Defeating LSU for a seventh straight season is a rarity in college football, but there was little celebration for Alabama late Saturday night after its 24-10 downing of the Tigers in Tuscaloosa.
Crimson Tide linebackers Shaun Dion Hamilton and Mack Wilson left the game with knee and foot injuries and are out for the season. Hamilton dislocated his kneecap, AL.com reported Sunday, and both players announced Sunday on social media that they have already undergone surgery.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama's versatile defensive back and arguably his team's top talent, injured a hamstring but returned to the game to help Alabama remain undefeated through nine games, including six in the Southeastern Conference.
"It is a great win for us, but it was a costly win as well," Tide coach Nick Saban said Saturday night in a news conference. "We already have a couple linebackers who are already out, so this is going to be a challenge moving forward, but the guys who were in there tonight did a pretty good job."
Saban will have another news conference today and could have his share of "next man up" references heading into Saturday's game at No. 18 Mississippi State (7-2, 3-2 SEC), a 7 p.m. Eastern matchup that will be televised by ESPN. The Tide continue to be No. 1 in both major polls.
Alabama has been without outside linebackers Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis since its season-opening 24-7 triumph over Florida State. It is an especially tough blow for Hamilton, a senior who had his junior season cut short by a torn ACL in last December's rout of Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
"We've got to stay strong and be there for one another," Wilson posted Sunday via Twitter. "I'm going to miss playing with you. I hate that this had to happen to you in your senior season."
Fitzpatrick was a "short-area" player when he returned to Saturday night's game, limiting the risk of him running long distances that would worsen a hamstring injury.
"The fact that he was able to go out there and play probably was an indication that it wasn't too terrible," Saban said. "We will have to assess him."
Alabama notched its 21st consecutive SEC regular-season victory, a streak that began with a 38-10 win at Georgia in 2015. The Tide set the record for regular-season league triumphs at 27 from 1976 to 1980.
LSU was a 21-point underdog, so the mood may actually have been better in the visiting locker room.
"I believe in moral victories to a certain extent, but at the end of the day we have to win," Tigers linebacker Corey Thompson said. "We did a lot of things well, so we have a lot of things to be proud of."
Said LSU coach Ed Orgeron: "We came here to fight. Nobody likes losing, but you know what? These guys believed the whole week. I'm proud of this football team."
Alabama's 24-10 victory provided more flare than last season's 10-0 Tide triumph in Baton Rouge, La., but nobody is going to mistake this rivalry for Oklahoma-Oklahoma State - the Sooners beat the Cowboys 62-52 this past weekend - anytime soon. Saturday provided another physical chapter for the Tide and Tigers, with multiple injured players serving as proof.
"Obviously, this was a tough game," Saban said. "I told the players before the game that we had not had a hard test yet. Hard defines you in terms of who you are, and we did not play a great game today. We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds, but you can't be disappointed with the way our players fought, hung in there and did what they had to do to win the game.
"You have to give LSU's players a lot of credit. This is always a tough and physical game, and it was certainly all of that tonight."
Tide tidbits
Alabama has not allowed a first-half touchdown in SEC play this season. ... The average score of a Tide game after the first quarter is 13-1. ... Alabama averaged 1.25 sacks per game through the first four contests but has averaged 4.8 in the past five. ... Jalen Hurts collected his 20th career rushing touchdown in the third quarter, breaking the school record for quarterbacks set by Harry Gilmer (1944-47). ... Ronnie Harrison's first-quarter interception marked the 36th game in a row Alabama has collected at least one turnover. ... The Tide opened Sunday as 14.5-point favorites over Mississippi State.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.