Depth Dossier: LSU Tigers (Week 10)

Show Notes

Four Fourth Downs, Zero Points, One Season on Life Support The Depth Dossier breaks down what LSU's Week 10 game against Alabama changed on the depth chart: injuries, snap shares and who is moving up or down.

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This is the Depth Dossier: the LSU Tigers, Week 10.

Four fourth-down tries. Zero points to show for any of them. That's the entire story of LSU's season going on life support after a 31 to 13 loss to Alabama, a game LSU actually dominated on paper and still lost by eighteen.

Let's start with the box score, because it lies. LSU out-gained Alabama 457 yards to 285, ran 28 more plays, and controlled the clock most of the night. Quarterback Sam Leavitt threw for 380 yards. None of it mattered. The offense went 0-for-4 on fourth down, including two failed tries inside Alabama's 10-yard line. Running back Dilin Jones scored on the ground in the third quarter to put LSU up 13 to 10, and then Alabama ripped off 21 unanswered points while right tackle Weston Davis left with a leg injury and special teams fell apart.

The fourth-down failures are really the whole season in miniature. Lane Kiffin stayed aggressive all night and came up empty every time. Two of those tries died inside Alabama's 10-yard line, one batted down at the 10, another stopped at the 9. That's at least six points left on the field, maybe twelve or fourteen. The back-breaker came with eight minutes left, a fourth and ten from LSU's own 25 that ended in a sack, handing Alabama a short field they scored on right away.

The red zone was just as bad. One touchdown on four trips. That's how you out-gain a team and out-first-down them by more than two to one and still lose by eighteen.

Timing made it worse. Leavitt threw an interception at the Alabama 24 with 28 seconds left in the first half, erasing a scoring chance right before the break. Then a muffed punt in the fourth quarter at LSU's own 32 sealed things. Add a 32-yard punt return that set up a one-play Alabama touchdown drive, and special teams alone cost LSU two scores.

A few numbers worth keeping. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker's unit held Alabama to just 10 points through 44 minutes before the collapse. Kicker Scott Starzyk made field goals from 41 and 23 yards but missed from 56. And Kiffin is now 0-6 in his career against Alabama across three different schools. LSU had won 32 of its last 35 home games, but Alabama has now won seven of the last eight in Baton Rouge.

Now, to the depth chart, and the injury that matters most. Right tackle Weston Davis got helped off in the third quarter favoring his right leg and didn't return. LSU is already planning to elevate his backup into first-team reps for next week against Texas. The drop-off in protection was immediate, with consecutive fourth-quarter sacks on that side tied directly to his absence. His status going forward hasn't been reported yet.

Beyond that injury, this was mostly about players who were already out. Linebackers Whit Weeks and Charles Ross the second, safety Dashawn Spears, defensive tackle Richard Anderson, and receiver Phillip Wright the third all missed this game, which thinned the linebacker rotation and pushed the current starters into heavier snap counts than planned. None of those absences have a timeline yet.

At the top of the depth chart, nothing's changing. Leavitt is still the unquestioned starter at quarterback, Jones is still the lead back after 13 carries and LSU's only touchdown, and tight end Jackson Harris remains the top target, even though Alabama's tight red-zone coverage kept him without a big play or a score. If Wright stays out, keep an eye on which receiver behind Harris starts seeing more rotational snaps.

Special teams is the real open question heading into next week. After the blown punt coverage and the fourth-quarter muff, LSU is emphasizing coverage discipline and ball security, and it's worth watching whether that leads to any changes in return-game personnel before Texas comes to town.

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