{"id":15628,"date":"2018-08-16T09:00:55","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=15628"},"modified":"2018-08-16T13:14:01","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T17:14:01","slug":"state-alabama-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2018\/08\/16\/state-alabama-football\/","title":{"rendered":"The State of Alabama Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

The State of Alabama Football<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After what in reality was only months that seemed like years, the 2018 College Football season is here. It\u2019s an amazing time of the year and although the coolness isn\u2019t in the air here in Alabama just yet, the feeling of another championship for the Crimson Tide cannot help but infest the hearts of those who wear the Crimson and White every single day. So, what is it going to take for Nick Saban<\/strong> and his herd of pachyderms to put a second straight and sixth since the modern dynasty began in 2009 College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy in the Mal Moore Athletic Complex<\/strong>? Today, we preview exactly that as we examine the state of Alabama football.<\/p>\n

Hurt(s) Feelings<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Does anyone remember Blake Barnett<\/a><\/strong>? Seriously? For those that do, great job! For everyone else, he is the Quarterback that Nick Saban chose to start in the 2016 season opener against USC. Yes, that was his name. Everyone knows who took his starting job and never looked back though. That man is\u00a0Jalen Hurts<\/a><\/strong>. Hurts came in and did a phenomenal job for Saban. He put up staggering numbers as a Freshman throwing for 2,780 yards, 23 TDs. He also rushed for 954 yards and added 13 more TDs. His Sophomore season wasn\u2019t too shabby either, but it didn\u2019t match his rookie season. He did, however, learn how to protect the ball better. After throwing nine interceptions in 2016, he only threw one in 2017 and improved his passer rating from 139.1 to 150.7.<\/p>\n

Why all the stats? He didn\u2019t win the National Championship! It’s important to remember who got the Tide to Tampa and again to Atlanta, that\u2019s why. Did Tua\u00a0Tagovailoa<\/strong><\/a> come in and provide a spark for Alabama against Georgia? Absolutely he did, and he deserves all of the credit in the world, but to just dump on Hurts is something that sounds like it\u2019s coming straight out of Knoxville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

In all actuality, Hurts has a logical complaint about the situation in T-Town right now. This has been his team, but he needs to also understand that no one except Tagovailos can take it away from him. Coach Saban and his excellent staff are not going to change their ways of coaching in order to suit a personal desire to have someone else play. It is about winning championships!<\/p>\n

Running Backs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the past several years, Alabama has been at the pinnacle of college football when it comes to running backs. With those great running backs have come National Championships:<\/p>\n