LSU finishes strong again

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Maybe now those folks at Louisiana State can get over Nick Saban and relish what they have: a living-on-the-edge team that’s still in the thick of the national championship race after another heart-stopping victory.

Les Miles’ Cardiac Tigers did it again Saturday night, scoring two touchdowns in the last three minutes to rally No. 3 LSU to a 41-34 win over No. 17 Alabama, which should serve as payback for the coach who won a title in Cajun Country but showed up for this one trying to keep the purple and gold from winning another.

The Tigers (8-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) pulled it out in typical fashion, going down to the wire in their fourth straight game.

“We kept hanging in there, kept fighting,” said Miles, who got the game ball from his players. “We found a way to win. I’ve never seen that many mistakes in a game. We’ll never play that poorly again.”

Alabama (6-3, 4-2) went ahead on a 61-yard punt return by Javier Arenas with 7 1/2 minutes left, and the Crimson Tide was in position to close it out when the Tigers faced fourth and four at the Alabama 32.

But Matt Flynn tossed a pass over the middle to Early Doucet, who shook away from one defender, faked out another and went all the way to the end zone for the tying score with 2:49 left.

Alabama got it back, but safety Chad Jones burst up the middle to sack John Parker Wilson and knock the ball away. It rolled along the turf until LSU’s Curtis Taylor fell on it at the four.

Two plays later, Jacob Hester dived over from the one with 1:26 left and LSU was still alive.

LSU beat Florida and Auburn on its final possession and lost to Kentucky the same way. This time, the Tigers actually gave themselves a little breathing room, allowing Flynn to simply kneel for the final two plays.

Saban, who led LSU to a share of the national championship in 2004 before leaving for the NFL, walked to midfield to shake hands with the coach who replaced him and the players he left behind.

“It was hard,” Saban conceded during a rare bit of reflection in an otherwise fiery post-game news conference. “It’s a little bit like playing someone in your family. I wish those guys well. I want to see them do well. I’ll be proud to see them do well.”