Alabama and LSU will meet in a top-five matchup for the fifth time in eight seasons when the No. 1 Crimson Tide travels to take on the No. 4 Tigers on Saturday at 7 p.m. inside Tigers Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. This week, BamaInsider look a look at the past four top-5 meetings between the two schools. Today we continue our series with Alabama’s 21-0 victory in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game.
2012: No. 2 Alabama 21, No. 1 LSU 0
After suffering a heartbreaking 9-6 overtime loss at home to LSU earlier in the season, Alabama got its second crack at the Tigers. A series of upsets across college football allowed the Crimson Tide to reach the BCS National Championship Game despite not playing for its conference championship.
The all-SEC matchup wasn’t popular across the nation as many felt Big 12 champion Oklahoma State should have earned the No. 2 spot, especially after blowing out Oklahoma 44-10 the week before the final BCS rankings were released. However, the Cowboys weren’t able to overcome an embarrassing 37-31 overtime loss to hapless Iowa State earlier in the season.
The rematch between Alabama and LSU was the only time two teams from the same conference met in the BCS National Championship Game. By all accounts, it was the right call. Alabama and LSU entered the matchup with the No. 1 and No. 2 defenses in the nation respectively. In fact, Alabama led the nation in total defense (191.25 yards per game), scoring defense (8.83 points per game), rushing defense (74.92 ypg) and passing defense (116.3 ypg).
What happened
After Alabama connected on just 2 of 6 field goal attempts in its previous loss to LSU, the Crimson Tide exorcized its kicking demons against the Tigers. Jeremey Shelley tied a bowl record with five field goals on the night as he went 5 of 7 with a long of 44 yards.
However, the story of the game was Alabama’s defense which held LSU to just 92 yards, preventing the Tigers from crossing midfield until halfway through the fourth quarter. Crimson Tide linebacker Courtney Upshaw earned defensive MVP, tallying seven tackles and a sack while spending the majority of the evening in LSU’s backfield.
With both teams locked in a defensive struggle, Alabama settled for five field goals before running back Trent Richardson delivered the final dagger with a 34-yard touchdown run with 4:36 remaining in the game. The touchdown was the only one scored by either team in two combined meetings.
How it could have gone differently
Despite not pulling away until late, Alabama controlled the game from the kickoff. The Crimson Tide limited LSU to just five first downs and held the Tigers to 2 of 12 on third-down conversions. LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson struggled mightily, completing 11 of 17 passes for 53 yards and an interception. That allowed Alabama to stack the box and limit LSU’s rushers to a measly 1.4 yard per carry.
Despite his inability to lead the offense, LSU stuck with Jefferson behind center. The Tigers rotated Jefferson and Jarrett Lee throughout the season with Lee starting the first four games as Jefferson served out a suspension stemming from a bar brawl over the summer.
Lee, who completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,306 yards and 14 touchdowns with three interceptions on the year, was viewed as the better passer. He helped lead the Tigers to victories over future Rose Bowl winner Oregon and future Orange Bowl winner West Virginia earlier in the season. However, Jefferson was a more versatile option due to his ability to make plays with his legs. The dual-threat quarterback also played the majority of LSU’s 9-6 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Following the national championship game, LSU head coach Les Miles explained his decision to stick with Jefferson by stating, “we needed a guy that could move the seat and not sustain that pass rush.” Still, it’s a bit puzzling as to why he didn’t try Lee at all during the game. It’s uncertain if Lee would have delivered different results, but the senior certainly couldn’t have been worse.
What happened next
The victory gave Alabama its 14th national title. It began Alabama’s current streak of seven straight wins over LSU, the longest such streak in the rivalry since the Crimson Tide won 11 straight games from 1972-81. Alabama has gone on to win three more national titles since the 2011 season, while LSU has had just two 10-win seasons over the same span.
