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A generation of Alabama fans has basically spent its joyful existence going from the tradition of the Iron Bowl to the theatrics of the SEC Championship Game.
It’s how a spoiled generation of Crimson Tide fanatics have grown up. It’s been their late fall ritual. It’s created a sense of incredible pride and, yes, a definite sense of entitlement.
But it won’t happen this year.
Nope.
Almost but not quite in 2022.
And in a fitting way, that’s probably a pretty good motto for this year’s edition of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Almost but not quite.
For Alabama, the past 3 months have included just about everything good, bad and in between that you could ever imagine 1 season of SEC football including.
It’s been a roller coaster — thrilling, maddening, exhausting. And for a lot of Crimson Tide fans, probably some big-time relief that the roller coaster stopped with Saturday’s Iron Bowl win, the gate to the seat opened and, yes, they’re finally free to get off, walk away, look back at the crazy ride with astonishment and shake their head.
For about 95 percent of college football fans, a 10-2 regular season and a 6-2 conference record, in the buzzsaw that is the SEC, no less, is reason to have a parade.
But not in Tuscaloosa. Not for these maniacal, knowledgeable, incredible and, yes, somewhat spoiled fans. They have seen too much 12-0 and 11-1 to accept 10-2, and they surely don’t see any reason to ask the mayor of Tuscaloosa for a parade, nor should they.
They feel like they should be getting ready for Atlanta and the SEC title game, their annual rite of early December. And even in this “down” 2-loss regular season of 2022, Atlanta was actually 1 or 2 plays from again being a reality.
A made field goal here in Knoxville.
A stop in overtime there in Baton Rouge.
Just 1 of these 2 would’ve sufficed, as we found out on Saturday night when LSU, which will represent the SEC West in the championship game instead of Alabama, stubbed its toe at Texas A&M. That meant the Tide and Tigers both finished 6-2 in conference play, with the tiebreaker separating them being that 32-31 overtime classic at Tiger Stadium where LSU made 1 more play than Alabama.
That’s ultimately what it came down to. That’s why Alabama, barring a series of events that somehow gets it into a Playoff it probably doesn’t deserve to be in, will be skipping that trip to Atlanta that a generation has grown up enjoying and instead heading to a quality bowl game that doesn’t involve winning or losing a national championship.
That’s the almost but not quite overall takeaway for Alabama in 2022. But, of course, there have been plenty of subplots, too. Probably too many for most who follow Crimson Tide football to take.
So, we’re going to pick out 10 of them. We’re going to select 10 regular-season takeaways to pinpoint and talk briefly about as the Roll Tide roller coaster ride comes to a complete stop and everyone takes a breath, even if every single one of them wishes there was a game to play next Saturday against Georgia.
1. Bryce is still Bryce, despite everything
We had to start this list with Bryce Young, especially after what was most certainly his final regular-season game at Alabama. Last year, everything went perfectly for Young, he threw for almost 5,000 yards, 47 touchdowns and captured the Heisman Trophy. Not the case this year, and that’s why every year is different. This time, Young struggled somewhat (for him, at least) in September while getting used to a new supporting cast, then he sprained his right shoulder on the 1st day of October at Arkansas.
Despite facing all that and then having to follow a rigorous rehab schedule in the aftermath of the injury, Young only missed 1 game the following week against Texas A&M before returning 2 weeks after the injury against Tennessee. Remember, he could’ve taken his sweet time after the injury, thinking about the big picture and his 2023 draft status instead, but that’s not who Bryce Young is. He wanted to come back as quickly as possible because he wanted to win a national title, the only thing he didn’t do in 2021.
That likely won’t happen, but Young still showed he’s a Crimson Tide legend, finishing with just over 3,000 yards passing, 27 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. He also ran for almost 200 yards and 4 scores. In some ways, you could honestly make the argument that his grind-it-out 2022 was more impressive than his glamorous 2021.
2. Just too many flags
There were early signs of the penalties issue, like the 15 flags for an even 100 yards that nearly cost the Crimson Tide the Texas game. Then there were 10 more penalties for 101 yards that could’ve cost them at Arkansas a few weeks later but didn’t.
Finally, though, the floods of flags in big road spots eventually caught up with Bama when it set a school record with 17 penalties for an astounding 130 yards in the “Game of the Year” loss at Tennessee that knocked the Tide from the ranks of the unbeaten. A few weeks later in Baton Rouge, the road penalties problem reared its ugly head again, as Alabama was called for 9 penalties for almost 100 yards in the overtime loss at LSU.
There was definitely a pattern, it wasn’t a good one, and it ultimately helped produce the 2 losses that have likely cost Alabama a shot at a national title. Even on Saturday against Auburn, in an easy win and not a road game this time, the Tide had 11 penalties for 102 yards, so the problem never went away completely.
3. Rough times on the road
Clearly, the problem in 2022 was on the road, both on the scoreboard itself and on the stat sheet with those aforementioned penalties. The Tide almost got clipped in Week 2 at Texas and nearly blew a 28-0 lead in Week 5 at Arkansas when Young got injured.
Then, the struggles on the road finally turned into losses on the road. First, there was the Tennessee game, when Bama couldn’t quite overcome those 17 penalties and 52 points allowed. Then 3 weeks later in Death Valley, it happened again, this time in equally gut-wrenching fashion as the Tide fell by 1 point when LSU went for 2 points after its touchdown in overtime and converted.
And that play, that moment, turned out to be the difference between the Tigers going to Atlanta and the Crimson Tide not going. Yes, Alabama finished its road slate with a nice win against Ole Miss, but the damage in those white road jerseys had been done.
4. Not enough from Jermaine Burton
Jermaine Burton transferred from Georgia to help put Bama over the top, to help the Tide beat his former school. But the Bulldogs went undefeated again in the regular season and are going back to Atlanta, and Bama won’t even be getting a shot at knocking them off this time. You can put some of the blame for that on Burton, who had a fine debut with 2 touchdowns against Utah State, then disappeared for large portions of the season.
Yes, Young’s injury didn’t help Burton’s cause, but the truth is that Burton was struggling to find a rhythm with Young before the injury. Burton didn’t score again until Week 6, and his 1 100-yard game all season came against FCS foe Austin Peay, which was also his only other multi-touchdown game besides the opener.
He finished the regular season with 37 catches for 590 yards and 6 touchdowns. And while those were all better than his 2021 numbers, the eye test told you that he just didn’t make anywhere near the impact that he, Nick Saban, Bill O’Brien or any fan hoped for, and that was 1 of the things that ultimately prevented Bama from getting back to Atlanta.
5. Plenty out of Jahmyr Gibbs
While 1 transfer from the state of Georgia didn’t quite work out, the other one surely did. Appropriately, it was Jahmyr Gibbs, the transfer from Georgia Tech, who scored Alabama’s final touchdown of the regular season, on a 23-yard run with 1:48 left in the victory over Auburn. It left a lasting impression during a season when Gibbs left a dazzling impression, as he became Bama’s most consistent offensive weapon not named Bryce Young.
In what might very well be the junior’s 1 and only year in Tuscaloosa, if he goes pro as many expect, Gibbs did himself well in the annals of Alabama football. He shook off a late-season ankle injury, finishing with 850 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns. Gibbs was dangerous out of the backfield, too, finishing with 42 catches for 378 yards and 3 TDs. He also never fumbled, a stunningly impressive fact considering the number of times the ball was in his hands, both running and catching the ball out of the backfield.
6. Not enough turnovers forced
This won’t take long. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it once more (maybe). The Crimson Tide just didn’t force enough turnovers in 2022, certainly not as many as a defense with that many difference-makers should force. Quick, how many big really, really big plays can you remember out of this defense this season? Only 1 comes to mind here, and that’s Dallas Turner’s fumble return for a touchdown in the 4th quarter of the Tennessee game that gave the Tide a lead the same defensive unit couldn’t hold.
Perhaps if Pete Golding’s unit could have forced a few more turnovers, it would be heading to Atlanta, after all.
7. Milroe gives positive glimpses
When Young went down on Oct. 1 at Arkansas, Jalen Milroe went to work and showed a worried fan base that he just might be the guy in 2023. The freshman from Katy, Texas, was far from perfect and his passing skills were very raw.
But in the leadership department, Milroe showed in the biggest of moments that he was more than capable of coming up with the biggest of plays. Remember that 77-yard run that rescued the Tide from blowing that 28-0 lead in Fayetteville? Every Alabama fan does, and they’ve probably got it permanently among their favorite memories of the 2022 season. It wasn’t easy for a freshman to step in for a Heisman Trophy winner on a moment’s notice, at a program like Alabama that demands perfection, for a coach like Saban who demands perfection and for a fan base that does, too.
But Milroe did it, and then he overcame his own 2 fumbles the following week when he started for Young and helped lead the Tide to a narrow win over Texas A&M. Again, he was far from perfect, but he was resilient, and he served notice for next season.
8. Great to the very end
We’re talking about Will Anderson Jr. here, and we’re assuming what everyone else is, that Saturday was the all-world linebacker’s final game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. If it was and, come on, we know it was, then Anderson not only went out a winner (like Young), he went out with a bang, collecting 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss.
Anderson had his rougher moments, like in the Texas game where he became unglued like seemingly the rest of the team, but he will be making some NFL team very happy next fall and his place in Alabama football lore is locked, sealed and will be celebrated forever. He finished with 10 sacks this season, not quite the 17.5 he had last year, but he still lived in opponents’ backfields, with more than enough quarterback hurries. He also added his 1st and only pick-6 of his stellar career in the Week 3 victory over Louisiana-Monroe.
9. Cameron Latu was never right
Tight end Cameron Latu was named to the Mackey Award Watch List, and when that happens you know the expectations are high. As a junior, Latu set the Alabama record for touchdown catches by a tight end with 8, and as a senior he was supposed to surpass that while acting as Young’s safety valve with so many new weapons on the Crimson Tide offense.
But Latu was behind the 8-ball before the season even began, missing part of fall camp and the season-opener with a knee injury. He returned in Week 2 at Texas, had his moments but was never quite the same. Because of that, the offense clearly suffered, as Young had problems developing a rhythm with some of his new weapons, namely Burton.
Latu finished with 25 catches — 1 less than last year — and 323 yards — far less than the 410 he had in 2021. And in the stat that really hurt, Latu managed just 3 touchdowns, a steep decline from those 8 he caught last season. He wasn’t the same player, and you have to think that knee injury way back in August was the root cause. It certainly didn’t help Latu’s cause, and it certainly didn’t help Alabama’s offense throughout the season.
10. Atlanta and the CFP aren’t guaranteed
It has to be said, especially for the young Crimson Tide fans who have grown up in the Saban Era, with SEC championships and national championships galore.
Just look at the 2022 season. As Saban said after the Auburn victory as he tried to prop up his team’s very slim chances at making the Playoff, the Crimson Tide lost 2 road SEC games by a combined 4 points to 2 teams that were ranked in the top 10 at the time. That’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it also tells you how much everything has to fall into place every season for Alabama just to make it to Atlanta.
Clearly, this year everything did not fall into place. Bama was a few plays shy, here and there, in Knoxville and in Baton Rouge, from being where it usually is right now. Saban has been at Alabama for 16 seasons now and he’s won 6 national titles, so this year will (likely) join the other 9 when the Tide did not win it all.
It doesn’t mean a demanding fan base has to like everything that happened this fall. If they did, they wouldn’t be true Alabama fans. But they must accept it, because you can’t win the national championship every year, and you can’t even make it to Atlanta every year.
And right about now is where that cold reality really hits home.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
