For One Half, Alabama Looked Like a Championship Team
It’s obvious the 2023 Alabama football team doesn’t measure up to other Nick Saban-led teams in several areas.
There are no clear-cut leaders. The defense has issues. The offense doesn’t have a big-time playmaker. Opponents don’t fear this team, and the 2023 Crimson Tide doesn’t “make their ass quit” like they used to.
This team does have tenacity. You can’t deny that. You don’t fall behind 20-7 to a big rival at home, then dominate the next half while rolling up 27 unanswered points to win 34-20 without having trust and faith in the process.
“It takes a lot of resiliency, a lot of perseverance for those players to bounce back from that because it was a horrible way to end the first half and they did a fantastic job of it,” Saban said of Alabama’s win against Tennessee on Saturday. “I can't say enough about the competitive spirit that they have when they needed to have it.”
For one half, this Alabama team resembled a championship-caliber team. The key now is for the Crimson Tide to play that way for a whole game, and for the rest of the season. In other words, follow the process, the system Saban instilled in every Alabama team he’s coached.
“We are not worried about the outcome of the game,” safety Malachi Moore said. “We talked about going out and just playing the next play and doing our job and execute the calls.”
Little by little, the Crimson Tide chipped away at the 20-7 deficit and then took control of the game.
There were multiple leaders. The offense had big-time playmakers. The defense was dominant. Tennessee could feel the game slipping away and got flustered.
It was a masterclass in the process, domination and how to finish strong.
• Jase McClellan’s 29-yard run to start the second half.
• Jalen Milroe’s 46-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond the next play.
• Jihaad Campbell stuffing a fourth-down run play.
• Will Reichard’s 50-yard field goal.
• Chris Braswell’s forced fumble of QB Joe Milton III, which led to Campbell’s scoop and score.
• Another fourth-down stop in the red zone to secure the win.
All these moments, and everything in between, paved the way for this win. It wasn’t a complete game, but it’s a sign that this team has what it takes to be dominant and meet the challenges ahead.
“Well I love it,” Saban said of the Crimson Tide battling through adversity. “It's been great. The challenges are great. I enjoy coaching this team. That's not to say that they're not taking years off of my life, but I'm OK with that. So it's fun. They've got a good spirit about them. They've got good relationships on this team. I think the players legitimately care about each other and they respond well to their coaches. It's really fun to coach them. I don't think that we sometimes show the maturity from a competitive standpoint to do everything on a consistent basis, which is what we keep trying to work to.”
