Those of you who saw the Southeastern Conference title game Saturday will probably agree with me that Alabama played the worst game the Crimson Tide has played in at least three years.
And yet they won the title.
That is the mark of a good team.
Go ahead and say it. Georgia had something to do with the way Alabama played. But, more to the point, the way Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played had more to do with it than Georgia. Tide receivers looked like Ole Miss receivers against Mississippi State, Tide running backs fumbled continuously throughout the contest, and Bulldog Coach Kirby Smart calling for a fake punt near midfield that came up woefully short of a first down giving the ball back to Alabama in the fourth quarter with 3:04 left to play.
That play call was almost as bad as the one Ed Orgeron called that helped Mississippi State beat Ole Miss that go Coach O fired as Ole Miss’ head football coach. If it hadn’t been in the Egg Bowl, Coach O might have survived the call, but I doubt it. Smart is safe, however. But it was just as dumb as Orgeron’s call, make no mistake about it.
Alabama trailed Georgia throughout the game and yet came from behind to win the game in the last 3:04 of the contest. Tagovailoa, who was not 100 per cent going into the game having twisted his left knee two weeks ago, suffered a sprained right ankle earlier in the title game. That brought in Jalen Hurts, last season’s starting Tide quarterback, who completed all five of his passing attempts during the final two drives of the game and led his team on a game-tying 80-yard drive and scoring on a 15-yard quarterback draw.
Hurts was my choice for the game’s MVP, but I have a hunch that the vote was taken at the end of the third quarter rather than after the game. Otherwise, I strongly believe Jalen would have been voted the game’s MVP.
It brought back memories of LSU’s Matt Mauck in 2001 when the Tigers’ backup quarterback came off the bench in the third quarter and brought LSU from behind to beat Tennessee to win the SEC West battle. And just to carry the memory one step further, the LSU coach that day was none other than Nick Saban.
Say what you will, the guy is magical.
And some people wonder why I think Nick Saban is the best college football coach ever.
Under Saban, Alabama doesn’t rebuild. It reloads every year. And why not? What kid wouldn’t want to play for Saban. He’s a proven winner in the nation’s best college conference.
Unfortunately, Georgia is in the SEC, too, and must reach the conference title game to have a chance to win the conference title, something the Bulldogs have done the last two seasons in a row only to fall short in the end. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t do it again next season. Who is better than Georgia?
For that matter, who’s better than Alabama in the West? LSU and Mississippi State come to mind and either one could challenge the Crimson Tide next year.
It will be interesting, but Alabama isn’t through this year yet. They will be playing for yet another national championship against Oklahoma and either Clemson or Notre Dame in the coming weeks.
After those games, Saban and the Tide will worry about next season.
