The Crimson Tide won, 24-15, in Tuscaloosa in a bruising battle against the LSU Tigers this Saturday that sent several of the LSU Tigers to the sidelines with injuries.  Even though it took a while to hit paydirt, in my opinion Bama played lights out football against an SEC juggernaut ranked at #9 in the country.  Even with it being ahome game, for us to walk away victorious was very satisfying.  The win sealed the deal for a trip the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. 

The rest on the bye paid off big time as the well-rested Tide players relied on the endurance built up in the heat of July's 4th quater conditioning program.  It was very apparent that the LSU players getting leg cramps etc. were being worn down by the brutal Alabama attack on offense and defense.  The defense yielded only 9 yards in the fourth quarter and the offense.. the offense finishing out with 452 yards against one of the nation’s top-ranked defenses. 

On offense, the magic seems to be back as Mark Ingram and Julio Jones had good games.  Jones struck in the 4th with a 73-yard touchdown catch on a quick screen pass.  The play was electric and it may be a good sign that the Julio of old is back.  Mark Ingram put on a show on CBS for the Heisman voters by RB Mark Ingram had 144 rushing yards (106 in the 2nd half) and finsihed with five catches for 30 yards.  Even McElroy broke out of a slump as he chucked the football downfiled numerous times that seemed to open the running game up in the second half.   McElroy threw the football for 276 yards on 19-of-34 passing, his best performance since his 291-yard effort in the Arkansas game on Sept. 26. In fact, the yardage total was more than the past two game combined.  

Let's not forget that Leigh Tiffin has been invaluable n the kicking game as well.  When he started as a freshman, he has some shaky moments like the two misses in the loss to Arkansas of that year, but since... he has become like gold.  He keeps rising in value.  In the LSU game, he  set a school career scoring record with three field goals and an extra point.  The result was the difference in the game.   Without him, we might have lost by a point.  You never know.   His name is now at the top of the Alabama scoring list above Phillip Doyle, and I would feel very confident if the national or SEC championship game come down to a 50 yards kick and his toe.  He is that good. 

 The defense held LSU to only 253 total yard for the game and 95 running.  The Ti­gers were held to just 9 total yards on 11 plays in a fourth quarter.   Also, LSU went three-and-out on six of its 11 possessions.  The Tide defense was stout as usual and when you compare the numbers to the LSU / Florida match, Bama actually won out on both sides of the ball. 

Overall, it was an outstanding win for the Tide over the LSU Tigers!  

The game was huge for Mark Ingram, carrying the ball for 246 yeard for the biggest home game for an Alabama running back in Alabama's fabled history.  Only two others, Shaun Alexander and Bobby Humphrey, have ran for more yards in one ball game and both were on the road. 

Ingram said after the record breaking performance, "We all make plays when we get the balls in our hands," said Ingram, who broke tackles all night long. "I was able to score and make some things happen when they gave me the ball."

In the fourth quarter, Ingram lined up at quarterback in the wildcat formation and essentially stabbed South Carolina in the heart to put the game out of reach. Mark Ingram the ball five straight times for 64 yards, capping it off with a more traditional 4-yard scoring run off of a pitch from McElroy.

Nick Saban was overflowing with praise for Ingram following the game, "Mark Ingram was fantastic," Alabama coach Nick Saban said after watching his sophomore running back run into the Bryant Denny history book and help put Alabama back on top of the nation's polls. "The guy ran with tremendous passion and heart and did a wonderful job out there. ... I can' tell you, if we had guys that could play like that, the sky would be the limit in terms of heart and character that he plays with."

Mark Barron showed amazing ability in returning a 77 yard interception all the way to put Alabama up 7-0 before they even made thier first down. The interception return for a TD by Barron was 11th longest in school history and set the tone for the evening that Alabama was there to play some tough defense.

The defense was outstanding and now ranks #1 in the country in total defense as Florida floundered against Arkansas. In addition, the Tide now are ranked #1 in the AP poll above Florida.

Closing thoughts:
South Carolina played a good game and the game seemingly was close til the end but Alabama prevailed when it had to, the fourth quarter. Do you ever wonder if Nick Saban's 4th quarter summer conditioning program is the reason for all these late victories in close games?

ROLL TIDE!