A lot can happen for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 30 minutes.
Allow me to set the scene:
It was halftime of Week 8’s showdown between the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers and the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide. The Volunteers had secured a 20-7 lead, and it looked like they were going to defeat the Crimson Tide in consecutive seasons AND for the first time IN Tuscaloosa in 20 years. In that moment, Alabama’s season, the Southeastern Conference, and the entire landscape of the College Football Playoff hung in the balance. But Nick Saban found a sense of calm amidst the madness, and provided his team with a simple halftime message, “Everybody’s got to choose what they want.”
I’ll give you a hint; they chose winning – the Alabama Crimson Tide way.
The Alabama Crimson Tide keep their national championship hopes alive against Tennessee
Saban’s squad shutout the Volunteers 27-0 in the 2nd half. They held Volunteers’ quarterback, Joe Milton III, to just 96 yards passing after he threw for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 1st half. And with just 7:26 to play in the 4th quarter, Chris Braswell knocked the ball loose from Milton III, and Jihaad Campbell took it to the house. This essentially put the game out of reach and put a stamp on an absolutely dominant, 2nd half defensive performance. I would argue this was the most dominant half of football played by any team in college football this season.
The Crimson Tide, along with their celebration cigars, have an open date during Week 9. This will allow them to enjoy this crucial victory over the Volunteers a little while longer and also give them extra time to prepare for the No. 15 LSU Tigers. This ever-important, Week 10 SEC West battle will be their next stop on a redemption tour, as the Volunteers and Tigers were the only two teams to beat the Crimson Tide last season.
Sometimes…the story writes itself.
The Crimson Tide’s season will be on the line once again when the LSU Tigers arrive in Tuscaloosa on November 4th. The Tigers are the only ranked team left on the Crimson Tide’s schedule, and this will be an opportunity to climb back into the top-five of the AP Poll. I don’t see a scenario where the Tigers escape Tuscaloosa with a victory. Under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide haven’t made a habit of losing to the same team in consecutive seasons.
A door opens; a fun fact enters: The Alabama Crimson Tide haven’t lost to the same team in consecutive seasons since 2014-2015 (Ole Miss).
That’s a long time, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.