In a season filled with gaudy stats and eye-popping matches, Alabama midfielder Bryce Young finally had the so-called “Heisman moment” last Saturday at the Iron Bowl. Follow seven points on the way at Auburn with 1:35 left in regulation, he took over with the ball back into his goal line and coaxed a foul 97 yards down the field for 12 innings, culminating in a lob over shoulder length 28 meters picturesque. come Ja’Corey Brooks in the end region.
Four times later, Young hit John Metchie III in the chest converted successfully 2 points to open the way for the comeback and keep hopes of making it to Alabama’s College Football Qualifiers. Later, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said that Young was someone the players trusted, praising his mental toughness.
“He has a lot to say about himself,” said Saban, a tall comment from someone who grew up in a coal mining town in West Virginia.
But something was lost in the post-game celebration and rush to crown Young as this year’s Heisman Trophy winner: setting.
Young didn’t win anything on Saturday night other than a football game. In a Heisman race this close, what he did was give himself a chance and put himself on the stage with favorite odds of -200.
TOUCHDOWN BAMA
TIE BALLGAME pic.twitter.com/j4hJI4KfSG
– CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 28, 2021
But to get the job done and take home the prize, he has to tackle the best defense in recent memory and beat the 1st place team. Georgia win the championship SEC Championship on Saturday.
To understand what that epic mission is like, consider driving back at Auburn. Lost in 12 plays and who are those 97 yards Not on the field. Jameson Williams, Alabama’s lead, wearing street clothes after being pushed out for goal in the first half; Brian Robinson Jr., Alabama’s top racer, was sidelined with a lower body injury he sustained midway through the fourth round; and two of those who led the attack of Alabama, center Darrian Dalcourt and handle it right Damion George Jr., was substituted at halftime. Even more obscure is what happened before that drive; Alabama only managed 2 yards in the first half and the offensive line skipped seven bags – the most they have surrendered since the 2014 Sugar Bowl.
Young not only leads the offense, he to be violation. Everything fell on his shoulders at Jordan-Hare Stadium, as the culmination of events that had built up throughout the season.
It wasn’t just seven sacks allowed against Auburn. Attack has become mediocre since they lost 10 tackles to Miami in their opening game of the season. It has allowed for 30.9% of pass attempts to be pressurized, and Alabama fast runners have scored zero or negative yards on 26.0% of attempts. For comparison, those numbers were 25.6% and 18.2% respectively last season.
Robinson has been a valuable back-to-back feature who has been more than a roadblock for him, but he’s just one of two running back scholarships available with Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams out, and he began to show signs of wear and tear. In his first six games, Robinson averaged 5.42 yards per shot and avoided 17.2% of tackles. In the six games since, he’s dropped 4.45 yards per take and 10.7% evasive tackles. He is currently dealing with a lower body injury that threatens his availability against Georgia.
While Williams seems unlikely to be knocked out again this season on goal, his second-half miss against Auburn has crystallized just how dependent the past game is on him. Gone are the days of DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy and Jaylen Waddle scary second. Metchie is a man with a solid ball possession, but he doesn’t have the kind of top speed that makes fear safe. Slade Bolden, receiver number 3, averaging only two catches per game.
Preseason All-SEC closes tight Jahleel Billingsley supposedly the type of player offensive dispatcher Bill O’Brien could move around and create mismatches, but he was unreliable – either because he was stuck on the sidelines, or because he was pulled after a 14.8% drop in the number of passes that went in his direction.
Until Brooks encountered Auburn, not a single young manipulator had come up with a clear advance.
“Williams is the one making the difference for them,” said an SEC assistant who has faced Alabama. “Without him, I don’t think there’s anyone like they’ve had in the past.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart praised Alabama’s receivers, but he said “what really puts them on top” is Young, who he calls “athletes, players, pitchers amazing decision.”
Across 12 games, Young completed 68.9% of his passes for 3,901 yards, 40 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He was also in a hurry for two points.
“The thing that he doesn’t get enough credit for is when the play breaks down, his skill set to serve, causes people to miss and he sets up the rushes,” Smart said. “He’s like a point guard, like an elite point guard who can distribute the ball.
“When he dribbles down the pitch, he has the ability to throw it over there,” he said, pointing to the left, “throw it over there,” his right gesture, “and then there he can make you slip.”
Cleverly noted Young’s patience and his composure to keep his eyes down and allow the plays to develop.
“He makes those people even better,” he said. “Because that place might have [receivers] so somewhere, they might not have a distributor to get the ball for them, and he did a great job. “
Another SEC aide said that if there’s one thing Alabama has in its favor, it’s a “really good QB who’s undisturbed.”
“If Bama wins, it will be because of QB,” he said.
For the first time in 92 games, Alabama entered Saturday’s game against Georgia as an underdog.
But if there’s good news for Tide, it’s this: The last time they were out of favor in a game, against Georgia in 2015, they picked up 28 points.
If Young can replicate such results, against a defense that hasn’t picked up 17 points in a single game all season, it’s hard to imagine him not beating Heisman. Only one of the other five top contenders, according to BetMGM odds, will compete on Saturday, and Pitt’NS Kenny Pickett there won’t be the extra attention of a knockout.
In other words, Young’s stage is success or failure.
And Young, for his part, showed no interest.
“For me, any personal compliment or anything like that is an external factor, over which I have no control,” he said. “All I care about and all we care about as a team is this Saturday, the SEC championship. That’s all I think.”
