Tua Tagovailoa rallies Alabama to 17th national championship
Nick Saban on the decision to go with Tua Tagovailoa in 2nd half vs Georgia
WATCH: Postgame Interviews with players after the championship
ATLANTA- When the confetti flew up in the air and the game was over, Alabama kicker Andy Pappanastos found himself living out a moment he would never forget. Alabama was once again the National Champions thanks to a 26-23 overtime-victory over Georgia on Monday night.
But before he could reflect on the offense’s game-winning moment that he called iconic, Pappanastos still had to find Alabama coach Nick Saban and apologize.
“I said ‘sorry for the extra grey hairs tonight,’ but he (Saban) said ‘what are you talking about, we won,’” Pappanastos said. “Having his support, playing under him this year has just been awesome and something that I’m always going to treasure.
“Along with a national championship ring.”
Pappanastos could have secured the victory, and the rings, at the end of regulation if he had not hooked his 36-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
It was easily the worst miss of the season for the kicker that had previously knocked 13 of 14 attempts under 40 yards through the uprights.
“Went out storybook ending (anyway),” Alabama center Bradley Bozeman said. “It’s fine when he missed the first one, we all go to him and say ‘we got your back, like don’t worry about it.’ It’s our fault too, we should be putting it in the end zone not kicking field goals.”
After Pappanastos missed a 40-yard attempt on Alabama’s opening drive, the senior from Montgomery, Alabama, bounced back to connect from both 30 and 43 yards away in the second half.
However, in the end, it was the uplifting words from Bozeman and the rest of his teammates that ended up providing Pappanastos with his unforgettable championship moment.
“(That support) probably (meant) more than winning a national championship,” Pappanastos said. “...Having their support was huge and I knew that in overtime if we got an opportunity again then we were just going to give it our best shot and I was going to put it through.”
Alabama punter and field goal holder JK Scott was equally, if not more, confident that Pappanastos would have delivered in overtime if called upon. To Scott, the mistake at the end of regulation was a minor one especially once he pointed it out to Pappanastos.
“When he’s quick, his first step is shorter and then so he starts to lunge,” Scott said. “Literally it’s just a first step thing, an easy fix.”
For Scott, the physical corrections, those are easy. Keeping the last kick out of your head is a little harder.
“You just can’t let a kick define you. You only get a couple shots as a kicker,” Scott said. “...That doesn’t define Andy. Andy has one of the best hearts of any guy I know.”
Scott believes it is that heart and a sense of identity, one that exists outside of football, that helps any good kicker stay focused.
Pappanastos, the same guy that spent three years in reserve for Ole Miss only to do the same for the Crimson Tide last year, was all smiles after the game. His collegiate career ended on a mistake, but you’d never know it by watching him.
“It was fun man, I wouldn’t trade anything for it,” Pappanastos said. “This is the way it should be. This is the story of my career a little bit. Just persevering. I’m just really happy we that we came out on top.”
