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Tide Turns in Thriller: Alabama wins College Football Playoff Title over Georgia
Alabama rallies to stun Georgia for CFP title, 26-23 in overtime.
ATLANTA - Alabama's latest national championship under Nick Saban wasn't 12 hours old when he was asked Tuesday morning in a news conference about his quarterback competition moving forward.
Sophomore Jalen Hurts started Monday night's 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia in the College Football Playoff final in Mercedes-Benz Stadium but was pulled after a lackluster first half in which the Crimson Tide trailed 13-0. True freshman Tua Tagovailoa entered at the start of the third quarter and wound up throwing three touchdown passes, including a 41-yarder to fellow freshman DeVonta Smith in overtime to clinch the program's fifth national crown in nine years.
"We have two good quarterbacks on our team, no doubt, and both of them made a great contribution to the success of the team this year," Saban said. "We haven't really made a decision about that, and I don't think it's imperative that we make one right now. We've got two fine young men who really respect each other and have worked hard to help each other all year long, and hopefully we'll be able to continue to do that in the future."
Tagovailoa was still on the high of Monday's 14-of-24, 166-yard performance, admitting, "I got no sleep at all last night."
The Crimson Tide's newest crown may be their most remarkable yet, given they had to replace nine players who were selected in the first three rounds of the 2017 NFL draft, including first-round picks Marlon Humphrey, Jonathan Allen, O.J. Howard and Reuben Foster. There were also significant injuries to starters that left Alabama without right guard Lester Cotton, inside linebackers Shaun Dion Hamilton and Dylan Moses, outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings and safety Hootie Jones against the Bulldogs.
Yet after falling behind 20-7 midway through the third quarter on an 80-yard touchdown pass from Jake Fromm to Mecole Hardman, the Tide closed the title game on a 19-3 run.
"Sometimes you win the game but you don't necessarily beat the other team," Saban said. "I think that we won the game last night because of our resilience, because of our belief in the system, and because of our trust and respect for each other. I think Tua certainly gave us a spark in the second half offensively, and I think that was something that helped us on defense as well, putting some points on the board to give us a chance to win the game."
Alabama completed a four-year run that contains an NCAA-record 53 victories, four consecutive playoff trips and two national championships. This year's title is unique in that the 26-14 loss at Auburn on Nov. 25 denied the Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference, SEC West and coveted state crowns.
The Tide entered this season's playoff seeded fourth, having received the final berth over Big Ten champion Ohio State, so there were more critics to conquer this time around, which may be why Saban put Monday night's moment right at the top of his career accomplishments.
"Why not? What do we work for all year? Why do we put in all this time?" Saban said Tuesday when asked to elaborate from the hours before. "These players run 110s, and they go through summer conditioning. They come to work every day of the season. They put a lot into this. They have goals and aspirations and things that they want to accomplish.
"Basically, I was happy for the players. I was happy for the people in our organization. I was happy for the fans. I was really happy."
Alabama's team returned to adoring fans Tuesday in Tuscaloosa, but several decisions will have to be made in upcoming days by juniors who could forgo their final seasons of eligibility for the NFL draft. Receiver Calvin Ridley, defensive lineman Da'Ron Payne and defensive backs Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Harrison are candidates to leave early, with running backs Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough possibilities as well.
Saban said Tuesday that he already has met with seven players.
"I think I really just want to take it slow and just talk to my family first and just go from there," Payne said Tuesday. "Right now I'm just celebrating with my team, and I'm just happy for the success we had last night."
Saban's fifth national title with the Crimson Tide and his sixth overall was accompanied by an unusual amount of smiling in the hours that followed, and Tuesday morning the 66-year-old sounded nothing like somebody who was ready to walk away.
"I think this probably more than anything rejuvenates you," he said. "I'm constantly trying to stimulate, motivate - whatever you want to call it - the players and the team to get people to rally around and step up when they need to. The payback for me is to see the players respond and do the things they have to do.
"It provides a lot of self-gratification in a positive way to see them respond the way they do."
In the money
Alabama winning the national championship resulted in significant bonus money for Crimson Tide coaches, with defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt earning $234,000 on his way out the door to becoming Tennessee's new head coach. First-year offensive coordinator Brian Daboll earned an extra $216,000, while linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi will receive $171,000.
Saban will get just $100,000 by comparison, with strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran nearly matching that with $96,300.
Tide tidbits
Sophomore inside linebacker Mack Wilson collected a career-high 12 tackles, doubling his previous best of six set a week earlier in the Sugar Bowl. ... This is Alabama's first national championship after losing the Iron Bowl. ... Junior receiver Ridley's fourth-quarter touchdown was his 18th career scoring reception, which moved him into a tie for second in school history with Dennis Homan (1965-67). Amari Cooper compiled 31 TD receptions from 2012 to 2014.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.