If I may break away from an objective viewpoint for just a second, I must say I am glad Alabama was able to beat LSU last night, because I did not want to write a Recap shoving the loss in all of your faces. So, let’s go through and showcase some great performances.
It’s tough to not mention the game’s offensive and defensive MVPs, AJ McCarron and Courtney Upshaw. It was said by analysts on all mediums that the quarterback that performed better in this game would win his team the championship. McCarron definitely got the best of that battle, throwing 34 times for 23 completions and 234 yards. Upshaw was everywhere against the Tigers, with 5 solo tackles and a sack while playing a big part in stopping LSU’s downhill running game and short passing game.
My honorable mentions in this department are Trent Richardson and Kevin Norwood on offense and Jerrell Harris on defense. Richardson is the obvious choice, scoring the only touchdown in the 120+ minutes of football these two teams played against each other. Harris showed the mental discipline that comes with being a senior in this game, defending the speed option perfectly when it was attempted. In some cases, Harris forced Jefferson to pitch to the running back, then got off of a block and assisted on the tackle of the running back.
Norwood gets my nod because he was key in the Crimson Tide’s aerial attack gameplan. Against a defensive secondary as great as LSU’s is, the best bet is to get their corners in a one-on-one situation on the outside, away from the rest of the defense inside the hashmarks. Norwood did exactly that, making timely catches on the sidelines where incomplete passes would have killed the Tide’s passing game completely. For coming up on the big stage by doing exactly what his coaches trained him to do since the Iron Bowl in preparation for this game, Norwood gets my tap on the shoulder as an honorable mention for player of the game.
One more analytical note on the game: you fans can thank the 2010 Iron Bowl for such a dominant defensive performance. If you remember, Alabama shut down the Tigers in the first half of that game, then decided to drop back and become conservative, allowing Auburn to make the shocking comeback. Clearly, Nick Saban, Kirby Smart and the rest of the staff learned from that mistake, keeping the defensive pressure on LSU all night long, making sure that LSU was only able to cross the 50-yard-line on a severely fatigued defense.
All around, this was one of the most dominant national championship games in recent history. One would have to look to Urban Meyer’s Florida teams or even further back to the 1992 thrashing Miami received from Alabama to see something so one-sided. Enjoy No. 14, Crimson Tide faithful.
As much as I hate to say it, this concludes football coverage for the 2012 season from BrettAtBama. Now, all of my football related focus will switch to recruiting.
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