One defining moment transformed Zabien Brown from a scapegoat into one of Alabama’s biggest heroes.
The freshman cornerback put the final touch on the Crimson Tide’s 41-34 victory over Georgia on Saturday night, picking off a pass in the end zone to snuff out a last-minute comeback attempt from the Bulldogs. The interception put a bow on a roller-coaster performance from Brown, who played a part in Alabama blowing a 28-point lead before becoming a savior to a jubilant crowd inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Georgia picked on Brown all night, throwing his way 10 times, including a handful of shots downfield. Those throws resulted in five receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown, providing a rude awakening to SEC play for the freshman.
Monday, Kane Wommack said he’s confident Brown will learn from those growing pains. The slip-ups have already been forgiven by the Alabama defensive coordinator and forgotten by the rest of the Tide faithful. Brown’s ability to recover and rise to the occasion during the game’s biggest moment, will live on in Bryant-Denny lore.
“For him to stay locked into those moments and not be overwhelmed by the adversity — it won us the football game, ultimately,” Wommack said. “But the confidence he’ll be able to draw upon for the rest of his career, the confidence we’ll be able to build off of, his teammates knowing he can stay in the fight and find a way to win, that’s something — I told the defense, nobody in that room will forget that moment. Certainly, this season, we need to rely on that when adversity comes, which it most certainly will.”
As Brown and Alabama move on from last weekend’s wild win, here’s a breakdown of each time Georgia targeted the freshman Saturday night.
- PRO
- OT
- WR
- CB
- OT
- OLB
- CB
- RB
- ILB
- OLB