MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – It was the fourth quarter of a game that was well in hand, but the star quarterback and dominant offensive lineman were fighting on the field.
AJ McCarron, who left the locker room with a boot on his right foot, yelled at Barrett Jones, who played with torn ligaments in his left foot and will need surgery. Jones shoved McCarron. Nick Saban screamed furiously on the sideline at the entire situation.
So what happened?
“It was an emotional game and we had a snap count difference. I was right,” Jones said of the situation. “But we love each other and gave each other a big hug after the game.”
Why they yelled at each other or who was right isn’t the point. The point is Alabama’s football program, from top to bottom, demands excellence.
It was on full display in the No. 2 Crimson Tide mauling of No. 1 Notre Dame 42-14 to win the BCS National Championship on Monday night. Notre Dame didn’t belong in the stadium with Alabama and it was evident from the opening kick.
Alabama took Notre Dame to the woodshed. They were like a parent telling a child to pick his or her own switch for a whipping.
The Tide pulled off the rare feat of repeating, making it three national championships in four years – joining Nebraska of the 1990s and Notre Dame of the 1940s as the only teams to win three national championships in four years during the poll era.
But history and tradition went out the window. It was billed as a slugfest, but only one team brought its right hook to the fight. From the first snap, Alabama lined up and hit Notre Dame in the mouth and the Irish had no idea how to respond.
Scary thought for the rest of the college football world is that this was supposed to be Alabama’s rebuilding year, especially on defense.
After losing all of the talent from last year’s run, new faces stepped in and stepped up to fill what looked like gaping holes.
The fact that Notre Dame was able to score was major news because it ended Alabama’s streak of 108 minutes and seven seconds of scoreless time in championship games. Alabama had scored 69 unanswered points dating back to 2009.
It was so out of hand, at one point Notre Dame linebacker Danny Spond attempted to tackle Eddie Lacy and Lacy literally threw him into the ground. And that spin move he pulled to shake two defenders for the 11-yard score was just nasty.
It was unfair from the start and didn’t get any better. When Notre Dame loaded the box to stop the run, McCarron found tight end Michael Williams, Amari Cooper and Lacy for touchdowns through the air.
The Irish’s front seven seemed soft. It’s secondary was even worse than what most expected. And Heisman candidate Manti Te’o did nothing to help his draft stock.
“We came in with a great game plan and executed perfectly,” said offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.
That makes it seven straight for the Southeastern Conference. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive gushed over the accomplishment and the league he’s run for a decade.
“I can tell you one thing, it never gets old,” Slive said. “It’s an extraordinary achievement. I know records are meant to be broken, but I don’t think this one ever will.”
No one knows what the future holds for Alabama, but with the returning talent and Saban at the helm, three in a row doesn’t sound too farfetched.
“Two days from now, we have to get ready for next year,” Saban said.
