Well, this is a moment for which little man will one day laugh at me.
Thanks to Coach Nick Saban for showing me some graciousness as I was forced to pull dad duty during his press conference tonight.
Breaking News: Tua Tagovailoa is out for the season with a dislocated hip with a posterior wall fracture, a person with knowledge of the situation tells me.
Raw and powerful words from Jalen Hurts:
"After the national championship game I'm in the hotel room with my family, and I'm in mom and dad's arms crying asking, 'What are we going to do now?'
"My dad looked at me and said, 'We're going to fight.'"
The SEC West since 2010
2010: Aub won natty
2011: Ala won natty/LSU runner-up
2012: Ala won natty
2013: Aub runner-up
2014: Ala beat in semis
2015: Ala won natty
2016: Ala runner-up
2017: Ala won natty
2018: Ala runner-up
2019: LSU won natty
SEC West don't play, son.
It’s with sadness and heartbreak that I relay the news that Cecil Hurt passed today. Please pray for Cecil’s family and friends and the many who loved him dearly. I love and miss you, friend.
I’ve reported on a lot of things, but nothing touches the reaction people are having to this Tua news. 1. It speaks to how talented he is. 2. It shows how much people genuinely like him. Just a very sad for college football.
Take a bow, Florida crowd.
That's the loudest football game I've ever attended. And I've been to LSU and Auburn when those places were rocking. Nothing comes close to the noise I heard today.
The "kid" wanted to play this week. He advocated for it. He was given the opportunity to not play. He and his family wanted to play because they felt he was well enough to play. Stop blaming and just be concerned about the "kid." You don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Brian Robinson on his toughness: "I literally put my heart into this, this university, that team, that locker room. I don't ever whant to let my brothers down. I don't ever want to let my coaches down. I don't ever want to let this university down."
A quick way to identify people telling on themselves. It’s OK to be upset that FSU didn’t get into CFP. But pay attention to people, especially media, who focus their ire on Alabama/SEC but are silent on Texas. They’re OK with one 1-loss P5 champion passing FSU, just not Ala.
I covered every second of the Nick Saban era at Alabama. I documented a historical run. Legendary became normal. And it’s with zero hyperbole that I confidently proclaim he’s the best to ever do it.
He made everything look so easy.
He made every throw.
He made Alabama an offensive juggernaut.
He made you forget how fleeting it all can be.
Tua Tagovailoa had his season stripped from him in the cruelest of ways. On today’s injury.
I miss this show. At times it was pure absurdity, like when they did Final Verdict. But it was also pure joy. In other words, it was purely college football.
I’m proud as hell to be a native Alabamian. My state has the beauty of Mentone and Smith Lake and Orange Beach, and, dammit, there are so many kind, loving and beautiful people here. If people who’ve never been here choose to pick at low-hanging fruit, so be it. I love Alabama.
Someone has gotten the phone number to the press box and keeps calling. One said he was Luke Fickell and Alabama was dumb to run slants against the Cincy secondary. The other caller called Nick Saban some not nice names.
Najee Harris, before interviews began today, said he didn't want any Tua questions because the injury bothered him that much.
The two became great friends during the recruiting process.
I know some have joked about it before tonight and I know he’s loaded at WR with and has an offensive line that excels at pass blocking, but can we talk about Mac Jones for Heisman?
He’s 23 of 31 for 410 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT against a legit great defense.
If you think “Alabama fatigue” isn’t real, just casually scroll through college football Twitter tonight and see just how much people are discussing the team that is currently ranked 12th.
I don’t know that this team will get into the CFP. But here’s what I know. This has been the most enjoyable season I’ve been around Alabama because no one had any expectations of them, but they just kept winning and every win was a little unexpected and more and more exciting.
Lost in all this…
Jimbo Fisher said he’s never been a cheater.
Nick Saban didn’t call him a cheater.
As far as I’m aware, no one has said another school is cheating, just that they’re using NIL differently.
Tua Tagvailoa leaves the field on a cart to the locker room. Gotta feel that maybe the last time we see him in that
#13
jersey inside this stadium. What a damn collegiate career.
This was my 16th consecutive Iron Bowl. I will remember it for the weirdness of the game and for how Auburn honored my friend. Just filed my story, and I’ll tweet it as soon as it’s posted. But I know Cecil would’ve done it better. Really wish I could read him after this one.
Can we talk for a minute about how a coaching staff that makes millions of dollars designed a fake field goal that had the kicker as the lead blocker and not one of them in game planning said, 'You know what? Maybe we should try something else."
I’ll leave y’all with this for tonight.
As Nick Saban said, fans are entitled to criticize, to want perfection, to be unhappy when things don’t go well. But I hope your criticisms don’t prevent at least some joy watching Will Anderson and Bryce Young on a second-ranked team.
I’m just going to say it. People from outside the South, your southern accent sucks. Don’t feel bad, it’s a tough accent to master. Even Reese Witherspoon, who’s from the South, can’t do one. So save yourself the embarrassment and stop it.
I'm on record that both players deserved the Heisman Trophy this season. But maybe, just maybe, it's time to move the voting to after the season. That allows voters to get to see every game played.
[Ducks]
Re-watching the game and did anyone else find it unnecessary that Gary just continued to hammer Tank Bigsby for not getting out of bounds? We get it. It was a big play. But the guy was trying to make a play for his team. Mentioning once or twice was enough.
It’s OK to not like Nick Saban. Plenty don’t. But to call him a dirt bag and say he has no value to society? He’s built 17 homes through Habitat For Humanity. He gives away hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities through his foundation.
This will eventually die down, but.....
The thing I'll never forget is that Jimbo Fisher, while sitting in front of the official Texas A&M logo, said on the record in a hastily-called press conference for the world to hear that someone should slap Nick Saban.
Really enjoyed my visit to Tuscaloosa to sit down with
@Tuaamann
and his parents this week.
SC will have parts of it all week and we’ll have a nice feature on Tua Saturday on
@CollegeGameDay
.
A reminder of a fact that always blows my mind.
Nick Saban has not won the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award while he’s been at Alabama. He won it at LSU in 2003.
Dabo Swinney’s won it 3 times.
*Saban is a finalist this year
How dumb has the Heisman Trophy become? The broadcasters are asking if Mac Jones needs to pad his stats to keep pace in the Heisman, in a game in which his team leads 31-3.
I mean, what are we doing?
Many have said it and damn near every one of us has thought it, but I really want to read Ceci's column right now. No one -- no disrespect intended to anyone -- but no one will come close to what Cecil would've penned.
So if we’re to believe Urban Meyer’s statement, at best, he knew about the domestic violence in 2015, reported it to his superior and then proceeded to keep on his staff the alleged perpetrator.
To say I'm shocked that this Alabama team is playing for another national championship would be an understatement. But it speaks to three things.
1. Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting
2. Coaching staff never gave up on this team
3. Enough of the guys finally bought in
I've been told that Jaylen Waddle has been cleared, but that it'll be a decision Waddle makes in terms of how comfortable he feels as to whether or not he plays against Ohio State.
Alabama QB Mac Jones on new strength & conditioning staff: "Every single lift we do, there's a reason we're doing it. And they make it very clear to why we're doing that lift. And I feel like that just boosts morale, and we don't feel like we're just going through the motions."