Alabama Football Got Back to Its Standard with Its Back Against the Wall

The Crimson Tide played up to its potential against the Rebels, showing what it could be capable of this season.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — All Alabama fans can sleep peacefully tonight.

The 13th-ranked Crimson Tide has looked all out of sorts since Week 1's dominant victory over Middle Tennessee. Alabama melted in the fourth quarter against Texas two weeks ago. And last week? I think most fans would prefer to remove that contest completely from their brain.

On Saturday, the Crimson Tide was at a crossroads. With performances like the last two, Alabama's reputation in the sport of college football would have been in question. In fact, it already was.

Amidst all of the trolling from Lane Kiffin and the sphere of college football over the past week, the Crimson Tide went back to work on the practice field and decided to take its future into its own hands.

It showed on Saturday. Like, it really showed. After an odd first half that saw just 13 total points, Alabama (3-1, 1-0 SEC) finally played up to its potential — and it's a powerful potential.

"I thought the team did a fantastic job of that in the second half," head coach Nick Saban said. "I mean, we played hard, guys competed, played really physical, dominated the line of scrimmage, got off the field on third down on defense, kept them off the board. So I was really proud of the way the team played in the second half."

The defense, which gave up 21 fourth-quarter points to the Longhorns in Week 2, was sensational against Kiffin's "unstoppable" offense. That's no knock on Kiffin — the Rebels were and probably still are one of the better offensive teams in the SEC and the country.

But in this game, it was about the Crimson Tide defense. For the second week in a row, Alabama's defensive unit kept the team in the game. And when the Crimson Tide picked it up on offense after halftime, the defense continued.

It could have turned into a points fest. It didn't.

And how about the resilience of quarterback Jalen Milroe? His two interceptions were the difference in Alabama's loss to Texas. He didn't play a single snap against USF last week. Many thought Pete Golding would have all of the answers, knowing his strengths and weaknesses.

Instead, Milroe was great down the stretch, completing 17 of 21 pass attempts. Other than the one poor interception, Milroe was protective of the football.

In Tuscaloosa, it's all about the standard. After talking the talk but not walking the walk for most of the early season, the Crimson Tide showed resemblances of old Saban teams.

A blocked punt, five sacks, an interception — running back Jam Miller got thrown out for targeting on a kickoff return. The tenacity and physicality that won Alabama six national championships in the last 14 years returned on Saturday.

"We played with a very big edge," linebacker Chris Braswell said. "A lot of people were doubting us. So we just went out there and played 'Bama football, played to the standard. [...] We wanted to be more physical than them, we wanted to dominate them, make them quit."

So what's next for the Crimson Tide?

Alabama still has an opportunity to run the table and execute all of its yearly goals. Back-to-back road games against Mississippi State and Texas A&M are next. With the way the Crimson Tide played in the final 30 minutes against Ole Miss, those games probably shouldn't be too concerning.

But, as Saban always preaches, Alabama must avoid complacency after a strong performance. After the two road trips, the Crimson Tide will be at home for an unusually long time — three straight home games and a bye week in between.

"We just treat it like every other week. Next week, we're going to have the same confidence, the same mentality," linebacker Dallas Turner said. "It's going to be like that from here on out."

"We know that we'll go out there and play for each other and play hard," cornerback Terrion Arnold said. "We just gotta go back to the drawing board and keep working."

Alabama probably only has two ranked opponents remaining — Tennessee and LSU. Both of those tilts come at Bryant-Denny Stadium, where the Rebels had little success.

There's obviously still a long way to go, but if Saturday was any indication, the Crimson Tide is absolutely trending in the right direction.

See Also:

One Day Lane Kiffin Will Learn Not to Poke the Bear

No. 13 Alabama Downs No. 15 Ole Miss, 24-10

Alabama Starting Linebacker Ruled Day-to-Day with Ankle Injury