NOTHING BUT PRIDE FOR THE CRIMSON TIDE

By BRENDAN O’LEARY

On Monday night, Alabama proved, once again, that they are the dominant force in college football.  Coach Nick Saban brought home his sixth national title which was also his fifth over the course of the last nine years.  

The intense showdown between Alabama and Georgia was played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, conveniently located in Atlanta favoring the Georgia Bulldogs.  Shockingly enough, Alabama came into this game as the #4 team while Georgia was ranked at #3, despite all of Alabama’s past successes with Saban.  This game was clearly different from many others.

At the start of the game, many thought Alabama would pull away early since they intercepted a pass in just the first two minutes of the game.  Going into halftime, the Bulldogs led 13-0 over the Crimson Tide.  Lifelong Alabama fan, Tucker Cergol, declared that “at that point, even so early in the game, I thought Alabama was going to blow out Georgia and claim their title easily.”  That definitely was not the case at the half with Georgia having 223 total yards compared to Alabama’s measly 94.

BRENDAN O'LEARY FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

Coming out of the half, Alabama literally appeared to be a different team since starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, was replaced by freshman Tua Tagovailoa.  He provided the spark that the Tide so desperately needed to get them back in the game.  On just his first drive, Tagovailoa completed three passes in a row to wide receiver, Henry Ruggs III, concluding with a touchdown to shine some light on Alabama.

At this point, this turned into a defensive matchup.  The first play after Alabama’s interception by the rookie quarterback helped the team take possession again with an interception of their own on the first play of Georgia’s drive.  After a couple of field goals to put Alabama down by only 7 points, the rookie shined again throwing a touchdown to Calvin Ridley.  Funny enough, Calvin Ridley was playing against his brother, Georgia’s sophomore receiver Riley Ridley.  The game went into overtime with the same score of 20-20. 

The Bulldogs, electing to receive the ball first, showed a very poor offensive drive but got lucky enough to hit a 51-yard field goal (by kicker Rodrigo Blankenship) after being sacked for a 13-yard loss.  With the Bulldogs up 3, the rookie showed that he is a true miracle worker by throwing a game-winning 41-yard touchdown to Devonta Smith.  Game over; the Crimson Tide won the national championship yet again!

Despite a recap from the game, Nick Saban emphasized, “I’ve never been happier in my  life tying former Alabama coach Bear Bryant with a record of six national championships.”  If you did not watch this remarkable college football matchup, definitely check out some highlights or catch a rerun of the game because you missed an instant classic.