BAMA HAS PLAYED IN EVERY CFP ...

tide roars back in SEC Championship to gain momentum ...

you only have one shot to kill the king, you best not miss

   

There are three things that never change - death, taxes, and Alabama football. If you are an Alabama fan, Saturday looked pretty bleak when the Tide fell behind 21-7 against Georgia. After a missed field goal it looked a little better. But the score quickly became 28-14. In retrospect, that missed field goal loomed large for a comeback yet to come to fruition. Had Georgia made that field goal it would have been a three-score game. Hmm... At the time most Tide fans felt a bullet had been dodged, but it was much more than that. 'Bama escaped a three-point projectile only to give up an almost too easy Georgia TD on the 'Dawgs next possession. If you polled Tide fans and asked them what they thought after that Georgia touchdown you would find two answers - those who gave up and those who lied when they said they didn't give up. Tua was having his first bad game, the running game wasn't clicking, and the clock was winding down. Things looked bad. People were wondering if 'Bama would be selected by the Cif they lost. 

   

Frank Thomas

  You can never give up on Alabama. Whether it involves a little-used left-handed quarterback whose last name was a gallimaufry of letters we couldn't pronounce, or a veteran quarterback, relegated to the bench in lieu of the new kid on the block. The team looked off kilter. The Tide offense, which in the past looked seamlessly easy, was not working. The Defense looked like the Little Dutch Boy trying to stop the ocean.  The game outcome looked cold and foreboding. Of course, that is when Alabama became, well... became Alabama once again. Tua delivered a guided missile to Jaylen Waddle. But Tua was hurt, and he got hurt again. That time he left the field supported by the trainers. The 'Bama nation got a collective choke in their throats. A silence fell over the stadium. Alabama fans thought the end was nigh. Georgia fans hoped that Tua would not return in the game.*

   

   The Scales of Justice were not close to even. The injury to Tua and the surprising success of the Georgia defense where close to rendering a verdict. Then # 2 entered the game. Despite the patina collected due to lack of play Jalen Hurts became the savior of the Tide that day. He showed poise, skill, and his newly developed throwing arm. He was perfect on an imperfect day. One team played a flawless three quarters and lost. The other team stumbled around for three quarters and still one. It is a remarkable story in the annals of Alabama football. 

 

   Alabama played a ragged game. Think about this for a moment. On its worst day, they beat the 5th ranked team in the nation on their "home" field. I'll tip my hat to Georgia. The Dawgs played hard, but their coach made a monumental coaching error. It will follow Kirby Smart like an albatross for the remainder of his life. He was the coach that lost faith in his defense and tried a play doomed from the start. Alabama was ready for an ill-advised fake punt.  Alabama knew they were going to win the game, and from the looks on the faces of Georgia players they realized would lose. 

      Death, taxes, and Alabama football never change. It might be Wallace Wade, Paul Bryant, Gene Stallings, Frank Thomas, Nick Saban or whoever coaches at Alabama. It will never change. No disrespect to Georgia. They aren't Alabama. Not many schools can compete with the Tide. 

 

  The only negative is that Tua, so deserving of the Heisman, likely lost it despite playing against nation's elite defenses in the SEC. I hope I'm wrong. Tua will set his goals on something more important to him.  Helping his teammates win another National Championship. That's the kind of man this young man seems to be. Alabama players seem to be that way. When push comes to serve Alabama players want to win for their school and teammates. Roll Tide

*not saying Georgia hoped he was injured.