Alabama Football: The Importance of Fighting to the Finish

For some the memory still lingers

It was four years ago under the lights of the Georgia Dome when Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators chomped Alabama’s title hopes. Then it was just last season when the Tigers of LSU topped the Tide under an Alabama night sky.

The two aforementioned teams each found themselves at the same fork in the road. The 2008 team went in one direction and the 2011 unit went in the other. One team ended the season in disappointment and another ended with a trophy.

Now, after Johnny Manziel and the Texas A&M Aggies topped the Tide,Alabama finds themselves at the same spot once again.

“The only thing that we can gain from the past is lessons learned, for all of us, in terms of what we can do better, what we need to do better and what everybody has to make a commitment to in terms of trying to do better and accomplish something significant” Alabama head coach Nick Saban remarked in his opening statement Monday afternoon.

Yes, there is a roadblock in the way to Miami and the Tide wont be able to get there by themselves. In fact they are going to need a little help from teams Alabama fans often pay no attention to. But, regardless of where the season ends, right now is about where the season is:

A Saturday morning meeting with Western Carolina.

It is not a marquee matchup by any means, but is the next one in line.  Win this game and move onto next week against Auburn. Win against Auburn and move on to the SEC title game. Win there and who knows what could happen.

“If we finish off the rest of the games, hopefully, we’ll have a chance to play in a national title game” junior running back Eddie Lacy said.

“But for right now, it is one game at a time.”

Alabama can not control what happens with the other teams; however they can control what they do. If they play to their standards, at least they will have a chance to get back part of what they lost.