No. 11 Alabama’s chances of making the College Football Playoff are alive and well after a 42-13 win over No. 15 LSU on Saturday night.

Jalen Milroe rushed for four touchdowns as the LSU defense struggled with a running quarterback for the second straight game. Milroe opened the game with a 39-yard touchdown and then broke the game wide open in the fourth quarter with a 72-yard run.

Two weeks ago, the LSU defense was completely blindsided by Texas A&M’s second-half quarterback change. Marcel Reed replaced Conner Weigman as the Aggies scored TD drives on Reed’s first four possessions. Reed scored three of his own on quarterback runs as the Aggies rushed for 242 yards.

Alabama clearly wanted to test the LSU defense again. Milroe’s ability to make magic happen with his speed and escapability is a big part of the Alabama offense, and LSU had trouble stopping designed QB runs.

Milroe finished the game with 185 rushing yards on just 12 carries. Thanks to the Crimson Tide’s large lead, he was able to watch the final minutes from the bench.

The loss is LSU’s third of the season and certainly removes the Tigers from playoff contention. LSU opened the season with a loss to USC – a loss that looks worse with each Trojans loss – and has a great chance to win. But a 9-3 season probably won’t be good enough to reach the expanded postseason anyway.

Since the LSU defense couldn’t stop the run, the offense wasn’t explosive either. QB Garrett Nussmeier struggled with two interceptions on a rainy night in Baton Rouge. Nussmeier’s first pick came on the first drive of the second half when Alabama led 21-6.

The Tigers drove all the way to the Alabama 4-yard line, but Nussmeier’s pass on second down was intercepted at the goal line by Deontae Lawson. It was the second trip inside the Alabama 10-yard line for the Tigers and the second time they failed to score a touchdown. In the first half, LSU had to kick a field goal after getting to the Alabama 6.

Is Milroe back in the Heisman conversation?

There are four clear favorites for the Heisman through the first eleven weeks of the season: Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Miami’s Cam Ward and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. But Milroe has put himself back in the conversation with his performance Saturday night and Alabama’s chances of winning the SEC.

It’s chaos at the top of the conference, but the Crimson Tide are still alive for the SEC title game. And Milroe has statistics that match up well. He has 16 rushing touchdowns and 13 passing touchdowns. Only two players – Ward and Chandler Morris of North Texas – have accounted for more than 30 touchdowns this season.

It is unlikely that Milroe will lift the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season. But don’t write him off as a Heisman finalist.