LSU-Alabama live updates – Latest score, how to watch, Tua returns – ESPN, Espn.com

Joe Burrow and No. 2 LSU withstood a second-half rally from No. 3 Alabamain arguably the biggest college football clash of the season so far, withCollege Football Playoff implicationsand SEC bragging rights on the line. Here’s what went down in the Tigers’ 46 – 41 win over the Tide.

Three takeaways from LSU’s win over Alabama:

• LSU is the best team in the country. With all due respect to the College Football Playoff selection committee, there is no team in the nation that matches the wins the Tigers have on the year. To go on the road at Alabama and jump out to a 20 – point halftime lead, then put together a decisive fourth-quarter drive just when it seemed Alabama was ready to seize momentum in the game shows just how far LSU has come this season. LSU had not beaten Alabama since 2011, so this was a huge obstacle LSU had to get past. But putting together this type of offensive performance after years of ineptitude in this series proved something entirely different. LSU scored a combined 26 points in its last four meetings against Alabama. The Tigers exceeded that total in the first half alone, with 33 points.

• This game ended up being the classic we expected. It was jarring to see Alabama trail 33 – 13 at halftime, but the Tide’s second-half comeback made this the type of game we expected to see going into the day.Tua Tagovailoa, coming into the game off ankle surgery, did everything he could to get the Tide back into it, and so did his spectacular receivers and running backNajee Harris. They seemed to find their groove just when the game seemed out of reach, and the back-and-forth drives in the fourth quarter only served to illustrate just how good Tagovailoa and Burrow are at running their respective offenses. The final score was the most combined points in series history. But at the same time, you can bet some of the uncharacteristic mistakes Alabama made in the first half are going to be what Nick Saban harps on the most. What if Tagovailoa doesn’t fumble running toward the end zone on the opening drive? Perhaps the complexion of the game is completely different.

• IsJoe Burrowthe Heisman front-runner now? Burrow made one clutch play after another when LSU absolutely had to have them, most especially in the fourth quarter when Alabama closed the deficit two separate times to one score. Everyone always talks about Heisman moments. Perhaps Burrow had his on the 12 – play, 75 – yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter that featured three clutch third-down conversions – two Burrow passes and a Burrow run that extended the lead back to two scores. Then there’s the late, fourth-quarter scoring drive drive, when Alabama cut it to 39 – 34 and he made a first-down run on third-and-2 that he punctuated with a first-down signal.– Andrea Adelson

College Football Playoff implications

LSU made a case to be No. 1 ahead of Ohio State on Tuesday, while Alabama’s playoff hopes took a serious nosedive. While the Tide is likely to still be the committee’s highest-ranked one-loss team this week, it’s now a long shot in need of significant help to finish in the top four on Selection Day. Without winning its division, which now seems unlikely, Alabama doesn’t have enough opportunities left on its schedule to convince the committee it’s “unequivocally” one of the four best teams. –– Heather Dinich

Latest news, sights and scenes

Alabama star QB Tua Tagovailoagot the start against the Tigersafter missing the Tide’s previous game with an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, throughout the day, fans needed extra time to get into Bryant-Denny Stadium with President Donald Trump attending the big game and latergave him a big ovation:

Entry gates clogged.# Bamahad to shut down several gates for the president’s visit. Trump is scheduled to arrive right as the teams kick off.# LSUpic.twitter.com/ o6WXtmn3hi

– Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 9, 2019

Our GameDay crew and fans in Tuscaloosa , prepping for kickoff:

Corso has Tuscaloosa ready 👏pic.twitter.com/cTYaqDPOMr

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)November 9, 2019

Pilot for our flight from CLT to#LSUvsBAMAjust announced weather conditions, we’ll push off in ten minutes & then added “Go Tigers!” When the crimson-wearing passengers started chanting “Lock him up!” he replied “If you don’t like it, the door is still open.”# GeauxTigers#RTR

– Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee)November 8, 2019

You know you’re in Tuscaloosa when …# RTR# LSUvsBAMApic.twitter.com/qKOdLYevUO

– Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee)November 9, 2019

(Roll Car Roll) *********************************** (# LSUvsBAMA)pic.twitter.com/ycB0xHG5vn— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) November 8, 2019

Tigerized Houndstooth LSU fan desecrating holy Bama statue X 2 w / killjoy campus cop@ ESPNBooger@ ESPNMcGee# LSUFB@ CBSSportspic.twitter.com/13 xetok8lJ

– DeanICU 86 @deanicu 86)November 9 , 2019

How to watch LSU vs. Alabama

• The College Football Show:7-8 pm ET, streaming on ESPN App, Twitter and YouTube (ESPN College Football channel)

Everything you need to know for LSU vs. Alabama

Think you ‘ re surprised by LSU’s new-look offense? We talked to Odell Beckham Jr. and other former Tigers stars about the team’s transformation and looked at the key characters behind its success. Meanwhile, LSU will have to accomplish what few teams have over the past decade: beat Nick Saban and Alabama on the road in Tuscaloosa:

• Ryan McGee:Loving life on the bayou withLSU’s new, high-powered offense. “It’s a good time, man.”

• Bill Connelly:The ultimate guideto LSU-Alabama, Penn State-Minnesota and the rest of a monster weekend.

• Alex Scarborough:LSU’s new-look offense has taken college football by storm this season. It was an under-the-radar hire this past offseason who helped put things in motion.Meet Joe Brady, the 30 – year-old former William & Mary wideout who changed the Tigers .

• Scarborough:” We’ve never had a group like this’:The story of Bama’s spectacular receivers.

• Chris Low:Only four teams have won at Bryant-Denny since 2008 by a total of 15 points. Coaches Kliff Kingsbury, Gene Chizik, Eric Reid, Hugh Freeze and otherstell how they did it.

• Stanford Steve and The Bear:(Week) college football picks, bets, nuggets

Implications for College Football Playoff and Heisman race

Penn State takes on Minnesota, and LSU faces Alabama in battles of 8-0 squads. But the losers won’t necessarily be eliminated from these respective chases:

• (Heather Dinich:) Will two showdowns of unbeatens actuallyclear up the CFP race?

• Heisman Watch:After a week in which LSU , Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma were all on byes, prolific Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbardmade his casefor a trip to New York.

If the CFP started today:Here’s how the lineup would look.

The next chapter

Ryan McGeelived out his Star Warsdreams to preview the enormity of this game.

– SEC Network (@SECNetwork)November 9, 2019

Marcus Spears ventured into the belly of the beast and was (mostly) unsatisfied with the answers.

. @ mspears 96really went into Tuscaloosa and did this **# SECNationpic.twitter.com/PxwW0TsVVW

– SEC Network (@SECNetwork) (November 9, 2019