by Kyle Golik
For the better part of the last decade and a half, when you saw Alabama on the schedule, you knew your team had to play the perfect game to beat them.
Alabama did not beat themselves, they were talented at all levels, and Nick Saban was flanked by assistants who were subject matter experts at their positions. They created significant depth that it was just “plug and play” for Alabama at all times.
In recent years, we have started to see cracks in the Crimson Tide’s dynasty:
- Saban was at one point undefeated against former assistants (25-0). When Jimbo Fisher became the first Saban pupil to defeat the teacher in 2021, and also ended Alabama’s streak of 100 consecutive wins against unranked opponents.
- When Kirby Smart led Georgia to the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship over Saban, it snapped a seven-game winning streak against the Bulldogs.
- It seemed over the past decade and a half, a third certainty in life was Alabama beating Tennessee. That fell last season in Knoxville.
This past Saturday, Steve Sarkisian dropped Saban’s record against former assistants to 28-3 and also ended a 21-game home winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation. They also snapped a 57-game regular season non-conference winning streak that dated back to the 2007 UL Monroe game.
It also marked the fourth time Alabama has lost in the previous 16 games dating back to the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia. The last time Alabama lost four games in a 16-game period goes back to the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Saban’s first two in Tuscaloosa.
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Watching the Crimson Tide play against Texas, I noticed Alabama missing parts or all of the key elements that defined their dynasty.
Alabama repeatedly beat themselves. The Tide had plenty of critical mental errors that previous Alabama teams did not commit.
For a second consecutive season against Texas, Alabama was plagued by penalties, committing 10 penalties for 90 yards this year after committing 15 in the previous season’s contest. Of those, the Crimson Tide had two bad pass interference calls that allowed Texas to get scores on drives.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe made two great plays, evading an aggressive Texas pass rush on two different plays finding Jermaine Burton both times for apparent touchdowns. Burton made great plays on both plays, whether it was reacting to Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford’s tipped pass to get the touchdown or streaking free across the middle of the field on broken coverage.
What should have been two touchdowns were both negated by penalties by the offensive line – a flag for holding and one for an illegal man downfield.
The ultimate backbreaker came with an encroachment penalty on a fourth and three on the Alabama 35-yard line with 2:09 to go that allowed Texas to convert and kill the clock on a 12-play, seven-minute drive.
Another element that defined the dynasty was having the best players on the field in every single game. On Saturday, it felt like Texas had the best players collectively on the field, especially on offense. I don’t feel Alabama had against Texas answers for players as talented as quarterback Quinn Ewers, wide receivers Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, or Adonai Mitchell, and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders finished with five receptions for 114 yards.
Milroe is a good athlete and has the speed to break many runs as a dual threat, but the passing game leaves a lot to be desired. Going 14 for 27 with two interceptions, including that awful interception early in the fourth quarter to Jerrin Thompson, isn’t going to help Alabama realize its potential.
I also don’t feel Tommy Rees is the same caliber of an offensive coordinator that Alabama has enjoyed during their runs. Bill O’Brien was much maligned and criticized, but even through two games, it’s apparent that Rees isn’t in the same class as O’Brien.
Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele might be an upgrade over the often criticized Pete Golding, who is now at Ole Miss, but the defense made many critical errors that often never arose during the Golding era.
This is not to say that Alabama will not be good or not even make the College Football Playoff; that is still up for play for the Crimson Tide, but they are no longer feared like they once were.
Alabama has been prone to beating themselves, the talent gap is no longer that wide where teams with near equal talent can make it a game, and to me, the coaching support is not there. The trickle-down effect is in development and refinement.
I wrote last week about how the end of Saban is going to be sooner than we think, and the one thing I noticed watching the Texas game, that emotional fireworks are still there but not as intense.
The will to win will always be there for Saban, but the ability to strike fear is no longer there. Alabama can be beat and other teams are proving it on a more frequent basis.
The Process either works or doesn’t, and it seems now is a perfect time to question it and see if it needs adjustments in Saban’s final season(s) as head coach.
