Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle Shook Off A Facemask For A Crazy Punt Return TD Against LSU

Alabama and LSU met in Tuscaloosa on Saturday in a game that may very well decide the College Football Playoff fates of both teams — at the least it will put one of them in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth.

For most of the first quarter, it was all LSU as Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa fumbled the ball inside the LSU 10 on the Tide’s opening drive, which the Tigers turned into a quick TD drive. Another Alabama miscue in the form of a fumbled punt snap put the Tigers in plus field position again, leading to a field goal to go up 10-0. The Tide’s offense had been stymied for the most part after the opening drive and it looked as though LSU was primed to pull off the mild upset as the first quarter came to a close.

However, Alabama’s roster is full of some of the world’s most elite athletes, and we were reminded of that by Jaylen Waddle when he fielded a punt at the 23, shook free of an uncalled facemask, and somehow got the edge on the opposite sideline and ran 77 yards for a touchdown.

First off, how there wasn’t a single flag thrown for the facemask, I’ll never know, but Waddle’s speed is truly preposterous. LSU has plenty of speed on their roster as well, and it didn’t matter once he got to the edge. Alabama desperately needed a big play like that to get back into the game the way things had started, and Waddle was happy to oblige.

However, the Tide’s defense couldn’t keep things to three points, allowing a swift 75-yard march by the Tigers for a touchdown on the next possession to make it 16-7 LSU