Throughout my years of covering and watching sports, only twice have I been completely dumbfounded at the outcome of a game.
The first time came when the New York Giants beat the 18-0 New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl. The second time came on November 5, when Alabama lost to Louisiana State in overtime in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Both times I was completely confused because the better team did not win the game. For the Patriots, they had already beaten the Giants in the regular season. For the Crimson Tide, they out-played and outgained the Tigers in every statistical category. As I walked off the field in Bryant-Denny that night, I looked around at the remaining fans and the LSU players who were celebrating and thought, “There is no way this would happen if they played again.”
So I’m here to tell Crimson Tide nation that the “Game of the Century” part two will be completely different from the original for a few reasons. With a month to prepare, Nick Saban will realize his team’s mistakes and correct them.
First, Alabama will realize that they have the best athlete on the field and arguably the best player in the country in Trent Richardson. They will let him run the ball 30-plus times and remember to give him the ball inside the 30-yard line instead of dropping back to pass.
Alabama will realize that their defense is the best in the nation, and they have the players and coaches to adjust to whatever LSU throws at them. They will figure out how to properly defend the option, stuff the run and make Jordan Jefferson beat them with his arm.
Alabama will realize that they can’t incur costly penalties and take themselves out of scoring position. They won’t have mental breakdowns with their false start penalties. They won’t commit ridiculous block in the back penalties 20 yards away from the play on interception returns.
Alabama will realize that they are the most physical team in the country. 6-foot-6-inch, 269-pound tight end Michael Williams won’t let a 5-foot-11-inch, 180-pound defensive back take the ball away from him again. Say what you want about the play call and the pass, Williams caught the ball and had it taken from him by a guy half his size. No way should that happen under any circumstances.
Alabama will realize that they can’t afford turnovers at any point in the game. LSU is the best team in the country at capitalizing on their opponent’s mistakes. It was a close game against Oregon, until Tyrann Mathieu ran down the Ducks punt returner, stripped him and returned it for a touchdown. The Tigers were down against Arkansas and Georgia until both teams had breakdowns in punt coverage, allowing Mathieu to return punts for scores in two consecutive weeks.
It also happened against Alabama. The Tide were leading 6-3 late in the third quarter when AJ McCarron dropped back and threw a late, deep pass that was intercepted by Morris Claiborne. He returned it to Alabama’s 15-yard line, which led to the tying field goal.
Finally, Saban will remember why he is the best coach in college football and on the verge of being mentioned with the all-time greats. He will have the players motivated and in the proper schemes throughout the game. If LSU comes out in the first half with new plays, Saban will make the proper adjustments and remind Alabama fans why they worship him
The sequel will be different for a lot of reasons, but mainly because Alabama is clearly the better team.
