LSU Storms Back to Burn Its Former Coach

Nov 04, 07:44 AM

Current Headlines: By PAUL NEWBERRY

By Paul Newberry

The Associated Press

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.

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' c ardiac Tigers did it again Saturday night, scoring two touchdowns in the final three minutes to rally for a 41-34 win against No. 17 Alabama.

It served as payback for the coach who won a title in Cajun Country but showed up for this one trying to keep the purple and gold from staying on track to win another.

The No. 3 Tigers (8-1, 5-1 SEC) pulled it out in typical fashion, going down to the wire in their fourth straight game.

"We kept hanging in there, kept fighting," said Miles, who got the game ball from his players. "We found a way to win. I've never seen that many mistakes in a game. We'll never play that poorly again."

Alabama (6-3, 4-2) went ahead on a 61-yard punt return by Javier Arenas with 71/2 minutes left; the Crimson Tide was in position to deliver a knockout when the Tigers faced fourth-and-4 at the Bama 32.

No problem for a team that went 5 for 5 on fourth-down conversions in a win against Florida to start this remarkable run of nail-biting games.

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 a tying 32-yard 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 dived 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 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 and the players he left behind.

"It was hard," Saban conceded during a rare bit of reflection in an otherwise fiery post-game news conference. "It's a little bit like playing someone in your family. I wish those guys well. I want to see them do well. I'll be proud to see them do well."

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

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

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