How Saturday Was Almost A Perfect Day For Alabama
By: Larry Burton
For some reasons, this rainy day in Tuscaloosa was one where all the right stars aligned themselves with the rain clouds to make an almost perfect day for the Crimson Tide.
It started off when as predicted by Arkansas shocked Ole Miss, giving them their second SEC loss, which squarely placed Alabama’s SEC Championship hopes back directly in their own hands.
Then Oklahoma State knocked of TCU, which could have been a contender for one of the four playoff spots.
In quick succession, Navy knocked off an undefeated Memphis, who could have been a spoiler to jump into the mix and an undefeated Michigan State was bounced by a terrible Nebraska team. Having all these pretenders eliminated as contenders only made the Tide’s case to be in the playoffs even easier.
Then the most important part of the day came through for the Alabama team, they simply shut down a great LSU team 30-16. Though at first glance this was a respectable score, Alabama simply manhandled this great team much more than a 14 point win. This was a street fight between the two of the SEC’s physical teams and LSU was left beaten and bleeding in the gutter, thoroughly with their tail beaten in a “leave no doubt” who the best was in this contest.
It didn’t come down to a controversial call, one late scoring drive or a turnover, LSU was consistently punched in the face all night long while Alabama simply laughed when LSU tried delivering their own best punch, Leonard Fournette. It was like akin to Alabama taking LSU best shot and smilingly asking, “That’s it? That’s all you got?”
Alabama also got perfection from their heretofore shaky field goal kicker, who not only went 3 for 3 for the day, but nailed a 55 yard momentum gaining long kick just before halftime.
In it’s entirety, it showed the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee why Alabama belongs in the playoff and showed the rest of rest of college football teams what to expect if and when they get the chance to face this team. All the people who felt Alabama didn’t deserve the committee’s ranking last week may now kindly shut their traps and ask to be excused.
But to Nick Saban, the most important eyes that were watching this game and soaking in this beating first hand were in the heads of perhaps the biggest group of recruits ever to watch a game together at Bryant Denny Stadium. 30 players from classes over the next several years were there to soak in the atmosphere and witness this beating first hand.
Saban loved this almost as much as the win because the loved the implied message it sent to every recruit, “Sign and play for Alabama, or be beaten into the dust by them”. And make that impression it did.
Post game tweets from some of the recruits are as follows:
2016 five-star linebacker Mack Wilson from Carver – Montgomery, who hasn’t publicly declared said:
Feb 14thOnly the strong survive 
the weak crumble like 
2017 four-star cornerback William Poole III, someone Saban really wants who had been leaning toward Georgia and FUS said:
JUST LIKE I SAID❕#RollTide
— William Poole III ™ (@__WP3) November 8, 2015
2016 four-star athlete Devin White, who Alabama is recruiting as a running back, is from Louisiana. This is someone Saban wants so bad, he drove him to the A Day Game in his car to have a look at how the Tide rolls said:
GAME CHANGERThis atmosphere is unbelievable 
this is why I love the SEC
2016 massive four-star defensive lineman Kendell Jones from Killeen, Texas, already committed to the Tide said:
Kendell Jones Jr. ROLLTIDEROLL!!!!!!!!THEY SAID IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE THIS YEAR…..GUESS WHAT…….BAMA IS THE BEST!!!
And 2016 four-star dual threat quarterback Jalen Hurts, already committed to Alabama said:
Jalen Hurts Rolltide …
Saban’s post game routine includes, doing the post game comments to the biggest of the big boys on the field, then running have a few minutes in the locker room with his players. Then all too soon he’s off to a room where recruits and their families are gathered for some remarks to them. The press isn’t allowed in there, but wouldn’t you love to have heard those comments?
Then he’s off to the press room for his remarks and questions to the press corp. Once he’s finished with the press and while players are being brought in for the press, he’s off to do the “Nick Saban Show” clips. He did all those things with an untypical smile on his face for most of the time.
In all, though the night was rainy, cold and long, it was a perfect night for Nick Saban, a perfect night for the Crimson Tide and for the fans too. Rain be damned. Most all the stars in the football universe aligned just the way they everyone in Crimson would have wanted them to. In all, from top to bottom, it was almost a complete perfect day for the Alabama nation.
Larry has been published in almost every media outlet for college sports and now primarily writes here for Touchdown Alabama. Follow Larry on Twitter for inside thoughts and game time comments at https://twitter.com/LBSportswriter
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