Alabama is no stranger to going undefeated in the SEC. However, in a unique season with COVID-19 precautions, players and coaches sitting out, and a 10-game, all-conference schedule — this one was different.
Saturday’s 52-3 demolition of Arkansas made this the fifth regular season in which the Crimson Tide have gone undefeated since head coach Nick Saban came to Tuscaloosa back in 2007. While this is an amazing feat in and of itself, none are as special to Saban as going undefeated in this “historic” season.
After the game, he discussed how much this meant to his team and the motivation that a season like this can carry.
Saban on his team’s motivation for this game said, “One of the motivating factors was to win ten SEC games in a season, in a regular season, which had never been done before. It’s kind of historic for them, and that was one of the motivating factors for us.”
Saban later added, “Obviously we wanted to play to a standard. I think we started a little slow in the game, but as the game went on we played better and better on defense, controlled the tempo of the game on offense, and kept the ball away from them so they couldn’t go fast…all in all I was really pleased.”
For Alabama, it was a slow start to the day with the score tied at three with under three minutes left in the first quarter. Then, DeVonta Smith returned an Arkansas punt back 84 yards for a score to put Alabama up 10-3 after the extra point. From there, the Tide never looked back.
After the second half most starters for Alabama were taken out of the game in order to be fresh for next week’s SEC Championship Game against Florida. This paved the way for multiple younger guys to step up for Bama, specifically on offense, and show their worth.
Second string running back Brian Robinson Jr. had a breakout game of sorts. Robinson had more yards, more touchdowns and a better average than starter Najee Harris. To be fair, Harris got a little banged up, and the coaching staff for Bama decided to let Robinson take over in the blowout win.
However, this was a good look into the future of the Tide rushing attack, as running back Jase McClellan also had a big day, breaking an 80-yard touchdown run with almost no time left in the game.
John Metchie III led the aggressive Tide receiving core with five catches for 72 yards. Smith only had three receptions for 22 yards. Just like with Harris, Smith was sat out early to be saved for next week’s contest.
Mac Jones only played for three quarters against the Hogs, but still managed to pile on 208 yards through the air. He didn’t miss his receivers often, completing 24 of his 29 passing attempts.
“I do think that the team has made a lot of improvement throughout the year on defense. We made a lot of errors earlier in the season, but the players have gotten a lot more confident in what is expected of them,” Saban pointed out when discussing the defense’s progression throughout this season.
The Tide defense looked better than they have all year. They held the Razorbacks to just 188 yards of total offense. The Hogs couldn’t even break 100 yards rushing against the stingy Tide front seven.
Next week the Alabama defense, and the rest of the team, will face their greatest test of the season thus far as they take on the Gators in the SEC Championship Game.
When discussing how his defense played against Arkansas, Saban couldn’t help but look forward and start discussing next week, “I think we are certainly going to be challenged in a different way with the type of quarterback and passing game Florida has. I think we have to show that we can stand up and play against a team like that.”
One interesting stat from this week is that there were zero passing touchdowns for Alabama against Arkansas. The Tide have thrived in the passing game, but this week it was all done on the ground.
While the Tide should be congratulated on their undefeated regular season, their greatest tests are still in front of them. Saban has not had an undefeated team through an entire season since 2009. This does look like his best chance to replicate that feat by winning against Florida, as well as in the College Football Playoff.
“It’s going to take a great team effort in every part of our team to be able to win the SEC Championship. The offense will have to play well, we are going to have to do a really good job on special teams, and obviously play even better on defense,” Saban noted.
The road to accomplish these goals travels straight through Atlanta, where the Tide will face off against the Florida Gators next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CT. This game will pit the two Heisman front runners against each other in what could be the best game of the season thus far.
Hayden Crigler is a contributing college football writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him through email: [email protected] or on Twitter: @hayden_crigler.
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