Nick Saban has Alabama rolling with 119-year-old mark in its sights

The Crimson Tide could do something this year not seen in two centuries

ATLANTA -- By the time the time some Alabama walk-on named Derrick Gore crossed the goal line and a kicker named Andy Pappanastos nailed the extra point, complacency was as worn out as Florida.

At least for another week at Alabama.

The message had been drilled into the Crimson Tide as much as they drilled the Gators, 54-16 in the SEC Championship Game.

"Complacency," Nick Saban said the day before, "is a blatant disregard for doing things correctly."

That begins to explain Saban's seventh SEC title (five of them at Alabama) and victory No. 25 in a row. It is the reason Alabama scored four different ways (special teams, defense, run, pass) with six different players crossing the goal line, including that walk-on.

It's why Florida's hope of a monumental upset was sent packing about the time an Alabama third-quarter, goal-line stand was followed by a 98-yard scoring drive.

"I think that was the turning point in the game," Saban admitted.

Bo Scarbrough's two-yard run made it 40-16. Whew!

Frankly, there weren't many turning points in a season that included only two games being decided by less than 18 points. Sure, the SEC was down this year. Florida was the best of a mediocre bunch in the SEC East, but Alabama is good at making everyone look mediocre.

Meanwhile, the Tide were a football metronome.

"When we play like that, Saban has a lot to do with it," linebacker Tim Williams said. "We mirror our coach. He's just that fearless general. There's two types of coaches: the players' coach and that fearless general.

"He just gives us the power just to overcome fear."

Fear? If Alabama gets through these next two games, it would be the first major-college team to go 15-0 since Penn in 1897. That was more than a century before The Process.

"What kind of team would beat us?" receiver Gehrig Dieter wondered. "I have no clue."

If Alabama fulfills its destiny, it would also be the first program to win back-to-back titles twice. That's where the complacency angle comes in. It's human nature to let down. Saban still remembers the 2010 team that had the audacity to go 10-3 after a national championship season.

Since then, his teams have won three of the next five championships, four in seven years.

Saban is two wins away from tying Bear Bryant for the most national titles by one coach, six.

"I guess it's not human nature then if we haven't [lost]," massive left tackle Cam Robinson said.

"We hear [complacency] a lot. That's something we'll never let happen. Something we pride ourselves on is staying hungry."

What riles up the Tide sometimes is when they hear the message from the outside. Saban went on a mini-rant Monday when it was suggested his team could lose this game and still make the playoff.

"Who says that? What person said that?" defensive lineman Ryan Anderson sneered. "Is that person in a band, did he play trombone or flute? No competitor or athlete would ever say that.

"I don't want to lose to my little cousin at Pokemon. Nothing ... It's never OK to lose, never ... You can't ever be comfortable."

Just in case you missed the overall point: Complacency sucks. It's the special coach and special team that make it something more than a cliché.

The season started with Alabama vs. the FBS field. That field is now narrowed to two in the College Football Playoff. It really doesn't matter who's up next.

"He was different," Williams said of his coach. "He really wanted to win that championship. He doesn't want that concept of, 'We lose this and we're going to make it.' Nah, man."

In this thrill of victory, Saban pumped his fist. Smiled, even.

"Other than a national championship," he said, "there's nothing better."

It's hard to nitpick another Alabama trouncing but here goes ....

If the special teams don't block a punt for a touchdown, if defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick run back another Pick Six, if the defense add that goal line stand and Scarbrough didn't come off the bench for 91 yards and two scores, the Tide just might have been in trouble.

Yeah, I'm giggling too.

"We had to persevere, overcome some hard times," linebacker Reuben Foster said.

This is what qualifies as a nailbiter at Alabama: Florida actually put a couple of drives together on a defense that hadn't given up a touchdown in seven weeks. The Gators scored two touchdowns. That hadn't been done against Alabama since Oct. 8.

In the same game, Alabama both rushed for one yard in the first quarter and held Florida to no yards for the game ... on 30 carries. Foster was the fitting MVP with 11 tackles, two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.

The 54 points was the third-most in this granddaddy of conference title games. Thirty-eight points was the second-highest victory margin.

"This is the best 85 that they've probably traveled with to the SEC championship," Florida coach Jim McElwain said. "That's a real ball squad."

A relentless football boot camp never looked so glorious. Alabama did it without two starters in the secondary (Eddie Jackson and Marlon Humphrey). They did without unsung linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton, who went out with what looked like a nasty leg injury.

They did it with a true freshman quarterback. Jalen Hurts spoke for the first time to the media . Everyone is available to the press as mandated by the SEC at the championship game.

Hurts accounted for himself well which in Saban terms means he didn't give away any secrets -- or the ball. The quarterback quietly passed for 138 yards with no turnovers.

"He's the first guy Saban trusts to be in that role to lead us," Williams said. "He's a freshman, he grew up. He's amazing."

Even Verne Lundquist weighed in from the booth during his last SEC game on CBS, "Nice job, Lane Kiffin."

That needs to be stated too. That this might be the last game for Alabama's offensive coordinator. Kiffin's future became a postgame talking point. Sources confirmed for CBS Sports Kiffin will interview Sunday at Houston. There is mutual interest on both sides.

Would Kiffin stay for the playoff if he gets the job? Does it matter?

"Does it help that we have a great defense?" Kiffin said of his quarterback, "that we play great special teams, really good players around him? Yes it does."

Four weeks from now when Alabama plays somebody in a national semifinal, that's not likely to change.