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Kalen DeBoer made his way to the locker room looking less like a coach who was happy to have beaten a rival and more like a man ready to get back to work. He moved with haste off the field Saturday, fresh off No. 4 Alabama’s 20-9 win over LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium. DeBoer’s postgame comments echoed that energy after his team beat the Tigers to improve to 8-1 overall and 6-0 in SEC play. The game wasn’t Alabama’s best. Far from it. “Definitely not satisfied with the way we played at times,” DeBoer said. “Made enough plays to win. But certainly got to continue to improve. Got to get back to work.” The day after every Alabama game this season, AL.com will have extra thoughts and notes. Here’s all of them from the Crimson Tide’s win over LSU. 3 game balls Recipients: Yhonzae Pierre, Nikhai Hill-Green, Bray Hubbard On linebacker Yhonzae Pierre: The outside linebacker showed off his impressive burst that is turning him into a true pass rushing threat for the Crimson Tide. He tallied two more sacks against LSU, including a strip sack in the second half. Pierre now has five sacks over his past three games. On linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green: He also forced a turnover when he jarred the ball loose in the first quarter. Plus, Hill-Green had a fairly productive day off the bench with five tackles and one tackle for loss in addition to his forced fumble. He might not get as many snaps as Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson, but Hill-Green remains a vital part of the defense. On safety Bray Hubbard: The fumble he created early in the game took an unlucky bounce and actually helped LSU move forward, but he got the ball loose regardless. Plus, Hubbard tallied five tackles and broke up one pass. He was making plays all over the field. Stat of the game Alabama was penalized only twice compared to 10 times for LSU. That’s a significant discrepancy and helped the Crimson Tide considering it wasn’t playing the sharpest of football itself. You might have missed this The LSU fan was walking with his arms up, as if he were asking the crowd, “Are you not entertained?” But that’s what was strange. This wasn’t a fan dashing onto the field. Instead, this man sauntered toward the 50-yard line. The LSU fan didn’t create his own version of a field chase. In fact, his brief time on Saban Field underwhelmed. Neither police officers nor stadium security sped onto the field and chased him around. Instead, a staff member from the sports information department ran to the fan. She made clear he needed to leave and guided him to the LSU sideline as she talked with him. He seemed to agree and not fight much with her, considering he left right with her all the way to the sideline. There, law enforcement officers took over. Eventually they cuffed him and hauled him away. This all happened during a timeout in the third quarter. 2 areas to fix Run game Deep passing Alabama’s rushing attack doesn’t seem to be getting much better. If anything, it feels like it’s getting worse. The Crimson Tide averaged 2.2 yards per carry against LSU. Jam Miller, Alabama’s lead back, finished with eight carries for 13 yards, which came out to an average of 1.6 yards per carry. The inability to run the ball successfully doesn’t matter as much when the passing game is clicking, but in games when the passing game isn’t working, a lack of a consistent running game is sorely missed. Saturday was one of those times. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and the offense looked out of rhythm on several occasions. Deep passes, especially, showed those woes. Simpson completed a deep pass to Lotzeir Brooks that set up a first-half touchdown, but that was more so the exception. Simpson finished 2-for-6 on passes 20 or more yards downfield against LSU. If Simpson connected on either of the two passes that fit that category in the third quarter, Alabama probably takes over the game much faster and in much more impressive fashion. Instead, Simpson and his receivers struggled to connect deep downfield much of the time. The inability to capitalize on good opportunities ultimately kept LSU in the game. The Tigers made it a one-score game with about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Alabama has the players capable of a lethal deep passing game, but wasting prime opportunities has been troubling at times this season. 3 parting thoughts
