ATLANTA — An Alabama team familiar with playing in big games found itself in uncharted territory this week. The No. 3 Crimson Tide entered Saturday’s SEC Championship Game against No. 1 Georgia as 6.5-point underdogs, marking the first time since 2015 that it did not enter a game as the favorite.
Alabama heard about it, too.
For a week, Tide players fielded questions about Georgia’s elite defense which entered the game allowing opponents just 6.9 points and 229.7 total yards per game. They listened as pundits tore into their offensive line which had struggled to perform during a narrow win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl a week before. They were doubted by their own fans and told on some occasions that they would be humiliated by an unbeatable Bulldogs team.
They heard every word, responding with an inspired 41-24 win. And their head coach loved every second of it.
“I think what these guys really wanted to gain was more respect,” Nick Saban said following Alabama’s 41-24 victory over Georgia Saturday night. “Not just the fact that they were underdogs because I think we had a tremendous amount of respect for Georgia, their team, and what they accomplished. But you guys gave us a lot of really positive rat poison. The rat poison that you usually give us is usually fatal, but the rat poison that you put out there this week was yummy.”
Alabama didn’t just penetrate the nation’s top defense, it punished it for most of the night. After being stopped on its first two possessions, the Tide scored on each of its next five drives, turning a 10-point deficit into a 31-17 lead early in the third quarter. Alabama piled up 536 yards of total offense, the majority of it coming from Heisman Trophy favorite Bryce Young, who set SEC Championship Game records with 461 total yards of offense and 421 passing yards.
“Like Coach is saying, you hear the rat poison, and it was kind of against us this week,” said Young, who earned MVP honors following the game. “We took preparation very seriously, and we all understood the magnitude of the moment, and we all stepped up. So it was everybody, all 11. It was the coaches doing a great job calling plays, managing situations. So it was a team effort, and we know it was a great win, and we have to keep on improving.”
Alabama will learn its postseason fate tomorrow when the final College Football Playoff rankings are released at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. More than likely, the Tide’s time as an underdog will be short-lived as it is expected to take over the ranking. Still, Saban believes his team isn’t done proving itself moving forward following Saturday’s blowout.
“I think it gave us an opportunity to have a two-game season,” Saban said. “We have a two-game season now, I hope. That's what we're going to work for. That's what we want to do. These players have worked hard all year long. I think they deserved a lot of respect for what they've been able to accomplish and what they've been able to do.
“But at the same time, how are you going to look forward? I'm sure Georgia will get in the playoffs again still, and they deserve it. They're a very good team. So it's how do we move forward? We've created an opportunity for ourselves where we have a chance to play in the College Football Playoff. How are we going to prepare? How are we going to be committed to do the things we need to do?”
By the sound of it, Tide players have no intention of taking their foot off the gas anytime soon.
“We know there's a long road ahead,” Young said. “We're hoping to get into that two-team season. We've got that two-game season to prepare for. It's a good one. We've got the 24-hour rule, and we get back at it.”
