November hasn’t always been the friendliest month for Alabama football in the Nick Saban era.
The Crimson Tide lost to LSU and Auburn in November of 2010 and fell to LSU again in November 2011. The 11th month of 2012 witnessed the arrival of Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M’s upset win in Tuscaloosa, and then there was the devastating “Kick Six” loss at Auburn in 2013.
Alabama rallied for wins over LSU and Auburn last November and survived Mississippi State after building a 19-0 lead, but this year’s Crimson Tide simply have decimated foes in the stretch run.
“We put a big emphasis on trying to finish the year better,” Saban said this week in a news conference. “We made some adjustments in how we prepare and how we try to keep our players fresh, and we’ve also tried some things to psychologically keep them where they need to be to have the best opportunity to finish.
“I also think internally from inside out that the players themselves have affected each other in a positive way to try to finish the season the way they want, and that’s probably the most important thing.”
Alabama began this month with a 30-16 thumping of No. 2 LSU and followed that with a 31-6 whipping of No. 20 Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide feasted on Charleston Southern 56-6 last Saturday and hopes to follow that by polishing off rival Auburn this weekend at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Not since its 1978 national championship team has Alabama swept the November schedule with victories by 14 points or more.
“This team is way more focused than we were in 2013 when we were heading down there and even last year at this point,” senior cornerback Cyrus Jones told reporters this week. “I think it’s a much more tight-knit locker room. Everybody has the same goals, and there are no big egos on the team.
“Everybody is just focused on trying to complete our mission, which is to be in the national championship and win it at the end of the year. I think we’re doing a good job so far, but obviously the job is not done yet.”
For a second straight season, Alabama has the opportunity to win the SEC West after an early loss to Ole Miss. This year’s setback against the Rebels occurred in Tuscaloosa, when the Tide suffered five turnovers.
“I think the maturity of the team and the lessons learned from the experience they had in that game probably helped them fix some of the things that needed fixing and to go out there and execute with some consistency,” Saban said. “It’s important to pay attention to detail and to do the little things correctly, and I think that’s why we’ve improved as a team. Sometimes the best time to teach, and I hate to say this, is when things don’t go well.
“Don’t ask me why, but people tend to respond better when things don’t go well. That game taught this team a lot in terms of what we needed to do.”
Hardware possibilities
There will be no shortage of Crimson Tide representatives at the 25th annual Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 10, which will be held for the first time in Atlanta at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Junior tailback Derrick Henry is a finalist for both the Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s top player regardless of position, and the Doak Walker Award for running backs. Senior linebacker Reggie Ragland is a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, while junior defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson is a finalist for the Outland Trophy.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.