COLUMN: The Weight Of Great Expectations

*This is an opinion column*

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Crimson Tide sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe was not even a year old when the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners came to Tuscaloosa and narrowly edged out first-year head coach Mike Shula for a 20-13 victory on Sept. 6, 2003.

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For many Tide fans, this was a lifetime ago.

"Shake Ya Tailfeather" by Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee was the top song on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and the holiday rom-com classic "Love Actually" premiered in theaters the day after the Tide's loss to the Sooners and future Heisman Trophy winner Jason White.

I was in the ninth grade at Northside High School, had a full head of hair, and a flip phone that charged 10 cents per text message. That's how long ago this was.

But a few days shy of 20 years later, it would be Alabama's 34-24 loss to No. 11 Texas Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium that represented the earliest loss for a Tide team coached by Nick Saban and the earliest for the program since that September night in 2003.

Sure, the defeat at the hands of Texas wasn't quite as noteworthy as Alabama's 2019 loss to eventual national champs LSU, nor was it as embarrassing for the Tide faithful as the "Kick Six" loss in the 2013 Iron Bowl.

Still, the loss was a strange one in the annals of the illustrious Saban Era — and a loss that many younger Bama fans may not be emotionally equipped to understand following almost two decades of sustained success and dominance.

Indeed, in an era of blowouts, SEC championships, Heisman winners and College Football Playoff appearances, the game Saturday was noted for being the first double-digit home loss for Saban as a college football coach. Never mind that Alabama returned only four starters from last year's narrow win over Texas, compared to the 11 starters returning for the Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian — an offensive savant who repaired his damaged reputation and the Tide offense under Saban as an analyst and coordinator.

To some, the loss even parallels the 1981 season for the Crimson Tide that ultimately prompted Paul "Bear" Bryant to retire at the end of the following season. Bryant said at the time that he felt the 1981 team was a national title contender, only for the Tide to lose to Georgia Tech and tie Southern Miss before Texas, of all programs, defeated Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.

For those losses, Bryant blamed himself and decided it was time to step away. But to anyone actually paying attention, Nick Saban is a different animal and has found unprecedented success in a far more advanced and competitive game than when Bryant coached.

And sure, Saban could very well retire to his newly purchased $17 million home in Florida at the conclusion of the season. But this reporter can't help but think it's a little too early to start discussing who will be his replacement, considering Alabama has yet to even play a Southeastern Conference game.

What's more, the heartbreaking loss on Saturday comes amid a historic quarterback battle for the program, which is also adjusting to new offensive and defensive coordinators.

Despite the Tide's young season, though, scores of fans voiced concerns about everything from Milroe's decision-making to conceding that this should be Saban's last year as the head coach.

For some, one loss to a ranked team with more experience is enough to invalidate Saban's .872 winning percentage, eight SEC titles, and six national championships during his time in Tuscaloosa. Yes, those same fans are likely grateful for what he's accomplished in 17 seasons, but one loss in a prime-time game seems to be too much to bear.

Spoiled much? Hell, my first Crimson Tide football memories were from the tumultuous and regrettable Mike Dubose Era, so it's difficult for me to reckon with the calls for a complete overhaul of one of the most successful football programs in the country.

Indeed, when ESPN cameras cut to a visibly stressed Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees rubbing his forehead as he sat in the booth and talked to Milroe on the phone, a large section of Crimson Tide fandom viewed this scene as a 31-year-old coach in over his head. Rightfully so, some fans argued that the moment projected a lack of confidence and situational awareness for the young coach. The jury is still out on those criticisms of Rees, but it was an impossible moment to ignore, even for this reporter.

Conversely, memes featuring defensive coordinator Kevin Steele — a longtime Saban acolyte — began to circulate online as fans compared his play-calling to that of former Tide defensive coordinator Pete Golding.

Being the quintessential college football CEO, though, it was Saban who weathered the brunt of the blame for the poor play on the field and questionable decision-making by his coordinators in the booth.

Regardless, Saban declined to make excuses for the loss during his postgame press conference but did provide context regarding the offense, which turned the ball over two times and reached the end zone only twice.

Saban explained that the decision was made to stick with Milroe after he launched an impressive 49-yard touchdown strike to Jermaine Burton to give Alabama its first and only lead of the game in the final seconds of the third quarter.

"I did [consider making a change at quarterback] but when he put the drive together to go down the field and score, when we got ahead, I thought that gave him a lot of confidence, but we never, ever discussed it," Saban said Saturday night when asked if he considered making a change at quarterback during the game. "I can't sit here and say the thought doesn't come to mind for any player that's having a difficult time, but he made some good plays at the end of the game and that was good to see."

Milroe's postgame press conference should also give Tide fans hope. Despite having the opportunity to make excuses, blame teammates and hang his head after throwing two costly interceptions, the sophomore signal caller sounded very much like the leader of the offense.

Nevertheless, this didn't stop many from questioning the decision to not give a chance to any of the other quarterbacks on the depth chart.

Issues with the snap for Alabama's offense also did not go unnoticed, with preseason All-SEC second team center Seth McLaughlin having difficulties at times connecting with Milroe in the shotgun formation.

Saban was asked about the impact of bad snaps on the outcome of the game and expressed his surprise at the poor play.

"We haven’t had an issue with that in the past," he said. "We haven’t had an issue with that in practice. Those kinds of things puts you behind the eight-ball on offense.”

Milroe also reflected on his own play instead of placing the blame on any individual player or instance during the game.

“Maybe I need to be louder with the cadence, just communicate to our offensive line better," Milroe told the media during his postgame press conference when asked about the bad snaps. "There’s no one person we can point our fingers at, that was all one mistake.”

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the loss to Texas, not just for the players and coaches, but the scores of fans — patience, humility and perseverance.

With 10 more games on the regular season slate, it's far too early for anyone to write off the season as an utter failure because of one non-conference loss. And in terms of managing expectations, it's also far too early to assume that the loss signals the end of the Saban Era and the dynasty he has built.

Are we on the back end of the dynasty? It's certainly possible considering the 71-year-old Saban has very little, if anything, left to prove. But until the moment that he does step down, would the program and fanbase as a whole not be in a better mental state if there was a little more patience offered for the man who single-handedly transformed Tuscaloosa?

Time will certainly tell and this reporter has no crystal ball to predict what the coming months will bring.

But one early-season loss to a more experienced team does not a failure of a season make.

Ryan Phillips is an award-winning journalist, editor and opinion columnist. He is also the founder and field editor of Tuscaloosa Patch. The opinions expressed in this column are in no way a reflect of our parent company or sponsors. Email news tips to ryan.phillips@patch.com.