Alabama vs. LSU National Championship game

Did anyone imagine the number one team in the nation being shut out in the BCS National Championship? Did Les Miles game plan at all for the Alabama defense or are the Crimson Tide just that good? These are all questions occurring after LSU put a goose egg on the scoreboard following a 60-minute routing from the Alabama Crimson tide.

This game should have been played in a different facility as it looked as if LSU had the thirteenth man on the field with their fans having to travel a full distance of eighty-one miles compared to Alabama’s almost three hundred miles from school to stadium. With this and the fact that LSU won the first meeting of the two in a defensive showdown during week 10 of the regular season, maybe LSU very well ought to have been the favored team in this contest. These advantages did not however pan out in the long run as Louisiana State University looked nervous from the beginning by fumbling a snap on their first possession and struggling to convert on third down. The Crimson Tide started the game out well by staying away from their tendencies and throwing on the first ten of fourteen plays of the game to catch the LSU defense off-guard. The Tide had one field goal in the first quarter that was set up by a forty-nine yard punt return by Maquis Maze before he pulled up with a hamstring injury and had to step off the field for this play and the rest of the game. Upon being in field goal range for the second time at the beginning of the second quarter, Nick Saban made the drudging game a bit more exciting by faking a field goal with a shovel pass to the up back who got the first down by an inch. Their next three plays did not result in ten yards however and the ensuing forty-two yard field goal attempt was blocked at the beginning of the second quarter. Alabama continued to “roll” all over the Tigers throughout the half as they scored two more field goals to put the Tide up 9-0 going into halftime. The first half was one of the most deplorable performances by an offense in a BCS bowl game as the LSU Tigers didn’t convert a single third down or even cross midfield.

Alabama continued to dominate the game by starting the second half off right with a field goal to cap off their opening possession. Midway through the third, the Tigers have still yet to get on their feet as Jefferson flipped the ball forward to his running back that wasn’t looking and C.J. Mosley intercepted it before he was thrown to the ground by Jefferson and was injured on the play. The Tigers defense was holding their ground by only giving up field goals but the offense couldn’t put a drive together and crossed midfield for the first time all game with six minutes left in the first quarter. That drive doesn’t come away with points either though as Jordan Jefferson fumbles the ball on fourth and long. The Crimson Tide’s incredible night was capped off in the fitting fashion of Trent Richardson trotting across the goal line with five minutes left in the fourth to seal a 21-0 victory.

This rivalry was at one point in the season matched up well but in this National Championship game; LSU was outcoached, outplayed, and outhustled. It really is shocking how a coaching staff and players of an undefeated team could have nearly five weeks to prepare and come away with zero points. Nick Saban and his team proved that they did in fact deserve the National Championship in dominating fashion. Nick Saban is now the only coach in FBS history to hold the reins of three National Championship teams and from what we saw on Monday night, he deserves that honor.