I know this opinion is very unpopular, and I will probably get a good bit of hate for it. I was at the game on Saturday, and I can say as an avid Alabama fan that we have played better than what we did. We can sit around all day and say that the referee's made poor calls, but we don't know for a fact whether or not that would have made a difference in the end score. While I sat in the stands during the first half of the game, I began to ask myself if that is actually our team playing, because they usually look a lot better than that. While the outcome did not turn out how I would have hoped, I was proud of the comeback we were creating in the second half. I firmly believe if we had played to that potential during the first half, then we could have had a really good probability of winning. Overall, here is what I know:
1) Tua was playing with only one good leg.
I am not making excuses with any of this, but all in all for having the stability of only one leg he did not play poorly. Tua was only 20 post-op from ankle surgery. Saban took Tua's opinion on whether on not he should play, and Tua was confident that he could perform well. For the condition that he was under, he played like a champ.
2) Najee Harris had more rushing yards than LSU.
If we are going to look statistically, Harris conquered the field in terms of rushing yards. He plowed through LSU's "Top notch" defense with power and strength. The down side to the statistics are that there were not other impressive drives from any other playing besides Harris.
3) Tua had more passing yards than LSU.
Take this however you will, not only did he have more yardage but he also successfully passed for more touchdowns.
4) We could have played better.
This is the standard rule of thumb that I grew up hearing from my grandfather. No matter the results of the game, these being below par, we can always strive for improvement. As heart breaking as it was for there to be a loss, defense could have prevented a portion of LSU's results.
5) It is not over yet.
While our rankings dropped, there is still 3 regular season games to work towards our redemption. There is always a shot to achieve the end goal: A National Championship win.
I have faith in Alabama's abilities and the leadership supporting the team. I have been a ride of die Alabama fan since I was born, and I will continue powering through and supporting my team. They work hard, and they will continue to work hard. Unfortunately, during the LSU they showed up and played just a little bit better than we did. I will tip my hat to them for one second, and now it is back to business. We are blood thirsty and coming after our redemption story. Lastly, Alabama acted far more classy than many counterparts of LSU. Now, as we shift on to play Mississippi State, we can only hope that we bring our A game. Roll tide!
