Is Alabama finally back? - AL.com

In life, Nick Saban said earlier in the week, people get what they deserve.

Everyone was confused by that statement. What did it mean?

Was it some kind of reaction to Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M? Eye for an eye? Was Alabama’s coach going Leviticus on his team behind closed doors? Had Alabama’s coach been binge watching Squid Game on Netflix, or just breaking down too much bloody film of his defense?

“Does this look like a game of Red Light, Green Light to you, Peter?”

Cold but fair.

If it was Alabama’s defense that had Saban’s attention all week, then maybe it’s time for Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding to deserve another raise … or at least be granted another stay of execution until the next game.

In life, you get what you deserve, right?

Unless you’re Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers, of course. Rogers did not deserve this beat down even if Mississippi State had it coming.

Alabama’s 49-9 bounce-back victory on Saturday night in Starkville was a nod to the old way … and by old way we mean Old Testament defense played the way Saban preached it from the beginning of known time. Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. had four sacks, which drew comparisons to Derrick Thomas. Defensive back Jordan Battle intercepted Rogers in the first quarter at the Mississippi State 40-yard line, and then plowed through Rogers at the Mississippi State goal line for a pick-six touchdown.

RELATED: Saban not going to “throw anyone under the bus” for timeout, play change

Rogers, for his effort, was slammed something awful into that special type of pristine field turf they can only grow at Mississippi State, and the quarterback hurt his throwing arm in the fall. They take pride in their grass in Stark Vegas, and Rogers ate it all night.

In total, he was sacked seven times. To his credit, he kept getting up. On one sequence in the first quarter, after Rogers’ arm was hanging limp like a string of catfish out of the Tennessee-Tombigbee, the damaged quarterback was hooked by Brian Branch for a hard sack on one play and then double-teamed by linebacker Christian Harris and defensive lineman Byron Young two plays later.

The defense never relented one week after never really showing up at Texas A&M. Alabama finished with three interceptions, and on the last takeaway, another by Battle, the animated defensive back from South Florida sprinted 60 yards down the field after being tackled and danced on State’s rare grass.

“I was really pleased,” Saban said of his defense, and the coach noted that Alabama did it all without rushing five players the entire game.

The plan, Saban said, was to shrink the field in the red zone against the pass-happy offense of Mississippi State coach Mike Leach.

“If they can run the ball, you’re a little more apprehensive to do that,” Saban said.

Sacks included, Mississippi State had 19 rushing attempts for a grand total of minus-one yard.

Everything gets confusing and weird when Alabama loses a game, and so the days following Alabama’s 41-38 loss to Texas A&M included philosophy and psychology, blaming and shaming, promises and re-dedications. Reality check time. Here’s a list of “elite” Top 5-ranked teams that have lost so far this season: No.3 Ohio State, No.3 Oregon, No.1 Alabama and now, on Saturday, No.2 Iowa to unranked Purdue. This is the year of the Biblical upset, so stock your fallout shelters accordingly.

How’s this for philosophy? Sometimes in college football, a loss is more valuable than 10 wins.

RELATED: What Nick Saban said after Alabama’s win over Mississippi State

Two weeks ago, Mississippi State walked into Texas A&M and knocked off the Aggies. One week ago, Alabama strutted into Aggieland as the No.1 team in the country, but lost to the last place in the SEC West. In the aftermath, Saban announced that Alabama was no longer elite.

Maybe not, but this team is still one of the best in the country, and the Crimson Tide is back on course to win the SEC West.

It’s like old times again, and even Tennessee has been raised from the dead ... for good or ill. After a week of so many overreactions, is Alabama finally back? At least, the standings tell me, until the Iron Bowl.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr. His first book, “We Want Bama: A season of hope and the making of Nick Saban’s ‘ultimate team’”, will be released on Nov.9.

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