Grading LSU football's performance in Week 11 loss to Alabama

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LSU Football’s matchup with Alabama marked a regime change in more ways than one. The obvious change was with the coaching staff, as Brian Kelly and Joe Sloan were fired following the team’s loss to Texas A&M. The one many didn’t expect to see, however, was on the field. Sophomore quarterback Michael Van Buren replaced Garrett Nussmeier late in the third quarter—something fans had hoped for but didn’t truly expect to see. 

Even with Van Buren under center, however, the Tigers still couldn’t find the end zone, with all nine of the team’s points coming from field goals.

This was a disappointing performance, as many hoped the team’s new staff, led by interim head coach Frank Wilson, would elicit an improved performance on the offensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.    

Here is how LSU graded in the team’s loss to Alabama.

Offense — D

LSU’s offense struggled in this one the same way it has all season, with Tiger running backs Caden Durham and Harlem Berry combining for 15 carries and 70 yards, 37 of which came on one long run by Berry. Overall, the rushing game was as inefficient as it has been all season. 

From a passing standpoint, it’s good that the coaching staff decided to see what Van Buren could do under center, but he still couldn’t provide the spark that the Tigers needed. He wasn’t as conservative as Nussmeier had been throughout the game, making a few clutch tight-window throws on third downs, but struggled similarly to his predecessor when he entered the red zone.

Defense — B+

The Tiger defense was back to looking more like itself after a couple of rough performances against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. They held Alabama to its lowest-scoring outing since the Tide’s Week 1 disaster against Florida State.

The defense gave the team a chance to win in the second half, allowing just three points in the third and fourth quarters. If a more successful offensive performance had accompanied LSU’s defense, the Tigers would have had a real shot at winning this game. Unfortunately, that’s been the case for much of this season.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Grading LSU football's performance in Week 11 loss to Alabama

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