BAMA WINS NATIONAL TITLE IN "WHAT IF" GAME OF THE YEAR
Alabama won the mythical national championship tonight in what had to be the 'what if' game of the year. I'm glad now I didn't have a wager on this contest, I might have needed an ambulance. Talk about game changing plays, one after another, it was exhausting. It had to be very tough on fans of both teams. In the end, the Crimson Tide prevailed 37-21, but the final score is very deceiving, with 2:01 left in the game, Texas had the ball, down 24-21. Let's examine the 'what if' plays of this game.
The first one happened even before the game started, 'Bama won the toss & surprisingly elected to receive. In big games, most coaches defer to the 2nd half, they know often times players are overly hyped & make mistakes. It's usually more forgivable making mistakes on defense than on offense, especially in your end of the field. Well the Tide goes 3 & out after a penalty & a sack(too excited maybe?) they inexplicably throw a pass out of punt formation on 4th & 23. The pass is picked off by Texas & they set up shop at the Alabama 37.
Two first downs later, Colt McCoy carries to the left & is whacked pretty hard by Marcell Dareus. McCoy leaves the game with what appears to be a shoulder stinger, he has no sensation in his right arm or hand. Enter true freshman Garrett Gilbert.
Longhorns score a touchdown that is called back on an illegal formation penalty. They have to settle for a field goal.
Texas kicks off short & no one fields the ball for Alabama, Texas recovers at the Alabama 30. Gilbert looks very shaky & once again they settle for a field goal.
After the Tide scores twice in the 2nd quarter, Texas finally mounts a drive, down 14-6. At the Alabama 27, Gilbert throws to Malcolm Williams in the endzone & he drops a pass right in his hands. This is the first of 4 drops for Williams in the game. On the next play, Gilbert throws a pick to Javier Arenas. No TD, no field goal.
Tide marches downfield for a field goal with 33-seconds left in the game. You feel like Texas will take a knee after the kickoff & get into the locker room down 17-6. Nope, after a 9-yard run on 1st down, the Longhorns call timeout with 15-seconds left in the half. They attempt a shovel pass & after it gets batted around, Marcell Dareus grabs it & goes 28-yards for a touchdown with 3 seconds to go in the half. I thought Nick Saban's fake punt was a blunder, but this decision let him off the hook. The Horns are down 24-6, their 2-time Heisman finalist is out & you're forced to play a true freshman in the National title game.
Apparently Alabama thought the game was over at half as they went 3 & out 4 times in the 3rd quarter. Texas finally made a play when Gilbert hit WR Jordan Shipley for a 44-yard touchdown on a skinny post pattern. Bama leads 24-13.
The Tide continues to spin their wheels & with a little more than 6 minutes to play in the game, the Gilbert to Shipley connection clicked again for a 28-yard touchdown. Gilbert hits Dan Buckner over the middle for a 2-point conversion & we have a 3-point game, 24-21.
To their credit, Alabama finally awakens, puts together a couple of first downs, but stall at the Texas 37. Kicker Leigh Tiffin had already missed form this distance, Saban decided to punt just 37 yards from the goaline. Good decision as Jordan Shipley fair catches the punt at the 7 yard line.
After a defensive holding call the biggest play of all happened, Gilbert fumbled when blindsided by a blitzing Eryk Anders & Courtney Upshaw recovered for Alabama at the 3-yard line. Game, set match. Mark Ingram punched it in on 3rd down, 31-21. Another interception allowed 'Bama to pour it on with another touchdown run in by Trent Richardson with seconds left.
Ingram finished with 116 yards & 2 touchdowns, Richardson had 109 yards & 2 scores. Bama QB Greg McElroy was absolutely no factor, held to just 58 yards passing. What the Tide did very well was control the ball in the 1st half, stop Texas from running effectively all evening, came up with a goaline stand after the fake punt & made a huge play at the end. That was enough to beat the hamstrung Horns. They also got a gift pass interference call & back-to-back non-calls on their defense from the same side judge against the same defensive back who clearly interfered with Texas receivers. I told you Texas would need a couple of big plays from their defense or special teams in the preview I posted before the game. They got 3, interception on a fake punt, a recovery on a non-fielded kickoff & a recovered onside kickoff. Bama still won the game, Texas just had too big a hill to climb & without McCoy, it simply wasn't going to happen.
So we have only 2 unbeaten teams in Division I football, both 14-0, Alabama & Boise State. Too bad we can't see them play, TCU averaged over 250 yards a game on the ground & were held to 36 yards by Boise State Monday night. I know my detractors will say they couldn't have stopped Ingram & Richardson, but since the game wasn't allowed, you can't say Boise wouldn't beat them just like Utah did last year in the Sugar Bowl. I doubt they could, but we'll never know & I think that's sad for college football.
Two other thoughts about this game. You had to feel bad for Colt McCoy, playing in his final college game on the biggest stage, for the biggest stakes & he gets knocked out on the Longhorns' 5th play of the game. I continue to be puzzled with sportscasters who, when they talk about Heisman winner Mark Ingram, they always mention the great relationship Ingram has with his father. They gush non-stop, like Mark Ingram Sr. is father of the year. Ingram's father, a former wide receiver for the Giants & Dolphins, is in the joint for the next 7 years. He was sentenced in 2001, but failed to surrender to the feds & was a fugitive. He was finally apprehended in a Michigan motel room last winter. I get that Mark loves his dad, I certainly loved mine, but these broadcasters just gloss over all his legal troubles like they never happened. I guess like so many of society's ills, Sr.'s arrest, money laundering conviction, fugitive status & imprisonment were probably someone else's fault. Sorry, but I've been hearing this same story every time I see Bama & I got tired of hearing about Ingram & his dad's 'unfortunate' incarceration.
The first one happened even before the game started, 'Bama won the toss & surprisingly elected to receive. In big games, most coaches defer to the 2nd half, they know often times players are overly hyped & make mistakes. It's usually more forgivable making mistakes on defense than on offense, especially in your end of the field. Well the Tide goes 3 & out after a penalty & a sack(too excited maybe?) they inexplicably throw a pass out of punt formation on 4th & 23. The pass is picked off by Texas & they set up shop at the Alabama 37.
Two first downs later, Colt McCoy carries to the left & is whacked pretty hard by Marcell Dareus. McCoy leaves the game with what appears to be a shoulder stinger, he has no sensation in his right arm or hand. Enter true freshman Garrett Gilbert.
Longhorns score a touchdown that is called back on an illegal formation penalty. They have to settle for a field goal.
Texas kicks off short & no one fields the ball for Alabama, Texas recovers at the Alabama 30. Gilbert looks very shaky & once again they settle for a field goal.
After the Tide scores twice in the 2nd quarter, Texas finally mounts a drive, down 14-6. At the Alabama 27, Gilbert throws to Malcolm Williams in the endzone & he drops a pass right in his hands. This is the first of 4 drops for Williams in the game. On the next play, Gilbert throws a pick to Javier Arenas. No TD, no field goal.
Tide marches downfield for a field goal with 33-seconds left in the game. You feel like Texas will take a knee after the kickoff & get into the locker room down 17-6. Nope, after a 9-yard run on 1st down, the Longhorns call timeout with 15-seconds left in the half. They attempt a shovel pass & after it gets batted around, Marcell Dareus grabs it & goes 28-yards for a touchdown with 3 seconds to go in the half. I thought Nick Saban's fake punt was a blunder, but this decision let him off the hook. The Horns are down 24-6, their 2-time Heisman finalist is out & you're forced to play a true freshman in the National title game.
Apparently Alabama thought the game was over at half as they went 3 & out 4 times in the 3rd quarter. Texas finally made a play when Gilbert hit WR Jordan Shipley for a 44-yard touchdown on a skinny post pattern. Bama leads 24-13.
The Tide continues to spin their wheels & with a little more than 6 minutes to play in the game, the Gilbert to Shipley connection clicked again for a 28-yard touchdown. Gilbert hits Dan Buckner over the middle for a 2-point conversion & we have a 3-point game, 24-21.
To their credit, Alabama finally awakens, puts together a couple of first downs, but stall at the Texas 37. Kicker Leigh Tiffin had already missed form this distance, Saban decided to punt just 37 yards from the goaline. Good decision as Jordan Shipley fair catches the punt at the 7 yard line.
After a defensive holding call the biggest play of all happened, Gilbert fumbled when blindsided by a blitzing Eryk Anders & Courtney Upshaw recovered for Alabama at the 3-yard line. Game, set match. Mark Ingram punched it in on 3rd down, 31-21. Another interception allowed 'Bama to pour it on with another touchdown run in by Trent Richardson with seconds left.
Ingram finished with 116 yards & 2 touchdowns, Richardson had 109 yards & 2 scores. Bama QB Greg McElroy was absolutely no factor, held to just 58 yards passing. What the Tide did very well was control the ball in the 1st half, stop Texas from running effectively all evening, came up with a goaline stand after the fake punt & made a huge play at the end. That was enough to beat the hamstrung Horns. They also got a gift pass interference call & back-to-back non-calls on their defense from the same side judge against the same defensive back who clearly interfered with Texas receivers. I told you Texas would need a couple of big plays from their defense or special teams in the preview I posted before the game. They got 3, interception on a fake punt, a recovery on a non-fielded kickoff & a recovered onside kickoff. Bama still won the game, Texas just had too big a hill to climb & without McCoy, it simply wasn't going to happen.
So we have only 2 unbeaten teams in Division I football, both 14-0, Alabama & Boise State. Too bad we can't see them play, TCU averaged over 250 yards a game on the ground & were held to 36 yards by Boise State Monday night. I know my detractors will say they couldn't have stopped Ingram & Richardson, but since the game wasn't allowed, you can't say Boise wouldn't beat them just like Utah did last year in the Sugar Bowl. I doubt they could, but we'll never know & I think that's sad for college football.
Two other thoughts about this game. You had to feel bad for Colt McCoy, playing in his final college game on the biggest stage, for the biggest stakes & he gets knocked out on the Longhorns' 5th play of the game. I continue to be puzzled with sportscasters who, when they talk about Heisman winner Mark Ingram, they always mention the great relationship Ingram has with his father. They gush non-stop, like Mark Ingram Sr. is father of the year. Ingram's father, a former wide receiver for the Giants & Dolphins, is in the joint for the next 7 years. He was sentenced in 2001, but failed to surrender to the feds & was a fugitive. He was finally apprehended in a Michigan motel room last winter. I get that Mark loves his dad, I certainly loved mine, but these broadcasters just gloss over all his legal troubles like they never happened. I guess like so many of society's ills, Sr.'s arrest, money laundering conviction, fugitive status & imprisonment were probably someone else's fault. Sorry, but I've been hearing this same story every time I see Bama & I got tired of hearing about Ingram & his dad's 'unfortunate' incarceration.
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