LSU vs. Alabama: 10 Things We Learned About the Tigers' BCS National Title Loss

Well, that was ugly, wasn't it?

Yeah, we knew the BCS national championship game between Alabama and Louisiana State was going to buck the 2011-12 bowl trend of offense, offense, offense. Baylor-Washington, Oregon-Wisconsin and Oklahoma State-Stanford this matchup was not.

But after watching the Crimson Tide and Tigers put up a combined five field goals in their first meeting (a 9-6 overtime win by LSU on Nov. 5 in Tuscaloosa), could we really have guessed the two teams would do the same until just 4:36 remained in the rematch (though 'Bama had all the points this time)?

And who could have imagined the Tigers, playing just 80 miles from their home campus, would be handled as easily as they were in Alabama's 21-0 victory?

Here are 10 things we learned about the Tigers on Monday night.

The Tigers Once Again Proved to Be Slow Starters

Like it did against Arkansas in the regular season and Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, LSU started slowly and finished with a flourish.

Once again, the Tigers were handled in the early going, and the Crimson Tide held a 9-0 lead at the half and a 15-0 lead through three quarters.

By then—against that ferocious 'Bama defense—it was too late to mount another magical comeback.

Les Miles Has Lost Faith in Jarrett Lee

Let's be honest here, for most of the night LSU's starting quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, was awful.

No doubt Alabama's defense—among the best in college football history—had a lot to do with that. But if Georgia Southern can put up 21 points on an albeit unmotivated Crimson Tide team, surely the Tigers can score.

Right?

Apparently not.

In Lee, Miles had a veteran option with nearly 4,000 career passing yards available if Jefferson faltered or was injured.

Jefferson was efficient, completing 11-of-17 passes, but that was fool's gold, as it was for just 53 yards (3.1 yards per completion). The 6'5" senior also had an interception and lost a fumble.

Kenny Hilliard Had No Lanes

The most successful of LSU's running backs on Monday night was freshman Kenny Hilliard.

He carried five times for 16 yards.

That's five more yards than Alabama's footspeed-challenged quarterback A.J. McCarron had.

And Hilliard's 3.2 yards-per-carry was almost a full yard better than the Tigers' second-best average.

Neither Did Spencer Ware or Michael Ford

The other two parts of LSU's three-headed tailback attack, Ware (three carries for seven yards) and Ford (four carries for one yard), had nowhere to go.

The truth is, neither did the athletic Jefferson, who finished with 14 carries for 15 yards—a total that included an 18-yard run.

It's Tough to Beat a Nearly Flawless Team

Alabama finished the contest with no turnovers and just one five-yard penalty (committed late in the fourth quarter). Led by defensive most outstanding player Courtney Upshaw, the Crimson Tide allowed the Tigers to cross the 50-yard line once—once—all night.

As good as LSU has been all year—and don't let one game take away from a season that saw the Tigers beat the Crimson Tide, as well as BCS bowl winners Oregon and West Virginia—Miles' team wasn't nearly good enough to overcome near-perfection from a great rival.

The Pass Defense Struggled

The Tigers didn't allow Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron to do much in the first meeting between these two teams.

The 6'4" sophomore finished that one 16-of-28 for 198 yards with an interception, numbers that look better than the performance actually was.

On Monday he completed 23-of-34 passes for 234 yards to earn the offensive most outstanding player award.

LSU's secondary features a Heisman Trophy finalist (Tyrann Mathieu) and a likely top-10 NFL draft pick (Morris Claiborne) at cornerback. The Tide also lost their top wideout (Marquis Maze) early in the game with a hamstring injury.

And the Tigers entered the contest allowing just 166.62 passing-yards-a-game.

But none of it mattered in the end.

The Run Defense Wasn't Any Better

Heisman Trophy finalist Trent Richardson is the best tailback in the country, so it is unfair to expect anyone to shut him down.

And in the rematch against LSU, the Pensacola native carried 20 times for a game-high 96 yards and a touchdown. His rushing yardage total was four more than LSU's total offensive output for the contest.

Backup Eddie Lacy added 11 carries for 43 yards, four more than the Tigers ran for as a team.

On the whole, Alabama ran for 150 yards on 35 carries with a touchdown. LSU entered the night allowing just 85.46 rushing yards-a-game.

Les Miles Was Outcoached

It would be impossible for anyone to argue that Alabama looked and played like the more prepared and ready team on Monday night.

It was evident all night long, and, aside from punting average (45.7 to 44.3 in favor of LSU), the Tigers were dominated statistically by the Crimson Tide.

That one has to at least partially be on the coach.

Even When Playing Poorly, the Tigers Were Disciplined

It isn't easy finding a positive for LSU, outside of punter Brad Wing's 45.7 average with four landing inside the 20.

But, here's one.

The Tigers were penalized just five times for 35 yards. Even in the end when frustration had to be setting in, they played with discipline.

Losing Hurts

With a win, the Tigers could have claimed the greatest season in college football history.

After all, they would have defeated the Crimson Tide twice, two BCS bowl game winners (Oregon and West Virginia), as well as Cotton Bowl champion Arkansas, SEC East champion Georgia, Gator Bowl champion Florida, Music City Bowl champion Mississippi State and Chick-fil-A Bowl champion Auburn.

But that didn't happen, and now, they will go down as a runner-up. And we all know that runner-ups often are quickly forgotten.

That, combined with the result of the title game, would make anyone sad.