For as long as anyone can remember, the Alabama Crimson Tide have long used arrogance as a motivator. That’s not changing anytime soon.
Jan. 7, 2019, is a day Alabama football fans wish they could forget, but will always remember.
They came into the National Championship Game at Levi Stadium having steamrolled every opponent in their path, and a win over the Clemson Tigers, a team they demolished in that very same game a year prior, would have cemented Alabama as the team of the 2010s.
Forget that fact that Clemson was also 14-0 and had the talent on both sides of the football to match player-for-player with the Crimson Tide. This was supposed to be Alabama’s night to continue their reign of the college football world, figuring that the game was already won before they even set a cleat on the football field.
This, my friends, is called “arrogance,” and for as long as anyone can remember, the Alabama Crimson TIde have been college football’s personification of that word. I mean, who can blame Alabama for thinking they’re the cream-of-the-crop of college football? When you’re the holder of 17 National Championships, how dare anyone tell the Crimson Tide or their mythical fanbase any different?
That night in Santa Clara, California was supposed to be a coronation of Alabam’s greatness. Everyone, from the players to the fans, already knew of this. Clemson’s epitaph was already written for them.
Then, the actual game happened.
Clemson didn’t just beat Alabama. They pinned an embarrassment on the Crimson Tide the likes of which Nick Saben has rarely if ever have experienced during his tenure in Tuscaloosa.
44-16.
30-3, Clemson, at halftime.
We’re used to seeing scores like that during Alabama games. What we weren’t used to was seeing ‘Bama on the wrong side of that blowout. We all knew that Clemson thoroughly outplayed the Crimson Tide. Trevor Lawerence virtually threw the football wherever he wanted to. ‘Bama’s cornerbacks had no answers for Justyn Ross. The Tigers defense stifled the Crimson Tide’s vaunted offense.
It was the first time in the Nick Saben era that we could comfortably say that Alabama was thoroughly beat. Clemson didn’t get “lucky” as some ‘Bama fans may have believed. Nor was it that Alabama had an “off night” on the biggest night of the college football season.
Clemson beat Alabama.
Point blank.
After that shocking blowout, many were rethinking Alabama’s place in the SEC, easily college football’s best and toughest conference. Some were thinking that Alabama was beginning to slip, certain that the humble pie they were forced to eat at the hands of Clemson would surely be the beginning of a decline. But during SEC Media Days recently, Saban put those “‘Bama has fallen” dreams to rest.
“I think that we didn’t play with the discipline at the end of the season that we’d like to have as a team,” he said.
Translation: Alabama lost to Clemson because they didn’t play ‘Bama football.
Point blank.
Departed offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, who is now the head coach at Maryland, doubled-down on Saben’s remarks, saying he didn’t think the team “prepared as much” for Clemson, and even threw in the little goodie that Clemson wasn’t the “better team” that night, because “we both have great athletes on both sides of the ball.”
Translation: Alabama loss because they didn’t play “Bama football.
Point blank.
When it comes to Alabama football, a loss is never because the other team was better than you, nor was they better on that particular game day. It’s internal. ‘Bama always beat themselves in losses. If they would have just “prepared better,” they would have crushed Clemson into pixie dust, just like they did in 2017. When you see Saben and the Alabama players Media Days’ interview, that’s the feeling that pervades over the program.
“Clemson didn’t beat us. We beat ourselves with lack of preparation. We’re still the kings of college football!”
That’s the beauty of Alabama’s arrogance.
If this was any other team, this would be a great offense to the program, but not for the Crimson Tide. For the last decade, Saban has used arrogance as a great motivator to strive for college football dominance.
It started with legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and has been amplified by Saben. Arrogance has always worked in the Crimson Tide’s favor. Why would they want to change that winning formula now?