No. 3 LSU tops Saban and No. 17 Alabama, 41-34

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Maybe now those folks at LSU can get over Nick Saban and relish what they have: a living-on-the-edge team that's still in the thick of the national championship race after another heart-stopping victory.

Les Miles' Cardiac Tigers did it again Saturday night, scoring two touchdowns in the final three minutes to rally No. 3 LSU to a 41-34 win over No. 17 Alabama, which should serve as payback for the coach who won a title in Cajun Country but is now considered a turncoat by the purple and gold.

LSU (8-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) pulled this out in typical fashion, going down to the wire in their fourth straight game.

Alabama (6-3, 4-2) went ahead on a 61-yard punt return by Javier Arenas with 7 1/2 minutes left, and the Crimson Tide was in position to clinch it when the Tigers faced fourth-and-4 at the Bama 32.

No problem for this team that went 5-for-5 on fourth-down conversions in a win over Florida that started this remarkable run.

Matt Flynn tossed a pass over the middle to Early Doucet, who shook away from one defender, faked out another and went all the way to the end zone for the tying score with 2:49 remaining.

Alabama got it back, but safety Chad Jones burst up the middle to sack John Parker Wilson and knock the ball away. It rolled along the turf until LSU's Curtis Taylor fell on it at the Tide 4.

Two plays later, Jacob Hester dove over from the 1 with 1:26 left and LSU was still in the title race.

LSU beat Florida and Auburn on its final possession and lost to Kentucky the same way. This time, the Tigers actually gave themselves a little breathing room, allowing Matt Flynn to simply kneel for the final two plays.

Saban, who led LSU to a share of the national championship in 2004 before leaving for the NFL, walked to midfield to shake hands with the coach who replaced him. Miles has faced constant criticism that he's not that great a coach, that he's simply winning with the enormous talent Saban left behind.

It must be noted, however, the guy who made the biggest play was recruited by Miles; Jones is a true freshman from Baton Rouge.

The game fully delivered on its buildup, the two teams going at each other like heavyweights throwing nothing but bombs. There were numerous big plays and amazing swings in momentum, but LSU came through when it mattered.

Flynn, whose three first-half interceptions helped Alabama get back in the game from an early 17-3 deficit, calmly drove the Tigers 84 yards in 10 plays for the tying touchdown.

Then the touted LSU defense came up with not just a stop, but a turnover.

Wilson completed only 14 of 40 passes for Alabama, but it seemed as though every one was a game-changer. He threw three touchdowns, hooking up with DJ Hall on a 67-yarder and hitting Keith Brown for scores of 29 and 14 yards.

Alabama, with two linemen and its top running back suspended over textbook issues, couldn't muster a running game. The Tide finished with just 20 yards on the ground and were outgained 475-254 overall.

After squandering its two-touchdown lead and falling behind, LSU finally responded with Flynn's 61-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Byrd in the final minute of the third quarter.

That was just the warmup for another down-to-the-wire finish.

The Tigers - well, their fans at least - had this one circled on the calendar ever since Saban returned to the SEC West just two years after leaving Baton Rouge to coach the Miami Dolphins.

Feeling betrayed, the LSU faithful couldn't wait to get back at the $4 Million Man, the annual salary that Alabama doled out to lure Saban away from the NFL.

After the clock struck zero, ending the four-hour-plus marathon, it seemed as though all was forgiven. Saban lingered on the field to shake hands with his former players.

Courtesy: NCAAFootball.com; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

SEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE
MATT FLYNN Quarterback LSU 6-3 • 228 • Senior Tyler, Texas (Robert E. Lee HS)
• Flynn completed 22 of 34 passes for 319 yards with three touchdowns (all career-highs) and also rushed for 34 yards on 10 carries in LSU’s 30-24 win against Auburn.
• Flynn’s 22-yard TD pass to Demetrius Byrd with one second left lifted the Tigers to the victory.
• Trailing 17-7 at halftime, LSU scored on five of its six second-half possessions. • Auburn came into the contest with the SEC’s second ranked total and scoring defense.

DEFENSIVE
D.J. MOORE Cornerback VANDERBILT 5-10 • 180 • Sophomore Spartanburg, S.C. (Broome HS) • Moore was credited with eight total tackles, two interceptions and a pass deflection in Vanderbilt’s 17-6 win at #6 South Carolina.
• His first interception led to Vanderbilt’s first points of the game and his final pick halted the Gamecocks’ deepest threat in Vanderbilt territory early in the second half.
• Moore’s performance was key to a Commodore defensive effort that held an SEC opponent out of the end zone for the first time in 15 seasons. The defense limited South Carolina to 26 net rushing yards and just one conversion in 12 third-down attempts.
• Moore leads the SEC with five interceptions this year.

SPECIAL TEAMS
BRETT UPSON Punter VANDERBILT 5-11 • 190 • Sophomore Griffin, Ga. (Spalding HS)
• Upson averaged 40.1 yards on eight punts and had six of them inside the 20-yard line in Vanderbilt’s 17-6 win at #6 South Carolina.
• South Carolina’s average starting field position in the game was its own 22-yard line. The Gamecocks started four of its possessions inside its own 10-yard line.
• Upson averages 38.4 yards per punt this season and leads the SEC in percentage of punts inside the 20-yard line (15 of 35, 42.9 percent).
• Vanderbilt leads the SEC in average starting field position difference (VU - 40 yd. line/ OPP - 29 yd. line).

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
JONATHAN LUIGS Center ARKANSAS 6-4 • 315 • Junior Little Rock, Ark. (Pulaski Academy) • Luigs graded out at a team-high 90 percent on 62 snaps in Arkansas’ 44-8 win over Ole Miss.
• Against the Rebels, Luigs graded out at 88 percent in run-blocking and 94 percent in pass blocking.
• He also had two knockdown blocks against Ole Miss.
• Luigs helped Arkansas rack up 437 yards of total offense, including 293 rushing yards.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM Defensive End FLORIDA 6-3 • 229 • Sophomore Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stephenson HS)
• Cunningham had a career-high 2.5 sacks (-17 yards) and seven total tackles in Florida’s 45-37 win at Kentucky.
• His previous career highs were a 17 tackles performance against LSU.
• Cunningham leads all Florida defensive linemen with 36 total tackles and two pass deflections. He is second on the team with seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

FRESHMAN
KAREEM JACKSON Cornerback ALABAMA 5-11 • 185 Macon, Ga. (Westside HS/Fork Union)
• Jackson was credited with six total tackles (five solos), two interceptions and a tackle for loss in Alabama’s 41-17 win against Tennessee.
• First interception came in thie quarter at the Alabama 10-yard line with the Tide leading, 24-17, and was returned 29 yards.
• His second interception came in the fourth quarter at the Alabama 27-yard line.

Source: SEC SPORTS

No. 5 LSU escapes No. 18 Auburn on last-second TD

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Matt Flynn threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Byrd with a second left to lift fifth-ranked LSU to a 30-24 victory over No. 18 Auburn on Saturday night, keeping LSU's national title hopes alive and well.

With South Florida losing earlier in the week, LSU is certain to move up to at least third in the BCS standings, behind only Ohio State and possibly Boston College, which was idle this weekend.

Flynn finished with 319 yards passing and three touchdowns

Auburn's Brandon Cox, taking hits in the pocket but rolling out effectively when necessary, turned in a gutty performance, passing for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

His last scoring pass, a 3-yard touchdown strike to Rodgeriqus Smith, gave Auburn a 24-23 lead with 3:21 to go.

But Auburn, following a game-long pattern of keeping the ball away from LSU returner Trindon Holliday, squibbed the kickoff, giving LSU the ball on its 42.

Flynn scrambled for 19 yards during the final drive, then took one more shot at the end zone as the clock wound down instead of getting the ball in the middle of the field to set up a potential game-winning field goal. He floated pass perfectly to the back of the end zone, where Byrd emerged from behind a defender and made a sliding catch, sending Tiger Stadium into a frenzy.

LSU extended its winning streak in Death Valley to 18 games. If that streak had been snapped, it would have been fitting if Auburn was the team to do it. Auburn came in on a three-game winning streak that included impressive road wins over No. 14 Florida and Arkansas.

LSU's Jacob Hester gave LSU a 20-17 lead, diving for the pylon on early in the fourth quarter after catching a swing-pass on third-and-goal for the 5. He led a patient rushing attack that amassed 169 yards, all but 40 in the second half.

Auburn led 17-7 at halftime after getting touchdowns on Cox's 17-yard pass to Montez Billings and Carl Stewart's dive over the pile, which was set up by LSU backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux's fumble.

Flynn led LSU back with help from his best receiver, Early Doucet, back from a groin injury that had caused him to miss most of the last five games. Doucet made several clutch catches, finishing with seven receptions for 93 yards.

Source: ncaafootball; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media