Takeaways from Alabama Football's Statement SEC Championship Win Over Georgia
ATLANTA — Alabama is back atop the SEC.
It's been quite the tumultuous journey since September, but the Crimson Tide stayed the course, winning its last 11 games — including a 27-24 win over the top team in the country for the last three seasons.
We usually do this on Sunday morning, but I had to wait. Alabama was rewarded for its hard work the last three months, securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide will take on top-seeded Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Before we get there, we must first revisit what was a statement win for Nick Saban and the now 30-time SEC champions, Alabama. Here are my takeaways:
Who's the Standard?
Since winning the CFP title early in 2022, the Georgia Bulldogs have been the declared standard in the sport of college football. That championship win came just weeks after Georgia was stomped by Alabama in Atlanta for the SEC championship.
The Bulldogs didn't have to play the Crimson Tide at all last season or through the first 12 games of 2023-24. Saturday was a huge game in terms of how it would change the narrative around the two programs. If Georgia had won, it would undoubtedly be the new king in college football. You can't deny a three-peat.
However, Alabama won, again. The only win Kirby Smart has over Saban was the one that didn't include Jameson Williams and John Metchie III — and the Crimson Tide nearly won that one, too. Saturday was a reminder that the sport still goes through Alabama, despite the two trophies that reside in Athens.
Weathering the Storm
The Crimson Tide had to weather two storms during Saturday's game. After losing two yards on its first drive, Alabama punted to Georgia, which immediately went 83 yards on eight plays for a touchdown. In that moment, it looked like the Bulldogs were going to emphatically show why they've won 29 games in a row.
But the Crimson Tide answered, scoring the next 17 points going into halftime.
All season long, Georgia has looked like a different team in the second half. Saturday was no different — the Bulldogs came out with their hair on fire. With over 10 minutes to go in the game, Alabama's lead was trimmed to 20-17, and all the energy in Atlanta was leaning red and black.
That's when Jalen Milroe took the Crimson Tide 75 yards on nine plays to bump the lead back out to two scores. From there, Alabama did enough to win the game.
There was always going to be adversity against Smart's team. The Crimson Tide handled it in a very mature way, and played clean football throughout.
Nobody Will Ever Be Nick Saban
Kirby Smart is an excellent head coach. I'd argue that he is the second-best coach in all of college football.
But there can only be one No. 1, and there is still no doubt that title belongs to Nick Saban, hands down. If his seven national championships and near-unlimited NFL success weren't enough, he is still dominating at an unbelievable level at 72 years old.
Saban is now 5-1 against Smart, with the one loss having a small asterisk due to the aforementioned injured players. Until Saban retires, it's his game that everyone else is playing.
It's been said plenty, but this season may be the most impressive coaching job by Saban to get this team to where it is from where it was in mid-September.
Limiting Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey
Bowers and McConkey are both incredible players that have been huge contributors to Georgia's success over the last three years. Both have the ability to wreck a game, and have done it on many occasions, including against Alabama.
With both on the field at the same time, it was going to be a huge challenge for the Crimson Tide's defense — until it really wasn't. Bowers and McConkey combined to touch the football just eight times for 91 yards. If there was ever a recipe to defending the Bulldogs, it would be exactly that.
LANK
The war cry all season for this team has been "LANK," or "Let All Naysayers Know."
That's exactly what Alabama did on Saturday. The Crimson Tide was up against the hottest team in SEC history with 29 straight wins. Alabama was nearly a touchdown underdog in the game, which was played in Georgia's backyard of Atlanta. Jase McClellan, the Crimson Tide's starting running back, missed the game with a foot injury. And yet, none of that mattered.
Alabama has been LANK'ing since it lost to Texas on Sept. 9. And then there was the 17-3 win over USF in Tampa the week after. With the tremendous growth this team has been through, it deserved a shot at the national championship.
And now, it will get just that.
