25 Crimson Tide Top 25 Lists: Comebacks
This is one of those categories in which hardly anyone will agree with the list.
Fans have their favorites. Maybe they were at a particular game, or a win against a specific rival carries more weight. Consequently, putting together a list of the greatest comebacks in Crimson Tide history is nearly an impossible task.
So our criteria for doing so was as follows:
To classify as a comeback, Alabama had to either trail by more than 10 points, or during the fourth quarter.
The Crimson Tide also had to win. For the older games, we’re not counting ties.
The more relevant the game was in terms of the national title, the higher up it appears on the list.
With that in mind, here goes, and please let us know what you think in the comments section below:
1. Georgia, 2017 season National Championship Game, 26-23 in overtime; Alabama went from being down 20-7 in the second half to second-and-26 with freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
2. Georgia, 2018 SEC Championship, 35-28; Jalen Hurts led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives
3. LSU, 2014, 20-13 overtime: After goal-line stand off a fumble, Blake Sims led a 55-yard drive during the final minute to tie the game, and then won in overtime.
4. Auburn, 1981, 28-17; Even though the Tigers led late in the game, Alabama scored two touchdowns to give Bryant win No. 315
5. Georgia, 2012 SEC Championship, 32-28; AJ McCarron to Amari Cooper for the winning touchdown with 3:15 to go
6. Auburn, 2009, 26-21; “The Drive” was capped by Roy Upchurch’s 3-yard touchdown catch with 1:24 to go
7. Clemson, 2015 season National Championship Game, 45-40; The onside kick changed everything
8. LSU, 2012, 21-17; Alabama’s offense came alive and went 72 yards in 43 seconds to score with 51 seconds remaining
9. Florida, 1999, 40-39: After being down 33-26, Shaun Alexander’s 25-yard touchdown in overtime capped a wild game in the Swamp
10. Washington, 1926, 20-19: Alabama was down 12-0 at the half during its first Rose Bowl appearance
11. Auburn, 1967, 7-3: Have you heard the story of Ken Stabler’s famous 47-yard touchdown run?
12. Tennessee, 1966, 11-190: After being down 10-0 in the fourth quarter, Steve Davis hit a 17-yard field goal, and the Vols subsequently missed a field goal with 18 seconds remaining
13. Mississippi State, 2018, 31-24; Hurts to DeVonta Smith for game-winning touchdown with 25 seconds to go
14. LSU, 2009, 24-15; When the Tigers made the mistake of putting a safety on Julio Jones, he went 73 yards for the key touchdown
15. Auburn, 1996: Freddie Kitchens to Dennis Riddle for a 6-yard touchdown pass with 26 seconds remaining
16. Tennessee, 1979, 27-17: After being down 17-0 in the second quarter, Major Ogilvie’s two third-quarter scores gave Alabama the lead
17. Tennessee, 1972, 17-10: Alabama scored two touchdowns over the final 1:48 to rob the Volunteers of a home win
18. Mississippi State, 1994, 29-25: After trailing 25-15 in the fourth quarter, Dennis Riddle scored on a 1-yard touchdown with 0:51 to go
19. Georgia, 1973, 28-14: The Crimson Tide scored 15 points during the final 2:22
20. Mississippi State, 1963: Joe Namath ran in the key touchdown, with Terry Davis making the game-winning extra point
21. LSU, 1998, 22-16: Alabama scored two touchdowns during the final 2:24 to win.
22. Georgia, 1985, 20-16: Mike Shula’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Bell in the final seconds.
23. Auburn, 1979, 25-18: Steadman Shealy’s 8-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion led to the win
24. Arkansas, 2007, 41-38; John Parker Wilson’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Le’Ron McClain with 8 seconds remaining was clutch
25. Auburn, 1985, 25-23: Ok, wasn’t much of a comeback, but Van Tiffin’s 52-yard field goal has to be on this list
Also considered (in alphabetical order)
Arkansas, 2010, 24-20: Alabama was down 20-7 in the second half when Mark Ingram Jr. led the Crimson Tide back
Georgia, 1994, 29-28: Alabama went from trailing 21-7 in the second quarter, to Michael Proctor hitting a 32-yard field goal with 1:12 to go
Georgia Tech, 1960, 16-15: Richard O’Dell’s 24-yard field goal in the final seconds won the game
Ole Miss, 1998, 20-17: Ryan Pflunger hit a 22-yard field goal in overtime for the win.
Ole Miss, 1989, 62-27: After the Rebels jumped out to a 21-0 lead, Alabama scored 62 straight points
Ole Miss, 2016, 48-43; After falling behind by 21 in the second quarter, Alabama went on 45-6 run
Penn State 1989, 17-16: It wasn’t much of a comeback as Alabama was only down 13-10, but Thomas Rayam blocked a field goal with 13 seconds remaining
This is the third in a series of 25 stories, ranking the Crimson Tide nearly every way imaginable.
