History of Alabama vs LSU series
This game has become known as the Saban Bowl since Nick Saban brought LSU to power and winning a national championship with LSU before going to the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and then to Alabama in 2007. The Alabama/LSU game has been one of the biggest games in college football in recent years with national championship implications. That has not changed this year as Baton Rouge will host ESPN Gameday and #1 ranked Alabama will take on the 15th ranked LSU Tigers. LSU still has a chance at the playoffs if they can win out and win the SEC championship while Alabama is in the drivers seat for their 17th national championship but still a long way to go in the season. Alabama dominated the series for the most part until someone named Nick Saban came to Baton Rouge in 1999. Nick's LSU Tigers dominated Alabama during his time at LSU while Alabama was dealing with NCAA sanctions for most of those years. The series got very intense when Nick Saban took the Alabama job in 2007. Since 2005 there have been four overtime games in this hotly contested series. In the past few years this has been the premier game in the nation with national championship implications almost every year. Below are the full series results provided by Wikipedia.
Interesting notes; Alabama leads the series with a 50-25-5 record. Alabama has a winning record against LSU in every decade except the 1890's (0-1), the 1950's (2-3-1) and the 2000's (3-7). From 1971 to 1998, Alabama went 14-0-1 in Baton Rouge. Alabama and LSU have met ten times previously when both teams were ranked in the top ten, 1964, 1972, 1973, 1978, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015. Alabama has an 8-2 record in those top ten matchups.
Notable games; In a game I remember watching on ABC as a kid in 1973, #2 Alabama traveled to Baton Rouge to take on the undefeated and 7th ranked LSU Tigers on Thanksgiving Day. After a scoreless first quarter Alabama took control with two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead after a 19 yard run for a touchdown by Gary Rutledge and then Gary Rutledge hit George Pugh on a 49 yard touchdown pass. Alabama extended their lead to 21-0 in the third quarter on a 77 yard touchdown pass from Gary Rutledge to Wayne Wheeler. LSU would get their only points of the game in the fourth quarter on a 40 yard touchdown run by Brad Davis.
1979 - On November 10, 1979 the number one ranked Alabama Crimson Tide faced two opponents at Tiger Stadium. One was the LSU football team, the other was playing LSU at night in a monsoon. Playing conditions was horrible and it literally left both offenses stuck in the mud. Alabama got a 27 yard field goal from Alan McElroy in the third quarter that would be the only points in the game. The Crimson Tide defense held the LSU offense to 164 total yards in the win.
2011 - This was called the game of the century as #1 ranked LSU faced #2 Alabama at Bryant Denny Stadium. Both teams were undefeated with 8-0 records and both teams had destroyed everybody on their schedule. These two teams were head and shoulders as the best teams in the nation. The game did not disappoint. The defenses dominated for the most part and neither team could find the endzone and regulation ended with the game tied at 6-6. In overtime Alabama missed a 52 yard field goal and LSU responded by making a 25 yard field goal on their possession in overtime to come away with a 9-6 victory over the Tide.
2011 National title game - There was a rematch of the game of the century between LSU and Alabama in New Orleans for National Championship. Like the first game nobody could score a touchdown over the first three quarters of the football game but Alabama had gotten close enough to kick five field goals to take a 15-0 lead into the fourth quarter. LSU did not even pass midfield until midway through the fourth quarter. When they finally passed midfield it did not last long as the Tide defense sacked LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson on fourth down at midfield. Alabama would finally score a touchdown on the ensuing drive on a 34 yard run by Trent Richardson to make the score 21-0. That would be all of the scoring as the Alabama defense held LSU to 92 total yards and no points. One of the most dominating performances you will ever see as Alabama would claim their 14th national championship.
