Over the past decade, we have tabulated Alabama’s brilliance on a seemingly unending number of occasions. Nick Saban, riding an endless train of success, has made it easy to do.
We’re going to do it again right now, even if it’s a bit differently. On Saturday, Alabama beat Arkansas 49-26 on the road to move to 5-0. The Crimson Tide covered the 17-point spread, doing so for the fourth time in five games this season.
The fact that Alabama is covering the spread at that rate despite consistently facing huge numbers it has is remarkable. The fact that it did so on Saturday despite losing last year’s Heisman winner, Bryce Young, to a shoulder injury brings this to a different level.
Jalen Milroe, the team’s backup QB, came in and struggled momentarily. He then uncorked a 70-plus yard run that shifted the game back in the Tide’s favor. Alabama’s top two wideouts on Saturday were freshmen, while the top running back, the electric Jahmyr Gibbs, was a transfer.
It was imperfect. In fact, the third quarter was a disaster. Alabama totaled negative yardage as Arkansas stormed back into the game. Then the talent took over, and Arkansas could not keep up.
Now, I understand this is normal. We expect Alabama to do Alabama things to avoid losses in games like this, even when the team’s best player is knocked out for the game. At the same point, this shouldn’t be normal. It be normal.
As we await word on what Young’s status will be up for the coming week, we feel comfort in knowing that Alabama still is Alabama. With Georgia struggling against Missouri, the Crimson Tide assumed the role as national championship favorite despite the team’s starting QB entering the week with a bum throwing shoulder.