The Alabama Crimson Tide are back in the College Football Playoff after a roller coaster of a season that saw the highest of highs along with some of the lowest of lows. While there’s still some work left for Nick Saban and company to do, let’s take a look back at the top five moments (so far) of the season for the Tide:
#5
Things start to come together in College Station
The importance of the week six matchup at Texas A&M cannot be understated. Alabama was three weeks removed from the disaster in South Florida and coming off a comeback win against Ole Miss and a dominating performance in Starkville.
But this game was different in that it was the first true road test of the season for Alabama in a game that the Tide were barely favored in and many even expected Alabama to lose. The Tide responded with a dominant defensive performance and the best game (to that point) of both Jalen Milroe and Jermaine Burton’s careers.
Milroe finished with over 320 yards passing and three touchdowns while Burton finished with nine catches and nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns:
#4
Dominant second half to earn cigars
Things looked dire for the Crimson Tide on the Third Saturday in October with a stagnant offense and a leaky defense which led to a 20-7 halftime defecit against Tennessee. Alabama would respond with its best half of the season, rattling off 27-unanswered points and a second half shutout to claim their cigars.
Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond for a long bomb just thirty seconds into the second half, and the game was capped off by a Jihaad Campbell scoop-n-score to ice the comeback and put the Vols to sleep:
Isaiah Bond beats Tennessee entire secondary.
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) October 21, 2023
https://twitter.com/TorresonBama/status/1715859988470726913
#3
Terrion Arnold pushes Tigers to brink
The matchup against LSU was back and forth entering the fourth quarter, with Jalen Milroe exploiting weaknesses in the LSU defense and Jayden Daniels seemingly answering every time. Ultimately, though, when Alabama took a 35-28 lead entering the fourth quarter, the Tide defense came up huge and delivered one of the loudest moments in Bryant-Denny Stadium history.
Terrion Arnold’s tipped interception would lead to another Alabama score and ultimately give the Crimson Tide another huge win to essentially lock up the SEC West:
https://twitter.com/DiehardsAlabama/status/1720990305569153311
#2
Milroe ices it in Atlanta
Alabama was dominant on both sides of the ball in the SEC Championship, but the 2x defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs were not going down without a fight. Making it a three point game with just below three minutes to go, Alabama needed two first downs to end the game and win the SEC Championship.
In the biggest moment of the season, Alabama put the game in the hands (and legs) of its quarterback, and Jalen Milroe ran for two first downs to end the game, give Alabama the SEC title, and end Georgia’s reign of terror on college football:
https://twitter.com/TCTPodcast1/status/1731106305891250245
#1
Fourth and 31
Was there really any doubt here? Sure, Alabama would go on to win the SEC Championship the following week, but in terms of one single moment, Fourth and 31 is right up there with any moment in the entire history of Alabama football.
Down to its final play and on the 31-yard line after a disastrous miscommunication with the snap, Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond in the corner of the end zone with less than 30 seconds remaining to win the Iron Bowl in Jordan-Hare Stadium and keep Alabama’s season alive.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
