Alabama quarterback Bryce Younger, entrance proper, runs with the ball in opposition to Utah State defensive lineman Hale Motu’apuaka (8) through the first half of an NCAA faculty soccer sport Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Vasha Hunt, AP
Utah State head coach Blake Anderson will not be one to mince phrases and he didn’t late Saturday night time, following the Aggies’ 55-0 loss to No. 1-ranked Alabama.
Having seen the Crimson Tide up shut and in particular person, Anderson was satisfied — this 12 months’s Alabama workforce is the perfect he’s ever seen.
“That is the perfect workforce I’ve seen in pads in my profession in 30 years of teaching,” Anderson stated, “they usually performed prefer it tonight.”
There isn't a have to rehash how dominant Alabama was. The very fact is that the Crimson Tide merely out-classed the Aggies in each method, not in contrast to what they’ve carried out to many opponents through the Nick Saban period.
“That's the finest group of gamers I’ve ever seen on the sector,” Anderson stated, “They didn’t make lots of errors... Finally we obtained out-athleted. In some areas you may be proper the place you might be purported to be and never make the play. Bodily we obtained outmatched a lot of the night time.”
Alabama could be the perfect workforce Anderson has seen in his profession, however are they the perfect workforce Utah State has performed?
The Aggies have competed in opposition to 70 AP High 25 groups of their historical past and at the moment are 6-64 all time in these video games. Utah State is 0-3 all-time in opposition to the top-ranked workforce in nation, and since 1970, Utah State has performed in opposition to and misplaced to a few eventual nationwide champions — the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1971, the Oklahoma Sooners in 1974, and most lately the Joe-Burrow led LSU Tigers in 2019.
All three of these groups have an argument to being higher than Alabama.
The 1971 Cornhuskers are usually thought of thought of the perfect or second-best workforce of all time and ESPN’s all-time rankings have them at very high.
“Many contemplate the 1971 model of the Cornhuskers the perfect faculty soccer workforce ever, and we are able to’t discover any motive to disagree,” the rankings learn. “The workforce averaged greater than 39 factors a sport on offense, and surrendered solely 8.2 factors a sport.
“Led by kick and punt returner par excellence Johnny Rodgers (who received the 1972 Heisman), the top-ranked Cornhuskers defeated No. 2 Oklahoma 35-31 on Thanksgiving Day, in what some have known as the “Recreation of the Century.” They rounded out their 13-0 season with a 38-6 drubbing of Alabama within the Orange Bowl.”
The 1974 Sooners weren’t too shabby both, although, even when they have been probation and barred by the NCAA from postseason play. Oklahoma averaged a sport-best 43 factors per sport in 1974, and completed 11-0 with 10 victories of a minimum of 14 factors.
“The Sooners dominated faculty soccer in 1973 and 1974, going 21-0-1, so it wasn’t simple to select between the 2 squads,” ESPN writes. “However we give the ‘74 squad the nod as a result of it received its first nationwide title below legendary coach Barry Switzer.
“Led by defensive finish Lee Roy Selmon (the NFL’s No. 1 choose in 1976), Dewey Selmon (an All-American noseguard), linebacker Rod Shoate (AP and UPI Defensive Participant of the Yr) and halfback Joe Washington (AP and UPI Offensive Participant of the Yr), the ground-based Sooners (they averaged 74 rushes a sport, essentially the most in Oklahoma historical past) twice received video games by scores of 63-0, and in addition drubbed Utah State, 72-3.”
Then there are Tigers in 2019, who led by Burrow, have a reasonably good argument to being the perfect workforce within the School Soccer Playoff period.
LSU was essentially the most prolific offensive workforce ever, scoring 726 whole factors, scoring a minimum of 36 factors in 14 of their 15 video games. The Tigers defeated seven High 10 groups on the best way to their championship, and Burrow was fairly merely astounding, throwing for five,671 yards and 60 touchdowns.
After all, this 12 months Alabama has the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Bryce Younger, arguably the perfect defender in all of school soccer in linebacker Will Anderson Jr., and 6 further gamers who rank among the many high 100 within the nation, per ESPN, together with:
- Operating again Jahmyr Gibbs
- Security Jordan Battle
- Linebacker Dallas Turner
- Cornerback Eli Ricks
- Linebacker Henry To’oTo’o
- Offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor Jr.
Throw within the arguably the best faculty soccer coach of all-time in Nick Saban, plus no scarcity of motivation after dropping to Georgia within the 2021 nationwide championship sport, and there's each probability that by the tip of the 12 months, Alabama will likely be one of many best groups of all-time.
To not point out probably the perfect Utah State has ever confronted.
The Aggies’ head coach certain appears to assume Alabama has an opportunity of doing one thing particular a minimum of.
“All people we noticed tonight was as marketed,” Anderson stated. “They (Alabama) have been nearly as good as I believed. That is the perfect workforce I’ve ever seen placed on pads and I count on them to win lots of video games.”