Firstly, I don't believe in "moral victories", you play to win and a loss is a loss. However, there are instances in which you go out there and fight and struggle and don't manage to prevail. These are the instances in which you need to learn from your mistakes and strive to do better.
All of us knew that LSU was going to put more talent on the field. 17 of the guys starting were recruited by Saban and we know how good a recruiter he is. So, one could hardly say that the talent level on the field was equal.
After the suspensions, I felt like Alabama's running game was going to be almost non-existent. You can't lose two blockers and your power runner against a team like LSU and expect things to go well (then again I thought it would really hurt Alabama against UT, but UT ain't LSU).
Alabama looked overwhelmed at many times during the game. The running game struggled, the defense was vulnerable, the one dimensional offense was inept sometimes but the team kept fighting and the coaches kept trying to find ways of keeping Alabama in the game. There were good breaks and bad breaks with some questionable officiating with good measure. The end result was a good, hard fought game.
I don't really want to hear any complaining or finger pointing directed towards the team. Could Alabama have done some things better? Sure, they could have. However they stayed in the game and fought against one of the most talented teams in football. I am proud of the effort and I'm proud of the direction this team is headed.
I'm not happy right now but I have pride in Alabama's football team.