Tuscaloosa magazine special edition 2016

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FOREWORD BY CECIL HURT GAME-BY-GAME COVERAGE EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM EVERY GAME AFTERWORD BY TOMMY DEAS HENRY’S HEISMAN WIN

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editor ’s le t ter

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Michelle Lepianka Carter Laura Chramer Gary Cosby Jr. Robert Sutton Noah Sutton coPy editors

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Alabama players and coaches celebrate after Alabama's 45-40 victory over Clemson in the College Football National Championship game in the University of Phoenix Stadium Monday, January 11, 2016.

Photo by GARy CoSby JR.

l

et’s be honest. At the start of this season many of us had questions about the 2015 Alabama football team, especially at quarterback. When the Crimson Tide lost to Ole Miss in the third game of the season, which included five turnovers, many were probably asking if the team, players and even fans, had what it took to bounce back. Well, the Tide turned in October during a rainy game against Georgia when Alabama defeated the 4-0 Bulldogs, 38-10. Two weeks later, the Crimson Tide flexed its muscle even more, defeating Texas A&M in College Station.

The game included a single-game school record with 207 interception return yards, third-most in SEC history.

The successful postseason removed any question the 2015 Crimson Tide was a championship caliber team. Alabama dominated Florida with a 29-15 win at the SEC Championship Game, and a week later, running back Derrick Henry became the second in Alabama’s history to bring home the Heisman Trophy. The Tide rang in the New Year with a blowout win, 38-0, against Michigan State at the Cotton Bowl — its first College Football Playoff semifinal win. And for the grand finale, Alabama brought home a 16th national championship with a win against No. 1-ranked Clemson in Glendale, Ariz. Head coach Nick Saban has proved, without a doubt, “the process works.” Please join me as we take a look back at a record-breaking season that has brought the Crimson Tide its fourth national championship in seven years.

Reach Michelle Lepianka Carter at michelle. carter@tuscaloosanews.com Follow us on Facebook and Twitter COVER: Jake Coker celebrates with the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy.

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Alabama running back Kenyan Drake returns a kickoff for a touchdown in the College Football National Championship Game.

Photo by GAry Cosby Jr.

Foreword….09 Game 1: University of Wisconsin….10 Game 2: Middle Tennessee State University….14 Game 3: University of Mississippi….18 Game 4: University of Louisiana at Monroe….24 Game 5: University of Georgia….28 Game 6: University of Arkansas….34 Game 7: Texas A&M University….38 Game 8: University of Tennessee….44 Game 9: Louisiana State University….48 Game 10: Mississippi State University….54 Game 11: Charleston Southern University….58 Game 12: Auburn University….62 SeC ChampionShip: University of Florida….68 ColleGe Football playoFF Semi-Final: Michigan State University….74 ColleGe Football playoFF national ChampionShip: Clemson University….82 heiSman trophy winner: Derrick Henry….88 aFterword….90

Vol. 14, no. 1

7

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FOREWORD

M cEcil huRt SPORTS EDITOR

aps are now useless. The GPS is no longer functioning. The Crimson Tide is in uncharted waters.

With a fourth national championship in seven years, in a time when winning the title requires more stamina than ever, the University of Alabama has placed itself where no college football program has ever been. If you like having your mind thoroughly boggled, consider the small handful of plays that kept that from being seven titles in eight years.

Once you have reached terra incognita, there are two questions. First, how did you get here before anyone else? And, second, where do you go from here?

Before answering the first question, let me acknowledge other dynasties that have come before. Notre Dame and Oklahoma, Nebraska and Miami and, of course, Alabama itself in the 1960s and 1970s. Those were great programs that had long runs at the top, but it’s fair to argue that none of those teams were required to run the same gantlet as Nick Saban’s Alabama teams. There were no conference championship games anywhere before 1992, no set formula that mandated the most highly-ranked opponents in bowl games. Go back in the past and there were fewer scholarship limitations and less of the television revenue flowing into the coffers of most opponents and equalizing the financial playing field.

More than ever, this should be an age of parity, a time when contenders should come and go. Imagine the NFL if the great quarterbacks were forced to retire every four years. That’s what college football today should look like — but it doesn’t. Instead, it has one team that has set the standard for eight straight years.

Yes, that team has tradition. But it also outthinks and outworks and outrecruits its opponents. It also out-believes them, selfbelief being the single great factor that made this 2015 Alabama team stand out, in some ways, above all others.

Can dominance last forever? It never does. Times change and people — players, coaches, even fans if taken individually and not as a constant collective — come and go. But this Alabama team has stamped its footprints and planted its flag where no one has gone before. Nothing can change that — unless Alabama itself finds a way to keep going even farther.

9

G AME 1: WISCONSIN

Alabama punter JK Scott punts the ball in the first quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, during the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

PhoTo By RoBeRT SuTTon

10

oPPonEnt:

WiSCONSiN W HeN : 09.0 5.1 5 | WH e r e : A r l in gto n , tEX AS | SCO re: Al ABAM A 35 , WiSco n Sin 17

Alabama takes the field for warm ups against the Wisconsin Badgers in their season opener.

Photo By RoBeRt Sutton

By CeCil Hurt

D

errick Henry versus Wisconsin would have been a very interesting matchup.

The fact that Henry has teammates made for a relatively one-sided opener, though.

With Henry, the big junior running back, gaining 147 yards on 13 carries and scoring three times, third-ranked Alabama shook off some early tentativeness and rolled over No. 20 Wisconsin in a 35-17 game that was safely put away in the third quarter.

Alabama’s season-opening victory took place in AT&T Stadium, a venue that would be revisited in the postseason.

The game was also a solid debut for starting quarterback

Jake Coker. The Florida State transfer, who spent the previous season as Blake Sims’ backup, completed 15 of 21 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown.

Perhaps more importantly, he led an Alabama offense that did not turn the ball over in the game.

“We kind of dominated the line of scrimmage,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “Especially in the second half, I thought we dominated on both sides of the ball and that was the difference.”

Coker played for the entire first half, and played well, leading UA on two long touchdown drives. The first score came when Henry rushed 37 yards for the score on a fourthand-one situation, but Coker helped initiate the 80-yard march by completing four passes for 45 yards.

>> 11

G AME 1: WISCONSIN

Alabama running back kenyan Drake (17) high fives a fan as he leaves the field after the Alabama victory.

PHoto by MicHelle lePiAnkA cARteR

“Jake did a really good job,” Saban said. “He was 15 of 21. He was accurate with the ball, didn’t make any poor decisions and executed what we wanted him to.

“I made the decision on Thursday to play both guys (Coker and Cooper Bateman). I told them I wasn’t naming a starter, just who would start in the game.”

Wisconsin answered that score with its only touchdown of the first three quarters. Quarterback Joel Stave, who was hot in the first half before cooling off considerably after intermission, found Alex Erickson with a 6-yard scoring pass to tie the game at 7-all with 11:06 to go in the half.

Coker engineered an answering drive, though, capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass to Robert Foster.

The touchdown, the first of Foster’s career, put UA up 14-7.

Wisconsin had a late chance to come closer with a field goal, but

12

kicker Rafael Gaglione missed a 35-yard try at the buzzer to keep the Crimson Tide lead at seven points.

In the second half, the Alabama defense found answers, limiting Wisconsin to just 97 yards, most of that coming after reserves went in defensively in the fourth quarter.

Henry scored on runs of 56 and 2 yards in the third quarter, with the three touchdown total setting a new personal record for a single game.

It was an impressive opening effort in what would turn out to be a Heisman Trophy season.

“Derrick has had a fabulous camp,” Saban said. “He usually gets stronger as the game goes on, sort of a workhorse.”

Kenyan Drake, returning from a serious leg injury and surgery in 2014, gained 77 yards on 10 carries, including an explosive 43-yard run for the final Alabama score.

Alabama running back Derrick Henry (2), wide receiver Ardarius Stewart (13) and wide receiver Robert Foster (8) celebrate Henry's touchdown during the first quarter.

PHoto by MicHelle lePiAnkA cARteR

G AME 1: WISCONSIN

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker during the third quarter.

Photo by MiChelle lePiAnkA CArter

13

G AME 2: MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE

Alabama defensive back Cyrus Jones (5) intercepts a pass intended for Middle Tennessee State wide receiver Ed'Marques Batties (80) in the second quarter.

PhoTo By RoBERT SuTTon

14

OPPONENT:

MIDDLE TENN. W H E N : 09. 1 2 . 1 5 | WH E R E : TUSCALO OSA | SCO RE: AL ABAM A 37 , M TSU 10

Alabama head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Lane Kiffin argue with the ref in the second quarter against Middle Tennessee State University.

PhoTo by RobeRT SUTToN

By BEN JONES

N

ick Saban started the same quarterback for the second game in a row. But the University of Alabama head coach stopped short of naming Jake Coker the Crimson Tide’s starter going forward.

“I think we’re closer,” Saban said after the Crimson Tide’s 37-10 victory over Middle Tennessee State at BryantDenny Stadium. “I think we started Jake two games in a row. I think there’s a reason for that. I think we want to give Cooper Bateman an opportunity.

“I also think, in giving him an opportunity, he needs to have experience in case he needs to play somewhere down

the road. However it works out, whatever is best for our team, that’s what we’ll do.”

Coker started the game against the Blue Raiders, but Bateman finished it. Coker was 15 of 26 passing for 214 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the first half, while the redshirt sophomore Bateman was 11 of 17 for 98 yards with a touchdown and an interception while starting the second half. Alec Morris polished off the win but didn’t throw a pass.

That wasn’t enough separation for Saban to anoint one player in the immediate aftermath of the game.

Alabama may have been closer to finding its man, but it hadn’t closed the door on the other one at this point.

Despite playing just a half, Coker had more pass attempts

>> 15

G AME 2: MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE

Alabama wide receiver Robert Foster carries the ball for a touchdown in the first quarter against Middle Tennessee State.

PhoTo by RobeRT SuTTon

than he had in the season opener, when he played late into the third quarter against Wisconsin.

Bateman got his first career touchdown pass on a flip to Kenyan Drake in the backfield in the third quarter, but also picked up his first career interception. He had taken Alabama inside the MTSU 10-yard line midway through the fourth quarter and was looking for his second touchdown pass, but instead found the Blue Raiders’ Jeremy Cuterer, who returned the pass about 80 yards.

“Both interceptions that we threw were bad decisions by the quarterback,” Saban said. “Ball should not have been thrown.”

Drake was technically the Crimson Tide’s leading receiver, but three of his five receptions came on shovel passes in the backfield. He picked up 2 yards on the first one, jetted 69-yards to the 1 on the second and scored a 14-yard touchdown from Bateman on the third.

Coker drove Alabama to three touchdowns and within the 10 on a fourth drive, but kicker Adam Griffith missed a

16

24-yard field goal attempt. Bateman led the Crimson Tide to two touchdowns.

But Saban said the offense misfired at times and never found the rhythm it was looking for.

“Very inconsistent, especially in the passing game,” he said. “Threw a couple interceptions, didn’t finish drives like we needed to. Never really seemed like we were ever really in sync, playing like we want to play on offense.”

Both quarterbacks need to improve, Saban said. But whether it’s Coker or Bateman — or Coker and Bateman — the Crimson Tide would need more going forward.

“I think (Jake) played well,” tight end O.J. Howard said.

“Us as a whole offense, we can do a lot of things better to even make Jake feel more comfortable with us. Catch some passes he throws our way. I dropped a pass myself. We have to get confidence in Jake and Jake has to get confidence in us. But overall, Jake did very well.”

G AME 2: MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE

LEFT: Alabama running back Derrick Henry (2) and tight end OJ Howard (88) celebrate a first quarter touchdown.

RIGHT: Alabama running back Kenyan Drake (17) reacts after almost scoring a touchdown in the second quarter.

ABOVE: Alabama defensive lineman Jarran Reed (90) reacts after a tackle in the second quarter against Middle Tennessee State University.

PHOTO by RObeRT SUTTOn

17

G AME 3: OLE MISS

Alabama wide receiver Richard Mullaney (16) leaps into the air carrying the ball during a game against Ole Miss.

PhOtO by NOAh SuttON

18

OPPONENT:

ole MIss W Hen : 09. 1 9. 1 5 | WH e r e : T USCALO OSA | sCo re: AL ABAM A 37, O L E M ISS 43

Alabama fans react to an interception in the fourth quarter against Ole' Miss.

PhOtO by RObeRt SuttOn

By aaron suttles

I

t just wasn’t the University of Alabama’s night.

From the five turnovers, to one of the season’s most “are-you-serious” ridiculous plays, to an illegal lineman down field, Alabama couldn’t get out of its own way or catch a break as Ole Miss came into Bryant-Denny Stadium and walked away with a 43-37 victory.

It was the Rebels’ first win in Tuscaloosa since 1988.

Alabama trailed by 19 points with 10 minutes remaining, and clawed its way back to trail by just six points with three minutes to go with possession of the ball. Alabama quarterback Jake Coker’s second interception of the night

— the team’s fifth turnover — ended the most realistic chance to win.

The offense got it again with 31 seconds left, but couldn’t muster a first down to set itself up to for a Hail Mary throw.

The story of the first half, which could be described as nightmarish for the home team, came in the form of Ole Miss cashing in on three Alabama turnovers for 17 points.

In total, the Rebels scored 24 of their 43 points off Alabama’s turnovers.

“The mistakes that we made, all that we gave away, we could not overcome,” UA coach Nick Saban said. “You can’t give the other team 24 points off turnovers.

“Turnovers just kill you. I don’t know that there’s

>> 19

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G AME 3: OLE MISS

Ole’ Miss defensive tackle Breeland Speaks (9) tackles Alabama quarterback Jake Coker (14) during the third quarter.

PhOtO By MiChelle lePiAnkA CArter

anybody that we can beat if we’re going to give away 24 points.”

Two fumbled kickoff returns, one by ArDarius Stewart to open the game and another by Kenyan Drake in the second quarter, and an interception thrown by Cooper Bateman — UA’s surprise starter at quarterback — gave the Rebels all the field position they would need in the first half.

Coker, who came off the bench to relieve Bateman, added a fourth-quarter interception, which turned into seven points and a 19-point lead to all but seal the outcome.

The game might have gotten away from UA in the third quarter with the wildest bounce the young 2015 season had seen.

Leading by seven points just after halftime and facing a third down with less than a yard to go, Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly lined up in the shotgun. The snap ricocheted high into the air off his right hand before he hauled it in and threw up a wild out-of-control pass to the left as Reggie Ragland,

Denzel Devall and Reuben Foster converged on him.

The ball bounced off the hands of Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell and UA defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick before bounding into the waiting arms of Quincy Adeboyejo, who was behind the secondary as he raced in for the season’s most improbable 66-yard touchdown.

The freakish play put Ole Miss up by two touchdowns, and the Rebel added another six points to extend the lead to 30-17.

Alabama fought back with 14 straight points — on a Coker 3-yard run and an 8-yard pass from Coker to Stewart — to pull within six points, but a busted coverage on the very next possession, in which it appeared an Ole Miss lineman was 6 yards down field, resulted in a 73-yard Kelly-to-Cody Core touchdown.

Derrick Henry added a 2-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, his seventh rushing touchdown of the season.

UA got an onside kick, and Coker hit Richard Mullaney for a 2-yard touchdown score for the game’s final points.

21

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker (14) and wide receiver Richard Mullaney (16) lift wide receiver Ardarius Stewart (13) in celebration after Stewart scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter.

Photo by MiChelle lePiAnkA CARteR

22

G AME 3: OLE MISS

G AME 3: OLE MISS

TOP: Alabama fans cheer against Ole' Miss in the fourth quarter.

LEFT: Alabama running back Derrick Henry carries the ball in the fourth quarter against Ole’ Miss.

ABOVE: Alabama running back Kenyan Drake carries the ball in the first quarter.

PHOtOs by RObeRt suttOn

23

G AME 4: LOUISIANA MONROE

Alabama running back Derrick Henry carries the ball in the first quarter against La. Monroe.

PHoto by RobeRt Sutton

24

OPPOnenT:

L A . MONROE

W HEN : 0 9. 2 6. 1 5 | WH E R E : T USCALO OSA | SCO RE: AL ABAM A 34, LOU iSiAn A M O n rOe 0

Alabama wide receiver Ardarius Stewart (13) can't hang onto a first quarter pass as La. Monroe cornerback Lenzy Pipkins (1) defends.

Photo by RobeRt Sutton

By SEAN LANDRY

T

he University of Alabama’s offense in its win over the University of Louisiana-Monroe was indisputably quarterback Jake Coker’s. The fifth-year senior played all but five offensive snaps, and while the Crimson Tide’s offense came in fits and starts, the senior who transferred to UA from Florida State led the Crimson Tide to a 34-0 victory.

“I thought Jake did a good job, and however you look at the stats, you’ve got to look at the drops,” coach Nick Saban said. “That wasn’t really his fault. He made some good throws. There was probably a couple times that he wishes he would have done it a little different, in terms of going to

somebody else, and those are the things we need to work out and get better at.”

After recording 29 first downs against Ole Miss the previous week, Alabama managed only 19 on this Saturday afternoon. The Crimson Tide had seven possessions without a first down and went 2-for-13 on third-down conversions.

“I thought offensively we stopped ourselves way too many times,” Saban said. “I think we had five dropped balls.

Several of those were on third down. Fourth-and-one, when we were going to make a first down, we had an illegal motion. We really need to clean up some of those things.”

Alabama started the game with two straight punts, including a three-and-out on the first drive. The offense posted its first points of the strength of its running game.

>> 25

G AME 4: LOUISIANA MONROE

Alabama running back Kenyan Drake (17) carries the ball in the second quarter against La. Monroe.

Photo by RobeRt Sutton

Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake combined for seven straight carries, ending in a 3-yard touchdown run for Henry. The pair averaged 5.1 yards per carry during the stretch, which led to Alabama’s only rushing touchdown of the night.

Henry, who averaged 4 yards per carry, only touched the ball four more times that game.

“Henry was sick part of the week, he practiced on Thursday, but I just didn’t want to wear the guy out today,” Saban said. “I wanted to give other guys the opportunity to play, and I thought they developed and did a good job.”

After finishing 10-for-21 with one interception and one touchdown in the first half, Coker went 7-for-10 with two touchdowns in the second, including a touchdown pass on the run to receiver ArDarius Stewart and a well-placed pass in the end zone to freshman Calvin Ridley, who dropped the ball.

“In the first half, we had some miscommunications and stuff like that,” Coker said. “I think it all worked out in the second half.”

As Alabama settles on its offensive identity, the Crimson Tide will next test itself against a Georgia defense that concedes an average of 303 yards per game, fourth-best in the SEC. “We’ve done a lot of different things so far this year, and I think some of them are good,” Saban said. “Some of them we didn’t do today.

We’ve been averaging over 500 yards per game and everybody’s been complaining about the offense. ‘Why don’t we run the ball? Why don’t we do whatever?’

“We didn’t have 500 yards today, because we probably were a little more conservative than we need to be, but that was a little by design. We’re going to have to do more things more effectively against a good SEC team, no doubt.”

26

Alabama head coach nick Saban coaches against La. Monroe.

Photo by noAh Sutton

Cheerleaders perform during pregame activities against La. Monroe.

Photo by RobeRt Sutton

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G AME 5: GEORGIA

Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey (26) celebrates with defensive back Ronnie Harrison (15) after picking off the football in the second half against Georgia.

28

PHoto by NoAH SuttoN

OPPOnent:

GEORGIA WH E N : 10.03.1 5 | WH E R E : At he n s, GA. | SCO RE: AL ABAM A 38, UGA 10

Alabama running back Derrick Henry (2) carries the ball for a touchdown in the second quarter.

PHoto by RobERt Sutton

By BEN JONES

T

he Bulldogs weren’t in their heads, but they were in their faces.

University of Alabama players exited the locker room through a tunnel at the corner of Sanford Stadium for their normal pregame routine. But when they hit the field, a handful of Georgia players sprinted over to the Crimson Tide and pushed right up to the players. More Bulldogs saw it, and ran over.

The Alabama procession from the locker room was flanked by Georgia players on their left shoulder, and the Georgia student section in their right ear. Most Alabama players kept moving as a handful of coaches and officials

ensured the confrontation didn’t escalate.

“I wasn’t worried about that,” senior linebacker Reggie Ragland said. “I was trying to stay cool, stay calm. So I didn’t blow my wad. That’s what they want you to do. Stuff like that, when teams do that, that’s what they want you to do, so you get out of your momentum of being ready to play.

They want you to think about them the whole time.”

Saban wanted to avoid a repeat of Alabama’s loss to Ole Miss earlier this season. He said the Crimson Tide had the requisite energy for the Rebels, but couldn’t channel it into the right place.

Georgia was the aggressor in pregame, but Alabama took over after kickoff. The Crimson Tide wrecked the Bulldogs by playing well in “every part of the game,” Saban said.

>> 29

G AME 5: GEORGIA

Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Georgia head coach Mark Richt meet at midfield after Alabama’s win.

Photo by RobeRt SuttoN

The 28-point margin of victory was the largest in UA history against a top-10 team in a true road game.

Ragland was one of the players who found red jerseys in his face as he arrived on the field for warm-ups. He said the Georgia players may have been barking as UA walked past Uga IX’s doghouse, but he was more concerned about stretching than anything he heard from them.

He laid into Georgia wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell on a route across the middle late in the first half.

Running back Derrick Henry put his thigh pads in the facemask of Bulldog linebacker Leonard Floyd on a run up the gut. Saban said it was the kind of game that helps a team construct an identity.

“The dam broke, and unfortunately we just didn’t have enough counterpunches to get back in it,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

30

It was Georgia’s worst home loss since 1995.

Henry carried the ball on 26 of Alabama’s 63 offensive plays, piling up 148 yards and a touchdown. He never fully broke free, but forced Georgia’s defense to take him on time and time again.

“You can tell on the field: Those guys don’t want to tackle Derrick,” left tackle Cam Robinson said. “He’s a load coming downhill. They honestly don’t want to tackle him.”

UA scored touchdowns on a blocked punt and an interception return as the offense built steam. The defense didn’t allow a first down on 11 of Georgia’s 18 drives. Once pregame was over, Alabama took control.

“Something Coach Saban preached to us a lot was dominate every phase of the game,” Robinson said. “I feel like we honestly did that.”

G AME 5: GEORGIA

Alabama running back Derrick Henry (2) runs over Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd (84) in the first half.

PHoto by NoAH SuttoN

31

G AME 5: GEORGIA

INSIDE thEGAME By cEcIl huRt

F

ear the Walking Dead. That’s what Alabama was, right? Deceased. Down for the count. Zombified.

The Dynasty, the headlines assured us, Was Done, no more a factor than the Bourbon or the Ming, a distant memory or, at best, a lumbering, mildly threatening collection of moving corpses that could play out the season, perhaps, but wasn’t likely to make much noise.

Perhaps the reports were premature. Perhaps the experts, peddling a feeble narrative like a turbo-charged tricycle, were a bit ahead of themselves.

Perhaps Georgia, with its great historical capacity for self-inflation, shouldn’t haven’t believed them.

Perhaps the Bulldogs should have gone through their pregame warmups like a football team and not a junior high study hall, crowding Alabama’s players as they took the field with some chestbumping and puppy-yap ratchet-jawing that they couldn’t back up.

Alabama did respond, much to the displeasure of Nick Saban, who pronounced himself unhappy — in more graphic language — that his team was “jumping around” instead of maintaining its focus.

Whether the ensuing blowout can simply be chalked up to “same old Georgia,” or an angry Alabama, ultimately doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Alabama kept itself alive, zombiestyle, by chewing up anything it could get its hands on.

Alabama fans should celebrate. The remarkable success of the past seven-plus seasons has made games like this one into exceedingly rare events.

The expectation, almost exclusively, is a win. To actually be an underdog, to go on the road into a tough place to play with a tinge of fan-base doubt, that’s something the Alabama team hasn’t done in a while.

32

But now come the words of caution.

A loss to Ole Miss didn’t end the season. It was one game, one in which Alabama had a hand in its own defeat. But the win over Georgia doesn’t end the season either. It’s just one game, the same way Ole Miss was. Unless you are a professional bloviator, draw broad, sweeping conclusions at your own peril.

The Crimson Tide still has six SEC games to play, every one against a team capable of winning.

Arkansas won’t be easy. Neither will LSU or Texas A&M, both strong contenders. Auburn and Tennessee are rivals and will have plenty of motivation, regardless of the standings. Alabama is capable of running the table in the regular season, but don’t confuse capability with accomplishment.

“I think we’ve improved,” Saban said after the soggy game was over. “But I think it’s one game.”

Alabama has assets. Nick Chubb’s long run aside, teams are going to have a hard time running on the Crimson Tide consistently. If Jake Coker continues to make progress, the offense has weapons. But they still have to be maximized.

Here’s something about the “dynasty,” though.

On big play after big play on this Saturday, there was a notable air of youth, not the “youth” that floundering coaches use as an excuse, but the sort of youth —Calvin Ridley, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Daron Payne — that will sustain a program in the future.

A decade ago, when Alabama was trying to regain stature after probation and coaching turmoil, it was a standing joke after every win that someone would proclaim “Bama’s Back.”

But programs don’t rise that quickly, nor do they collapse so quickly. If you want to set the bar at “national championship or failure,” you are going to see some failure from time to time because no program wins the title every single year.

But before you pronounce a team, or a dynasty, as dead, look over your shoulder. They might not be as dead as you think.

G AME 5: GEORGIA

Alabama wide receiver Ardarius Stewart carries the ball in the third quarter.

Photo by RobeRt Sutton

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33

G AME 6: ARK ANSAS Alabama linebacker Tim Williams celebrates a sack in the second half against Arkansas.

PhoTo by NoAh SuTToN

34

OPPONENT:

ArK ANSAS W HeN : 10. 10. 1 5 | WH e r e : T USCALO OSA | SCO re: AL ABAM A 27, ARK AN SAS 14

Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley (3) blocks Arkansas defensive back Jared Collins (29) as Alabama wide receiver ArDarius Stewart (13) runs the ball during the first quarter of a game against Arkansas.

Photo by MiChelle lePiAnkA CARteR

By CeCil Hurt

t

he Alabama-Arkansas matchup, now and for as long as Nick Saban and Bret Bielema are coaching at their respective schools, isn’t built to be pretty.

They aren’t games, they are collisions. They are tractor pulls, not the Indianapolis 500. Alabama won ugly in Fayetteville a year earlier, inspiring a famous Saban rant about appreciation of a one-point win. It wasn’t much prettier this year for the Crimson Tide, even if it wasn’t quite so scary.

Maybe Alabama had something to do with it. The first half of the 27-14 victory had a distinct Ole Miss feel to it.

The Crimson Tide was playing at home, at night (although not quite as late as the Ole Miss game) and the crowd, while certainly not quiet, seemed a bit weary after a full day of homecoming festivities. Then came the turnovers and the missed field goals and the quirky bounces, like a roughing the kicker call overturned by a replay review, and Alabama fans had to be wondering if a grim reprise was playing itself out.

On top of that frustration, the play-calling seemed perplexing at times, especially in light of how well Alabama had run the ball at Georgia the week before.

Saban didn’t see it as a repeat, though. He saw it as a test.

“This is where you find out who you are and how bad you really want to do what you want to do,” Saban said.

>> 35

G AME 6: ARK ANSAS

LEFT: Alabama Head coach Nick Saban talks to defensive back Ronnie Harrison (15) during the during the first quarter of a game against Arkansas. PHotoS by micHelle lePiANkA cARteR TOP: Alabama defenders tackle Arkansas running back Alex collins (3) during the second quarter.

ABOVE: Alabama wide receiver calvin Ridley (3) runs for a big gain during the second half.

PHoto by lAuRA cHRAmeR

Looking at the micro-picture, what Alabama wanted to do was make Arkansas pay for loading up the box and making it hard for the Crimson Tide to run. Saban said that some of the passes called by UA were pass/run options, but there still seemed to be a determination on the part of Lane Kiffin and the offense to make the Arkansas defense pay, even at the result of missed throws and sacks.

And, finally, Arkansas did pay — with late fees. Coker connected with Calvin Ridley, the touted freshman wide receiver who started to blossom at just the right time. The throw was perfect, the patented Kiffin touchdown call came on the sideline and Ridley redeemed it all with a catch-andrun for an 81-yard score.

And everything changed.

Suddenly, the defense wasn’t playing just to keep 36

Alabama in the game. Now, Arkansas had to find some way to move the ball in order to stay alive — and it could not. Perhaps Bielema’s decision to fake a punt on the next possession was simply a gut feeling: but it may have been a gut feeling that he was in half-decent field position and might not get back into that situation again. Regardless, what Saban called, probably without intending to be derisive, the “little fake punt thing” misfired — and that was that.

Given the short field, Alabama scored again and 17 points was good enough to win this game, even if Alabama hadn’t tacked on 10 more insurance points.

So how bad does Alabama really want to do what it wants to do, to echo Saban’s comment? On this Saturday night, it wanted it badly enough.

G AME 6: ARK ANSAS

Alabama running back Derrick Henry runs the ball in the first quarter.

PHoto by micHelle lePiAnkA cArter

37

G AME 7: TE X AS A & M

Alabama linebacker Jonathan Allen (93) tackles Texas A&M quarterback Kyle Allen (10) during the first quarter of a game against Texas A&M. PhoTo by Michelle lePiAnKA cArTer

38

oPPonent:

teX as a&M W Hen : 10.17. 1 5 | WH e r e : coll eg e stat io n , te X as | sCo re: a l aBaM a 41, t eX as a&M 23

Alabama running back Derrick Henry runs the ball to the end zone during the first quarter.

PHoto by MicHelle lePiAnkA cArter

By aaron suttles

B

y any metric, the University of Alabama’s defense answered the call on this day in a frenzied road environment.

Another top-10 challenge on the road.

Another win, this time by a 41-23 margin.

The familiar refrain that the secondary, and by and large the entire defense, struggles against the spread offense took a hit in the form of harassing Texas A&M quarterbacks all afternoon.

The numbers tell the story: six sacks, three quarterback hurries, seven passes broken up, four interceptions — three of which were returned for

touchdowns — and a mere 1.3 yards per carry.

The Aggies came in averaging 8.7 yards per passing attempt. They got just 6.3 against UA. The spread attack was held to about 160 yards below its average yardage output.

The key to the defense and to the victory, obviously, came in a school-record three interceptions returned for touchdowns — two by true freshman nickel back Minkah Fitzpatrick and one by Eddie Jackson, a safety by way of a converted cornerback.

Fitzpatrick started and finished the day’s scoring, going 33 yards on his first return and 55 on his second, which stretched a tenuous 11-point lead into a commanding 18-point cushion with just 5:18 remaining.

>> 39

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G AME 7: TE X AS A & M

Fans high-five Alabama defensive back Eddie Jackson as he leaves the field.

Photo by MichEllE lEPiAnkA cArtEr

Jackson took his 93 yards, tiptoeing the left sidelines to give UA a 28-6 lead that seemed secure at the time.

And while the secondary made the game-defining plays, it was the big guys up front who got into the heads of Texas A&M quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray.

“That’s what we try to do. The front seven gave us a great push and they affected the quarterback and made him make mistakes, just throw the ball up in the air and we just have to go up and get it,” Jackson said.

Allen was sacked five times, completed just 50 percent of his throws, and was picked three times.

Murray, the freshman, took one sack and threw one interception in limited action.

“The front seven played a big part,” junior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said. “We’re not really worried about sacks. We’re worried about doing our job. It’s about bullying the guy and putting him back there on the quarterback to (make him) throw it hot, that’s just as good as a sack to us.”

Fitzpatrick took home the “Ball Out” belt, a token

that looks like a world boxing or wrestling championship belt that was designed to promote turnovers among the defenders. He made his first big play against Georgia with a blocked punt and return for a touchdown.

The true freshman continues to make plays, and the two he made against A&M turned the game.

“I’ve never seen three pick-sixes,” Allen said. “That’s the first time. It’s going to be crazy to watch that on film.”

The secondary did give up a few big plays, including the Aggies’ only offensive touchdown on a 3-yard Allen pass to big, physical wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones.

“We made some mistakes and they made some plays, but I think we were sort of prepared for the fact that they were going to make some plays,” UA coach Nick Saban said. “When they spread you out like they do and they have really good spread guys, they’re going to make some plays.

“I think the defensive backs overall did a good job. Those guys have been playing pretty well back there for about three weeks now.”

41

G AME 7: TE X AS A & M

Alabama defensive back Eddie Jackson (4) runs the ball to the end zone after intercepting a pass intended for Texas A&M wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones during the second quarter.

PhoTo by MichEllE lEPiAnkA cARTER

Alabama running back Derrick henry carries the ball during the first quarter.

PhoTo by MichEllE lEPiAnkA cARTER

42

G AME 7: TE X AS A & M

Alabama wide receiver Ardarius Stewart (13) struggles to catch a pass while being defended by Texas A&M defensive back Brandon Williams during the third quarter.

PhoTo By Michelle lePiAnkA cArTer

43

G AME 8: TENNESSEE

Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley (3) catches a pass while Tennessee defensive back Cameron Sutton (7) goes up to block during the first quarter.

PhoTo by MiChelle lePiAnkA CARTeR

44

OPPONENT:

TENNESSEE W HEN : 10.24. 1 5 | WH E R E : T USCALO OSA | SCO RE: A L ABAM A 19, TEN N ESSEE 14

Alabama Fans smoke Cigars after the win against Tennessee.

PhoTo by NoAh SuTToN

By TOMMY DEAS

W

hen the Tennessee Volunteers scored a touchdown with just under six minutes remaining to take a one-point lead over the University of Alabama, Jake Coker knew it was going to be up to him.

The Crimson Tide’s senior quarterback had a quick word with a couple of his linemen, then a short conversation with receivers ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley. Coker seemed calm as he spoke briefly with offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.

Before Tennessee kicked off and Alabama took the field for the drive that would decide the outcome, Coker took a

second to look into the stands at Bryant-Denny Stadium and scan the crowd.

“It was,” Coker said, “a big moment.”

What followed was even bigger: for Coker, and for Alabama’s season.

The Crimson Tide drove 71 yards in eight plays, with Derrick Henry running 14 yards for the decisive touchdown in a 19-14 victory for UA. Coker hit Stewart for 29 yards and Ridley for 15 to highlight the game-winning possession.

“It was a great drive that we had to score the touchdown,” UA coach Nick Saban said.

It was a drive that gave Alabama its ninth win in a row over rival Tennessee, and kept UA’s conference and national championship hopes alive.

>>

45

G AME 8: TENNESSEE

Alabama running back Derrick Henry (2) runs the ball into the end zone during the first quarter.

PHoto by MicHelle lePiAnkA cArter

The drive started with Coker taking a sack, his fifth in a game where Tennessee’s defensive front got the better of UA’s pass protectors throughout.

Coker shook that off and heaved the ball to Stewart, who juggled it before securing it for the big gain to the Tennessee 44-yard line.

Two runs by Henry set up a crucial third-and-six. This time Coker whipped the ball to Ridley to the Volunteers’ 25.

“Those guys really made some great plays,” tight end O.J. Howard said of the young wideouts. “Those are big-boy plays and they really grew up.”

Henry did the rest, with a 6-yard carry followed by a 5-yard run before taking it all the way for the touchdown with 2:24 remaining.

“I think all of us were real confident,” Coker said. “I had confidence in our guys the whole time. There was just a

46

feeling we were going to get it done.”

Alabama tried a two-point conversion pass, which failed, leaving UA ahead, 19-14.

The Crimson Tide defense took over, sacking Joshua Dobbs on back-to-back plays, jarring the ball loose on the last one. Alabama recovered the fumble.

Coker got to take the field to take a knee three times to run out the clock.

“It means a lot,” Coker said. “I wish we could have gotten a few drives done earlier, but hey, we did what we needed to do.”

The go-ahead drive would resonate with Alabama for the rest of the season. It was the kind of defining moment that can create lasting momentum.

“We had to go down there and score or else,” Howard said. “That gives our offense an identity, it gives us a lot of confidence whenever you go down and do something like that.”

G AME 8: TENNESSEE

Alabama defensive backs Minkah Fitzpatrick (29), Geno Smith (behind) and Cyrus Jones (5) tackle Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) during the first quarter.

PhoTo by MiChEllE lEPiANkA CArTEr

LEFT: Alabama head coach Nick Saban talks to quarterback Jake Coker (14) during the fourth quarter.

ABOVE: Alabama wide receiver ArDarius Stewart (13) escapes a tackle by Tennessee defensive back Emmanuel Moseley (12) during the first quarter.

PhoToS by MiChEllE lEPiANkA CArTEr

47

G AME 9: L SU

Alabama defensive back Cyrus Jones defends a pass in the second half against LSU at Bryant Denny Stadium on Saturday November 7, 2016.

Photo By NoAh SUttoN

48

OPPONENT:

lsu

WH e n : 1 1 .7.1 5 | WH e r e : TUSCALO OSA | sCo re: AL ABAM A 30, LSU 16

LSU quarterback Brandon Harris (6) is sacked by Alabama linebacker Tim Williams (56).

PHoTo By GAry CoSBy Jr.

By aaron suttles

I

n a marquee matchup of strength on strength — LSU’s vaunted running game featuring Leonard Fournette and a brutish offensive line against Alabama’s wall of crimson run-stuffers — it was no contest.

Rather it was another running back who stole the show with a domineering performance of tough running against LSU’s No. 2 SEC-ranked rush defense.

Junior running back Derrick Henry rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns on a workman-like 38 carries as Alabama routed previously unbeaten LSU 30-16 in front of a raucous capacity crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The front seven bottled up Fournette, who came into the game averaging 193 yards per game, allowing him a meager 31 yards on 19 carries (1.6 yards per carry) and a fourthquarter touchdown that came with his team down 20 points.

Alabama’s defensive line and linebackers – with support from its safeties, including Geno Matias-Smith who played the most physical game of his career – simply gave Fournette nowhere to run, stoning a much-ballyhooed LSU offensive line. The Tigers averaged 309 rushing yards per game before their trip to Tuscaloosa. They earned just 54 against a swarm of crimson.

Jarran Robinson, A’Shawn Robinson and Dalvin Tomlinson, among many others, caved the line of scrimmage and the linebackers filled the gaps to give

>>

49

G AME 9: L SU

Alabama running back Kenyan Drake (17) runs out of a tackle by LSU safety Corey Thompson (23).

PhoTo by GAry CoSby Jr.

Fournette no place to turn.

Fournette’s longest run of the night (18 yards) came after an Alabama turnover to help set up his eventual 1-yard touchdown run in the final period.

But the story wasn’t in Fournette’s failure, but rather in Alabama’s dominating defensive performance in which it allowed less than 200 yards of total offense and kept the LSU offense off the field to control time of possession at a rate of nearly two to one (39:27 to 20:33). UA allowed only 12 first downs, sacked Brandon Harris three times and forced the LSU quarterback into his first interception of the season.

“We asked the guys to go out and dominate the box and win those one-on-one battles,” UA Nick Saban said. “I thought it was really important that we control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We did a really good job of that.”

Spurred by Henry’s big night and aided by Kenyan Drake’s 68 yards (6.8 yards per carry), UA rushed for 250 yards on the LSU defense, which ranked sixth nationally.

Jake Coker wasn’t perfect —he was sacked three times — but he was efficient, completing 18 of 24 passes for 184 yards.

Freshman Calvin Ridley led UA with 51 yards receiving on a game-high seven catches.

Kicker Adam Griffith had the best night of his career, making all three of his field goal attempts, including a career-best 55-yarder that gave UA a three-point lead at halftime.

Saban complimented his team’s mental and physical competitiveness in taking the challenge of stopping Fournette.

“I’ve always liked the grit of this team,” Saban said. “I’ve always liked the way they compete.”

50

LSU running back Leonard Fournette (7) is stopped and brought down by Alabama defensive lineman A’Shawn robinson (86).

PhoTo by GAry CoSby Jr.

G AME 9: L SU

Alabama linebacker Dillon Lee (25) tackles LSU running back Derrius Guice (5).

Photo by NoAh SUttoN

51

G AME 9: L SU

INSIDE thEGAME

By BEN JONES

T

he University of Alabama’s defense was facing a challenge that no team had overcome yet this year. LSU had a running back that hadn’t been contained. It had a quarterback who hadn’t been intercepted.

By game’s end, the Crimson Tide could put a checkmark next to each of those challenges. The Tigers finished the day toothless after entering the game with the No. 2 scoring offense in the SEC. LSU’s Heisman Trophy hopeful at running back posted his worst game of the season.

Alabama’s defensive front held Leonard Fournette to 31 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

“It’s hard to stop a guy like that,” linebacker Reggie Ragland said. “I’m glad I’ve got the guys that I have in the locker room. They held it to themselves. The guys up front said, ‘We’re not going to let him do this.’”

Most of the defense’s key plays weren’t highlight-reel hits or field-flipping turnovers.

But time and time again, Fournette found nothing. Of his 19 carries, 15 went for three yards or fewer. Three more carries went for four yards apiece.

UA coach Nick Saban saw early that his defense could contain Fournette. When LSU went to a staple running play early in the game, zone extra, Alabama’s defense stopped it cold.

“We asked guys to go out and dominate the box and win the one-on-one battles and matchups and go do your job, (be) disciplined and execute what we need to do,” Saban said.

The defense did that. Saban’s message during the week showed on the field.

“We’ve been saying that forever: ‘Dominate

52

your box.’ It’s not just one time, it’s always,” defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson said.

LSU entered the night averaging more than 46 carries per game, but never came close to that number. Fournette’s first 15 carries on the night went for 13 total yards. He finally broke a run outside for 18 yards early in the fourth quarter to set up his touchdown, but the game was well in hand by that point.

Production like that put LSU’s offense in quarterback Brandon Harris’ hands. He found intermittent success, including two heaves to wide receiver Travin Dural that totaled 77 yards and a touchdown. But the sophomore looked lost for most of the night and finished 6 of 19 for 128 yards, adding 20 rushing yards.

Harris threw his first interception of the year on the first play of the second half. He was under pressure from defensive lineman Jarran Reed, and senior Dillon Lee picked off his pass in LSU territory. That set up a touchdown run three plays later to give Alabama a 20-10 lead.

Lee’s interception was the first from an Alabama linebacker this season.

“Better than a stop is getting a turnover,” Saban said. “I think that was a heck of a play by Dillon Lee. It was huge in the game. Maybe the turning point.”

Half of LSU’s 12 drives failed to muster even a first down. A late fumble set the Tigers up with field position for a final score, but that wasn’t enough to threaten Alabama’s double-digit lead.

No Alabama defender finished with doubledigit tackles; safety Geno Matias-Smith led the way with six. But when Fournette came at the defense, there were always players waiting.

“It shows that when we do our job and everybody runs to the ball, we do a great job,” Ragland said. “We’re a tough team to be beat when we do our job.”

G AME 9: L SU

Alabama running back Derrick Henry scores a touchdown during the second half.

PHoto by LAurA CHrAmer

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53

G AME 10: MISSISSIPPI STATE

Alabama tight end (88) O.J. Howard escapes a tackle

by Mississippi State linebacker (14) Zach Jackson.

PHOtO by GAry COSby Jr.

54

OPPONeNt:

MIss. state W He n : 1 1 . 14. 1 5 | WH e r e : starkvil l e, m iss. | sCo re: al aBam a 31, m sU 6

Crimson Tide players take the field to play Mississippi State.

PhoTo by Gary CoSby Jr.

By aaron suttles

s

ometimes greatness isn’t appreciated in its time, requiring the focus of retrospection before it’s acknowledged.

That’s not the case with the front seven of the Alabama defense. Ask Dak Prescott, the best quarterback in the conference. He knows.

By this point, most everyone knows.

Prescott got his yardage against the Crimson Tide defense, throwing for 300 yards, but he was largely a nonfactor in the running game, and, judging by the ultimate statistic — points — the UA front seven shut Prescott out of the end zone, thwarting an upset bid by the Bulldogs.

Prescott was the offense for the team in maroon. Of the 78 plays he was in the game, he either passed or ran on 69 of them, representing 88.5 percent of the offense. When he couldn’t keep the defense honest with a consistent running threat: UA defenders pinned their ears back and rushed him with abandon, sacking the large quarterback a total of nine times.

The nine sacks, giving the unit 38 for the season, represent the most by an Alabama team in a game/season in the Nick Saban era.

That’s not easy to do to a 6-foot-2, 230-pound dualthreat quarterback, to bring him to the ground. Coming into the game he’d been sacked just 13 times.

“We thought the one thing that might be in our favor in

>> 55

G AME 10: MISSISSIPPI STATE this game was our defensive line against their offensive line,” Saban said.

“And we did most of it with four guys rushing. The four front guys that were in there, we played eight or nine guys, they all did a good job of pushing the pocket.”

Prescott was essentially sacked once for every five times he dropped back to pass. He made a couple of key scrambles, rushing for gains of 72 yards, but adding in his lost yardage he recorded just 14 yards on 26 carries.

Alabama set the tone early with two sacks on the first drive of the game.

From there the race to the quarterback became a game within a game.

“Everything we do as a defense we do as competitors,” junior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said. “So when A’Shawn (Robinson) gets one, you’ve got to get one. When Tim (Williams) gets one, you’ve got to get one.”

Allen got the most on the night with three, adding to his team lead in sacks (nine). He credited his teammates, including the guys on the back end, for helping the bloated sack total.

“A lot of times they were coverage sacks, so the defensive backs deserve a lot of credit,” Allen said. “So as good as we played, they played just as well.”

Ryan Anderson, who totaled two sacks, was so wrapped up in the game that he didn’t know exactly how much they got to Prescott.

“We had nine today?’” Anderson asked after the game. “Oh (shoot)! I wasn’t really noticing. I just knew we were affecting him.”

Even with a frenetic pace that allowed Mississippi State to control the time of possession and run 32 more plays than the Alabama offense, the Bulldogs couldn’t crack the end zone.

“We just kept applying pressure and guys kept running to the ball,” senior linebacker Reggie Ragland said. “Guys were peppering him and guys were wrapping up. You’ve got to wrap him up, the guy is very big.

“I don’t see anybody, as a corps, as deep as we are.”

56

Alabama defensive back Cyrus Jones (5) defends Mississippi State wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson (1) on a pass that was incomplete in the Alabama end zone.

Photo by GARy CoSby JR.

G AME 10: MiSSiSSiPPi StAte

By cecil hurt

F

INSIDE thEGAME

or a distant fan, or even a College Football Playoff selector who took a quick glance, the score — Alabama 31, Mississippi State 6 — would merit little more than a shrug or a nod.

There was more going on than that.

Taken in its totality, Alabama dominated. It wore Mississippi State down, as surely as it has ground down every opponent since Ole Miss. But in between the big blasts — four touchdowns, none shorter than 60 yards — and the big stone wall, there were some things Alabama didn’t quite get done. The Bulldogs managed to run a lot of plays and gain some yardage between the red zones. When his offensive line gave him time to stay upright, which was an occasional proposition, Dak Prescott threw for 300 yards and racked up 20 first downs. Lacking a complementary run game of any value, State could not turn those yards into points.

On the other side, State sold its soul, to say nothing of its bodies, to stop the run. Dan Mullen talked about having “a plan,” and Nick Saban as much as said that a toddler — maybe not a sports writer, but a toddler — could see what that plan was.

State crowded the line and came forward all game long. That’s why when Alabama could crack a hole in the front, Derrick Henry or Calvin Ridley could run a long, long way. But it also meant that there was opportunity after opportunity in the downfield passing game that went unconverted.

That’s not all on Jake Coker. Sometimes his protection broke down too quickly. Other times, he did not seem to see what was there.

Does that mean Alabama played poorly? Of course not. No 25-point SEC win is poor, certainly not one against a ranked opponent, on the road, in a post-LSU hangover week. The Crimson Tide is in a win-and-advance situation. It won and, by

one step, it advanced.

But here is what’s happening, even if Saban will continue to guard against it. Alabama is now being measured, fairly or not, against two opponents every week. First is the opponent on the field, the same sort of measurement that faces every team in America. But at the same time, in subtle ways, every Alabama performance is being assessed against an invisible, yet-to-be-named “playoff opponent.”

No other team in America, with the exception of Ohio State (which, ultimately, fell short of the playoff in losing to Michigan State, which took its place to face the Crimson Tide in the semifinal round), faces that.

Some of that is laid on Alabama’s shoulders by the media. Much of it comes from a fan base that considers 2014 a disappointment because UA “only” made the semifinals, and can feel vindication only with a national championship.

So every misstep, every letdown is suddenly worrisome, not only because of what happened in the game — Mississippi State didn’t take advantage very often — but what “might” happen against a better opponent down the road.

There is a constant, of course, in the defensive line, the unit that Saban clearly defines as “the strength of our team.”

“There are eight or nine of them that are big and physical, so we can keep them going with something in the tank,” Saban said. “Whether we play a running team like LSU or a passing team, we have enough diversity up front so that was can adapt.”

But what if the quarterback? ... Or the secondary, or the offensive line, or the punter, or anyone else? What if, if, if?

It’s a slow, self-inflicted torture. All that Saban and his team can do is ignore it, if they can. Then they can try to get past Charleston Southern — and every other team in America — again on Saturday.

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G AME 1 1: CHARLE STON SO UTHERN

Alabama running back Derrick Henry runs in the open field against Charleston Southern.

PHoto by GAry CoSby Jr.

58

OPPONENT:

chArleStON SO. Wh e N : 1 1 . 2 1 . 1 5 | Wh e r e : TUSCALO OSA | ScO re: AL ABAM A 5 6, CSU 6

Bama fans go crazy during the closing moments of the win over Charleston Southern.

Photo By Gary CoSBy Jr.

By cecil hurt

t

he tin horns were silent.

The final score was No. 2 Alabama 56, Charleston Southern 6, a measure of Alabama coach Nick Saban’s mercy and the glaring absence of any reason to do any more.

The score was 49-0 at the half, with Alabama scoring touchdowns on each of its five possessions as well as two punt returns. Few starters saw much, if any action, in the second half.

“I told the players if you’re not inspired to play every play, you’re kind of cheating yourself,” Saban said. “We’ve played lackluster in games like this in the past sometimes,

but I was happy with the effort today.”

If there was a single standout in the game, it was returner/ defensive back Cyrus Jones, who scored two touchdowns on punt returns of 43 and 72 yards and set up a third score by snatching a Charleston Southern lateral out of the air on an option attempt. The two punt return touchdowns in a single game put Jones in the Alabama record books as the first player to accomplish that feat. He also is the first player to score three punt return touchdowns over the course of consecutive games.

“We’ve had issues in the past trying to get those balls fielded when they rugby punt,” Saban said. “We put two guys back there to keep it from rolling, Cyrus and Richard Mullaney, and Cyrus did a good job of fielding the ball and

>> 59

G AME 1 1: CHARLE STON SO UTHERN

LEFT: Alabama head coach Nick Saban watches from the sidelines. Photo by LAurA ChrAmer TOP RIGHT: Alabama linebacker reggie ragland drops Charleston Southern quarterback Kyle Copeland (19).

BOTTOM RIGHT: Fans enjoy the closing moments of bama’s victory over Charleston Southern.

PhotoS by GAry CoSby Jr.

returning it. He’s got really good running skills. Remember, he was a wide receiver when he got here and did a good job with that.”

The Crimson Tide’s star running back, Derrick Henry, had nine rushes for 68 yards and two touchdowns, all coming in the first quarter. He did have one second-quarter pass reception for 28 yards, but did not play in the final 40 minutes. Starting quarterback Jake Coker was also done with his day’s work before halftime, completing 11 of 13 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, one to Calvin Ridley and another on a spectacular leaping catch by senior Mullaney.

Most of the second-half work was handed by Cooper Bateman at quarterback and the freshman running back duo of Tuscaloosa native Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris, stepping in for the injured Kenyan Drake. Scarbrough ended as the game’s leading rusher, gaining 69 yards on 10 carries and scoring once. Harris finished with 10 carries for 44 yards.

60

“We think (Harris and Scarbrough) are talented guys,” Saban said. “We wanted to get them in the game so they could get more experience.”

Charleston Southern, which moves on to the FCS playoffs from this point, gained a total of 134 yards, 85 on the ground.

The marquee moment for CSU was a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kyle Copeland that averted an Alabama shutout.

The game was the home finale for an Alabama senior class that would finish 50-6 over four seasons. With a relatively easy win, the only disappointment for the seniors was no “Dixieland Delight,” the Crimson Tide’s unofficial (and, in the Bryant-Denny version, unsuitable for work) celebration song.

“I had to play it myself,” said Reggie Ragland, who came to the post game press conference listening to the tune on a portable device. “It’s the only way I could hear it.”

G AME 1 1: CHARLE STON SO UTHERN

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker (14) gets away from Charleston Southern defensive lineman Anthony Ellis (8).

Photo by GAry CoSby Jr.

61

G AME 1 2: AU BU RN

Alabama defensive lineman D.J. Pettway (57) and linebacker Reggie Ragland (19) combine to bring down Auburn wide receiver Ricardo Louis (5).

Photo by GARy Cosby JR.

62

OPPONENT:

aUBURN WH e N : 1 1 . 2 8. 1 5 | WH e R e : AUBURN | sCoRe: AL ABAM A 29, AUBURN 13

Auburn defensive back Stephen Roberts (14) tries to stop Alabama running back Derrick Henry (2).

PHoto by MicHelle lePiAnkA cARteR

By tommy deas

a

dam Griffith hadn’t forgotten about Kick Six, the last play of the Iron Bowl two years earlier, when Auburn returned his long field goal miss 100 yards for a game-winning touchdown to derail the University of Alabama’s quest for a third straight national championship.

The Crimson Tide’s junior kicker from Poland by way of Calhoun, Ga., did everything possible on this afternoon to put it in the past. Griffith made five field goals, including a 50-yarder, at Jordan-Hare Stadium to help Alabama to a 29-13 Iron Bowl victory.

“I feel like everybody’s talked about that too much, Kick

Six,” he said after the game. “That’s two years ago.

“It happened, but I don’t really think about it.”

Griffith tied the Iron Bowl record of five field goals, set by Auburn’s Daniel Carlson a year earlier. The five field goals also tied for second-most in a game in UA history, topped only by Philip Doyle’s six against Southwestern Louisiana in 1990. Griffith also made a pair of extra points.

After this performances, he had made 19 of his last 22 field goal attempts after starting the season 0-for-4.

UA head coach Nick Saban said he never lost confidence in the kicker, and recognized the significance of this performance on the same field as the one where he was part of a play that was tragic for UA. “That game will be something that I’ll never, ever forget,

63

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G AME 1 2: AU BU RN

Reggie Ragland celebrates with fans after Alabama’s 29-13 win over Auburn.

Photo by GARy Cosby JR.

and it certainly wasn’t Adam’s fault, but he did a great job today,” Saban said. “I’m not talking about just making field goals, he was great on kickoff and he’s really done a nice job finishing the season for us.”

Griffith has learned enough about the Iron Bowl to have some perspective.

“It’s huge because it’s Auburn,” he said. “If it was any other team I would be like, you know, it’s just another team, but this is Auburn, especially with what happened two years ago.

“I was just happy I could come up here and do my best.”

Griffith made kicks of 26, 40, 26, 50 and 47 yards. On the 50-yarder late in the first half, Auburn dropped a returner back into the end zone, just as it did two years ago.

Alabama’s kicker took no notice.

“I didn’t even know he was there,” Griffith said. “I can’t see anybody over the line. I just have to take my steps and kick the ball.”

That kick looked like it would have been good from 60 yards or longer.

“That one felt pretty solid,” the kicker said. “It was just another field goal.”

His teammates appreciate his value in scoring 17 points in a game UA won by just 16.

“Adam was clutch,” said running back Derrick Henry, who ran for 271 yards. “I’m happy for him, man. Adam can make any kind of kick, he does it in practice. It was just so exciting to see him have those kicks. We really needed them, and he did a great job kicking them.”

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G AME 1 2: AU BU RN

By cecil hURt

D

INSIDE thEGAME

errick Henry never broke one of his trademark long touchdown runs, the kind where he slices through a defense like a great white shark through salt water, the opposing safeties trailing just behind like pilot fish.

Part of that was due to an inspired Auburn effort to slow him down.

Part of it was a playing surface that seemed more suited for a Stanley Cup Final than an Alabama-Auburn football game. There was one 30-yard burst, then the late 25-yard touchdown where Henry pushed his way through an exhausted defense.

Instead, there was a steady stream of 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-yard runs that wore down the Tigers and provided a mirror to what Henry’s Alabama team has done since mid-September when it lost to Ole Miss.

“I challenged the team, just like I did after the Ole Miss loss last year,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said after the 29-13 victory. “I asked them how they were going to respond, how they were going to react when they face adversity. I told them that’s how you measure a man. It’s a true test of character, how you respond when things don’t go your way. This team certainly responded the right way.”

There was enough rehashing and replaying of the 2013 Alabama-Auburn game this Saturday to preclude any more flashbacks. Is every child born in Lee County christened “Kick Six” at birth, regardless of gender? Here is one more, though, that has nothing to do with that play. Saban never said anything derogatory about the 2013 team, which faced unique circumstances in trying to win a third straight national title.

But you never get the sense that the Crimson Tide head coach ranks that team among his favorites, either. That whole year was a grind and while it is perfectly fair to attribute some

66

of the blame for that loss at Jordan-Hare to Saban himself, there were also chances to end that game on the field, chances that went unredeemed. Saban doesn’t dwell in the past, or so he says, but you had to wonder how vivid that memory was as he kept pounding away with Henry as if he was Thor’s hammer on a stormy day.

That brings us back to the present, where we belong. And it’s obvious that Saban likes this team.

“We have not had an issue with this team,” he said. “Everyone buys in and does what they’re supposed to do.”

That’s from the Heisman Trophy front-runner on down.

Saban has coached at Alabama long enough, though, to realize that the regular season is prelude. He said as much, noting that this team will be remembered by how it finishes. He wouldn’t speculate on anything past Florida in the SEC Championship Game. There would be no College Football Playoff without a win over the Gators, and while the Florida offense against the Alabama defense looks like a mismatch made in Weeping Prom Night hell, the game still had to be played.

This isn’t Alabama’s flashiest team, something that Saban denied was a product of conscious design. “I’m not a run-the-ball-and-play-defense guy, I’m a score-points-any-way-you-can guy,” he said, to modest skepticism. But he is especially an effort-and-toughness guy, and he seems to have found that.

There would be no fast-forward to the finish.

That still had to be earned, one step at a time, the way Henry pushed through Auburn. That hadn’t happened for two years at this point, a statement of fact that also indicates just how heavy the expectations are at Alabama.

But the current plan seems to be keep pounding until they all crack — just the way it happened on Saturday.

G AME 1 2: AU BU RN

Alabama running back Derrick Henry (2) runs through a tackle by Auburn defensive back Jonathan Jones (3) during Alabama's 29-13 win over Auburn. Henry rushed for 271 yards during the contest.

PHoto by GAry Cosby Jr.

67

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP: FLORIDA

Alabama head coach Nick Saban celebrates with players following their 29-15 win over Florida in the SEC Championship game.

Photo by GAry CoSby Jr.

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OPPONENT:

FLORIDA W H E N : 1 2 .05. 1 5 | WH E R E : AT L AN TA | SCO RE: AL ABAM A 29, F LO RIDA 15

Alabama's Damien Harris (34) and Keith Holcombe (42) combine to block a punt by Florida punter Johnny Townsend during the SEC Championship Game.

PHoTo by GAry CoSby Jr.

By BEN JONES

D

errick Henry isn’t old enough to have watched Bo Jackson play at Auburn from 1982-85. The 21-year-old running back was born over a decade after Herschel Walker rewrote the SEC record books from 1980-82.

But he’s old enough to know their names, and know what it means when his name falls on the same pages of history as theirs.

Henry ran 44 times for 189 yards and a touchdown in the University of Alabama’s 29-15 victory over Florida at the Georgia Dome. He was named SEC Championship Game MVP. His 1,986 total yards set a new conference record for

rushing yards in a single season. Walker had 1,891 yards in 1981. Henry passed Jackson on the single-season rushing list a week ago.

“They are like my heroes, my football heroes,” Henry said. “Growing up and hearing their name and just watching what they did is incredible. For my name to be mentioned with theirs, it’s an honor and a blessing.”

Henry broke through records steadily. His 17th carry of the afternoon went for his 23rd touchdown of the season, tying the SEC’s single-season record held by Tim Tebow and Tre Mason. He broke Walker’s record on his 28th carry of the game, a 7-yard run in the third quarter.

That stretched his streak of games with a touchdown to 18 in a row.

>>

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SEC CHAMPIONSHIP: FLORIDA

Alabama wide receiver ArDarius Stewart (13) celebrates his touchdown alongside wide receiver Cam Sims (7) and running back Kenyan Drake (17) during the third quarter.

Photo by MiChelle lePiAnKA CArter

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this guy,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “He’s had a phenomenal season, and he deserves every accolade that anyone could ever throw his way.”

The Heisman Trophy frontrunner was a target of the Gators all day. Florida defenders swarmed from all angles and forced a fumble on the first play of the second quarter, but Henry came back. He carried the ball five straight times on Alabama’s final drive, picking up two first downs. That took the final minute off the clock to clinch the win.

“When he gets 40 carries in the game and he’s still crushing people, you know he loves it,” quarterback Jake Coker said.

The Florida defense started to bend late, giving up 24 yards on those last five runs. He picked up 12 yards on his first five carries of the game, but didn’t stop.

Florida entered the game as one of the top 10 run defenses in the country, giving up just over 111 yards per game on 3.3 yards per carry. Alabama dredged its way to 233 rushing yards even without breaking any long runs.

“I think it’s the best defense that we faced,” Henry said.

“They’re very physical, very disruptive, very fast on the defensive line. Athletic linebackers who are very physical and try to knock you out and a good secondary.”

Coker and center Ryan Kelly said it was the most physical game Alabama has played all season. Despite that, Henry found his yards eventually. He’s the first player in history to rush for more than 100 yards in successive SEC championships.

Henry praised running backs coach Burton Burns and his teammates after the game. He left with the MVP trophy, but he’s also left a legacy with other players.

“I don’t know that I’ve coached many players that actually set a better example to affect other people,” Saban said. “He doesn’t really do it for himself. He does it for them.”

Henry would have more opportunities as Alabama continued into the College Football Playoff. He finished the day with 339 carries on the season, second in a season in conference history. That’s ahead of Walker’s Heismanwinning junior year but behind the 385 carries he had as a sophomore.

A week prior, after Henry carried 46 times, Saban said that Henry has meant as much to his team as any player he’s coached at Alabama. After beating Florida, Saban gave that statement a spin move.

“I don’t know that there’s any player on the team that the team means more to them than it does to Derrick,” Saban said.

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SEC CHAMPIONSHIP: FLORIDA

TOP LEFT: Alabama running back Derrick Henry (2) tries to break a tackle by Florida linebacker Matt Rolin (25) during Alabama's 29-15 win over Florida in the SEC Championship game.

TOP RIGHT: Alabama quarterback Jake Coker celebrates with his mother Michelle Spires.

BOTTOM LEFT: Florida defensive back Marcus Maye (20) pushes Alabama running back Kenyan Drake (17) out of bounds.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey (26) celebrates the win.

PHotoS by GARy CoSby JR.

72

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP: FLORIDA

Alabama running back Derrick henry (2) avoids a tackle by Florida defensive back Jalen tabor (31) during the third quarter.

Photo by MiChEllE lEPiANKA CArtEr

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PL AYOFF SEMIFINAL: MICHIGAN STATE

Coach Nick Saban dances a little with his players after Alabama's 38-0 win over Michigan State in the College Football Playoff Semifinal game in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Photo By GAry CoSBy Jr.

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OPPONENT:

MICHIGAN ST. W HEN : 1 2 . 3 1 . 1 5 | WH E R E : A R L IN GTO N , TEX AS | SCO RE: AL ABAM A 38, M SU 0

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker (14) passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Game against Michigan State.

Photo by GAry CoSby Jr.

By TOMMY DEAS

S

ome of life’s deep questions, like the one about whether a falling tree makes a sound if there’s no one in the forest to hear it, may never be answered.

The University of Alabama answered one of its own imponderables in the Cotton Bowl: could the Crimson Tide possibly win a playoff game without Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry leading the charge?

The answer was a resounding yes, as quarterback Jake Coker and freshman receiver Calvin Ridley stepped up to lead Alabama to a 38-0 victory over Michigan State, earning the Crimson Tide a trip to Glendale, Ariz., to play for the

College Football Playoff championship.

Coker, the senior quarterback from Mobile who transferred to UA from Florida State two years earlier, completed 25 of 30 pass attempts for a career-best 286 yards and two touchdowns. Ridley caught eight passes for 138 yards and both scores.

“The way (the Spartans) play ... it was going to be difficult to run the ball,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “So we knew Jake was going to have to throw it, and he did a fantastic job of making some big plays.”

Coker was named the offensive most valuable player, and Cyrus Jones won the top defensive player award.

The game started as a defensive struggle, as expected, and remained that way until more than midway through the second

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PL AYOFF SEMIFINAL: MICHIGAN STATE

Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen (93) and linebacker Tim Williams (56) combine to sack Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook.

PhoTo by GAry CoSby Jr.

quarter. The scoreless tie was broken after Coker cranked a 50-yard completion to Ridley, who accelerated to warp speed to race past two defenders and haul it in. He went down at the 1-yard line, and Henry punched it into the end zone for his 24th touchdown of the season, setting an SEC record and giving Alabama a 7-0 lead with 5:36 to go in the first half.

Adam Griffith added a 47-yard field goal with 85 seconds to go before intermission, and Jones intercepted a pass in the final moments of the halfat the Alabama 1-yard lineto stave off what would turn out to be Michigan State’s only serious scoring threat.

A 10-0 halftime lead didn’t satisfy Saban.

“We’ve got to finish some drives on offense,” he said as he left for the halftime locker room. “We are hurting ourselves with penalties and getting behind the sticks.”

Alabama took complete command in the third quarter and put the game away.

UA’s first drive of the second half ended with Ridley sticking his right foot hard into the artificial turf of the end zone to remain inbounds for a 6-yard touchdown reception to make it 17-0.

Jones returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown soon after

and MSU was reeling.

The kill shot came with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter, when Ridley loped past the Michigan State defense and Coker – after a run fake to Henry – heaved a 50-yard touchdown pass, giving Alabama a 31-0 lead.

Henry put his stamp on the game midway through the final period with an 11-yard touchdown run, displaying his Heisman stiff-arm to shove a Michigan State defender roughly to the ground before romping into the end zone.

Henry finished with 75 yards on 20 carries to go with his two scores.

Alabama held Michigan State to 239 total yards, and just 29 on 26 rushing attempts.

“This is the first time in a while that this has happened to us,” MSU coach Mark Dantonio said, Quarterback Connor Cook, a top NFL prospect, completed just 19 of 39 attempts for 210 yards with two interceptions. The shutout was the first in Cotton Bowl history since 1963, and UA’s margin of victory was thirdlargest in the bowl’s history.

“We did a pretty good job of covering them for the most part,” Saban said.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PL AYOFF SEMIFINAL: MICHIGAN STATE Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland (19) leaps high to block a pass by Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook.

Photo by GARy CoSby JR.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PL AYOFF SEMIFINAL: MICHIGAN STATE

TOP: Alabama head coach Nick Saban waves to fans as he leaves the field.

LEFT: Alabama defensive back Cyrus Jones (5) returns a punt for a touchdown during Alabama’s 38-0 win over Michigan State.

RIGHT: Alabama defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson (86) leaps to try to block a pass by Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook.

PhotoS by GARy CoSby JR.

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79

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PL AYOFF SEMIFINAL: MICHIGAN STATE

Alabama players lift the Field Scovell trophy amid a swarm of confetti following Alabama's 38-0 win over Michigan Stat.

Photo By GAry CoSBy Jr.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PL AYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: CLEM SON

Alabama players celebrate after the College Football National Championship in the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Photo by GAry CoSby Jr.

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opponenT:

CLemsoN W HeN : 1 . 1 1 . 16 | WH e R e : p hoe n ix , ariz. | sCo Re: aL aBaM a 45 , cL eM so n 40

Alabama tight end O.J. Howard (88) stiff arms Clemson safety T.J. Green (15) on his way to a 68 yard catch and run during the fourth quarter.

PHOTO by GAry COsby Jr.

By tommy deas

H

istory favors the bold.

It is remembered for the dramatic.

The University of Alabama bested gritty and determined Clemson 45-40 on Monday night, giving the Crimson Tide its fourth national title in the last seven years, extending a dynasty of domination in college football.

Alabama’s 16th national championship had the boldest of decisions and all the drama that a crowd of 75,765 could stand.

It was head coach Nick Saban’s bold call that turned the contest in UA’s favor after Adam Griffith’s 33-yard field

goal with 10:30 to go tied the score at 24-all, electing to go for a surprise onside kick. Griffith booted it over a surprised Clemson front line, and Marlon Humphrey ran under it and caught the ball like a receiver running a pass pattern.

“It was a tie game. I thought we needed to do something to change the momentum, and that certainly did,” Saban said.

Two plays later, Jake Coker heaved a 51-yard touchdown pass to tight end O.J. Howard, Alabama’s unexpected star, for a 31-24 lead.

Alabama fans in University of Phoenix Stadium began to cheer as if the matter was decided, but Clemson (14-1) wasn’t done.

Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson led the Tigers

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PL AYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: CLEMSON

Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) and linebacker Reuben Foster (10) work to corral Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (13) during the first half.

PHoto by GARy Cosby JR.

right down the field, but Alabama’s defense made a crucial stop to hold Clemson to a field goal that cut UA’s lead to 31-27.

That set the stage for the dramatic, and Kenyan Drake supplied it with a flourish. He returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards, diving to reach the goal-line pylon for a touchdown that put UA up 38-27 midway through the final period.

But even the 11-point lead wasn’t safe. Watson, who finished with 405 passing yards, completing 30 of 47 attempts with four touchdowns and one interception to go with 73 rushing yards on 20 carries, took Clemson back for a quick score, hitting Artavis Scott for a 15-yard touchdown. A twopoint try failed, leaving Alabama up 38-33 with 4:40 still to go.

All that remained for the Crimson Tide was to run out the clock, but that’s not how it played out. A less bold decision turned into yet more drama when UA elected to pass on second-and-12. Coker flipped a short toss to Howard, who galloped 63 yards to the Clemson 14. Coker later converted a crucial third-down to set up Derrick Henry, the Heisman Trophy winner, who finally pushed it across the goal line with just over a minute to go.

Clemson gave itself a final chance, with Watson passing for another score, this one 24 yards to tight end Jordan Leggett with 12 seconds still remaining. A failed onside kick left Alabama with the victory.

Howard, who hadn’t caught a touchdown pass in two seasons, had five receptions for 208 yards and two scores to be named the game’s offensive most valuable player.

“I knew I had a chance to make plays tonight,” he said.

Coker was good on 16 of 25 attempts for a career-best 335 yards and two scores. Henry gained 158 yards on 36 attempts.

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“We came in prepared and got the job done,” Coker said.

Howard made his first big strike early in the third quarter after the first half ended in a tie. He ran wide open on a busted coverage and hauled in a 53-years touchdown reception to give Alabama a 21-14 lead.

The Tigers, however, weren’t daunted by an Alabama defense that was ranked tops in the land coming into the title game. Clemson drove to a field goal to cut that lead, and took a 24-21 lead on Wayne Gallman’s 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Alabama, which finished 14-1 with a 12-game winning streak after a September loss to Ole Miss, tied things up with Griffith’s field goal in the final period, setting the stage for the onside kick and all the fireworks that followed.

“At least the nation saw tonight the heart of our team,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, a former UA player and assistant coach, said. “I’m just proud of our team because they kept playing, kept fighting, all the way to the end.

“This is a great experience for our team against a team that represents the best.”

The first half was a duel between Alabama’s Heisman Trophy winner and Clemson’s finalist for college football’s biggest prize, Watson.

Henry scored on runs of 50 and 1 yard and Watson passed to Hunter Renfrow for touchdowns of 30 and 11 yards, and the half ended tied at 14.

Alabama took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter when Henry burst through a huge hold for a 50-yard touchdown run.

By intermission Henry had 128 yards on 20 carries and Watson had thrown for 162 yards and rushed for 45 more.

Eddie Jackson intercepted a pass and was named the game’s defensive MVP.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PL AYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: CLEMSON

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker (14) scrambles against Clemson during the first half.

Photo by GAry Cosby Jr.

Alabama running back Derrick henry (2) runs through the Clemson defense during the first half.

Alabama defensive back Marlon humphrey (26) breaks up a pass intended for Clemson wide receiver Artavis scott (3).

Photo by GAry Cosby Jr.

Photo by GAry Cosby Jr.

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COLLEGE FOOtBALL PL AyOFF NAtIONAL ChAMPIONShIP: CLEMSON

INSIDE thEGAME

By CECIL HURT

T

he dynasty is not dead.

If Clemson couldn’t kill it, throwing every imaginable weapon at the Crimson Tide, one wonders what will.

The fourth national championship in seven years was scarier than any of the other three, which will only make it sweeter.

Sweeter, because it took a full 60 minutes to achieve.

Sweeter, because it defied the standard Alabama image, the one that most of the national media — including the rapid revisionists of the “dead dynasty” proclaimers — have embraced, the image that Alabama is a team that recruits, beats, bludgeons and repeats in a yearly cycle of mayhem, an annual pestilence of muscle, blood and steel-like Vikings invading when the North Sea ice melted every spring.

Sweeter because it took more than superior talent. Sweeter because it took coaching and guile. Sweeter because it took a 24-point fourth quarter, because it required fourth-quarter courage that transcended talent and defines champions at every level of athletic competition.

Sweeter because of that onside kick.

Sweeter because of that kickoff return.

Sweeter because of that tight end who cast off his cloak of invisibility once and for all.

Sweeter because it came against an opponent that proved itself worthy by any definition and a quarterback who may well have been the best Alabama has seen since 2010.

“Sweeter” doesn’t automatically mean better.

Comparing championships — the four recent ones, the upset of Miami at the end of the 1992 season, the many titles under Paul W. “Bear” Bryant — is futile. They all have their own quality.

There is no bad championship. But it is fair to say that none of those championship teams had ever read their own obituary, then faced the chance of seeing all their hard work at erasing that obituary

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all blow away at the end. That could have happened. Clemson fought fiercely to it make it happen.

Instead, that onside kick happened.

“We have worked on that every week for 10 weeks,” Marlon Humphrey, the man who came up with the football, said. “Then we worked on it in practice Thursday and I dropped it.”

That didn’t daunt Nick Saban. He has expressed confidence in kicker Adam Griffith’s ability to execute that play all year long. But the reason the call came when it did was even simpler — Alabama needed it.

“It was 24-24 and we weren’t stopping them,” Saban said. “We needed to do something.”

That play didn’t seal the game. It simply opened the door for the other plays that did — O.J. Howard’s ensuing touchdown, Kenyan Drake’s kickoff return, Derrick Henry’s third and (barely) clinching touchdown. But the onside kick not only snatched momentum away from Clemson, it also seemed to ignite an Alabama fan base that expects everything from its football team – except a surprise.

None of the other four championships that Saban has brought to Alabama had that particular element. No one was truly surprised at beating Texas, at shutting out LSU in the rematch. Those games, and the smashing of Notre Dame, had memorable moments, of course. But surprises, thrills, chills and a fourth quarter for the ages – only this game had all that.

There have been other great games in the seven years of dominance. The SEC Championship win over Florida in 2009 — still, to my mind, the defining game of the Saban era — was more complete. The win over Georgia three years later in Atlanta was, amazingly, even more of a heartstopper. But there was something different in Glendale.

“We probably didn’t play our best game when it comes to flat-out execution,” Saban said. “But when it comes to competing, to showing character — this was as good as it gets.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PL AYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: CLEMSON

Alabama players slap the hands of fans as they go into the tunnel after the game.

Photo by GAry Cosby Jr.

ABOVE: Alabama running back Lawrence Erekosima (43) makes a confetti angel after the game.

AT RIGHT: Alabama head coach Nick saban lifts the College Football National Championship trophy as he celebrates with the team.

Photo by Gary Cosby Jr.

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DERRICK HENRY: THE HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER

Alabama running back Derrick Henry and head coach Nick Saban with the Heisman Trophy.

PHoTo by KeNT GiDley

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DERRICK HENRY: THE HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER

Alabama running back Derrick Henry kisses the Heisman Trophy.

PHoTo by KenT GiDley

KING HENRY

Derrick Henry the second Crimson Tide player to win Heisman Trophy

BY AARON SUTTLES

T

he moment never seemed too big for him. Not on the field nor on the podium in front of a room full of legendary collegiate athletes.

Derrick Henry owned his moment.

Henry comfortably won the Heisman Trophy, and in his acceptance speech revealed a side of the stone-faced athlete that he keeps closed guarded, normally as easy to get from him as it is to tackle him.

On Dec. 12, 2015, Henry became the University of Alabama’s second Heisman Trophy winner, joining fellow running back Mark Ingram, who won in 2009.

It was a dream of Henry’s for as long as he can remember.

When he played video games, he always made sure he won the Heisman Trophy. The kid who, when he was young, told everyone back home in Yulee, Fla., that he’d one day win the Heisman made his dream come true.

“It definitely lived up to my dreams,” Henry said. “It still hasn’t hit me yet, but I’m just so thankful to have this trophy. It’s a blessing and a honor. God is so good.

“I haven’t really thought about how different my life will be yet. Right now, I’m the Heisman Trophy winner. God is good. I can’t wait to celebrate with my teammates and coaches.”

He admitted to being nervous in the moment leading up to the announcement, not knowing if he’d done enough to win it.

A running back hadn’t won the award since 2009 when Ingram did, and in the previous 10 years Ingram was the only running back to win it.

“Those other two guys were worthy of the trophy,” Henry

said. “I was kind of worried with Christian McCaffrey breaking Barry Sanders’ record, and all the stuff that he does is unbelievable.

“My heart was about to bust out of my chest. I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

“I’m bringing the trophy back to Alabama and let it join Mark Ingram’s. I look at (his) all the time and now I have something to look at with my name on it, and I’m so glad to bring Alabama its second Heisman Trophy.”

Ingram tweeted his congratulations to Henry following the announcement: “Congrats @KingHenry2!! Welcome to the Heisman brotherhood!”

In his acceptance speech he thanked his parents, his grandmother, his teammates, Nick Saban and his high school coaches.

He also spent several moments remembering and dedicating his season to former teammate Altee Tenpenny, who passed earlier this year, and praising running backs coach Burton Burns, a man Henry said means more to him than just football.

Saban said Henry was deserving of the award for not only his play on the field but also for his leadership he provided his teammates and his example of what hard work looks like.

“You can’t be happier for the young man who worked so hard for so long, and who’s done so much for so long, worked so hard to reach his dreams and his goals,” Saban said.

Henry left the podium with a message for young kids who idolize him.

“If you have dreams, go chase them,” Henry said. “God will be there every step of the way. I’m a living testament.”

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AFTERWORD

A TOMMY DEAS EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

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t first glance, the 2015 football season for the University of Alabama looked like an exercise in rebuilding.

Only two starters returned on offense. The leading receiver and rusher — Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon, respectively — had departed for the National Football League. The quarterback who had emerged after years of backup obscurity, Blake Sims, had graduated.

In fact, only two offensive starters — both linemen — returned from the previous year’s team, which had been ignominiously eliminated from the inaugural College Football Playoff.

Then there was the defense. Critics would remind, endlessly and sometimes obnoxiously, that the Crimson Tide had given up 86 points in two of its final three games a year before. Seven starters returned, but there were also questions.

What some didn’t calculate was Alabama is still led by Nick Saban, the gold standard of college football coaches – or that Saban, now two years removed from a span which would see him win three national titles in four years, might have a penchant for reinvention, and a drive to prove himself again.

When deja vu but struck and UA lost, for the second year in a row, to Ole Miss, the sharks circled and smelled crimson blood.

But Alabama healed itself. That defense proved, from that point forward, to be as good as any in the Saban era, and probably better along the front, with an abundance of future NFL talent providing depth and muscle. The offense found a quarterback in Jake Coker and an irresistible force of a running back in Derrick Henry, who trampled through defenses to win the Heisman Trophy.

Mostly, Alabama found an identity.

A physical one.

Alabama marched through Tennessee and LSU and Auburn and others to win out the regular season, and through Florida and Michigan State to make it to the College Football Playoff final.

And finally, in the Arizona desert against Clemson, Alabama stood tall. And it became apparent this wasn’t so much a rebuilding job as further construction to build upon one of the greatest runs in college football history.

It’s hard to stop

BAMA

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