The Alabama Crimson Tide made something of a statement on Friday with their comeback win over Oklahoma, and the team apparently had some extra motivation to make that statement.
In an appearance on the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson admitted the negativity about the Crimson Tide in the media helped motivate the team ahead of the Oklahoma game. Alabama’s ugly 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship led some to question whether Alabama should even be in the College Football Playoff, and Simpson took that personally.
“Having the days off [before the game], right — that’s all everybody, ESPN, talked about, [that] Alabama didn’t look good in the SEC championship, they’ve fallen off,” Simpson said, via Mike Rodak of 247 Sports. “The offense the last couple of weeks. The defense can’t stop the run. Just a whole bunch of just talk that we didn’t really appreciate.
“Just the narrative of Alabama isn’t who they are, they don’t have Saban, they don’t have the same juice, they don’t have the same squad as they used to. To me, it honestly just kind of p—ed me off. Because why does everyone bring up the past?”
Standards are high at Alabama, and they have yet to reach the same heights as previous Crimson Tide teams did since Saban retired. Last year’s team did not even make the CFP, and this year’s team also looked vulnerable at times. They lost earlier in the season to the same Oklahoma team that they beat in the first round.
We’ve come a long way since the days of Saban’s “rat poison.” Back then, the concern was that Alabama players would grow complacent due to all the praise they received in the media. Now, like with most teams, the skepticism serves as motivation.
