TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama was a quarter away from its College Football Playoff hopes being all but certainly terminated.
No three-loss team has ever made the 12-team field, and the Crimson Tide trailed Texas A&M 20-17 entering the final period. UA was also in danger of losing three consecutive games for the first time since 2007 — former Alabama head coach Nick Saban's first year at the helm.
The Crimson Tide had multiple players keep the game close on both sides of the ball, but there's no doubt that Alabama wide receiver Rico Scott earned the MVP award. Scott came into Saturday with a collegiate career-high of 56 yards. The junior left Saban Field putting 156 yards and six receptions on the Aggies, as the Tide ended up winning 31-20.
"It was huge," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said of Scott's performance during the postgame press conference. "Rico came up in a big way, just coming off last week, he had a couple of plays I knew he would've liked to have. And he's developing those expectations for himself above and beyond. Keelon (Russell) has a lot of confidence in him, and him and Lottie (Brooks) made some big plays for us tonight."
Scott wasn't automatically a starting receiver during the offseason. He didn't see too many offensive snaps last season, but after starters Germie Bernard (NFL Draft) and Isaiah Horton (transferred to Texas A&M and played on Saturday) moved on from Alabama, spots were open. He had to compete with numerous receivers, including Derek Meadows and Cederian Morgan, for that spot.
He won the third starting receiver job alongside Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks. However, Coleman-Williams, UA's leading pass-catcher and one of three captains, has missed the past two games due to an injury. Alabama needed someone to step up, and Scott has been the answer.
"[Coleman-Williams] was telling me and Lottie that the receivers are going to be a big part of this game and moving forward," Scott said. "I mean, we feel like that every week, but especially now that he's down, [Zabien Brown] was down, he just emphasized stepping up in your role."
Nevertheless, stepping up on the stat sheet on Saturday is only a part of the job. Alabama's in unfamiliar territory as one of the current win-or-go-home programs. Leadership is required every day to embrace that and to not be afraid of that narrative.
"I'm trying to be more vocal," Scott said. "Last week, I would say we came out flat. During the meat of the game, we weren't emphasizing all of us having the same mindset. So anytime we step on the field, we're looking to move the chains and score.
"We can't come out flat and kind of stay there. You've got to get over humps, whether that's bad plays, penalties or interceptions, you've just got to play the next play...I learned early on when I got here, we hate losing more than we love winning."
DeBoer was "disappointed" in the run game on Saturday after a second consecutive lackluster performance. Alabama's defense wasn't perfect either, but Fatutoa Henry, the backup Bandit defensive end, played an integral role in Texas A&M only scoring three points in the second half and none in the fourth quarter.
Henry only saw time in five games last season as a JUCO transfer and mostly played on the special teams unit. His role wasn't expected to grow too much following the addition of the aforementioned USC transfer Devan Thompkins, but he made a name for himself on Saturday, logging two sacks.
"I'm really proud of him," DeBoer said. "He had an injury earlier in the week and wasn't sure what the production would be for us on Saturday. I couldn't be more proud of guys like him, in the way that they just continue to push forward, and he did that exact thing in the latter part of the week.
"Getting himself ready, knowing that we really needed him out there with just some guys that are still out, and kind of coming back with the edge position in particular."
Linebacker Caleb Woodson and safety Bray Hubbard — two of the best players on the entire roster — were thrilled with Henry's performance, as it seems he was due for it.
"He works his butt off, so just seeing that come to fruition for him is great," Woodson said.
"He's been making plays and he's gotten his opportunity," Hubbard said. "Each game he's played, he's just kept stacking plays and keeps making plays. I'm proud of that guy. He works his tail off and it showed."
Alabama moves to 6-2 (4-2 SEC) on the season. Getting a victory like Saturday really helps the morale heading into the bye week, but two of the biggest stars being unexpected ones makes the win even more of a statement.
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