Lessons from Alabama Football’s Victory Against Chattanooga on Senior Day
ALTA CUSCALOOSA, AL The Alabama Crimson Tide have won 10 games for the 16th consecutive season, extending head coach Nick Saban’s legendary tenure in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide’s season-ending victory over Chattanooga serves as a reminder of how reliable head coach Nick Saban’s system has been for an extended period of time. The game went exactly as Saban had hoped on Saturday, with Alabama (10-1, 7-0 SEC) winning 66-10 to settle any doubts long before the game’s end.
We don’t do things around here, so even though you might not think there are any lessons to be learned from a victory over an FCS opponent. These are my own:
Taking care of the company This one is clear, but perhaps not so clear to the team across the state. Whatever perspective you choose to take on this victory, the Crimson Tide still had to put on the pads and play a full 60 minutes of football against a team full of gifted players. Auburn demonstrated that you can never be too comfortable heading into the week before the Iron Bowl, even though the outcome was always clear. Alabama rested its starting offensive line for the first half of the game out of respect for the opposition.
Building on its stellar run over the previous two months, the Crimson Tide wanted to merely go through the motions. Jale n Milroe, who completed 13 of 16 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns, was a shining example of that. He entered and exited.
Before the Mocs could even blink, Alabama was up 31-0. Along with the fact that the Crimson Tide suffered no additional injuries on Saturday, Cupcake Week was exactly what was intended.
Although we already knew how gifted Downs was as a defensive back, his athleticism and return game prowess were further demonstrated on Saturday. Downs returned the ball on his third attempt for an 85-yard touchdown after stumbling on his first two attempts. Downs entered following two additional mishaps involving Kool-Aid McKinstry. Will he then have the responsibilities going forward? Let’s see.
The fact that Downs scored a touchdown on special teams serves as a reminder that many of the players on Alabama’s roster were the best athletes on the teams they played on as children. Downs would undoubtedly be a dominant offensive player in a different life. He’ll have to settle for being the best true freshman in the nation on defense for the time being.
Ultimately, the Crimson Tide’s eight different ball carriers accounted for 315 rushing yards.
