Alabama Looking to Bring ‘Warrior’ Mentality into Next Week’s National Championship Game

Monday, Nick Saban explained how the 'warrior' label has become the ultimate descriptor for Alabama this season.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Last week No. 1 Alabama referred to itself as “underdogs” heading into its Cotton Bowl against No. 4 Cincinnati. Now, the Crimson Tide is going with a new tagline.

Following Alabama’s College Football Playoff semifinal victory over the Bearcats, running back Brian Robinson Jr. was asked why he felt the Tide could repeat as national champions next week. The fifth-year senior didn’t hesitate in his response.

"We just know how to fight, man," Robinson said following the game. "We know how to fight 'til the end. We know how to come together as a team, as a unit. Man, we're just warriors. We fight until the end with everything we do.”

The word “warrior” has been thrown around Alabama’s program several times this season. It’s how Nick Saban referred to Will Anderson Jr. after the edge rusher recorded seven tackles including two stops for a loss while playing with an injured knee during the Tide’s 31-29 win at Florida. The head coach also used the term to describe safety DeMarcco Hellams while he was playing through an ankle injury in October.

Robinson has fit the warrior label several times himself this season, including the SEC Championship Game where he gritted out 55 yards on 16 carries while coming off a lower-body injury against Auburn the week before.

“I think the warrior mentality just is sort of a great compliment to the kind of competitor somebody is,” Saban explained during a Monday news conference. “I think it speaks to your intangibles, your intensity and ability to sustain and play with great energy and enthusiasm.

“So, it's, to me, the ultimate compliment to a competitor to be a warrior, war daddy, whatever you want to call them. And that's something that we really try to get our players to buy into because it does create tremendous value for them when they compete at that kind of level and with that kind of standard.”

Alabama will need several warriors next week as it heads into its national championship matchup against Georgia on Jan. 10. The Tide saw offensive linemen Emil Ekiyor (shoulder) and Chris Owens (ankle) as well as cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (hip) all pick up knocks during last week’s Cotton Bowl victory over Cincinnati. Monday, Saban was mum on the status of his injured players, stating that he would know more following the team’s first practice later in the day and that he was “hopeful that we'll get some guys back.”

On top of recent injuries, Alabama has also dealt with its fair share of setbacks this season. The Tide lost starting outside linebacker Chris Allen to a season-ending foot injury during the opening game against Miami before watching its once-loaded running back room get picked off as Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams sustained season-ending knee injuries while five-star freshman Camar Wheaton hasn’t been able to play due to a meniscus injury he suffered in the preseason.

The Tide also lost a pair of key starters following its SEC Championship Game victory over Georgia last month as receiver John Metchie III suffered a torn ACL against the Bulldogs while cornerback Josh Jobe had to have surgery on a lingering foot injury following the game.

The multiple injuries have made way for several young players to step into key roles. Freshman Kool-Aid McKinstry has made five starts at cornerback while freshman edge rusher Dallas Turner has taken over Allen’s role at Sam linebacker across from Anderson. On the offensive side of the ball, last week’s Cotton Bowl saw a pair of freshmen step up as receiver Ja’Corey Brooks made his first start in replacement of Metchie while offensive lineman J.C. Latham took over at right guard following Ekiyor’s injury.

Monday, Anderson said he has had no trouble passing along Alabama’s locked-in approach to its next crop of stars.

“I really don't have to do anything,” Anderson said. “The type of team we have, we've never been that type of team to be cocky or anything like that, or we beat them; we're going to do this again. We're very humble. We know the challenges we have.”

Despite beating Georgia 41-24 last month, Alabama heads into next week’s national championship game as a three-point underdog, according to VegasInsider.com.

“Being the underdog is just one of those normal feelings,” Robinson said. Monday. “Sometimes we always feel like the underdog even when we expected to win a game. Just a mindset that our team has, just a mindset that our team lives with, just having that underdog mindset. I feel we'll be motivated. We'll come out with the underdog mentality and be ready to play.”

Underdogs, sure. Warriors, definitely.