As the rain began to slowly fall on the field, an echo began chanting inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. It started out quiet, but just like the rain, the chant began to grow. A word used by many who truly don't understand it. A foul word that stings just as hard as a hit, and can pierce the soul worse than any words a coach could say. It is never a word anyone wants to hear, but usually the enemy can't wait to scream it to the heavens.
Leonard Fourntte wasn't greeted with cheers or with praise as he entered the South end zone late Saturday night. There was no praise coming from the people he faced, no smiles on the faces he saw, but rather a chant that sung late into the night. As Fournette walked back to the bench, "Overrated" was chanted by the Alabama faithful as the Crimson Tide walked away with a victory over the LSU Tigers.
Rivalries always bring a little tension to the table. They usually are playful, and in the end never seem to get out of hand, that is not the case in the SEC. Houses divide, friends won't speak, fights occur and tensions rise. Alabama and LSU has risen from a simple game in the SEC West to one of the most anticipated games since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2007.
This game was different however.
On Tuesday night, the College Football playoff committee released the first playoff standings of 2015. Before then, this was a number five versus number seven match up at best. Now, playoff implications were on the line.
Two vs. four. Henry vs. Fournette. The Unstoppable vs. The Empire
Before Alabama, Leonard Fournette had earned the nickname "The Unstoppable." No one would argue that at the time. Fournette had averaged 193 yards a game and 7.9 yards a carry. Three times this season he had single-handily won LSU a game, rushing for over 200 yards. He was a front-runner to join College Football's most selected chapter.
That all changed when he entered Tuscaloosa.
There were no answers for Fournette as he walked away from Derrick Henry after the loss. Alabama's front seven had become Kryptonite for the sophomore from New Orleans. No matter which way he went, the Crimson Tide crashed over him, drowning him in a sea of red.
He walked away defeated, not only in body but in mind.
"I can't do everything by myself, and, you know, forgive and forget," Fournette said, after finishing the day with 31 yards and a touchdown. "The O-line had a bad day, I had a bad day. As a unit, we had a bad day. It just wasn't our game, our day. You can't really put a lot of effort towards everything, put all of the blame on everybody else, not even the coaches. We took it upon ourselves. We just have to get better."
Did Alabama win? Yes.
Did Fournette have a bad day? Yes.
Is he overrated? Certainly not.
Forunette walked away Saturday night to the sound of Alabama cheering "overrated." He didn't get the win, he didn't receive any glory, but he can walk away with a smile knowing one thing: Alabama lost with that cheer.
There a few running backs who have led their team to glory this season, Fournette is the leader in that category. People argue that Derrick Henry has led Alabama to an 8-1 season, Fourentte has done the exact same thing. Without him, the Tigers would stand at 4-4, and completely out of the SEC West contention.
The fact that fans could cheer to man who single-handily has beaten three teams that he is "Overrated" is an overrated insult.
Football doesn't build character, it defines it. It is not how you start, but how you finish.
Lenoard Fournette may have lost the lead in Heisman contention this weekend, but to say he is officially done is far fetched. He still must face three SEC teams who give up on a combined average of 155 yards a game. He can still put up three 200-yard games and renter the Heisman talks. His season is far from over, yet many have written him off.
Everyone has a bad day. Sometimes it is just not a player's day. November 7, 2015 wasn't the day, Fournette. That doesn't make him "overrated," it rather makes him human.
Let's get one thing straight: Leonard Fournette is not overrated, but rather normal. If one thing fans in the SEC can remember, nothing is ever over until the final seconds are off of the board. This isn't a Cinderella story for Fournette, but it is now a comeback tale for the former front-runner.
If the season ended today, Fournette would not join the most historic club in college football. However, for those who say he does not deserve a spot in New York as a finalist, let's look at the numbers at the top three running backs in the Heisman race.
Fournette: 199 carries,1383 YDS, 16 TD
Henry: 218 carries, 1254 YDS, 17 TD
Elliot: 193 CAR, 1244 YDS, 14 TD
McCaffery: 198 CAR, 1207 YDS, 6 TD
Derrick Henry has earned his right to sit in the audience and hear his name called on December 12, but so has Fournette.
To those who believe that Leonard Fourentte is overrated, look at the number. Less carries than, but more yards. While Derrick Henry won the battle, the war is far from over.
Leonard Fourentte was giving it all, and within minutes saw it taken away. Now, the beast must be unleashed as the battle has just begun.
