Alabama Validated What Most Thought Earlier in the Year
Posted on January 6, 2011 by Jacob Bunn
Alabama came into the year ranked number one in most preseason polls. The Tide continued to fuel the hype that surrounded them with a comeback victory against Arkansas and lopsided wins over Penn State and Florida. By the beginning of October, some wondered whether Bama would ever lose again.
Then it happened. The Crimson Tide met an opponent they could not defeat. South Carolina outplayed, outcoached, and outperformed Alabama. This caused the Tide to fall in the rankings. However, they were still not out of the national championship race.
That is, they weren’t until the LSU game. With the brilliant play calling down the stretch by Les Miles, the Tigers gave the Tide its second regular season loss since 2007. Still, a high-ranked Alabama team had a lot to play for, including a BCS berth.
By mid November, it seemed that the Crimson Tide finally had its groove back. The only remaining contest on the agenda was a meeting with cross-state rival Auburn. Alabama stormed out of the gate 24-0, only to see its lead diminished because of mistakes made in the first half. So in dramatic fashion, Alabama dropped its third game of the year.
Coming into the Capital One Bowl, no one really knew what to expect. The people I talked to had no idea which Alabama team would show up. By the end of the first half of Saturday’s game, however, it was clear that ‘Bama had made a New Year's Day resolution to dominate its opponent.
For four quarters, the Tide bettered the Spartans in every phase of the game. Toward the end, the Michigan State attrition rate was so alarming it almost seemed unfair. Michigan State players literally looked like they wanted to go home. By the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide had its third string in the game, and the Spartans still could not stop them. Alabama made it clear that they came to Orlando for much more than Mickey Mouse.
With their demolition of one of the Big Ten’s co-champions, Alabama validated the preseason mindset that had them ranked number one.
The biggest question is where was this kind of performance in Columbia, Baton Rouge, or at home against Auburn? The answer is Alabama had a young defense and too many injuries on offense. Yes, Alabama had the most talented team in the country. But, inexperience trumped talent this year. The Tide got stomped in every phase of the game by South Carolina. On th other hand, Auburn and LSU were games in which Bama was only a play or two away from victory, and those plays were the result of youthful mistakes.
The Alabama team, though, cannot dwell on the past because there are pressing issues at hand. For coach Saban, there is a recruiting class to finish. For Julio Jones, Marcell Dareus, and Heisman winner Mark Ingram, there are decisions to be made about whether or not to enter the NFL Draft. And by the way, Greg McElroy will not be returning next season, so there is a starting quarterback competition that has to be won.
With a ton of talent returning on defense and several weapons on offense as well, you can bet Alabama will be a force to be reckoned with in 2011.Contact Jacob Bunn at Jacob@BunnSports.com
