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Nov 08, 2009 (Chattanooga Times Free Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- One play, 73 yards and 13 seconds.

The most meaningful drive of Alabama's successful quest for a second consecutive Southeastern Conference West Division title came and went in a Julio Jones flash. The Crimson Tide sophomore receiver, questioned all season about his lack of productivity, bolted 73 yards down the sideline in front of jubilant teammates to score the go-ahead touchdown in Saturday's 24-15 win over LSU.

"We just practiced it all week," Jones said after a four-catch, 102-yard performance. "I scored on it at practice, so it wasn't anything different for me. Those guys are really aggressive and fly to the ball, so it didn't surprise me that it opened up. I did what I had to do to put us on top."

Trailing 15-13 with 10:37 remaining, Jones caught a quick sideline pass from Greg McElroy and made Tigers cornerback Brandon Taylor miss. The Jones jaunt put the No. 3 Crimson Tide up 19-15, and they made it 21-15 when freshman tailback Trent Richardson ran in the two-point conversion.

Leigh Tiffin's 40-yard field goal with 3:04 left sealed the win and the West crown, but Jones gave Alabama's offense a signature moment to go along with Terrence Cody's two blocks of Daniel Lincoln field goals in the 12-10 escape of Tennessee on Oct. 24.

"Julio is an outstanding player, and I think the last game against Tennessee was the first time he looked like his old self in terms of having the juice and burst," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "He played a good game then and played a good game tonight, and we're going to continue to feature him."

Said Tide tackle Mike Johnson: "When I saw him trotting down the sidelines, that was one of the happiest moments I've had here. That was just a huge play."

Alabama (9-0, 6-0) dominated LSU (7-2, 4-2) statistically, racking up a 452-253 advantage in total yards. Yet the No. 9 Tigers gained respect, taking the Tide deep into the fourth quarter despite losing quarterback Jordan Jefferson and tailback Charles Scott to third-quarter injuries.

LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson, who got the upper hand several times when matched against Jones, left the game three times and went to the locker room twice.

"I told my team I was proud of them, how hard they fought, how hard they played and that they had a lot of promise," LSU coach Les Miles said. "A couple of guys of ours are nicked up. It happens. We'll regroup and fight again."

The Tigers likely will have to continue without Scott, who had 83 yards on 13 carries before suffering a broken collarbone.

Alabama entered Saturday with the nation's No. 5 scoring defense (11.4 points per game) and LSU No. 7 (12.1), and the two played 20 scoreless minutes until the Tigers broke through with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to Deangelo Peterson. The Crimson Tide pulled within 7-3 on a 28-yard Tiffin field goal but missed a chance to inch closer or take the lead when McElroy was intercepted at the LSU 7-yard line with 29 seconds left in the half.

"We played well in the first half, but we didn't finish drives," Saban said.

The Tide took their first lead at 10-7 at the 11:40 mark of the third quarter on a 21-yard pass from McElroy to Darius Hanks, who beat Taylor in single coverage. The Tigers pulled within 10-9 when McElroy was called for intentional grounding in his end zone while trying to avoid a sack by Drake Nevis, and they took a 15-10 lead on an 8-yard run by Stevan Ridley with 3:19 remaining in the third.

Alabama plays at Mississippi State this Saturday night, while LSU hosts its third in-state team of the season when Louisiana Tech visits.

"We have three games to play, and we want to play those games one game at a time," Saban said. "We always tell our players that this is a great victory and that we're proud of them but that they have 24 hours to enjoy this. We have an opponent next week, and they're a good opponent, so we have to respect them."

Or, as Tide tailback Mark Ingram put it, "We've got to keep winning and try to make it to Pasadena."

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David Paschall

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