By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU football coach Lane Kiffin is only in his first season with the Tigers, but he surely knows his history.
He is also a progressive, ultra-modern offensive coach who at times makes fun of the old ways. On Thursday night during his weekly radio show, he was asked what play he would definitely not run on fourth down and a yard or less.
“I-formation and give it to the fullback,” he said. “That’s not good anymore.”
Particulary with LSU’s interior offensive line this season.
But Kiffin went Old School in admiration this week leading up to No. 14 LSU (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) playing No. 5 Alabama (6-2, 4-2 SEC) on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC) in Tiger Stadium.
Lane Kiffin picked a classic to show over and over in the football building this week – No. 1 LSU 9, No. 2 Alabama 6 in overtime on Nov. 5, 2011. https://t.co/akGjZ7ByXe
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 6, 2026
On the 15-year anniversary of LSU’s first Game of the Century against Alabama, Kiffin played the No. 1 Tigers’ 9-6 overtime victory over No. 2 Alabama on Nov. 5, 2011, at Alabama in prime time on all the TVs in the Tigers’ football operations building this week.
“I’ve just always liked to play games to get guys in the mode of who they’re playing,” Kiffin said on his radio show. “That game was we played it all day long (on the TV monitors), so as you walk out of the office, you go down to the defense room or the offense room, and you see it all day long. And the really interesting thing is after playing that game all day long there still is not a touchdown.”
LSU won it on a walk-off, 25-yard field goal in overtime by Drew Alleman, who kicked two other field goals. Alabama’s only points came on field goals by Cade Foster from 46 yards and Jeremy Shelley from 34. Foster missed two first quarter field goals from 44 and 50 yards in the first quarter, and he missed from 52 yards out in overtime before Alleman’s kick. Shelley missed a 49-yard kick in the second quarter.
Alleman’s 19-yard field goal tied the game 3-3 in the second quarter, and his 30-yard kick made it 6-6 early in the fourth quarter.
Alabama led 6-3 in the third quarter and had a chance to go up 13-3 when tight end Michael Williams got wide open in the middle of the end zone late in the period on a flea flicker when LSU safety Chad Jones bit. Alabama receiver Marquis Maze got the ball from quarterback A.J. McCarron and saw Williams. A straight line drive pass would have been a touchdown, but he lofted it high and soft. And safety Eric Reid, who was not near Williams when he got open, was able to get all the way to him and make the interception.
The Tide outgained LSU, 295 yards to 239, and had 17 first downs to 15 and was penalized fewer times. Each had two turnovers. McCarron completed 16 of 28 passes for 199 yards, but threw an interception to cornerback Morris Claiborne. LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson managed only 6-of-10 passing for 67 yards while rushing 11 times for 43 yards in relief of starter Jarrett Lee, who threw two early interceptions.
But LSU pulled it out because of its dominating defense that finished No. 2 in the nation in total defense with 261.5 yards given up a game and No. 2 in points allowed at 11.2 while finishing fifth in rush defense wiht 90 yards allowed a game.
“Very unusual game that you can put on the whole day and remind people to play great defense and to play physical in this matchup,” Kiffin said.
No less than 14 players from that game were drafted in the first round into the NFL from 2012 through 2015 – nine by Alabama and five by LSU. The Tigers were Claiborne as the sixth overall pick in 2012, defensive tackle as the 14th pick that year, defensive end Barkevious Mingo with the sixth pick in 2013, Reid as the 18th selection that year and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as the 12th pick in 2014.
This year’s LSU-Bama game is not a Game of the Century, but it could decide which of these two teams reach the College Football Playoff.
“Yeah, I could feel it when I walked in – a little bit different,” Kiffin said to open his radio show Thursday. “These games matter a little more. It was awesome. I could feel the energy. I know it’s a big game for a lot of people. It’s almost like we’re in the playoffs now.”
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