The Game We Don't Speak Of: How LSU's 2011 Dream Ended Against Alabama

Sep 10

2 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Every fan base has games it would rather forget. LSU has one so painful that some fans do not even like saying its name.

January 9, 2012. New Orleans. Alabama 21. LSU 0. The Game We Don't Speak Of.

Quick answer

LSU entered the 2012 BCS Championship 13-0 and had already beaten Alabama. Then came the 21-0 loss LSU fans still struggle to revisit. Here's what happened and what remains rumor.

LSU arrived 13-0

The Tigers had beaten eight ranked opponents, won the SEC and already defeated Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Everything pointed toward immortality.

Except LSU had to beat Alabama again

Alabama did not win the SEC West and did not play in the SEC Championship Game, yet the BCS formula put the Crimson Tide at No. 2. Oklahoma State had a legitimate case, but Alabama received the title-game berth.

For LSU fans, the setup was maddening: LSU had already beaten Alabama, then had to win the SEC Championship, then had to beat Alabama again. Alabama only had to beat LSU once.

LSU's offense vanished

The rematch looked nothing like the first game. LSU could not sustain drives, generate field position or create explosive plays. Alabama kicked five field goals before Trent Richardson scored late. LSU never scored.

The quarterback question

Jordan Jefferson remained at quarterback while the offense struggled. Jarrett Lee never entered. That decision became one of the most criticized choices of Les Miles' LSU tenure and fueled years of fan debate.

The conspiracy theories

Over the years, LSU fans have repeated stories about locker-room problems, fights, quarterback favoritism, hidden information and other explanations for the collapse. Those stories are part of the fan history, but the more sensational versions have never been established by credible evidence.

The fair distinction is simple: the game was strange, LSU was historically poor on offense, and the decision not to change quarterbacks is fair ground for criticism. None of that proves a conspiracy.

What we can prove

LSU entered 13-0. LSU had already beaten Alabama. Alabama did not play in the SEC Championship. LSU's offense was essentially nonfunctional in New Orleans. Les Miles stayed with Jefferson. Alabama won 21-0.

The cruelest part

The cruelest part is not only the score. It is what the score did afterward. The eight ranked victories, SEC championship, Tyrann Mathieu's brilliance and first 13-0 start in LSU history became overshadowed by one night.

One of LSU's greatest teams became one of LSU's least celebrated great teams.

Maybe enough time has finally passed to talk about it—not to change the result, invent conspiracies or claim LSU deserved a trophy it did not win, but to remember how extraordinary the season was before January 9.