'We'll see them again': Henry To'oTo'o makes guarantee after loss to Vols
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In the face of despair, it's difficult to produce any semblance of hope.
As Henry To'oTo'o took questions from reporters after Alabama's 52-49 loss to Tennessee on Saturday, his solemn look spoke louder than the words he uttered. When he did answer, his near whisper was drowned out by elated Volunteer fans chanting the lyrics to "Rocky Top" in celebration, less than 10 feet from the cramped visiting media room.
It was a homecoming gone horribly wrong for the middle linebacker as he watched his former team break a 15-year losing streak against the Crimson Tide, at the stadium he called home for two seasons.
Despite all of the vitriol and sadness that comes with losing on a game-winning field goal, the senior made one thing abundantly clear.
"We'll see them again," To'oTo'o said. "The season is not done. We got a long season left."
Nick Saban echoed To'oTo'o's statement, but remarked it was a "very disappointing loss and we didn't answer the bell."
Saban highlighted the team's lack of execution coupled with Alabama's 17 penalties as the main culprits for the loss against the Volunteers. While the team cost itself possessions on multiple occasions, including the botched punt, Saban added that Alabama deserved credit for battling back to have a chance at winning after trailing by two scores at the end of the first quarter.
"I also told the players that we could still accomplish every goal we (established) at the beginning of the season," Nick Saban said. "There's no room for error in the SEC West. If we win out the rest, we can win the West and still have a chance to go to the SEC Championship."
While the road to Atlanta is a bit more tumultuous after Saturday's loss, if Alabama wants to make it back to the SEC Championship Game, it starts next week against Mississippi State.
History is also in the Tide's favor after a loss. Since 2010, Alabama is 9-0 in the regular season after coming off a loss. The Bulldogs have been a victim of that bounceback four times, and each win was a decisive one for Alabama outscoring them 92-24.
Last season, when the Tide fell in an identical fashion to Texas A&M, it was the 49-9 victory against Mississippi State which jumpstarted Alabama to an 8-0 stretch to punch its ticket not only to the SEC Championship Game but to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Everything came together after the loss to the Aggies as Alabama outscored opponents 314-137 during the remaining two months of the season.
It's not implausible for Alabama to run the table and make another return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That journey will begin on Monday — a path Bryce Young and the rest of the returning cast from the 2021 team know all too well.
"Our goal is just to improve as much as we can," Young said. "We have a 24-hour rule and then we'll focus on next week. We have goals that we set at the beginning of the year, but we have to take it one day at a time."