TotTkSoloSackTFLIntBrUpQBHFF
18B.Ojulari (DE)1160.510020
13J.Foucha (DB)85000100
40H.Perkins Jr. (LB)83110130
23M.Baskerville (LB)75000010
2M.Garner (DB)53000010
11A.Gaye (DE)5000.50000
3G.Brooks Jr. (S)42000000
92M.Wingo (DL)3000.50200
24J.Bernard-Converse (CB)2100.51200
5J.Ward21000010
30G.Penn III (LB)21000000
99J.Roy (DL)10000010
15S.Ryan11000010
28M.Burns11000000
32D.Tolan11000000
TOTALS62302416100

LSU Punt Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD

LSU Kick Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD
CAIN,N36221230

LSU Team Stats By Quarter:

1stRushPassCAITotYAvg3rdsPens
1st59-3110-246-10-0552.91-42-20
2nd45-67-746-7-0806.70-20-0
3rd49-597-354-7-0945.92-33-25
4th710-648-496-8-01136.32-31-15
OT11-250-00-0-025250-01-4
Total2134-18532-18222-32-03675.65-127-64

LSU Scoring Summary:

QtrClockScoreTypePlayDriveScore
209:46TDPASSJ.Emery Jr. 30 yd reception thrown by J.Daniels
PAT kick by D.Ramos (GOOD)
4/49/1:577-0
303:30TDRUSHJ.Williams 2 yd rush
PAT kick by D.Ramos (GOOD)
11/75/4:4114-9
406:52FGD.Ramos 32 yd Field Goal11/69/5:3917-15
401:47TDPASSM.Taylor 7 yd reception thrown by J.Daniels
PAT kick by D.Ramos (GOOD)
7/75/2:5724-21
OT1TDRUSHJ.Daniels 25 yd rush
PAT pass by M.Taylor (GOOD)
1/2532-31