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Kyler Murray is the kind of quarterback who could beat Alabama (and alter his own future)
By Michael Weinreb | Last updated 12/27/18
All the way back in November 2012, a dynamic quarterback changed the course of history in the Southeastern Conference by leading a nearly two-touchdown underdog to an utterly absurd victory over an undefeated Alabama team. That win, led by an ephemeral miracle-worker named Johnny Football, helped usher the spread-offense revolution into a league that had stubbornly clung to the notion that defense alone wins championships.
More than six years later, we may have reached yet another turning point, both for a generational talent at quarterback and for an Alabama program that somehow seems to keep gathering momentum under Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide are two-touchdown favorites over Oklahoma in a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup that feels as lopsided as that Alabama-Texas A&M game once did.
I imagine there?s good reason for this; I imagine that it will be difficult for the Sooners to keep pace with an Alabama team that can both stop teams and score points at prolific (and perhaps even historic) levels. But there is a wild card here, and that wild card?s name is Kyler Murray. He has an opportunity to once again upend everything we think we know about what Alabama is ? and could, at the same time, alter his own personal career path.
Of the eight games Alabama has lost since 2012 ? starting with that 29-24 upset by Manziel and Texas A&M ? the opponent has scored over 30 points in five of them and over 40 points in three of them. (As a whole, the Alabama defense never allowed more than 18 points per game in any of those seasons.) In most of those contests, the Tide faced a charismatic and fearless quarterback who, through a combination of running and throwing, managed to catch Alabama?s defense off guard. That?s what it?s taken to defeat the Crimson Tide over the course of the Saban era: being predictably unpredictable. You have to shake up the norm. (You can?t, in other words, play like LSU.)
It?s quite reasonable to imagine that a dynamic and mobile quarterback like Murray could post those kinds of numbers, given that Oklahoma has averaged 49.5 points per game this season. The great complication, of course, is that this Alabama team is not like those other Alabama teams in one colossal way, and his name is Tua Tagovailoa. Presuming Tagovailoa is healthy, Oklahoma may have to figure a way to outscore the Crimson Tide. In previous years, that was a difficult, but not impossible, task. This year, it feels as if Alabama ? having upgraded from a generic to a brand-name quarterback ? is capable of besting you no matter what you do. The Tide can win a defensive struggle, and they can win a shootout.
But let?s say Murray somehow accomplishes the feat. Let?s say he finds a way to skirt around this Alabama defense for four quarters, and let?s say his own defense does just enough in the end. Could he really abandon football and embrace a baseball career with a victory like that on his resume (especially considering he could potentially make more money in the NFL)? You embarrass Alabama?s defense, and you?ve essentially proved that you can make it work in the NFL. And Murray, despite his lack of height, already feels like a potential franchise quarterback. This would only seal the deal.
Maybe none of that happens if Alabama smothers Murray and blows out Oklahoma. Maybe the status quo remains, and the Saban dynasty again proves it has readjusted to that offensive revolution and carries on for another decade. But this feels like yet another watershed moment ? another opportunity for an Alabama rival to upend the status quo. I don?t know if the Sooners can shake up the norm, but at the very least they?ve got the kind of quarterback who can make it happen.
Michael Weinreb has written about sports and pop culture for The New York Times, GQ, ESPN, Grantland, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, The Ringer, and many others. He is the author of four books, including Season of Saturdays: A History of College Football in 14 Games. Find him on Twitter @michaelweinreb.
Kyler Murray is the kind of quarterback who could beat Alabama (and alter his own future)
By Michael Weinreb | Last updated 12/27/18
All the way back in November 2012, a dynamic quarterback changed the course of history in the Southeastern Conference by leading a nearly two-touchdown underdog to an utterly absurd victory over an undefeated Alabama team. That win, led by an ephemeral miracle-worker named Johnny Football, helped usher the spread-offense revolution into a league that had stubbornly clung to the notion that defense alone wins championships.
More than six years later, we may have reached yet another turning point, both for a generational talent at quarterback and for an Alabama program that somehow seems to keep gathering momentum under Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide are two-touchdown favorites over Oklahoma in a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup that feels as lopsided as that Alabama-Texas A&M game once did.
I imagine there?s good reason for this; I imagine that it will be difficult for the Sooners to keep pace with an Alabama team that can both stop teams and score points at prolific (and perhaps even historic) levels. But there is a wild card here, and that wild card?s name is Kyler Murray. He has an opportunity to once again upend everything we think we know about what Alabama is ? and could, at the same time, alter his own personal career path.
Of the eight games Alabama has lost since 2012 ? starting with that 29-24 upset by Manziel and Texas A&M ? the opponent has scored over 30 points in five of them and over 40 points in three of them. (As a whole, the Alabama defense never allowed more than 18 points per game in any of those seasons.) In most of those contests, the Tide faced a charismatic and fearless quarterback who, through a combination of running and throwing, managed to catch Alabama?s defense off guard. That?s what it?s taken to defeat the Crimson Tide over the course of the Saban era: being predictably unpredictable. You have to shake up the norm. (You can?t, in other words, play like LSU.)
It?s quite reasonable to imagine that a dynamic and mobile quarterback like Murray could post those kinds of numbers, given that Oklahoma has averaged 49.5 points per game this season. The great complication, of course, is that this Alabama team is not like those other Alabama teams in one colossal way, and his name is Tua Tagovailoa. Presuming Tagovailoa is healthy, Oklahoma may have to figure a way to outscore the Crimson Tide. In previous years, that was a difficult, but not impossible, task. This year, it feels as if Alabama ? having upgraded from a generic to a brand-name quarterback ? is capable of besting you no matter what you do. The Tide can win a defensive struggle, and they can win a shootout.
But let?s say Murray somehow accomplishes the feat. Let?s say he finds a way to skirt around this Alabama defense for four quarters, and let?s say his own defense does just enough in the end. Could he really abandon football and embrace a baseball career with a victory like that on his resume (especially considering he could potentially make more money in the NFL)? You embarrass Alabama?s defense, and you?ve essentially proved that you can make it work in the NFL. And Murray, despite his lack of height, already feels like a potential franchise quarterback. This would only seal the deal.
Maybe none of that happens if Alabama smothers Murray and blows out Oklahoma. Maybe the status quo remains, and the Saban dynasty again proves it has readjusted to that offensive revolution and carries on for another decade. But this feels like yet another watershed moment ? another opportunity for an Alabama rival to upend the status quo. I don?t know if the Sooners can shake up the norm, but at the very least they?ve got the kind of quarterback who can make it happen.
Michael Weinreb has written about sports and pop culture for The New York Times, GQ, ESPN, Grantland, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, The Ringer, and many others. He is the author of four books, including Season of Saturdays: A History of College Football in 14 Games. Find him on Twitter @michaelweinreb.
