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Nick Saban's Tenure in Review: Season #8 - 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide
Posted on 4/22/24 at 1:34 pm
Posted on 4/22/24 at 1:34 pm
As the 2014 season beckoned, College Football was getting something of a facelift. No longer would the Bowl Championship Series decide a national champion. For the first time in the history of major college football it would be a playoff that would determine college football's #1 overall team. The inaugural system would feature two semi-final games and a national championship game.
The Alabama Crimson Tide, too, would be getting something of a facelift on the offensive side of the football. Starting with the 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football team and evolving until the end of Saban's tenure in Tuscaloosa, Alabama would no longer be considered a ground-and-pound, smashmouth type of team. Instead, the Tide would become known for its prolific, record-setting offenses.
2014 Alabama Crimson Tide
Overall Record: 12 wins, 2 losses
SEC Record: 7 wins, 1 loss (1st in SEC West)
AP Poll Finish: #4
Coaches Poll Finish: #4
Offensive Coordinator: Lane Kiffin
Defensive Coordinator: Kirby Smart
Permanent Captains: Landon Collins, Amari Cooper, Jalston Fowler, and Blake Sims
Consensus 1st Team All-Americans: Amari Cooper (WR) and Landon Collins (S)
1st Team All-SEC: Amari Cooper (WR), Arie Kouandjio (G), Jonathan Allen (DE), Reggie Ragland (LB), Trey DePriest (LB), Landon Collins (S), and J.K. Scott (P)
Heisman Trophy: Amari Cooper (FINALIST - #3)
Total Offense: 484.5 YPG (#18)
Total Defense: 328.4 YPG (#12)
Average Talent Ranking on Roster: #1 (Per Rivals)
Schedule
vs. West Virginia (W) 33-23 [Atlanta, GA]
vs. Florida Atlantic (W) 41-0
vs. Southern Miss (W) 52-12
vs. Florida (W) 42-21
@ #11 Ole Miss (L) 17-23
@ Arkansas (W) 14-13
vs. #21 Texas A&M (W) 59-0
@ Tennessee (W) 34-20
@ #14 LSU (W) 20-13 [OT]
vs. #1 Mississippi State (W) 25-20
vs. Western Carolina (W) 48-14 [Homecoming]
vs. #15 Auburn (W) 55-44 [Senior Night]
vs. #14 Missouri (W) 42-13 [SEC Championship Game]
vs. #4 Ohio State (L) 35-42 [2015 Sugar Bowl]
Leading Passer
Blake Sims
252-391 64.5 Pct 3,487 Yds 28 TDs 10 INTs
Leading Rusher
Derrick Henry
172 Att 990 Yds 5.8 Avg 11 TDs
Leading Receiver
Amari Cooper
124 Rec 1,727 Yds 13.9 Avg 16 TDs
The Alabama Crimson Tide, too, would be getting something of a facelift on the offensive side of the football. Starting with the 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football team and evolving until the end of Saban's tenure in Tuscaloosa, Alabama would no longer be considered a ground-and-pound, smashmouth type of team. Instead, the Tide would become known for its prolific, record-setting offenses.
2014 Alabama Crimson Tide
Overall Record: 12 wins, 2 losses
SEC Record: 7 wins, 1 loss (1st in SEC West)
AP Poll Finish: #4
Coaches Poll Finish: #4
Offensive Coordinator: Lane Kiffin
Defensive Coordinator: Kirby Smart
Permanent Captains: Landon Collins, Amari Cooper, Jalston Fowler, and Blake Sims
Consensus 1st Team All-Americans: Amari Cooper (WR) and Landon Collins (S)
1st Team All-SEC: Amari Cooper (WR), Arie Kouandjio (G), Jonathan Allen (DE), Reggie Ragland (LB), Trey DePriest (LB), Landon Collins (S), and J.K. Scott (P)
Heisman Trophy: Amari Cooper (FINALIST - #3)
Total Offense: 484.5 YPG (#18)
Total Defense: 328.4 YPG (#12)
Average Talent Ranking on Roster: #1 (Per Rivals)
Schedule
vs. West Virginia (W) 33-23 [Atlanta, GA]
vs. Florida Atlantic (W) 41-0
vs. Southern Miss (W) 52-12
vs. Florida (W) 42-21
@ #11 Ole Miss (L) 17-23
@ Arkansas (W) 14-13
vs. #21 Texas A&M (W) 59-0
@ Tennessee (W) 34-20
@ #14 LSU (W) 20-13 [OT]
vs. #1 Mississippi State (W) 25-20
vs. Western Carolina (W) 48-14 [Homecoming]
vs. #15 Auburn (W) 55-44 [Senior Night]
vs. #14 Missouri (W) 42-13 [SEC Championship Game]
vs. #4 Ohio State (L) 35-42 [2015 Sugar Bowl]
Leading Passer
Blake Sims
252-391 64.5 Pct 3,487 Yds 28 TDs 10 INTs
Leading Rusher
Derrick Henry
172 Att 990 Yds 5.8 Avg 11 TDs
Leading Receiver
Amari Cooper
124 Rec 1,727 Yds 13.9 Avg 16 TDs
3
Posted on 4/22/24 at 3:17 pm to RollTide1987
This team was the antithesis of the 2013 team for me. I had low expectations after the opener and those expectations seemed vindicated when Alabama lost a winnable game in Ole Miss and struggled to beat Arkansas in back to back weeks.
Then something changed. Saban got on the fan's and media's arse about their negativity about this team and it seemed to inspire the team and staff to come together and put on a run that ended with a loss in the national semifinal to the eventual national champion.
It was a year of philosophical change. Didn't quite have the best QB for what Kiffin wanted to accomplish. The front seven was getting reformed to be smaller on the edge with a bit more interior pass rush but those pieces weren't quite ready for primetime in 2014 though it would set the table for an incredible 3 year run on defense that anchored two national titles.
I loved this team. Blake Sims and Amari Cooper are good people and it was great to seem them achieve what they achieved that season.
Then something changed. Saban got on the fan's and media's arse about their negativity about this team and it seemed to inspire the team and staff to come together and put on a run that ended with a loss in the national semifinal to the eventual national champion.
It was a year of philosophical change. Didn't quite have the best QB for what Kiffin wanted to accomplish. The front seven was getting reformed to be smaller on the edge with a bit more interior pass rush but those pieces weren't quite ready for primetime in 2014 though it would set the table for an incredible 3 year run on defense that anchored two national titles.
I loved this team. Blake Sims and Amari Cooper are good people and it was great to seem them achieve what they achieved that season.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 4:00 pm to RollTide1987
There were a lot of fun games in 2014. The crowdy energy for UF, MSU, and AU was electric. The TAMU game was a fun home beatdown that was akin to the Undertaker popping up after he was seemingly dead. The LSU game was a classic heavyweight slugfest. The SECG was an offensive clinic.
Its a shame that we ran into a buzzsaw OSU team, because I think that we would have beaten Oregon handedly.
I think that this season put everyone on notice that there weren't really going to be anymore "down seasons" for Saban at Bama.
Its a shame that we ran into a buzzsaw OSU team, because I think that we would have beaten Oregon handedly.
I think that this season put everyone on notice that there weren't really going to be anymore "down seasons" for Saban at Bama.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 6:57 pm to Funky Tide 8
quote:
I think that this season put everyone on notice that there weren't really going to be anymore "down seasons" for Saban at Bama.
Yup 2014 was the classic down year scenario for even other great coaches. It is always been hard for coaches to sustain a run for over 5-6 years. Look at the slip Dabo has experienced since his 2015-2020 run.
The fact 2010 was THE down year after it got rolling is a testament to Saban and what will always separate him from other great coaches. Dabo has had 3 straight 2010s after he established himself at Clemson with that 2 titles in 5 years run. Saban's worst year since 2010 was 2019 but it had only 2 regular season losses and it was mostly due to an injury plague that destroyed the roster from what it projected to be heading into Fall camp.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 11:40 pm to Funky Tide 8
quote:
Its a shame that we ran into a buzzsaw OSU team
That Ohio State team wasn't historically great or anything. They had been completely handled at home by 7-6 Virginia Tech and really did not deserve to be in the playoffs to begin with. Bama made every possible mistake in that game.
Posted on 4/23/24 at 9:56 am to CrimsonCrusade
quote:
That Ohio State team wasn't historically great or anything. They had been completely handled at home by 7-6 Virginia Tech and really did not deserve to be in the playoffs to begin with. Bama made every possible mistake in that game.
No, but at that point in the season, they were clicking, and had some serious NFL talent. Coming off of an annihilation of Wisconsin in the B10 championship, they had some juice.
the biggest mistake we made was not giving the ball to Henry 20-25 times.
This post was edited on 4/23/24 at 9:58 am
Posted on 4/23/24 at 10:23 am to CrimsonCrusade
quote:
That Ohio State team wasn't historically great or anything.
In terms of accomplishments? No. But in terms of NFL talent? Absolutely stacked. Multiple future NFL starters all on both sides of the ball
quote:
really did not deserve to be in the playoffs to begin with.
Maybe or maybe not but don’t sound like those Bama haters when it comes to Bama making it in the postseason. They got in and won everything.
Kiffin wasn’t the only one to blame but he messed up with his play calling
Posted on 4/23/24 at 12:56 pm to RollTide1987
Was a fun team that overachieved IMO. Blake Sims is one of my fav QBs ever.
Was frustrating watching a fat Trey Depriest on the field. So fkn slow. And we still would have won the National Title if Kiffin would have kept feeding Henry vs Ohio State
Was frustrating watching a fat Trey Depriest on the field. So fkn slow. And we still would have won the National Title if Kiffin would have kept feeding Henry vs Ohio State
This post was edited on 4/23/24 at 12:57 pm
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