M
Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com
Alabama won seven straight over LSU dating back to 2011.
The seventh straight LSU loss to Alabama wasn't quite as biting as a few others.
It didn't come with that postgame gloom outside the locker room in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The scoreboard read Alabama 24, LSU 10, but the Tigers felt positive momentum this time.
That continued into SEC Media Days on Monday in Atlanta.
"I think if you look at last year's game at Alabama, it was a physical contest," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. "We felt that we could handle them physically and compete with them, and that was the first time I think our players felt that in a while."
The Tigers have not won a game against Alabama since the 2011 Game of the Century in Tuscaloosa. There were a few wild comebacks in 2012 and 2014 and the 10-0 Tide win in 2016.
Orgeron and defensive end Rashard Lawrence saw a difference in that tight loss in Tiger Stadium and what happened last year at Alabama.
"For us as the defensive line, we think that -- I wouldn't say we were excited -- but we felt like we did pretty good. We held our own," Lawrence said. "I wouldn't say we dominated them because they're a great team but they won at the end of the day.
"But we felt very good as a defensive line group. If you go back and watch the film, you can definitely see it was a great match up."
Better than previous matchups against Alabama?
"Oh, for sure," Lawrence said. "That was my first year playing against them significantly so it felt good after the game to know, hey, we can play with these guys."
After falling behind 14-0, LSU got as close as 21-10 with 1:48 left in the third quarter. Darrel Williams broke a 54-yard run on the Tigers lone touchdown drive on a night it outgained Alabama, 306-299.
"We missed some plays," Orgeron said Monday. "We had DJ Chark open. We didn't hit him. Their passing game gave us problems, and their quarterback made plays and we didn't. Give Coach Saban and his staff the credit. They won the football game. Almost is not good enough against Alabama. But we feel that a couple of plays here and there and continue to be physically, we're going to be right in there with them."
LSU linebacker Devin White didn't share the optimism in the aftermath of the Nov. 4 loss.
"No, there wasn't no momentum," he said. "I'd say everybody was mad. You get on the plane, nobody is talking. Everybody has their headphones on. You want to win. You don't go there to say 'Hey, we almost beat this team.' You want to go there and win every game. I think everybody was mad because I was mad and I sit at the front and I put my headphones on and I didn't hear nothing so that means everybody else was feeling how I was feeling."
Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com
LSU says it 'held our own' at Alabama last year, played physically with Tide
The seventh straight LSU loss to Alabama wasn't quite as biting as a few others.
It didn't come with that postgame gloom outside the locker room in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The scoreboard read Alabama 24, LSU 10, but the Tigers felt positive momentum this time.
That continued into SEC Media Days on Monday in Atlanta.
"I think if you look at last year's game at Alabama, it was a physical contest," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. "We felt that we could handle them physically and compete with them, and that was the first time I think our players felt that in a while."
The Tigers have not won a game against Alabama since the 2011 Game of the Century in Tuscaloosa. There were a few wild comebacks in 2012 and 2014 and the 10-0 Tide win in 2016.
Orgeron and defensive end Rashard Lawrence saw a difference in that tight loss in Tiger Stadium and what happened last year at Alabama.
"For us as the defensive line, we think that -- I wouldn't say we were excited -- but we felt like we did pretty good. We held our own," Lawrence said. "I wouldn't say we dominated them because they're a great team but they won at the end of the day.
"But we felt very good as a defensive line group. If you go back and watch the film, you can definitely see it was a great match up."
Better than previous matchups against Alabama?
"Oh, for sure," Lawrence said. "That was my first year playing against them significantly so it felt good after the game to know, hey, we can play with these guys."
After falling behind 14-0, LSU got as close as 21-10 with 1:48 left in the third quarter. Darrel Williams broke a 54-yard run on the Tigers lone touchdown drive on a night it outgained Alabama, 306-299.
"We missed some plays," Orgeron said Monday. "We had DJ Chark open. We didn't hit him. Their passing game gave us problems, and their quarterback made plays and we didn't. Give Coach Saban and his staff the credit. They won the football game. Almost is not good enough against Alabama. But we feel that a couple of plays here and there and continue to be physically, we're going to be right in there with them."
LSU linebacker Devin White didn't share the optimism in the aftermath of the Nov. 4 loss.
"No, there wasn't no momentum," he said. "I'd say everybody was mad. You get on the plane, nobody is talking. Everybody has their headphones on. You want to win. You don't go there to say 'Hey, we almost beat this team.' You want to go there and win every game. I think everybody was mad because I was mad and I sit at the front and I put my headphones on and I didn't hear nothing so that means everybody else was feeling how I was feeling."
Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com
LSU says it 'held our own' at Alabama last year, played physically with Tide
