Alabama Football: Bulldogs too much for the Crimson Tide

The Alabama Football team that battled the Georgia Bulldogs in the National Championship Game, did not have it in them to claim a crown. The Bulldogs outplayed the Crimson Tide and came on strong late when it mattered the most.

Take enough away from Kirby Smart and his football team, they might have been too much in the rematch – even against a full-strength Crimson Tide team. Alabama was not near full-strength and when Jameson Williams went down with a knee injury in the first half, the game turned.

Without Williams, the Tide offense did not have a dependable play-making threat. The Georgia defense pressured Bryce Young throughout most of the game. When the Tide QB had to look to Slade Bolden, Cameron Latu, Jaleel Billingsley and the Tide’s young receivers, the explosive Crimson Tide offense was explosive no more. Credit to the Crimson Tide, they kept fighting with the weapons available.

It is fair to say no team without its best two cornerbacks and its two best receivers, along with a dinged-up right side of the offensive line, can win a title game.

The preceding four paragraphs could have been ditched in favor of one simple sentence. The Bulldogs owned the fourth quarter. According to Chris Lowe, that is what Nick Saban told Kirby Smart after the game. Lowe’s report was the family-rated version. In reality, field mics picked up Saban telling Kirby “you kicked our ass in the fourth quarter.” What was truly amazing is that Saban said it with a smile on his face.

Later in post-game comments, Nick Saban said how proud he was of his team and,

"If we had to lose a national championship, I’d rather lose to one of the former assistants who did a great job for us and has done a great job with his program and his team, and they deserve it. They played great all year."

Alabama Football loses with class

The Crimson Tide’s head man was as classy in a loss as any coach who ever faced the difficult task. Nick Saban is and always will be the GOAT.

What more can be said about Alabama? The 2021 Alabama Crimson Tide over-achieved. In what was a rebuilding year for the offense and despite devastating injuries to key players, the Tide pushed through. What this team did to get to within nine, fourth-quarter minutes of winning another national title was truly remarkable.

Congratulations to the Georgia Bulldogs who are deserving national champions. The loss changes nothing for Alabama Football. Its current dynasty is intact and the 2022 Crimson Tide will be better than the Tide was this year.