Back in the day……when dinosaurs
ruled the Earth…..freshmen at the Capstone enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences
took a core curriculum including English literature. Students learned that an “epic”
was a story of a heroic journey by a group of people, led by a charismatic
figure, who performed superhuman deeds and encountered fabulous adventures. My
favorite epic was the Illiad. I can
still recall the opening verses: “Sing, O muse, of the rage of Achilles, son of
Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.”
The Illiad was my favorite epic…..until Monday night in Atlanta. Now, the
story about the Trojan War has been replaced by the heroic journey taken by the
Crimson Tide, led on offense by a true freshman, who in the span of two
quarters, twice overcame two score deficits, and encountered the fabulous adventure
of winning the College Football Playoff Championship, claiming Alabama’s 17th
national championship, the fifth in nine seasons.
It was epic. I don’t know what
other word better describes Alabama’s achievement this football season. Never
before in Nick Saban’s unparalleled career, has he ever coached a team that
suffered more lost starts over the course of the season due to injury, and most
of those came at the same position; linebacker.
These Grades are being written on
the Friday following the game. By now, every reader is well acquainted with the
dramatic arch of the contest. Alabama played poorly in the first half. For all
his skill and poise, Jalen found himself stymied by the Bulldog defense. The
difference in the game at intermission was between the play of Jalen and
Georgia’s Jake Fromm. The Tide offense was one-dimensional. Calvin Ridley was so
open, at times he could have line up behind the Georgia secondary. The problem
was Jalen either did not see him or could not get the ball to him. Consequently,
Georgia sold out to stop the Tide running game, The result, a 13-0 Bulldog lead
at the half.
What follow intermission is
perhaps the greatest second half in Alabama football history. The only possible
contender would be the Tide’s comeback to claim its first national
championship; the 20-19 victory over Washington in the 1926 Rose Bowl.
Bama scored 10 points in each of
the last two quarters. But in the fourth stanza, Alabama rushed for 86 net
yards and passed for 71 more, earned 10 first downs, and held Georgia to a net
of 41 yards of total offense and only 2 first downs. Georgia’s offense possessed
the ball three times during the fourth quarter; each possession ended in a punt,
two of those possessions were 3-and-out. Alabama’s three fourth quarter
possessions were drives of 71, 66, and 48 yards, achieving a TD, a FG and a
missed FG.
The statistics alone do not
justify stellar grades, but the circumstances and the achievement do. With an
adjustment recognizing Alabama’s 17th National Championship, here is
how I grade the game:
Offense: B / A+ Alabama
gained 371 yards of total offense [184 net rushing – although at the start of
overtime, the Tide had 200 net yards rushing], earning 20 first downs, and
converting 4 of 15 possession downs.
Jalen completed 3 of 8 pass
attempts for 21 yards with no interceptions. Tua completed 14 of 24 pass
attempts for 166 yards and 3 TDs. He threw an interception in the third quarter.
Calvin Ridley led all receivers
with 4 catches for 32 yards and a TD. Henry Ruggs, III caught 3 passes for 29
yards and a TD. Robert Foster also caught 3 passes for 28 yards. Damien Harris
caught 2 passes for 21 yards. DeVonta Smith caught a 41-yard pass for an
overtime walk-off TD. Jerry Jeudy, Cam Sims, Hale Hentges and Bo Scarbrough
also caught a pass.
Najee Harris gained 64 net yards
rushing on 6 runs. Jalen also ran the ball 6 times for a net 47 yards. Tua
gained 27 net yards on 12 rushes; he lost 20 yards in two sacks.
Alabama’s offense had five drives
gaining 40 or more yards (42, 56, 71, 66, 48) the last three coming in the
fourth quarter. The offense suffered 4 possessions of three-and-out and turned
the ball over once on Tua’s third quarter interception.
Defense: A / A+ Georgia
gained 365 yards of total offense [133 net rushing] earned 22 first downs and
converted 8 of 19 possession downs. The Defense gave up several third-and-long
plays, but won the turn-over battle with two interceptions {Tony Brown, Raekwon
Davis].
Mack Wilson led all defenders
with 12 total tackles, 2 for lost yardage. Rashaan Evans made 8 stops, 1 for
lost yards. Terrell Lewis was credited with 7 tackles. Anthony Averett and Da’Ron
Payne were each credited with 6. In total, the Tide defense made 12 tackles for
57 lost yards and broke up 4 passes.
Special Teams
Punting: A+ JK
Scott averaged 47.5 yards on 6 punts. His longest punt carried 56 yards and he
dropped two punts inside the Dawgs’ 20. Trevon Diggs returned 5 Georgia punts
for 38 yards. The punt coverage team allowed only 2 returns for 34 yards.
Kickoffs: A+ Scott
also handled all kickoff duties averaging 64.6 yards per kick. He kicked two
touchbacks. The coverage team allowed only 40 yards on 3 kick returns. The Bama
return team earned 42 yards on 2 returns.
Place Kicking: C+ / A+ Andy
Pappanastos kicked FGs from 43 and 30 yards. He missed from 40 and 36 yards. He
was perfect on two PATs, making his season PAT percentage 100%
Coaching: A+ Alabama
was penalized 6 times for 41 yards. The participation report lists 53 players
who saw action in the game. On the final play in overtime, of the 11 Tide
players on the field, 6 were true freshmen [Tua, Najee, Alex Leatherwood, Da’vonte
Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, III].
The City of Atlanta: F I
know presidential visits call for enhanced physical security, but forcing 77,000
fans to spend over an hour and a half in freezing rain waiting to walk through
metal detectors is too much. It is also too much to encourage visitors to ride
the MARTA, only to have a broken-down train block the only north bound track at
the Five Points station.
Being Inside Mercedes-Benz
Stadium: A+ The crowd was at least 60-40 Georgia…..and
why not? The Dawgs were playing in their back yard. But the enthusiasm of both
camps was electric. During the fourth quarter the noise level became painfully
loud. But the level of respect between the fans of the contending programs was
equally high. I can’t recall an SEC game where the opposing fans were friendlier
towards each other. Before kickoff, we ate a burger at one of the many walk-up
bistro tables on the 200 concourse and were joined by a group of four Georgia
fans. We had a delightful chat, during which one of the Georgia people said: “It’s
good to be back in an SEC crowd, those Oklahoma fans were awful.” Alabama’s
winning touchdown sparked a sustained and jubilant celebration, where married
folks tearfully pledged to always remember the moment, and perfect strangers
hugging one another.
Yes, this game was epic. I regret my paltry skills are insufficient to chronicle
adequately just how spectacular the Championship Game was. Maybe if I was as
good as Homer….the blind ancient Greek poet, not Home Smith, the former Tide OC….I
could come up with something memorable like: “Sing, all y’all, of the rage of
Alabama, sons of the Crimson Tide, that brought countless ills upon the
Bulldogs; teaching them to behave.”
The whole 2017 Season has been epic.
What Alabama achieved over the last nine years is unparalleled. Not only has
Alabama set a new record for the number of seasons required to win 5 national
titles, it crushed the previous record of 16 years. A record that was held by…..wait
for it…..Alabama.
The Road to 17 has been a fabulous adventure. Thank you for taking the journey
with me.
Roll Tide, Y’all.
The Commissioner
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