LSU football believed quarterback Sam Leavitt turned a new corner against Auburn. He carried over his second half surge against Alabama Saturday. But one drive ended in brutal fashion in front of coach Lane Kiffin.
With the Crimson Tide pulling off this interception to help close out the second quarter.
Leavitt faced a four-man rush and clearly showed trouble in locating an open target. Alabama still never blitzed him in that sequence. The Tide simply turned to a passive yet fundamentally sound approach to pick off Leavitt.
Still, that pick killed a promising drive for the home team. LSU marched inside Alabama territory and were on the cusp of surpassing field goal range. But Alabama manages to outsmart Leavitt and Kiffin in that sequence.
This version of LSU versus Alabama brought out the stars. Kiffin strolled down victory hill with notable past Tiger stars: WNBA standout Angel Reese, former LSU basketball player and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal, even famed Oscar winner Kevin Costner.
Kiffin also received his first crack at the LSU-Alabama rivalry as Tigers coach. He previously coached Ole Miss against Alabama before his widely publicized departure from Oxford for the LSU opening during the 2025 season. All while Ole Miss put together a College Football Playoff campaign.
This LSU team faces desperation in aiming to keep its College Football Playoff and SEC title game hopes alive, LSU sits at two losses in conference play with Ole Miss and Kentucky beating Kiffin's Tigers. Alabama is another in desperation mode with its own pair of defeats.