Windham Wrap-up: Did Bryce Young have his Heisman Moment in Iron Bowl?
Things were setting up nicely for Bryce Young before Alabama even kicked off on Saturday against Auburn. Ohio State had lost to Michigan, hurting the Heisman chances of Buckeyes' quarterback CJ Stroud. It opened the door for Young to widen his lead in the Heisman race if he could have a good performance in the Iron Bowl.
After the first half though, things weren't looking too great. Young was 6-16 for 70 yards in the first half. It wasn't all his fault though as Nick Saban pointed out in the postgame. There were a few drops sprinkled in there, but it was mainly due to the intense pressure he was facing from the Auburn defense as the Crimson Tide offensive line really struggled in pass protection.
Things were still looking hopeless until Alabama got the ball back with 1:34 to go trailing 10-3. Young then led Alabama on a 12-play, 97-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass to Ja'Corey Brooks to tie the game with 24 seconds left.
That drive and the subsequent quadruple overtime comeback just might have been Young's Heisman moment.
He threw a touchdown pass in the first overtime and found John Metchie III in the third and fourth overtime to successfully convert the two-point attempts giving Alabama the 24-22 win.
He's put up the big stats, 3,901 yards and 40 touchdowns, and he set the Alabama single game passing record with 559 yards against Arkansas. As a quarterback and leader of the offense, he's put his team in position to win the SEC West and potentially make the College Football Playoff.
Young has led his team through adversity several times this season like at Florida or Texas A&M, but the Iron Bowl may have been his finest moment.
One could argue that Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. is also deserving of the Heisman trophy, and I wouldn't disagree. He has been Alabama's best defensive player by far and one of the best in the country. Anderson is up to 30.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. He's won SEC defensive player of the week five of the possible 12 times.
However, according to oddsmakers, he doesn't really have a chance of winning the Heisman. Even though it's an award for the best overall player in college football, it historically goes to the best offensive player.
For both players, a lot will be decided on Saturday. If either Young or Anderson can put up big numbers in a win over Georgia in Atlanta, a Crimson Tide player could be coming home with the Heisman trophy for the second year in a row.
