LSU Falls to Alabama 31-13 After 457-Yard Offense Stalls
LSU moved the football well enough to threaten Alabama. The Tigers did not finish enough of those drives to survive the Crimson Tide’s fourth-quarter answer.
Quick Answer
LSU lost 31-13 to Alabama on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers outgained Alabama 457-285 and Sam Leavitt threw for 380 yards, but LSU went 0-for-4 on fourth down and scored only 13 points. Alabama answered LSU’s brief 13-10 third-quarter lead with the final 21 points. LSU falls to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in SEC play and hosts Texas on November 14.
What happened in LSU’s 31-13 loss to Alabama?
The official LSU postgame recap confirms the frustrating split at the center of Saturday’s result: LSU produced 457 yards of offense but only 13 points. Alabama led 10-3 at halftime, LSU fought back to take a 13-10 advantage in the third quarter, and the Crimson Tide closed with 21 unanswered points.
Alabama opened the scoring with Conor Talty’s 43-yard field goal. Scott Starzyk answered from 23 yards for LSU, but a missed 56-yard attempt, a failed fourth-down play inside the Alabama 10 and a late first-half interception kept the Tigers from turning promising possessions into a halftime lead.
That sequence is detailed in WBRZ’s scoring recap. LSU had opportunities before the game separated. The problem was not reaching scoring range; it was converting that field position into touchdowns.
Why did 457 yards produce only 13 points?
The final yardage total makes the score look almost impossible, but the possession-by-possession story explains it. LSU settled for a short field goal on its opening drive, missed a long kick, turned the ball over on downs near the goal line and lost another possession to Luke Metz’s interception of Sam Leavitt. Yardage built pressure; Alabama repeatedly escaped the pressure before LSU could cash it in.
Starzyk’s 41-yard field goal early in the second half cut the margin to 10-6. Dilin Jones then finished LSU’s best stretch with a 5-yard touchdown run, giving the Tigers a 13-10 lead. For a moment, Death Valley had exactly the game LSU wanted: tight, physical and leaning toward a fourth-quarter fight.
The contrast was especially sharp because the matchup entered the afternoon as a test of controlled efficiency against explosiveness. TigerHype’s Sam Leavitt–Keelon Russell quarterback comparison framed that pressure point before kickoff. Alabama ultimately won it by finishing scoring chances after LSU had left too many points on the field.
What do the official LSU–Alabama statistics show?
The official LSU game statistics sharpen the contradiction behind the final score. LSU ran 81 plays, recorded 27 first downs and outgained Alabama 457-285. Sam Leavitt completed 35 of 47 passes for 380 yards with one interception, while Jackson Harris caught 11 passes for 166 yards.
Those numbers did not become touchdowns. LSU finished 0-for-4 on fourth down, including three failed attempts in the fourth quarter, and Alabama converted short fields into separation. The Tigers produced 92 fourth-quarter yards but no points; Alabama produced 60 yards and two touchdowns.
What is known about Weston Davis’s injury?
LSU’s official play-by-play records starting right tackle Weston Davis as injured after Sam Leavitt’s 32-yard completion to Jackson Harris with 7:35 remaining in the third quarter. The Daily Advertiser’s postgame injury report said Davis was helped from the field and later headed toward the locker room on crutches.
LSU had not announced a diagnosis or Davis’s availability for the November 14 game against Texas as of Saturday night. Sean Thompkins Jr. replaced Davis after the injury. Anything beyond those observations—including the exact injury or recovery timetable—remains unverified.
How did Alabama pull away after LSU took the lead?
Keelon Russell answered LSU’s 13-10 lead with three touchdown passes. Josh Ford caught a 7-yard score to put Alabama back in front. Cederian Morgan added a 25-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Kaleb Edwards caught a 4-yard score that completed the 31-13 margin.
That was the decisive swing: LSU spent much of the afternoon creating a one-score game, then Alabama produced touchdowns on three straight scoring strikes. The final margin was emphatic even though LSU’s 457 yards showed the game was not a simple offensive shutdown.
For historical context, the loss becomes the latest entry in TigerHype’s LSU–Alabama series history and recent-results guide. The 2026 chapter will be remembered for the opportunities LSU created—and the finishing gap that Alabama exposed.
What does the loss change for LSU’s College Football Playoff path?
LSU is now 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC. That does not require a speculative declaration about elimination, but it does remove the margin for error that existed before kickoff. The Tigers no longer control the same clean route through a win over a top-five opponent, and every remaining result now carries more weight.
TigerHype’s pregame LSU College Football Playoff path explains why Alabama represented the biggest available résumé swing. The next committee rankings will provide the authoritative measure of the damage; until then, the verified facts are the new 6-3 record and a missed chance for LSU’s strongest win.
The LSU rankings tracker will be the clean place to follow the AP and College Football Playoff response when the next polls are released.
What comes next for LSU Football against Texas?
LSU hosts Texas at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, November 14, 2026. LSU’s official postgame recap listed the kickoff time as to be announced. The immediate assignment is straightforward: convert the offensive movement shown against Alabama into points and prevent one late swing from erasing three quarters of competitive football.
For Lane Kiffin’s LSU team, the response matters as much as the diagnosis. The Tigers showed they could move the ball against Alabama. Now they have to prove the stalled drives and fourth-quarter separation were correctable failures—not the start of a November slide.
What Lane Kiffin said after LSU’s loss
Lane Kiffin said LSU’s 457–285 advantage in total offense could not overcome its failures in the red zone and on fourth down. His blunt summary was that the game came down to “red zone and fourth downs,” with LSU finishing 0-for-4 on fourth down and repeatedly leaving points on the field.
Kiffin said Alabama’s aggressive zero-blitz looks compressed LSU’s options near the goal line, and the Tigers did not punish that approach. He also explained that LSU passed on field goals because the flow of the game suggested touchdowns would be necessary; late in the fourth quarter, he said the analytics left LSU with virtually no chance to win by punting.
The immediate message now shifts to Texas. Kiffin said LSU cannot sit around feeling sorry for itself and described the November 14 home game against the Longhorns as another national-stage opportunity to get the season back on track.
LSU–Alabama final score FAQ
What was the final score of LSU vs. Alabama on November 7, 2026?
Alabama defeated LSU 31-13 at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
How many yards did LSU gain against Alabama?
LSU gained 457 total yards in the 31-13 loss, according to LSU’s official postgame recap.
What is LSU’s record after the Alabama loss?
LSU is 6-3 overall and 3-3 in SEC play after losing to Alabama.
Who does LSU Football play next?
LSU hosts Texas at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, November 14, 2026. LSU’s official postgame recap listed the kickoff time as to be announced.
What is Weston Davis’s status after LSU–Alabama?
LSU’s official play-by-play recorded Weston Davis as injured during the third quarter. The Daily Advertiser reported he left on crutches, but LSU had not announced a diagnosis or his status for Texas as of Saturday night, November 7.
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