QB Joe Burrow Leads LSU to Win Over Alabama in Thriller

Joe Burrow sprinted toward the LSU fans to celebrate a monumental victory, and moments later was hoisted on the shoulders of two beefy teammates.

They carried him only partway across the field. The ride isn’t finished for Burrow and No. 1 LSU, but the quarterback’s masterful performance Saturday in a 46-41 victory over its nemesis, No. 2 Alabama marked a huge step toward the Tigers’ championship goals.

Burrow passed for 393 yards and three touchdowns, answered challenge after challenge and helped end the eight-year string of futility that started with the national title game in January 2012. Now, the Tigers’ sights are set on another shot at SEC and national championships.

LSU coach Ed Orgeron said that for the first time he told his players pre-Alabama, “You’re the better team.”

“We’ve finally got the tools that we need to beat those guys,” Orgeron said. “To have a championship team, you’ve got to have a championship quarterback.”

The Tigers (9-0, 5-0 SEC, No. 2 CFP) are no longer second fiddle in the SEC West, or maybe in the playoff rankings. And Burrow stamped himself as the Heisman Trophy front-runner with a gutty performance when he answered every challenge from the Crimson Tide.