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Your Top 5 most "Unacceptable" losses with Saban at Alabama
Posted on 8/23/21 at 10:40 pm
Posted on 8/23/21 at 10:40 pm
Fortunately, Alabama fans are in the position of looking back over a decade and can critique individual losses, instead of just saying "too many losses to count".
With that, let's list our Top 5 most "unacceptable" losses.
With that, I mean games that we had no business losing, whether it was just to an inferior team, poor game management/coaching, poor execution, whatever.
With that, here are mine:
1. 2013 Auburn. Bama was the better team, but just couldn't get out of it's own way. But, this game had it all. Bad execution, poor coaching decisions, and not to mention a few bad calls that weren't made.
2. 2016 Clemson. Had the game in hand most of the way, then just let it slip away. Even scoring too quickly cost us in the end. Even as good as Deshawn Watson was late in the game, we should not have lost the game.
3. 2010 Auburn. Overall Auburn had a pretty good team, so losing to them wasn't egregious. It's just how Alabama lost and how many missed opportunities were wasted. Obviously the weird Ingram fumble, Trent dropping a pass in the endzone, etc.
4. 2011 LSU. Most certainly LSU was a top quality team and largely destroyed every other team they played that year, but Alabama just should not have lost that home game. Once again, the kicking game let the Tide down, but also the offense decisions were just too timid all night.
5. 2007 Louisiana Monroe. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, but to have lost this game was idiotic. Almost like Saban was saying, "Screw it".
With that, let's list our Top 5 most "unacceptable" losses.
With that, I mean games that we had no business losing, whether it was just to an inferior team, poor game management/coaching, poor execution, whatever.
With that, here are mine:
1. 2013 Auburn. Bama was the better team, but just couldn't get out of it's own way. But, this game had it all. Bad execution, poor coaching decisions, and not to mention a few bad calls that weren't made.
2. 2016 Clemson. Had the game in hand most of the way, then just let it slip away. Even scoring too quickly cost us in the end. Even as good as Deshawn Watson was late in the game, we should not have lost the game.
3. 2010 Auburn. Overall Auburn had a pretty good team, so losing to them wasn't egregious. It's just how Alabama lost and how many missed opportunities were wasted. Obviously the weird Ingram fumble, Trent dropping a pass in the endzone, etc.
4. 2011 LSU. Most certainly LSU was a top quality team and largely destroyed every other team they played that year, but Alabama just should not have lost that home game. Once again, the kicking game let the Tide down, but also the offense decisions were just too timid all night.
5. 2007 Louisiana Monroe. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, but to have lost this game was idiotic. Almost like Saban was saying, "Screw it".
15
Posted on 8/23/21 at 10:42 pm to East Coast Band
I would add CFP Ohio State 2014. We pissed that game away.
Posted on 8/23/21 at 11:07 pm to CrimsonBoz
National Championship game against Clemson 2018-19. Never seen a Saban Alabama team more demoralized and submissive than that one. Even Coach Saban seemed disinterested after the first quarter.
2010 game against Awbarn; how did we lose that one?
2010 game against Awbarn; how did we lose that one?
Posted on 8/24/21 at 12:31 am to East Coast Band
Ohio State. If Kiffin would have just kept feeding Henry once up 21-6 we win that game by 10 or more points
Posted on 8/24/21 at 2:04 am to East Coast Band
Losing to Bo Nix.
Posted on 8/24/21 at 8:00 am to BlackPawnMartyr
2013 auburn. I still believe that this Nick team was 17 points better than anyone in the country.
2010 auburn-
2014 OSU
2016 Clemson-
2011 LSU.
2010 auburn-
2014 OSU
2016 Clemson-
2011 LSU.
Posted on 8/24/21 at 8:28 am to East Coast Band
1. 2013 Auburn - Controlled the game for the majority and had the ball 2 times deep in Auburn territory in the 4th quarter with the chance to go up 10 points. Came away with 0 points.
2. 2018-2019 Clemson - Worst prepared Saban coached team since he got here, and on the biggest stage. It's not so much that we lost, but the way we lost.
3. 2010 South Carolina - Spurrier is a great coach that had Garcia ready to play, but no reason we should have lost that game.
Those are really the only 3 unacceptable ones. 2011 LSU I don't really pin on Saban. Just one of those games where better execution here or there flips it the other way. 2010 Auburn comes to mind, but that one was kind of the same thing. The Ingram fumble that hugged the sideline for 20 yards, and Trent Richardson dropping the sure TD catch aren't on Saban, and those were 2 huge momentum swings. I don't really count the 2007 season either.
2. 2018-2019 Clemson - Worst prepared Saban coached team since he got here, and on the biggest stage. It's not so much that we lost, but the way we lost.
3. 2010 South Carolina - Spurrier is a great coach that had Garcia ready to play, but no reason we should have lost that game.
Those are really the only 3 unacceptable ones. 2011 LSU I don't really pin on Saban. Just one of those games where better execution here or there flips it the other way. 2010 Auburn comes to mind, but that one was kind of the same thing. The Ingram fumble that hugged the sideline for 20 yards, and Trent Richardson dropping the sure TD catch aren't on Saban, and those were 2 huge momentum swings. I don't really count the 2007 season either.
Posted on 8/24/21 at 8:36 am to East Coast Band
Games that I left thinking we gave the game away for a long period of it or multiple opportunities to win/put the game away and we didn't.
2011 LSU
2013 Auburn
2014 Ohio State
2015 Ole Miss
2016 Clemson
Those were mostly all really good teams, so we didn't derp around for more than 3-4 possessions (Ole Miss 2015 excluded), but we derped around enough to give the other team the chance to gain their footing and then we couldn't slow it down.
2011 LSU
2013 Auburn
2014 Ohio State
2015 Ole Miss
2016 Clemson
Those were mostly all really good teams, so we didn't derp around for more than 3-4 possessions (Ole Miss 2015 excluded), but we derped around enough to give the other team the chance to gain their footing and then we couldn't slow it down.
This post was edited on 8/24/21 at 8:37 am
Posted on 8/24/21 at 9:19 am to East Coast Band
2010 Auburn game. I agree Auburn had a great team that year and went on to win the NC and Heisman, but we controlled that game and IMO poor coaching decisions cost us in the second half of that game which allowed AU to go on and win the NC.
2008(2009) Sugar Bowl Utah game. We were not focused or prepared and that was all on the coaching staff.
2013(2014)Sugar Bowl to OU. Another game we were not focused or prepared for.
2014(2015) Sugar Bowl to OSU. Had no answer to stop them and penalties hurt us as well IIRC.(self inflicted) Kiffin should have slowed the game down and put the ball in Henry's hands.
2012 aTm allowing Manziel and exposing our D. Luckily we went on to win the NC and Saban adapted to handle the spread.
Honorable Mention would be 2010 USC. I know we were dealing with injuries but that team was like a deer in headlights during the first quarter.
Other games people have mentioned.
2016(2017) NC game I believe the game would have definitely gone our way if Bo Scarbrough did not get hurt. The momentum in that game completely changed when he went down.
2011 to LSU the game was just a mess and since we came back and played like we were capable of to win NC against them does not bother me as much.
2013 to AU I know many will disagree but I think the decision to kick the FG was a good choice. The 2nd half they looked like the better team and I do not think going into overtime we would have won.
Any game in 2007 I see as a wash and not concerned with those.
2008(2009) Sugar Bowl Utah game. We were not focused or prepared and that was all on the coaching staff.
2013(2014)Sugar Bowl to OU. Another game we were not focused or prepared for.
2014(2015) Sugar Bowl to OSU. Had no answer to stop them and penalties hurt us as well IIRC.(self inflicted) Kiffin should have slowed the game down and put the ball in Henry's hands.
2012 aTm allowing Manziel and exposing our D. Luckily we went on to win the NC and Saban adapted to handle the spread.
Honorable Mention would be 2010 USC. I know we were dealing with injuries but that team was like a deer in headlights during the first quarter.
Other games people have mentioned.
2016(2017) NC game I believe the game would have definitely gone our way if Bo Scarbrough did not get hurt. The momentum in that game completely changed when he went down.
2011 to LSU the game was just a mess and since we came back and played like we were capable of to win NC against them does not bother me as much.
2013 to AU I know many will disagree but I think the decision to kick the FG was a good choice. The 2nd half they looked like the better team and I do not think going into overtime we would have won.
Any game in 2007 I see as a wash and not concerned with those.
Posted on 8/24/21 at 9:35 am to TideWarrior
1. 2018 NC vs Clemson- only time a Saban Bama team was destroyed in a game of consequence. Still hard to believe that happened.
2. 2010 vs Auburn- massive second half choke job
3. 2016 NC vs Clemson- was strange seeing a Saban defense not rise to the occasion at the end with the game on the line, regardless of circumstances.
2. 2010 vs Auburn- massive second half choke job
3. 2016 NC vs Clemson- was strange seeing a Saban defense not rise to the occasion at the end with the game on the line, regardless of circumstances.
This post was edited on 8/24/21 at 9:37 am
Posted on 8/24/21 at 10:54 am to TideWarrior
quote:
2013 to AU I know many will disagree but I think the decision to kick the FG was a good choice.
It wasn't the last second of the game decision to kick the FG was the poor coaching decision, it was the decision to NOT kick the FG up 7, 5 minutes to play, for a 30 yd FG. Saban got greedy and wanted to milk more clock, but it backfired.
Posted on 8/24/21 at 11:15 am to East Coast Band
quote:
... it was the decision to NOT kick the FG up 7, 5 minutes to play, for a 30 yd FG. Saban got greedy and wanted to milk more clock, but it backfired.
I'm not so sure it was wanting to milk the clock; I think he'd lost all confidence in Cade Foster at that point (and probably rightfully so). I think the only way we would've kicked a field goal on that drive is if we were facing fourth down at about the five-yard line right smack-dab in the middle of the field (essentially an extra point).
Posted on 8/24/21 at 11:23 am to East Coast Band
quote:
2007 Louisiana Monroe
Interesting choice.
quote:
Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise,
Definitely. It was the turning point.
quote:
but to have lost this game was idiotic.
On paper, sure.
quote:
Almost like Saban was saying, "Screw it".
Lol. Are you serious? Saban was mad as hell about it. It was more like Shula's players says "screw it."
This post was edited on 8/24/21 at 11:24 am
Posted on 8/24/21 at 11:35 am to Sauron
quote:
I think the only way we would've kicked a field goal on that drive is if we were facing fourth down at about the five-yard line right smack-dab in the middle of the field
IIRC, the ball was closer to the right hash mark, making it a more difficult kick.
But mind you, we still tried another FG attempt in that game AFTER this decision. From further away. (No, not the very last attempt)
Posted on 8/24/21 at 2:31 pm to East Coast Band
quote:
5. 2007 Louisiana Monroe. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, but to have lost this game was idiotic. Almost like Saban was saying, "Screw it".
I agree that is one was a blessing in disguise. I think this game proved to the team that they had to buy into the process or they'd continue losing to the likes of Louisiana Monroe. While I think that Saban hated losing this game, I'm positive that he used it turn a huge negative into a huge positive and to turn around the attitude and commitment of the program. So I wouldn't classify this one as "unacceptable", embarrassing yes, but not unacceptable seeing how things turned out.
Posted on 8/24/21 at 3:12 pm to East Coast Band
quote:
But mind you, we still tried another FG attempt in that game AFTER this decision. From further away. (No, not the very last attempt)
Is that the one he made, but it got wiped away by a lame penalty, then he missed the re-try? I have forgotten the sequence of events of that comedy of errors and refuse to go back and watch it.
Posted on 8/24/21 at 3:45 pm to The Spleen
quote:
Is that the one he made, but it got wiped away by a lame penalty, then he missed the re-try?
No, that was the 33 yard attempt missed halfway thru the 3rd quarter.
However, the one late in the game was pushed back 10 yards on a holding call on 3rd down. FG attempt would have been 34, but pushed back to 44 yard attempt. Also, the penalty was on a big gain play that got wiped out.
Posted on 8/24/21 at 5:37 pm to East Coast Band
2019 Auburn was so frustrating: so many stupid mistakes. I can handle getting our arse handed to us by Clemson; they were a better team that year, but that Auburn game was brutal to watch. We had a million and one chances to win that game and pissed over each and every one of them.
2013 never really got to me that bad for whatever reason (probably because of 2010 and the fact that we were coming off two consecutive championships) and it especially never got to me considering that game meant absolutely nothing in the long-term
Other than that... 2010 Auburn was the most soul-crushing and 2008 Florida was probably the most disappointing loss.
2013 never really got to me that bad for whatever reason (probably because of 2010 and the fact that we were coming off two consecutive championships) and it especially never got to me considering that game meant absolutely nothing in the long-term
Other than that... 2010 Auburn was the most soul-crushing and 2008 Florida was probably the most disappointing loss.
Posted on 8/24/21 at 6:09 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
2011 LSU
Interesting that this is listed so often. 2011 LSU is the greatest team ever to not with the title imo. Undefeated SEC Champs. Beat the national champ on the road. Beat the Rose Bowl Champs at a neutral site. Beat the Orange Bowl Champs on the road. Obviously no one saw the option with JJ coming in the first Bama game. Bama proved to be better on 1/9, but to list this as an “Unacceptable loss” really shows a lot of arrogance.
This post was edited on 8/24/21 at 6:15 pm
Posted on 8/24/21 at 6:15 pm to JJ27
quote:
Unacceptable loss” really shows a lot of arrogance and pomp.
Why? Alabama missed four FGs.
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