WATCH: LSU throws caution to the wind with fake punt pass
With the first quarter not even halfway over, LSU pulled out a fake punt against Alabama on Saturday. Punter Avery Atkins took a snap and immediately race forward to draw the attention of the defense.
Then he stopped and lobbed a jump-pass to tight end Jack Mashburn, who ran 26 yards for the first down. The play allowed quarterback Max Johnson to eventually finish off the drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr.
That score gave the Tigers an early 7-0 lead in Tuscaloosa.
This game marks the final time that Ed Orgeron will take on Alabama as LSU’s coach. He came to an agreement to part ways with the school earlier this year, but will finish out the remainder of the season.
LSU entered Saturday needing two more wins to become bowl eligible, sitting at 4-4 and 2-3 in SEC play. The Tigers have lost their only game since the Orgeron announcement, 31-17 against Ole Miss.
The Tigers managed to hold Alabama without a touchdown in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide also missed an early field goal attempt as LSU took that 7-0 lead into the beginning of the second quarter.
If Alabama is unable to mount a comeback, it would fall to 7-2 in SEC play. More importantly, Texas A&M, which owns the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Crimson Tide, defeated Auburn this week and would take over as the top team in the SEC West division.
However, there is plenty of time left, and we’ve seen this story before. If the Tigers hope to hang on to this lead, they’re going to need a few more scores. Perhaps another LSU fake punt is in the future of this game, but expect Alabama to be a lot more ready if that is the case.
LSU moves on to a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks next week.