Saturday night’s SEC clash between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers came with all the stakes you could ask for. The victor would be viewed as a top-five team and a dangerous national championship contender, while the loser, sitting at three losses in nine games, would see their College Football Playoff hopes suffer a devastating blow. What we got at Tiger Stadium was quarterback Keelon Russell and Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack absolutely taking Lane Kiffin and company to school.

Let’s dive into our winners and losers from Alabama vs LSU, with the Crimson Tide headed home with a 31-13 win over the Tigers.

Winner: Jackson Harris, WR, LSU Tigers

This time last year, wide receiver Jackson Harris was a breakout star with the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors after two quiet years at Stanford. The 6-foot-2 offensive weapon is now the top pass-catcher in LSU’s offense, and he was instrumental to the passing game’s biggest drives on Saturday. Coming off a monster performance at Auburn (178 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions), Harris pulled down team highs in receptions (11) and receiving yards (166), with the Crimson Tide secondary never having an answer for him. It’s clear who quarterback Sam Leavitt trusts most, and the NFL scouts in attendance had to be enamored with Harris.

Loser: Alabama Crimson Tide Run Game

Review: For a moment in the first quarter, it seemed like the Crimson Tide might get something out of their rushing offense. Trae’Shawn Brown had a 9-yard run, Keelon Russell kept it for a 10-yard run, and then Daniel Hill erupted for a 20-yard gain. It would’ve meant 39 rushing yards on the first three carries, all coming in the first six plays of the game. Except Hill’s 20-yard gain was wiped out by a holding penalty on Kaleb Edwards. While that still gave Alabama 19 rushing yards on its first two carries, it ended Saturday night with 85 rushing yards on 26 carries (3.3 yards per carry) before the kneeldowns. Coming from a team that entered Saturday averaging just 94.3 rushing yards per game in its last three contests, it once again appears this is a one-dimensional offense. Fortunately for Kalen DeBoer, with the way his quarterback and defense are playing, it hasn’t mattered too much.

Winner: Luke Metz, LB, Alabama Crimson Tide

Meet the Metz, meet the Metz, step right up and greet the Metz. Crimson Tide linebacker Luke Metz introduced himself to LSU’s offense on Saturday, making sure Sam Leavitt didn’t forget the week he faced the 6-foot-3, 235-pound defender. With LSU’s offense driving toward a potential game-tying score right before halftime, Metz made a leaping interception at the Alabama 21-yard line and returned it 28 yards to end the half. He wasn’t done. In the fourth quarter, with LSU trailing 17-13 inside the 40-yard line, Leavitt bailed out of a collapsing pocket on 3rd-and-6 to try to get the third-down conversion with his legs. Metz came in and laid the hammer, stopping Leavitt short. The Tigers went for it on 4th-and-3 and were stopped. Metz was everywhere on the field Saturday night.

Loser: LSU Tigers Offensive Line

LSU paid big money this offseason to overhaul its offensive line. This group is one of the biggest reasons why the Tigers just lost their third game of the season, getting overwhelmed in big moments by Alabama’s front. Sam Leavitt was sacked four times on Saturday night, including twice in the fourth quarter when the Tigers trailed 24-13. It’s also worth highlighting the fact that despite Alabama’s game plan to focus on the pass, daring running back Dilin Jones to beat them, he could only average 3.3 yards per carry behind this line. LSU was utterly beat in the trenches, and that’s a horrendous look given how much money has been poured into the 2026 Tigers roster.

Winner: Keelon Russell, QB, ALabama Crimson Tide

In the first half versus LSU, Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell completed 9-of-12 passes for 89 yards. While he didn’t record a touchdown, how he held the football and used deception was instrumental in Ryan Williams’ rushing touchdown. In the second half, Russell put on a passing clinic with some eye-popping strikes to all areas of the field. En route to the 31-13 win, with 14 points coming in the fourth quarter, Russell completed 8-of-12 passes for 117 passing yards and three touchdowns. He was also Alabama’s most impactful rusher on the night.

Loser: Lane Kiffin, LSU Tigers Head Coach

The big knock on head coach Lane Kiffin prior to his arrival at LSU was his 1-9 record on the road against top-10 teams, which fell to 1-10 after the defeat at Ole Miss. LSU might’ve hosted the Crimson Tide on Saturday night, but his 0-5 all-time record against the Crimson Tide clearly made up for it. The play-calling wasn’t good, the roster wasn’t talented or deep enough, and this team couldn’t execute in critical situations (5-for-14 on third down). All of that is an indictment of Kiffin. LSU came into the season with national championship aspirations, and with three losses by the first week of November, it appears it won’t even make the College Football Playoff.

Winner: Kane Wommack, Alabama Crimson Tide Defensive Coordinator

Here is what you need to know from what defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s group did on Saturday night. Coming into the weekend, LSU’s offense had averaged 34.3 points and 447 total yards per game in its last three contests. Against Alabama, the Tigers mustered just 13 points with a 35.7 percent third-down conversion rate and a single score in the red zone. Most impressive of all, the Crimson Tide surrendered just 104 total yards on the final four drives and generated three turnovers on downs with zero points given up.