Bryce Young threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 2 Alabama held off pesky four-touchdown-underdog LSU 20-14 in an SEC game Saturday night at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Crimson Tide (8-1, 5-1 SEC) failed to score after getting a touchdown on its first possession of the third quarter, but stopped the Tigers (4-5, 2-4) three times in Alabama territory in the fourth quarter.
Max Johnson passed for just 160 yards, but had two touchdowns, and Ty Davis-Price rushed for 104 yards for LSU.
On the Tide’s second play of the third quarter, Young threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams to extend the Tide’s lead to 20-7.
The Tigers, playing without more than half a dozen injured starters and with a lame duck head coach in Ed Orgeron, converted two fourth-and-1 plays on their way to Johnson’s eight-yard touchdown pass to Jack Bech that cut the lead to 20-14 at the end of the third quarter.
LSU drove to the Tide 7 midway through the fourth quarter, but Johnson threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal.
Alabama gained three first downs and crossed midfield before Young was sacked and lost a fumble at the Tide 42.
But Alabama allowed just one yard in three plays and Johnson threw an incompletion when pressured on fourth down.
LSU, which held Alabama to six yards rushing, forced a punt and got the ball back at its 38 with 50 seconds left and drove to the Tide 30 before Johnson’s desperation pass was batted down in the end zone as time expired.
LSU kept its first possession alive by converting a fourth-and-2 on a fake punt near midfield. The drive ended with Johnson’s eight-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. that gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Tide finally scored when Brian Robinson ran two yards for a touchdown that evened the score at seven with 2:52 left in the half.
Young added an eight-yard touchdown pass to John Metchie III with 48 seconds left, giving Alabama a 14-7 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
