LSU had Alabama backed up at its own 10-yard line, with a chance to turn a promising drive into points. Instead, Sam Leavitt’s pass on fourth-and-four was batted down, and the Tigers walked away empty-handed.
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It was one of several chances they wasted on November 7. Lane Kiffin’s LSU finished with 457 yards, more than 170 yards ahead of Alabama, but scored only 13 points. Three days later, its former head coach had a fairly simple explanation for what needed fixing.
“I don’t know if Texas can protect. I don’t think you can fix that over a week,” Brian Kelly said on his November 10 CBS Sports appearance. “For LSU, it’s situational football. They have to be better in the red zone. They have to be better in fourth-down situations.”
Kelly ultimately picked LSU to win. His reasoning was that the Tigers could clean up their execution, while Texas had a more difficult problem along its offensive line. It was also a pointed assessment of the team he coached until his dismissal in October 2025.
The fourth-and-four stop inside the Alabama 10-yard line was only part of the story. LSU’s opening drive had already shown the problem. The Tigers marched 70 yards in 14 plays, reached the red zone, and had to settle for a 23-yard field goal.
The second quarter brought another costly sequence. LSU reached Alabama territory again, but Leavitt threw an interception while the Tigers were in field-goal range.
The mistake cost them a chance to add points before halftime. Before that, Kiffin had already chosen to go for it on fourth-and-four from the Alabama 10, and the pass was knocked away as Alabama took over.
The Tigers went 0-for-4 on fourth down and scored on just two of their four red-zone trips. Alabama, by comparison, scored on all three of its trips inside the 20. The difference was not how often LSU reached scoring territory.
It was what happened when the field got shorter. Kiffin did not hide his frustration afterward. He pointed to the same two areas Kelly would discuss three days later.
“I wouldn’t think that would equal 13 points,” Kiffin said while discussing Leavitt’s passing total and the production from his leading receivers. “But you got to score touchdowns in the red zone.”
Kelly’s comments put the spotlight back on Kiffin, who has inherited a talented offense but has not consistently turned its production into wins. LSU fell to 6-3 with the loss to Alabama, leaving its playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
Despite the Alabama game disappointment, through nine games, the Tigers have scored on 42 of their 49 trips, converting 33 into touchdowns and nine into field goals. That gives them an 85.7% conversion rate, a decent number on paper.
That’s likely why Brian Kelly expects Lane Kiffin to correct those mistakes and come back stronger against Texas this weekend. The same, though, can’t be said about Texas, which has deep protection problems.
“I think you can correct situational football with execution,” Brian Kelly said about LSU’s red-zone woes. “I don’t know if they (Texas) can protect. I’m going with LSU.”
The Longhorns have allowed 27 sacks this season, tied for ninth-most nationally. That is a difficult figure to ignore heading into a night game at Tiger Stadium, particularly against an LSU defensive front that will be looking to put immense pressure on Arch Manning.
The Longhorns have won their last three games after losing consecutive contests to Oklahoma and Florida. They beat Mississippi State 31-3, Ole Miss 34-27, and Missouri 34-20.
The results have steadied their season, but the protection issues have not disappeared.
Simply put, red-zone decisions, fourth-down play calls, and the ability to finish a drive are areas a staff can address in practice. Fixing an offensive line that has repeatedly allowed defenders into the backfield is a much bigger undertaking.
The other CBS analysts largely agreed with Kelly’s choice. Aaron Taylor also backed LSU, pointing to Texas’ struggles to run the football and protect the quarterback.
Brian Jones highlighted the challenge of dealing with a physical defensive front. Rick Neuheisel, though, was the exception, making Texas his pick. All these questions will finally be answered when Texas visits LSU on November 14.