How Alabama Turned 10-0 Deficit into Overwhelming Sugar Bowl Victory
NEW ORLEANS — It was the longest touchdown run given up by Alabama of the Nick Saban era. It was also the second-longest rushing touchdown in the history of the Sugar Bowl.
Already up 3-0, Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn rushed 88 yards to the house on the first play of the Wildcats' third drive. The score made it a 10-point game, with the Crimson Tide having yet to put any points on the board.
The first portion of the 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl was a moment that Alabama fans would likely prefer to soon forget. Over its first two drives of the game, the Crimson Tide totaled just 26 offensive yards — 35 through the air, and negative nine on the ground. Meanwhile, the Wildcats seemingly could do just about anything that they wanted.
Kansas State, fueled by the majority-purple crowd of Wildcats in the stands of the Superdome, had put together two solid drives. Its first ended abruptly due to an interception by Jordan Battle, but its second and third combined for 126 yards on 12 plays.
And Vaughn's 88-yard score did nothing to ease the minds of Alabama.
"That's all blocking," Vaughn said after the game. "Just the duo scheme, and they split open in the middle. It was great blocking, not only by the O‑line but downfield by the receivers to get the safety. And then after that, it's a sprint to the end zone."
In fact, through its first two drives — including the drive with the Battle interception — Kansas State averaged 4.8 yards per play and had converted an impressive three of its four third downs.
By all reasoning, it seemed like it was about to be a long day for Alabama. The 88-yard touchdown by Vaughn not only silenced the Crimson Tide faithful in the stands but also caused the Wildcats in attendance to go berserk, at one point even causing the press box to rumble and shift back and forth.
It would be easy to understand why the Alabama sidelined looked discouraged. The feeling of concern by fans would be easily relatable. Despite all of that, though, the Crimson Tide would not need to be despondent for long.
Following the 10-0 deficit, Alabama stormed back with an impressive six-play, 69-yard drive for a touchdown. Then there was another. And another. In fact, the Crimson Tide scored five consecutive touchdowns.
Alabama recorded 21 unanswered points before halftime, then 14 more before Kansas State was finally able to respond with a field goal. While the Crimson Tide's offense had been abysmal in its first two drive, its next five were some of the most well-composed series that Alabama has conducted all season.
"I think when we got into a little rhythm about how they were playing us, we were able to take advantage of it," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. "I think Bryce [Young] did a really good job. We had package plays, and he got us in the right place, which helped us run the ball a little more effectively than we did in the beginning of the game.
"Then we made a lot of explosive plays. We attacked them down the field and made some good throws. Guys made really good catches. So I think those explosive plays were huge in the game. The turnovers and explosive plays were huge in the game."
While Alabama had been outgained by Kansas State 172 yards to 95, the Crimson Tide led the Wildcats at halftime 256-239. At the end of the third quarter, the margin had grown even worse. As the confetti fell on the field, the final yardage read 496-401 in favor of Alabama.
The Crimson Tide's turnaround was quite remarkable, with the final score reading 45-20. After being down 10-0 and hope slowly seeming to slip out of Alabama fans' collective grasp, the team didn't give up. In essence, the Crimson Tide finally played like, well, the Crimson Tide.
After the game, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young — who finished the game having completed 15-of-21 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns — credited Saban for the overwhelming comeback, particularly on the team's final drive of the first half that saw the team go 98 yards in seven plays over the course of just 51 seconds.
"I think that speaks to the confidence that Coach gave us," Young said. "Trusting us as offense to move the ball. Obviously, there's things that can go wrong down there. You don't want to give the ball back. You obviously don't want to turn the ball over because that's points. But Coach trusted us in those moments."
While the praises can certainly be sung about Alabama's offense, its defense was just as impressive. Using Vaughn's touchdown scramble as a springboard, the Crimson Tide defense was nearly lights-out following the Wildcats' score.
Following the touchdown, Kansas State was forced into its first three-and-out of the ballgame. On its next drive, the Wildcats moved the ball 73 yards over a lengthy 18-play drive that lasted 10:32 but ultimately led to a turnover on downs inside the UA five-yard line.
For comparison, Alabama's entire time of possession in the first half was 10:31.
Kansas State's next drive ended at halftime, followed by an interception by defensive back Brian Branch. Another punt for the Wildcats followed, then finally a field goal with 8:50 to go in the third quarter.
Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. said that the 10-0 deficit capped by the 88-yard touchdown was what powered the defense.
"Being down 10‑0, I think all the leaders did a really good job on defense," Anderson said. "Byron Young did a good job getting his guys going. I did a good job getting my guys going. Henry To'oTo'o did a good job getting his guys; Jordan Battle. But we all came together as a defense.
"'Look, this is what we've got to do. This is how we got to stop them. Everybody just blow up, let's go. We know what to do. We practiced two weeks.' Then after that, everybody just started going — it was good."
After trailing, Alabama put together one of its most dominating performances of the year. Entering the bowl season, some fans questioned whether or not the Crimson Tide had deserved a spot in the College Football Playoff. On Saturday in New Orleans, Alabama answered that question to the best of its ability and it was certainly impressive.
The argument still remains that a 10-2 team that didn't make its conference championship game has no place in the CFP, and that argument is still valid even today. However, while the final results of the season might be called into question, the resiliency of the Crimson Tide on New Year's Eve in the Sugar Bowl will never be.
And it all started with an 88-yard touchdown by the opposition.
"I think that there was a team out there today that cared," Saban said. "Cared about how they played, cared about the pride they had in their performance, cared about each other, and they prevailed because of that. And I think that started way back when we started practice.
"There's a lot of guys on this team, including these two guys that are sitting next to me (Anderson and Young) that have given a lot to this program. And I think the way the team performed out there together as a group with something to prove. I think we had a little bit of a taste in our mouth that if we had a dominant performance, it would show people that we probably did deserve to do a little better than we did in terms of the playoff picture."
See Also:
Alabama Shows it Can Play With Heart Too While Pounding Kansas State in Sugar Bowl
No. 5 Alabama rolls to a decisive Sugar Bowl victory over No. 9 Kansas State
Bryce Young Shines on Sugar Bowl Stage
Alabama Football's Finest Finish Their Career On Top
Instant Analysis: No. 5 Alabama 45, No. 9 Kansas State 20
Alabama Players Excited about Future of Program
Notebook: Deuce Vaughn Rendered Ineffective by Alabama Defense
Sights and Sounds From Alabama's Season-Ending Sugar Bowl Win
Everything Nick Saban, Alabama Said After Sugar Bowl Victory
Everything Coach Chris Klieman and Kansas State Said After Sugar Bowl Loss to Alabama
