Top 10 Crimson Tide Moments of the 2010s Decade: No. 1, Second-and-26
There was laughing and crying. Joy and shock. Pride and disbelief.
All because of one play.
That was the Alabama football team after it pulled off a stunning overtime victory in the National Championship Game to capture the 2017 title.
“Best feeling in the world,” was all senior cornerback Levi Wallace could offer while quietly watching the Crimson Tide fans celebrate their 17th national title. “Nothing like it.”
Nor was this game, which one had to watch to fully understand and appreciate. After a horrendous first half for the Crimson Tide, in which the offense managed just 21 passing yards and no points, Nick Saban pretty much turned his team over to his freshmen and asked them to win the national championship against Georgia.
As incredible and improbable as that sounds, they did.
It was more than Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, who sparked the passing game after sophomore Jalen Hurts was pulled. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith caught the winning touchdown in overtime. Running back Najee Harris led the ground attack and Alex Leatherwood was at left tackle after sophomore starter Jonah Williams left the game with an injury.
There was also a missed field goal at the end of regulation, plus Tagovailoa making a poor decision to be sacked on Alabama’s first play in the extra frame.
On the subsequent snap, with Georgia fans once again liking their chances on second-and-26, the quarterback threw a 41-yard touchdown strike down the left sideline to ignite the pandemonium by the Crimson Tide.
The whirlwind finally stopped with Alabama celebrating the extraordinary 26-23 victory. It even included a postgame marriage proposal by senior center Bradley Bozeman (she said yes).
Lost in the excitement was Saban winning his sixth national championship, fifth over the previous nine seasons at Alabama. He tied Paul W. “Bear” Bryant for the most ever, but three by the legend were considered spilt titles including the controversial 1973 title when the coaches’ poll named the Crimson Tide No. 1 before it lost to Notre Dame.
Additionally, there was no longer any doubt that Alabama was still adding to the greatest run college football had ever seen. Miami (1983-92) and Notre Dame (1941-50) could both claim four titles over a 10-year period, but neither was able to maintain it, or stay on top with this kind of consistency.
“This is not something that is just about me, and I think Coach Bryant is probably the best coach of all time because of the longevity of his tenure as a coach and the way he changed,” Saban said the morning after the game, following little sleep. “I mean, he won championships running the wishbone. He won them with Joe Namath dropping back throwing when people never, ever did it. I just think that, for his time, he impacted the game and had more success than anybody ever could.”
Yet in terms of on-field success, Saban had clearly overtaken the legend. This kind of thing wasn’t supposed to be possible any more, especially with the 85-man scholarship limit (which has only been in effect since the 1994 season) and the NCAA continually trying to level the playing field.
Regardless, the only way college football fans might enjoy anything like five titles over nine years is if Saban kept adding to his ring collection. One has to look at other sports for comparisons because there just weren’t any in college football.
Special to BamaCentral
“This is amazing,” exhausted linebacker Rashaan Evans said while slumped in front of this locker. “We went through so much.”
“They said we weren’t supposed to be here,” running back Damien Harris yelled. “Now look.”
Saban may have summed it up best, though, when he told ESPN during his postgame interview: “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life."
This is the final story in a series, counting down the top 10 Alabama football moments of the 2010-19 decade.
Some of the information in this story originally appeared in "Decade of Dominance"
10. Alabama Owns Third Saturday in October
9. Alabama Snatches Victory in 2012 SEC Title Game
8. Nick Saban Becomes the Dean of SEC Coaches
7. The Redemption of Jalen Hurts
6. Alabama Crushes Notre Dame for National Title
