Sometimes a bye week can be both helpful and harmful for a team and that outcome appeared to be true for Alabama in the first half against LSU.
Through the first two quarters, the Crimson Tide’s defense appeared refreshed with the extra week off, and it showed in its enthused pass rush against the Tigers. The front led by Will Anderson was able to sack Jayden Daniels three times and kept his mobility in check.
The lone LSU touchdown came from a check-down pass from Daniels to running back John Emery which went for 30-yards.
But offensively was a different story for Alabama as it showed a great deal of rust with a mix of some bad habits popping up as well.
After a solid first series of plays, quarterback Bryce Young tossed an interception at the goal line which essentially summed up Alabama’s offensive output at the beginning of the game.
Following up the turnover were three straight three-and-outs from Bill O’Brien’s unit which included unfavorable field positioning, penalties and Young not being on the same page as his wide receivers.
Even when the offense got back to the red zone, LSU clamped down and forced a Will Reichard field goal from the Crimson Tide.
At the end of the second quarter, Alabama was able to get a bit more momentum in the passing game as Young led the team into LSU territory once again resulting in another Reichard field goal to make the score 7-6 going into halftime.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
