There's No Doubt Who Should, and Will, Win the Heisman Trophy: Bryce Young
ATLANTA — Ladies and gentlemen, you will soon see something that most believed would never happen during their lifetimes.
An Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback will win the Heisman Trophy.
There's simply no doubt after the SEC Championship Game, where Alabama, who many believed was ready to release its vice grip on college football after the way the Crimson Tide struggled at Auburn, dismantled Georgia 41-24.
Yes, the sophomore dominated the defense that had given up just seven touchdowns all season, and 300 passing yards in a game just once.
Young had 286 in the first half alone, which set the SEC Championship Game record. He topped the 332 accumulated by Tennessee on Nov. 13 with his second completion of the second half, a 55-yard bomb to Jameson Williams to put Alabama up 31-17.
It was his fourth touchdown of the game overall, and third passing. With it he tied the Alabama single-season record of 43, set by Tua Tagovailoa in 2018 — another year in which Alabama broke Georgia's hearts at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
But that's another story. This one belongs to Young. He was 26-for-44 for 421 yards, while having no interceptions and zero sacks.
"Magnificent," was the word Nick Saban used to describe the game MVP.
Few thought this was possible against the nation's No. 1 defense. Georgia was thought to be too big, too talented, and too impressive after cruising through its 12-game schedule unblemished and having outscored its opponents by an average of 40.7-6.9.
Early on Saturday, those trends appeared to be continuing as Georgia built up a 10-0 lead.
Yet many of the problems and mistakes that had plagued the Crimson Tide were notably nowhere to be found.
Senior running back Brian Robinson Jr., who left the Iron Bowl with a lower leg injury, started and kept the offense from being one-dimensional.
The offensive line that was supposed to be huge liability against Georgia's front seven, more than held its own.
The punting game was good. The dropped passes never happened. The penalties weren't too costly.
Alabama's confidence grew as the game developed, and led by Young the Crimson Tide peaked at exactly the right time.
Timing seems to be everything between these two teams.
When Georgia hired Saban's defensive coordinator in December 2015, Kirby Smart, it was with the thought of trying to replicate, and someday exceed, the success of the Crimson Tide.
The Bulldogs have been oh-so-close, resulting in painful losses in the 2018 SEC Championship Game and the 2019 national title game here. Overall, Alabama had won five straight.
But this time, the Bulldogs were thought to finally have a clear advantage against Smart's mentor. This was going to be the year Georgia finally broke through.
Its first touchdown was reflective of that. Set up by a 37-yard pass to star receiver George Pickens, who was covered by true freshman Kool-Aid McKinstry, Darnell Washington, reached up over linebacker Henry To'oTo'o for a 5-yard touchdown catch.
But then Young went to work, as Alabama scored on five straight possessions to take over the game.
"I've seen a lot of great ones in this league," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "He's special."
It began with Williams turning on the jets for a 67-yard touchdown strike, the longest play the Bulldogs had given up all season.
Then came the pitch to Robinson to set up a 13-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver John Metchie III, marking just the fifth time the Bulldogs had trailed all season.
By then, everyone in the stadium full of red had more than a feeling of deja vu, for better or worse. Before the teams swapped touchdowns late in the first half, Alabama had out-gained Georgia 243-17 in the quarter.
"He should win the Heisman," Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. said. "If you watched the game. If you've been watching the season, aint no one coming close to him. He would win it! The voters can see that. Everybody can see that."
They especially did after young hit Williams again for the 55-yard touchdown early in the second half. With it, both the race and the chase were over.
The list of Alabama quarterbacks who came close to winning the Heisman includes Jay Barker, Terry Davis, Harry Gilmer, Mac Jones, AJ McCarron, Steve Sloan, Tua Tagovailoa, and Pat Trammell. Joe Namath and Kenny Stabler also need to be mentioned as well.
It leaves just one word left to be said: Finally.
Christopher Walsh's column appears regularly on BamaCentral.
