LSU Football Game Notes vs. Alabama

LSU Travels To Face Alabama in Prime Time on CBS
LSU (6-2, 4-1 SEC) opens the month of November against Alabama (7-1, 5-0 SEC) in a game that has traditionally gone a long way in determining the winner of the SEC Western Division. Last year, LSU beat Alabama, 32-31 in overtime in Tiger Stadium and went on to claim the western division crown. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. and will be televised on CBS with Brad Nessler (pxp), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline) on the call. Both teams are coming off open dates. LSU is ranked No. 13 in both polls, while Alabama is No. 8. It’s the 18th time since 2002 (a span of 23 games) that both teams enter the game ranked in the Top 25. The Tigers, behind Heisman Trophy candidate QB Jayden Daniels, continue to have the nation’s most prolific offensive attack as LSU leads the country in scoring offense (47.4), total offense (552.9), passing TDs (26), first downs (217) and third-down conversions (57.8 pct.). LSU is No. 3 in pass offense (339.9) and No. 13 in rush offense (213.0). LSU has topped the 500-yard mark for a school-record 7 consecutive games and the Tigers have rushed for 200 or more yards in 4 straight contests. Daniels leads the nation in total offense with 386.8 yards per game as he’s topped the 400-yard mark 4 times in 2023. He’s also No. 1 in the nation in passing TDs (26) and pass efficiency (204.3 rating) and No. 3 in passing yards per game (321.6). In 8 games, Daniels has connected on 163-of-223 passes for 2,573 yards, 25 TDs, and only 3 interceptions. He’s also rushed 91 times for 515 yards and 5 TDs.

LSU’s offense features the nation’s leader in receiving yards (Malik Nabers with 981) and receiving TDs (Brian Thomas with 11). Nabers has 56 receptions for 981 yards and 9 TDs, while Thomas has 42 catches for 732 yards and 11 scores. LSU RB Logan Diggs is No. 5 in the SEC in rushing at 87.3 yards per game (611 yards, 6 TDs in 7 games).


LSU Coach Brian Kelly: Winningest Active Coach In College Football
Brian Kelly, in his second with the Tigers, has guided LSU to a 16-6 overall mark through 22 games. He’s the winningest active coach in college football (no matter division) with an on-field record of 300-102-2.

After inheriting a roster with only 39 scholarship players, Kelly quickly turned LSU into a 10-win team in his first season in 2022 as the Tigers went 10-4 overall, beat Top 10 teams in Ole Miss and Alabama and won the SEC Western Division. Kelly, the most accomplished hire in LSU football history when he was named to the position in December of 2021, took over the program after 12 years and 113 wins at Notre Dame. His coaching resume includes 11 10-win seasons at the FBS level (7 at Notre Dame, 3 at Cincinnati, 1 at LSU), along with 14 bowl/CFP playoff appearances and 3 National Coach of the Year honors (2009 at Cincinnati, 2012 and 2018 at Notre Dame). Kelly’s record includes a 113-39 mark at Notre Dame, where he's the winningest coach in school history; 34-6 at Cincinnati (4 years), 19-16 at Central Michigan (3 years) and 118-35-2 at Grand Valley State (13 years). He won two Division II National Championships at Grand Valley State. Kelly is 1-2 vs. Alabama.


Quick Notes
-LSU wears a No. 3 decal on its helmet to honor senior captain Greg Brooks, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor the week of the Mississippi State game. Brooks is in Memphis at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital receiving treatment.

-LSU has topped the 500-yard mark in total offense in seven consecutive games, the longest streak in school history.

-LSU has scored 48 or more points in 4 straight games, the longest streak in school history.

-QB Jayden Daniels has rushed and passed for a TD in the same game 10 times during his 22-game LSU career. The Tigers are 9-1 when Daniels rushes and passes for a TD in same game.

-QB Jayden Daniels leads the nation in total offense (386.8), passing TDs (25), pass efficiency (204.3 rating), and yards per attempt (11.5); he’s No. 2 in TDs accounted for (30), and No. 3 in passing yards per game (321.6).

-LSU’s offense ranks in the Top 10 nationally in 7 categories: No.1 in scoring (47.4), total offense (552.9), passing TDs (26), 3rd-down conversions (57.8), and first downs (217), No.2 in pass efficiency (192.6), and No. 3 in passing (339.9). LSU is No. 13 in rushing (213.0).

-Daniels is 1 of only 2 players (other in Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan) in FBS history with 11,000-passing yards and 2,000-rushng yards in career. In 51 career games, Daniels has thrown for 11,510 yards and rushed for 2,694 yards.
LSU has featured a 100-yard receiver in 7 straight games with Brian Thomas (122 yards) and Malik Nabers (121 yards) both reaching the mark against Army.

-Daniels has topped the 400-yard mark for total offense 4 times in 2023, joining Joe Burrow in 2019 as the only players in school history to do it at least 4 times in same season. Daniels has 5 games with 400 yards of total offense in his LSU career, second to only Burrow, who did it 6 times.

-WR Brian Thomas leads the nation in receiving TDs with 11.

-WR Malik Nabers has caught a pass in 26 straight games and leads the nation in receiving yards with 981. He needs only 19 yards to join Josh Reed (2000 and 2001) as the only players in LSU history with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Nabers had 1,017 yards on 72 receptions in 2022.

-With 51 career starts, senior QB Jayden Daniels ranks No. 3 among active FBS quarterbacks in games started. He trails only Bo Nix (Oregon) with 54 and Sam Hartman (Notre Dame) with 54. Daniels has started 22 straight games at LSU (16-6) after starting 29 at Arizona State from 2019-21.

-All 5 starters on LSU’s offensive line have at least 18 career starts to their credit with C Charles Turner leading the way with 22. He’s followed by LT Will Campbell (21), RG Miles Frazier (21), RT Emery Jones Jr. (19) and LG Garrett Dellinger (18). The group has combined for 101 career starts.

-Brian Thomas and Malik Nabers stand as the top receiving duo in the SEC as they have combined for 98 catches for 1,731 yards and 20 TDs.

4 - Games this year Jayden Daniels has topped the 400-yard mark for total offense

5 - Games this year Jayden Daniels has accounted for 4+ TDs

20 - Combined TD receptions for Brian Thomas and Malik Nabers, the most of any duo in the nation


LSU Travels to Alabama for Primetime Matchup on CBS
LSU returns to action on November 4, traveling to face No. 8 Alabama at 6:45 p.m. on CBS. The Tigers enter the game ranked No. 13 and riding a 3-game winning streak following their 62-0 win over Army on October 21. LSU and Alabama both enjoyed open dates last week. Last year, LSU posted a 32-31 overtime win over the Crimson Tide in Tiger Stadium, a win that helped them secure the SEC Western Division title in Brian Kelly’s first year with the program. LSU last won in Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2019 when Heisman winner Joe Burrow led the Tigers to a 46-41 win over the Crimson Tide in a contest featuring the top 2 teams in college football. LSU entered the game ranked No. 1, while Alabama was No. 2.


LSU-Alabama: Another Top 15 Matchup
LSU, winners of three straight, climbed to No. 13 in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. It’s the second-straight season LSU and Alabama meet in a Top 15 matchup and first back-to-back ranked matchups since the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Saturday’s contest also marks the 23rd meeting that at least one team is ranked in the Top 25 and it’s the 18th time since 2002 that both LSU and Alabama meet as Top 25 opponents. It’s also the 13th time in 14 years LSU and Alabama enter the game coming off an open date with the only exception coming in the 2020 Covid season.


LSU-Alabama: Must See TV on CBS
LSU and Alabama meet in primetime on CBS for the 10th time since the network first aired the Tigers and Crimson Tide at night in 2011. The teams met every year from 2011-2018 in prime time on CBS. The 2019 contest – featuring Joe Burrow – was a 2:30 start and ESPN televised the 2021 and 2022 games. CBS opted to televise this year’s game in prime time in what is the final year of the network’s contract with the SEC. The LSU-Alabama game in 2019 remains the most-watched regular-season college football game for CBS drawing a 9.7 rating with 16.64 million viewers. Four of CBS’ Top 10 regular-season telecasts have been the LSU-Alabama game.


LSU On CBS
Since CBS joined the SEC as the home of the nation’s 2:30 p.m. CT broadcast in 1996, LSU has appeared on the network 90 times. LSU is 47-43 on CBS since 1996. LSU has appeared on CBS 102 times since its first appearance against Georgia Tech on Oct. 6. LSU is 53-48-1 all-time on CBS.


LSU To Face Bama Following An Open Date
LSU has faced Alabama following an open date every year since 2010 with the exception of 2020 when schedules were altered due to Covid. LSU first started scheduling Alabama following an open date in 2003, followed by 2004, and 2007.


BK Following An Open Date
LSU coach Brian Kelly has a 20-3 mark in games immediately following an open date. He’s 1-0 at LSU as the Tigers knocked off Alabama, 32-31, in overtime the week following an open date. Not including the Covid season of 2020, Kelly went 13-2 following an open date at Notre Dame. He was 4-1 at Cincinnati and 3-0 at Central Michigan.


LSU Enters Month of Contenders Ranked In Top 15
It’s said September is for pretenders and November is for contenders and LSU has put itself in good position heading into the final month of the regular-season as the Tigers are 6-2 overall, 4-1 in SEC play and ranked No. 13 in the nation in both polls. LSU has won 3 straight going into the prime time matchup with the Crimson Tide. LSU is coming off a 62-0 win over Army on October 21.

Nation’s 2 Winningest Active Coaches To Meet When Tigers Face Crimson Tide
College football’s two active winningest coaches meet on Saturday when LSU faces Alabama. LSU HC Brian Kelly and Alabama HC Nick Saban have combined to win 592 games – Kelly 300 and Saban 292. Kelly picked up career win No. 300 in the victory over Army. Kelly’s 300 on-field wins include 118 at Grand Valley State, 113 at Notre Dame, 34 at Cincinnati, 19 at Central Michigan and 16 at LSU.


Kelly and Saban To Meet For Fourth Time
Brian Kelly and Nick Saban meet for the fourth time on Saturday with Saban holding a 2-1 advantage. Kelly and the Tigers won last year’s meeting in Tiger Stadium, 32-31, in overtime. As head coach at Notre Dame, Kelly dropped a 42-14 decision to Saban and Alabama in 2013 BCS National Championship Game and then fell to the Crimson Tide, 31-14, in the 2020 CFP Semifinals.


LSU To Face A Former Head Coach For 19th Time; Tigers Are 7-12 Against Former Coaches
When the Tigers line up against Alabama and Nick Saban on Saturday, it will mark the 20th time in LSU football history that a former LSU head coach will be on the opposing sidelines as head coach. LSU is 7-12 in those games. The only two coaches it has occurred against were Paul Dietzel in 1966 and 1973 when he was head coach at South Carolina and Saban in the last 16 years. LSU is 5-12 vs. Saban, winning 41-34 in Tuscaloosa in 2007, 24-21 in Baton Rouge in 2010, 9-6 in overtime in 2011 and 46-41 in 2019 in Tuscaloosa. LSU won both games against Dietzel, beating South Carolina, 28-12, in Tiger Stadium to open the 1966 season, followed by a 33-29 win over the Gamecocks in Columbia in 1973. Dietzel coached at LSU for seven years before leaving the Tigers for Army after the 1961 season. Dietzel coached at Army for four years before joining South Carolina in 1966. Dietzel’s first game as head coach of the Gamecocks came against LSU. Ironically, it was Dietzel, still serving as the Tiger head coach, suggesting to then LSU AD Jim Corbett in 1959 that LSU schedule a four-game series with South Carolina with games being played in 1960-61 and 1965-66. The 1966 game became an immediate sellout once it was announced that Dietzel was joining South Carolina as its head coach.


LSU-Alabama Series: Alabama Leads 55-27-5
In a series that dates back to 1895, Alabama holds a 55-27-5 advantage over LSU. The teams have split the last 4 meetings with LSU winning in 2019 (46-41 in Tuscaloosa) and 2022 (32-31 OT in Baton Rouge). Alabama posted a 20-14 win in LSU’s last trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2021. LSU won back-to-back games over Alabama in 2010 (24-21 in Tiger Stadium) and 2011 (9-6 OT in Tuscaloosa). LSU’s longest winning streak against Alabama came from 2003-07 when the Tigers won 5 straight games over the Crimson Tide. LSU’s 17-13 win over Alabama in 1993 snapped the Crimson Tide’s 31-game unbeaten streak. LSU will be looking for its first back-to-back wins over Alabama since 2010-2011 when the Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 24-21 in Tiger Stadium followed by a 9-6 overtime win in Tuscaloosa the following year. The teams didn’t start playing in Tuscaloosa on a consistent basis until 1988 when Tommy Hodson led the Tigers to a 19-18 win. Prior to that, LSU and Alabama played in Birmingham on years when the game wasn’t held in Tiger Stadium. LSU is 10-13 in games played in Tuscaloosa. Here are some of the top moments on the LSU-Alabama rivalry in games played at Bryant-Denny Stadium:

1988 No. 13 LSU def. No. 18 Alabama, 19-18
* David Browndyke kicks 34-yard field goal with 28 seconds to play

1993 LSU def. No. 5 Alabama, 17-13
* The 28-point underdog Tigers intercept 4 passes and held Alabama scoreless for three quarters and held on for a 17-13 win. It ended Alabama 31-game unbeaten streak.

1997 No. 14 LSU def. Alabama, 27-0
* Kevin Faulk rushed for 168 yards and 2 TDs and the LSU defense held Alabama to 250 total yards as the Tigers shutout the Crimson Tide for the first time since 1957.

2001 LSU def. Alabama, 35-21
* Rohan Davey set LSU marks for completion (35) and passing yards (528) while Josh Reed set SEC records for receptions (19) and yards (293) in the win. LSU racked up 611 yards in the victory.

2003 No. 3 LSU def. Alabama, 27-3
* Matt Mauck threw for 251 yards and 2 TDs and LSU’s defense held Alabama to 10 first downs and 219 total yards. LSU led 27-0 late in 4th quarter when Alabama avoided the shutout with a field goal.

2005 No. 5 LSU def. No. 3 Alabama, 16-13 (OT)
* JaMarcus Russell connected with Dwayne Bowe on a 11-yard TD pass in overtime as the Tigers knocked Alabama from the ranks of unbeaten. LSU trailed 10-0 at halftime.

2007 No. 4 LSU def. No. 17 Alabama, 41-34
* LSU scored 2 TDs in the final 2:39 of the game to rally from a 27-17 second half deficit to win in what was the first game against its former head coach Nick Saban.

2011 No. 1 LSU def. No. 2 Alabama, 9-6 (OT)
* In a game that featured no touchdowns and numerous future NFL stars on both sides of the ball, LSU’s Drew Alleman kicked a 25-yard field goal in overtime to clinch the victory for the Tigers.

2019 No. 1 LSU 46, No. 2 Alabama 41
* Joe Burrow passed for 393 yards and 3 TDs and Clyde Edwards-Helaire scored 4 TDs as top-ranked LSU remained undefeated. The teams combined for 1,100 yards of offense.

(Release via LSU Athletics)