Alabama football 2022 season: 25 moments we won’t forget

Alabama did not win a national championship in 2022, so that makes this season a big disappointment, right?

Given the standard the Crimson Tide have set for themselves and the rest of college football, many would have you believe we’re witnessing the end times in Tuscaloosa.

But if 11 wins signifies the apocalypse, we need to reassess our perspective. Below, we look back at 25 moments from another Alabama football season we will never forget.

Saban vs. Jimbo

These former colleagues shook up the sports world months before the season would even kick off. Speaking in Birmingham to local business leaders, Nick Saban shared some thoughts about name, image and likeness revenue in college football, curiously name-dropping Texas A&M’s 2022 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 1 by 247 Sports, and saying the Aggies “bought every player on their team.” Fisher then unloaded on his former boss and current SEC West rival, even calling the Alabama coach a “narcissist” for what he said about the Aggies’ recruiting practices. “It’s despicable that a reputable head coach can come out and say this when he doesn’t get his way or things don’t go his way,” Fisher said. “We’re done,” he would later say. “He showed you who he is.” They apparently made up, each of them indicating no tension remained during SEC Media Days, but everyone immediately circled A&M’s Oct. 8 visit to Tuscaloosa on their calendars.

Chris Stewart steps up, honors Eli Gold

Alabama announced in August that Eli Gold, the longtime voice of the Crimson Tide, would be sidelined to start the season due to health issues. Chris Stewart, the play-by-play man for Alabama basketball and other sports, took his seat in the booth and even paid special tribute to Gold during Alabama’s first touchdown of the 2022 season. As expected, Stewart slid into the role seamlessly and made his predecessor proud alongside color analyst John Parker Wilson and a rotation of sideline reporters including former players Christian Miller and Mark Ingram. Stewart also filled in as host for Saban’s weekly radio show.

READ: Stewart stepped in forAlabama during wild season: ‘I’m an incredibly blessed man’

Beer in Bryant-Denny

Ahead of the 2022 season, Alabama Athletics announced it would sell beer and wine at select sporting events. A can of beer ran you $8.99 ($9.99 for premium selections). The majority of concession locations sold alcohol, with additional portable stations set up on the 100, 200 and 800-level concourses, with a limit of two alcoholic beverages per transaction (fans had no problem one-handing a couple of tallboys). Sales of beer and wine concluded at the completion of the third quarter. The addition of alcohol sales did not appear to create any major consternation during the Tide’s home games.

READ: The Alabama beer you saw Bryant-Denny Stadium was brewed down the street

War on depth charts

The media may never ask Nick Saban about the depth chart again. He rants about it almost annually, but he made himself perfectly clear following the Tide’s opener after he fielded a few questions regarding starters and rotations six days after the coveted depth charts were distributed. “You guys need to get off the depth chart a little bit,” Saban said in one of his most animated moments of the year. “Aight and forget who started and who didn’t.” Fans want as much information as possible about positional battles, and while the head coach may have staved off a few follow-ups that day, they’ll have that dance again in 2023.

Bryce Young scramble/Will Reichard FG vs. Texas

Similar to the 2021 Iron Bowl, when he could not find a rhythm until about a minute left in the fourth quarter, Bryce Young stepped up when he had to. Honestly, who didn’t think the reigning Heisman winner would come in and win the game with a minute and 30 seconds left in the game? With just 35 ticks left, after leading Alabama down to the Longhorn 37-yard line, Young eluded a blitzing DB and scrambled his way inside the 20 to set up a go-ahead field goal attempt, which Will Reichard banged through the uprights. He proved again and again Alabama always had a chance with him under center. Clutch across the board.

Horns down: ‘Don’t do that s–t!’

As Bama sealed a 20-19 win over the Longhorns, Alabama’s sideline emptied to celebrate on the field. Some players threw the “horns down” gesture to mock the Texas hook ‘em hand signal, and the head coach was not pleased. Cameras caught Nick Saban, jogging out to shake Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s hand, yelling “Don’t do that s–t!” Prior to the game, Saban said he was unaware of the horns down troll and the Big 12 Conference sometimes flagging the gesture as unsportsmanlike conduct.

‘Hateful competitors’

During his weekly radio show, Nick Saban lamented about the lack of intensity his team showed in recent road games, as Alabama barely escaped with a win over Texas in Austin during week two of the 2022 season. “We used to play better on the road than what we played at home,” Saban said, “because we had some hateful competitors on our team and when they played on the road, they were mad at 100,000 people and not the 11 guys they were playing against. And they wanted to prove something to everybody.”

RELATED: 8 ‘hateful competitors’ who helped define Alabama football under Nick Saban

Will Anderson pick-six vs. La-Monroe

One of the most dominant defensive players in Alabama history scored his only touchdown during the third game of his junior season, when just four minutes into the first quarter, Warhawks QB Chandler Rogers’ screen pass got tipped into the air. Anderson quickly gobbled it up and rumbled 25 yards to pay-dirt. “When I was on the field, I was like I was kinda shocked I had it,” Anderson said. “And when I started running, I was even more shocked. And when I stiff armed him…it’s just like shocks just kept coming.” He became the first Alabama linebacker to score a non-special teams touchdown since Anfernee Jennings returned a fumble against The Citadel in 2018.

Bryce Young injures his shoulder at Arkansas

Alabama fans held their breath when Bryce Young went down in the second quarter in Fayetteville, fearing they might have watched the season fade away five games in. The Bama QB began favoring his right shoulder and threw his helmet after a sack by former Crimson Tide linebacker Drew Sanders. Young would miss the remainder of the game and did not play against Texas A&M the next week with the sprained AC joint.

Jalen Milroe’s 77-yard run at Arkansas

The redshirt freshman backup quarterback was unexpectedly thrust into action after Bryce Young’s injury, and Arkansas took advantage. The Hogs erased a 21-point deficit and appeared ready to upset the Tide before Milroe showed out. On 3rd and 15, with his team’s back against the wall, he scrambled for an electrifying 77-yard run to set up a Jase McClellan touchdown and give Bama the shot in the arm they needed to survive. (Jahmyr Gibbs’ two 70-yard touchdown runs didn’t hurt either.)

Terrion Arnold stops Texas A&M

After failing to convert for a first down with 1:42 left in the fourth quarter, the Tide punted to the Aggies who needed a touchdown to win the game. Jimbo Fisher’s team marched all the way down to Alabama’s 2-yard line with three seconds left before Haynes King threw an incomplete pass to receiver Evan Stewart with Terrion Arnold in coverage. The majority of the 100,000 fans inside the stadium exhaled and promptly exited through gridlocked tunnels with midnight just a few ticks away. What most of them didn’t hear at the moment was the Crimson Tide Sports Network’s broadcast, led by play-by-play commentator Chris Stewart’s amazing, if a little stressed, call on the final play. “It is incomplete!” Stewart belted. “Zeroes on the clock! Ball game! No flags! Alabama wins! Let’s get outta here!”

RELATED: ‘Hoo, mercy!’: Chris Stewart’s call on final play of Alabama-Texas A&M is must-hear

Tennessee breaks the streak

OK, not a moment Alabama fans will savor, but one they won’t soon forget. The Vols snapped a 16-game losing streak in the Third Saturday in October rivalry, with an offensive explosion led by quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. Bryce Young came back from his shoulder injury and nearly saved the day in a shootout. But Bama fell short 52-49, as a mushroom loud of cigar smoke filled Neyland Stadium and the goal posts ended up in the Tennessee River.

Bryce escapes the pocket, throws miraculous TD at LSU

Down two points with less than five minutes to go, Bryce Young pulled another rabbit out of the hat on 3rd-and-10 when he escaped pressure in the pocket and saw enough daylight to find a wide-open Ja’Corey Brooks downfield for a go-ahead touchdown Honestly, how does he do it?.

LSU shocks Bama

Another result fans did not exactly enjoy, as Brian Kelly’s Tigers wasted no time in overtime, opting to go for the win with a two-point conversion. After a battle few expected in Baton Rouge, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels finished off the game of his life by finding Mason Taylor in the end zone to take over the SEC West and all but end Bama’s College Football Playoff hopes.

Brian Branch saves the day at Ole Miss

Bama’s outstanding defensive back lined up on Rebel receiver Jonathan Mingo, as Jaxson Dart zipped a pass towards the end zone before Branch swatted it away to end Lane Kiffin’s squad’s last hope at handing Bama their third loss. “Yeah I got a little finger on it,” Branch said. “Hopefully, (if) it would’ve been a better thrown ball and probably could’ve gotten more fingers on it, but I’m just glad he didn’t catch it.”

READ: The anatomy of Alabama’s game-saving play at Ole Miss

Bryce’s Bryant-Denny curtain call

Many figured the Iron Bowl would mark the Alabama quarterback’s final college football game. If so, he made the most of it by hanging 343 passing yards and three touchdowns (and one rushing) on arch-rival Auburn. As the game ended, Young appeared to soak in the atmosphere, with thousands of fans cheering him as he made his final exit. “I’m from California, across the country,” Young said. “Coming to the south, so far away, but as soon as I got here, everyone made it feel like home, and I’m forever grateful for that. The atmosphere, the environment I got to play in is the best environment in college football. I’m just super grateful.” Undefeated against Auburn. Not bad.

It all falls into place… (TCU, USC, Ohio State all lose)

Alabama’s playoff hopes appeared dashed after LSU shocked them in Baton Rouge, but a little chaos helped the Tide back into the conversation. The same day the Tide won their regular season finale, Michigan blew out Ohio State in the fourth quarter, slightly reopening the door. The next week, needing even more help, Bama saw both USC and TCU lose their conference title games, giving them a decent case as one of the four best teams in the country, despite their two losses. Alabama has benefited from similar circumstances in the past, but would it be enough to help them back their way into another championship run?

Saban lobbies for a playoff spot

We saw a new side of Nick Saban when he publicly made Alabama’s case for being one of the four best teams in college football, deserving a spot in the College Football Playoff. He argued his team was playing their best football of the season at the time and that they would likely be favored by oddsmakers if they met head-to-head with the other contenders. “You kinda have to look at how teams are playing at present,” Saban said. “We finished 3-0. We played some pretty good teams. We played Ole Miss on the road when they were No. 9 in the country. But Bryce missed the A&M game, we overcame that and won that game and came back and couldn’t really practice for the next month.” He also pointed out how Alabama lost twice. “So we lost two games on the road to one top-5 team, one top-10 team on the last play of the game,” he said. “But now that (Young’s) healthier and he’s able to practice, I think we’re a different team. I think you should look at the circumstances around a 2-loss team versus a 1-loss team and how are they playing at the end of the season? How are they playing at present? I think our team played well down the stretch.” Saban certainly tried, but would it be enough?

Alabama denied a playoff spot, book Sugar Bowl instead

Saban’s appeal did not work, as the committee sent Ohio State and TCU to the playoff instead (they both lost to Georgia). With a national title off of the table, Alabama would face Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl. Fans feared another “meaningless bowl letdown” they’d seen at the same postseason game against Utah in 2008 and Oklahoma in 2013. And with two of the team’s best players likely skipping any bowl game to prep for the draft, the Tide might look like a totally different team.

Saban signs historic recruiting class

After a two-loss regular season, some sports media talking heads proclaimed the Saban dynasty was dead…again. The national title window had finally closed, and college football was ready to move on from the Tide era. Bet against Nick Saban at your own peril. He had a different plan, like signing one of the best recruiting classes in history — yes, even better than the game’s new king, Georgia. According to the 247Sports composite, Saban’s latest class ranks third all-time. So…maybe…the dynasty isn’t dead after all?

RELATED: Grading Alabama and Auburn football’s 2023 recruiting classes

Bryce Young & Will Anderson opt in for Sugar Bowl

Lo and behold, Bryce Young and Will Anderson opted to play in the Sugar Bowl instead of preserving themselves for the NFL draft. Each projected as a top five pick, they said they wanted to finish the season with their teammates, exciting the fan base heading into what would be the final game of their illustrious careers. “The way you create value for yourself is to play football,” Saban said about their decisions play. “That is the best way you can create value for your future. When you do that against good competition, that creates value for your future.” He continued. “Every time you have an opportunity to compete — if you’re a great competitor and I think these two guys are great competitors — that’s why they wanted to play. They wanted to continue to create value for themselves and be good teammates and help their teammates play well in the game…That makes them a little old fashioned in a lot of ways, but I sort of respect that.”

Nick Saban stretches with the team (Sugar Bowl)

Proving he’s just one of the guys — and, as he often says, “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” — Saban went viral when he took part in his team’s stretching period during practice in New Orleans before the Sugar Bowl. The 71-year-old coach hit the turf to stretch out, reflecting the positive reviews he shared about his team’s approach to the upcoming bowl game.

Sugar Bowl dominance

After falling behind 10-7 in the first quarter it looked like another more sour-than-sweet Sugar Bowl for Bama, but the Tide outscored Kansas State 35-3 in next two periods to seal a dominant and much-needed bowl victory to cap off a rare season when Nick Saban’s team didn’t make a College Football Playoff. Alabama won 45-20 and re-established themselves as one of 2022′s best teams, even if they fell short of everyone’s (including their own) expectations.

Bryce Young’s Sugar Bowl masterpiece

In his final game as Alabama’s starting quarterback — and one few thought he would (or should) even play — Young delivered one of his greatest performances, throwing for 321 yards and five touchdowns (to five different receivers, no less). His NFL future already bright, Young may have upped his stock even further, perhaps all the way to the first overall pick, with an elite passing display that reinforced his legacy as arguably the best to ever wear crimson at the position.

Players declare for NFL

Bryce Young, Will Anderson and Jahmyr Gibbs announced plans to enter the NFL Draft in a press conference shortly after the Sugar Bowl win. As a first-year starter his sophomore season, Young set the program record for single-season passing yardage (4,872) and touchdowns (47) on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. Anderson became the school’s only two-time unanimous All-American, a two-time winner of the Nagurski Trophy and SEC defensive player of the year, and also won the Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award and Lott Trophy in 2022. He started on Alabama’s undefeated national championship team as a freshman in 2020 and was named a permanent team captain after both is sophomore and junior seasons. While he only played one season, Gibbs led the team in receptions with 44 with an average of 10.1 yards a catch as the starting running back. His 151 carries and 926 rushing yards and 6.1-yard average. Tide defensive backs Brian Branch and Eli Ricks also declared for the draft.

David Pollack tells Nick Saban

The ESPN panel discussed Georgia becoming the new Alabama halfway through the Bulldogs’ 65-7 blowout of TCU, when analyst David Pollack, with Nick Saban sitting by his side, said this: “This isn’t really the Cinderella ending and Georgia, we’ve obviously seen in the last couple of seasons, now really, they’ve taken hold of college football.” Much was made about Saban’s expression and body language as soon as the words left Pollack’s mouth, but as is evidenced by signing another outstanding recruiting last, the coach shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

More on Alabama football:

Alabama football then and now: Where the 2012 national championship game stars are today

Nick Saban’s Alabama football gameday polos ranked

Ranking Alabama’s non-championship bowl wins under Nick Saban

10 things Alabama football fans should be thankful for in a ‘disappointing’ season

Alabama football 10 years ago: A wild moment that will never happen again