page_title: 2011 LSU vs. Alabama football game
section_title: Alabama
hierarchical_section_title: 2011 LSU vs. Alabama football game / Pre-game buildup / Alabama
caption_attribution_description: Alabama Crimson Tide line up on defense against the Arkansas Razorbacks at the midfield of Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
context_page_description: The 2011 LSU vs. Alabama football game was a regular-season college football game between the unbeaten LSU Tigers, and the unbeaten Alabama Crimson Tide on November 5, 2011, at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Coined a "Game of the Century," this was the first time two Southeastern Conference football teams came into a regular season matchup undefeated and ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation. In a game dominated by defense and special teams, LSU won in overtime 9–6. LSU kicker Drew Alleman made all 3 of his field goals, while Alabama kickers Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster made only 2 out of their 6 attempts, proving to be decisive in the game.
  LSU and Alabama first met on the field in 1895, and have met annually since 1964. When former LSU head coach Nick Saban was hired in the same capacity at Alabama, their annual contest became, arguably, an even more heated rivalry than before. At the start of the 2011 season, Alabama was ranked No. 2 and LSU was ranked No. 4 in all of the major college polls, and prior to their annual meeting, each team defeated all eight of their opponents, and LSU moved into the No. 1 spot after a victory over West Virginia.
context_section_description: In the preseason polls, Alabama opened the 2011 season as the No. 2 ranked team in both the AP and Coaches' Polls. After they defeated the Kent State Golden Flashes 48–7 in the season opener, Alabama dropped to No. 3 in the AP Poll as a result of LSU's victory over Oregon. In Week 2, the Crimson Tide traveled to Beaver Stadium for the first time since 1989 to play the Penn State Nittany Lions. They defeated the No. 23 Nittany Lions 27–11, and returned to Tuscaloosa for a pair of home games against the North Texas Mean Green and the Arkansas Razorbacks. Against North Texas, the Alabama defense was dominant and secured the first shutout for the Crimson Tide defense since the 2009 season with their 41–0 victory. The following week, Alabama opened conference play with a 38–14 victory over No. 14 Arkansas and then defeated the No. 12 Florida Gators 38–10 to extend their record to 5–0. After their victory over Florida, the Crimson Tide regained their No. 2 ranking in the AP Poll.
  Alabama then returned home for their homecoming game against the Vanderbilt Commodores. For the second time of the season, the Alabama defense had a shutout in the 34–0 Crimson Tide victory. After a 52–7 win over the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, Alabama returned for their annual Third Saturday in October contest against the Tennessee Volunteers. The Crimson Tide defeated Tennessee for the fifth consecutive season with their 37–6 victory and entered their bye week undefeated and ranked No. 2 for their game against No. 1 LSU in Tuscaloosa.
  Prior to the game against LSU, Alabama's defense was ranked at or near the top of all major defensive categories nationally. Both nationally and in the SEC, they ranked first in total (180.5 yards per game), scoring (6.88 points per game) and rushing defense (44.88 yards per game). The Crimson Tide also nationally ranked second, and first in the SEC, in pass defense (135.63 yards per game). Nationally on offense, Alabama ranked eleventh in scoring offense (39.38 points per game), fourteenth in rushing offense (229.25 yards per game), 23rd in total offense (457.63 yards per game) and 63rd in passing offense (228.38 yards per game). In the SEC, they ranked first in total, scoring and rushing offense and fourth in passing offense.
caption: The Alabama defense against the Arkansas offense in Week 4.
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