Hurts, No. 1 Alabama hold off No. 19 LSU, 24-10

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama's defense sucked all the drama out of the ending with stop after stop, even as injuries took their toll. With Jalen Hurts delivering some timely plays -- and two touchdowns -- the top-ranked Crimson Tide sweated out a bruising 24-10 victory over No. 19 LSU on Saturday night. The Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) had to withstand a rare challenge this season from a league opponent, but the nation's top defense didn't allow much hope in the fourth quarter. Alabama was ranked No. 2 in the first College Football Playoff rankings behind Georgia, which clinched the SEC East with a 24-10 victory over South Carolina. "I told the players before the game that we haven't been tested with hard," Tide coach Nick Saban said. "Hard kind of defines you. We didn't play a great game out there.