Alabama Crimson Tide fans were scratching their heads (SCREAMING) at halftime with a score of 10-10 in the game against the Texas Longhorns. The last half only got louder with Texas up by six in part of the fourth quarter. This Alabama game was one to remember. Between all of the flags and unusual performances, somehow Alabama made it out with a win at 20-19. Coming down to only a field goal, Bama fans can breathe a sigh of relief that they didn’t actually lose to Texas. We’re a little embarrassed though. What was going on?! A lot of things.
Defense Was Weird
There was an obvious decline in performance by the defense from last week to this week. Will Anderson Jr. racked up three penalties in the first half alone. There was a lot of uncertainty about the outcome of this game because the defense just wasn’t doing it. However, Kool-Aid McKinstry did make some important stops in the last half. However, Bama fans were really holding their breath for the defense in the last four minutes of the game. So, when Texas completes a wide-open pass, Crimson Tide households slowly started to come to the realization that it was very possible for Texas to beat the number one college football team. It didn’t happen, but this put us on edge at the very least.
It’s Football, Not Hot Potato
I mean, roll tide for real, but what was up with the dropped passes? They weren’t catching the ball, although Texas wasn’t making it easy for passes to be completed by Bama either. The wide receivers just weren’t showing out like normal. Alabama fans did find hope in the fourth quarter though. Jahmyr Gibbs caught the pass from Young in their second touchdown of the game, putting the score at 17-16. With Texas only down by one point and the fourth quarter nearing its end, stakes were high. Furthermore, when Texas gained control of the ball with only right under four minutes to go, we were all sweating (and not from the buffalo chicken dip). Alabama just could not hold on to the ball.
Penalties for Everyone
Man, I sure do wish a ref would have thrown a flag during this Alabama game. I hope no one played a drinking game based on penalties. If you did, I’ll be surprised if you made it through the entire game. This was Saban’s most penalties to date. Alabama had 15 penalties with 12 minutes still left in the fourth quarter. This made for an interesting game, especially since some of the calls were pretty controversial.
That Last Minute, Though
It was the minute heard around the world, or at least around my home. It was obvious that Young was putting forth some real effort, but it was very likely not enough to make up for the undisciplined play from Bama earlier in the game. Plus, I thought he was down, you thought he was down, we all thought Bryce Young was down with about thirty seconds to go. However, he wasn’t. Then it comes down to a field goal. A good field goal put Alabama up by one at 20-19, securing them a win that we would have never been expected to be shocked by.
What Do We Do Now?
We summon the Alabama Gods in hope that they can spare us the embarrassment of this close call, thank them for Bryce Young, and bless us with a better outcome next week. Ok, no, but we are going to need the Tide to do something different or we’re going to be in trouble. I also couldn’t leave this with you all without complimenting the performance by Texas. They’re going to be one to watch. Also, I think that close games like this are some of the best ones. They’re the ones that we remember the most, along with the Alabama game day sliders that I made for it.