Alabama football is known for imposing its will on opponents. Can the 2017 Tide again dominate some of college football’s top players?
This week Sports Illustrated published a list of the Top Ten Defensive Players for 2017. Alabama football is represented by Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Two 2017 Alabama football opponents had a total of three players on the list. FSU has Derwin James and Tarvares McFadden. LSU is represented by Arden Key.
Here is the full list:
- Ed Oliver; DT; Sophomore; Houston
- Derwin James; S; Sophomore; FSU
- Minkah Fitzpatrick; DB; Junior; Alabama
- Harold Landry; DL; Senior; Boston College
- Arden Key; LB; Junior; LSU
- Rashan Gary; DE; Sophomore; Michigan
- Iman Marshall; CB; Junior; USC
- Tarvares McFadden; CB; Junior; FSU
- Dexter Lawrence; DT; Sophomore; Clemson
- Malik Jefferson; LB; Junior; Texas
The full story with player profiles can be found at si.com.
No doubt the list is made up of great college football players. They may or may not be the ten best in 2017. It is difficult to measure them against each other because of disparity in quality of opponents.
Ed Oliver was impressive for Houston last season. He recorded 65 tackles, with five sacks. Then again, Lamar, Cincinnati, Texas State, Connecticut, Navy, Tulsa, SMU, UCF, Tulane and Memphis afforded Oliver a big opportunity to shine in 2016.
From an Alabama football perspective, I remain unconvinced Oliver, Landry or Gary are better than Da’Ron Payne. I’m not sure Dexter Lawrence is either though Lawrence is a tremendous player. Payne’s key Alabama role by design does not earn him big stats.
Rather than quibbling over a preseason list, let’s look back at other great college football players who were dominated by Alabama football. The players listed below were All-Americans, NFL First Round picks and based upon conventional media wisdom, all of these players were too good to be dominated by any team.
Against Alabama football, the conventional media wisdom was wrong.
September 1, 2012 – Arlington, TX – Alabama 41 – Michigan 14
Leading up to the opening season game, much of the attention was focused on Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. Robinson was being touted as a Heisman contender. Alabama football quarterback, A. J. McCarron did not gain near as much attention.
McCarron was a national championship quarterback, but he was just a ‘game manager.’
The game was a mismatch. Alabama led 31-0 in the second quarter.
Michigan could not run the ball against the Tide and gained only 69 yards on the ground. Some of the blame must go to Taylor Lewan. The 6-7 305 pound left tackle was the bell cow for the Wolverines. In 2012 he was an All-American and the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Against Alabama, Lewan was out-manned and out-played, rendered ineffective by the Tide defensive line.
At the end of the game, Taylor Lewan slowly limped off the field. He was too proud to allow fans to see the extent of his pain. Once inside the stadium ground level corridor, he let trainers help him to the Michigan locker room. He was unbowed but physically beaten by the Alabama football defensive front.
Lewan was the 11th player selected in the First Round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He plays for the Tennessee Titans.
January 7, 2013 – BCS Championship – Alabama 42 – Notre Dame 12
Something does not feel right about singling out Manti T’eo when the entire Notre Dame defense folded against Alabama football in the 2012 title game. We could have chosen to focus on defensive lineman, Louis Nix as another highly regarded player who was no match for the Tide.
Hasn’t T’eo suffered enough from the sensationalized coverage of his girlfriend that did not exist? The answer to that is a resounding yes.
Unfortunately, the football facts are that T’eo was the established leader of the 2012 Irish defense. He was such a highly respected linebacker he finished second to Johnny Manziel in the Heisman voting. In addition, he won the 2012 Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year Lott Trophy, as well as the Maxwell Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Butkus Award, the Lombardi Award, and the Walter Camp Award.
Against Alabama, T’eo looked like an undersized FCS linebacker. He gamely fought his way to three solo and seven assisted tackles in the game, many well beyond the line of scrimmage.
Alabama football running backs, Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon rushed 41 times for 248 yards and a 6 yard-per-carry average. Notre Dame defenders did not get run over as much as they were shredded.
Notre Dame had no business being on the field with Alabama football in that BCS Championship. After earning a trophy case full of awards, T’eo (and his Irish defensive teammates) was dominated by Alabama.
T’eo was drafted by San Diego in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. After four seasons with the Chargers, he now plays for New Orleans.
September 20, 2014; Tuscaloosa, AL; Alabama 42 – Florida 21
In 2014, the Florida Gator defense was led by Dante Fowler and Vernon Hargreaves III. Fowler was First Team, All-SEC and Second team, Walter Camp All-American. In his three seasons at Florida, Hargreaves was All-SEC every season and a 2015 All-American.
Despite four Alabama football turnovers, the Tide offense ran up 672 yards against the Gators. Amari Cooper had 10 pass receptions for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Hargreaves was lined up against Cooper for most of the game, though one Cooper touchdown was not against Hargreaves’ coverage.
Cooper had a fourth touchdown nullified by a motion penalty and it was defended by Hargreaves.
The Gators needed Fowler to regularly pressure Blake Sims but he failed to so. Fowler finished the game with one solo tackle, three assisted tackles and a fumble recovery. Hargreaves was banged up twice in the game and battled throughout. He finished with three solo and three assisted tackles. Hargreaves also recovered a fumble.
Hargreaves was a great defensive back but he was no match for Amari Cooper.
Fowler was the No. 3 pick in the First Round of the 2015 NFL Draft, chosen by the Jacksonville Jaquars. Hargreaves was selected by Tampa Bay with the 11th pick in the First Round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Hargreaves and Fowler were great college football players, but not against Alabama football.
Alabama vs. Texas A&M 2014-2016
Myles Garrett was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, selected by the Cleveland Browns.
The much-overused term ‘freak’ is not an over-statement when applied to Garrett. Physically all the measurables show Garrett has an extraordinary package of athletic ability. Despite the protestations from some NFL experts, including Jon Gruden, the Browns cannot be faulted for taking Myles at No. 1.
There are fair questions about Garrett. To some seasoned football experts, Garrett did not live up to his potential as a college player. Former college and NFL player Booger McFarland is one of the critics per SEC Country.
"“When you have freakish athletic ability such as Myles Garrett, when you are a freak of nature, the film should say that also,” (McFarland) said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “The film doesn’t say he’s a freak of nature. The film says, sometimes he doesn’t bring it all the time.”"
Garrett contends he often played through injuries in college. The questions remain if he has the toughness, physically and mentally to be a consistent run-stopper in the NFL.
Whatever Garrett’s NFL future, his career performance against Alabama football did not live up to his potential. In three games against the Tide in 2014-2016, Garrett made 10 solo and five assisted tackles against Alabama. He had zero sacks.
Not only is that not a dominating performance, at best it should be described as ordinary. Alabama football fans most remember images of Garrett, not on the field against the Tide, but on the sideline breathing into an oxygen mask.
Against Alabama football ‘All-World’ Myles Garrett was mostly ‘All-Nothing.’
Alabama vs. LSU 2014-2016
Toward the end of the 2016 college football season, nola.com reflected on Fournette’s LSU career.
"Fournette was one player fans could easily see played hard and played tough. Rather than shy away from contact, he sought it out through his 604 career carries when he was often hit multiple times."
As the Times-Picayune writer, Jim Kleinpeter said,
"Fournette has it all: power, footwork and speed, but beyond speed … It’s one thing for a big man to run fast, but Fournette’s ability to accelerate quickly allows him to blow past defenders and into space, where he is near impossible to bring down by a single defender."
The Times-Picayune is a homer newspaper much like the Tuscaloosa News. Even so, every word quoted about Leonard Fournette is true. In his three season LSU football career, Fournette ‘blew past’ many single defenders. He rushed for 3,830 yards with an average of 6.2 yards-per-carry.
He did not get many of those stellar numbers against Alabama football. One of Fournette’s problems against the Tide was he was rarely matched up against single defenders. Alabama usually gang-tackled and smothered Fournette.
Against Alabama football, Fournette carried the football 57 times and gained 145 yards. Compared to his gaudy career number, Fournette averaged only 2.5 yards-per-carry against Alabama.
Leonard Fournette was a great college football player. Against Alabama football, he was not even average.
Fournette was a 2015 Consensus All-American. He finished sixth in the 2015 Heisman voting. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the fourth pick in the First Round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
The six players we listed: Lewan; T’eo; Hargreaves; Fowler; Garrett and Fournette were college football stars. With the possible exception of Garrett and T’eo, they were not over-rated.
Great players make their reputations in big games against the toughest teams. Alabama football does not always shut down great opponents. All Alabama fans remember the losses inflicted by Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel and Ezekial Elliott.
Next: 30 Great Tide Players who were 3-Star Recruits
More so than most teams, Alabama football often shuts down great players with team discipline its own roster of superior talent. In 2017 it will be interesting to see how three from the SI list fare against the Tide. Like the past opposing players we reviewed, Derwin James, Tarvarus McFadden and Arden Key are not over-rated. It will be fun to watch.