Jan. 2 (UPI) — The 2023-24 campaign was one of the “most amazing seasons in Alabama football history,” coach Nick Saban told reporters after a College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Michigan.
Saban made the comments after the No. 4 Tide lost to No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl Game on Monday in Pasadena, Calif. The Tide held a 29-13 lead with 4:41 remaining before the Wolverines tied the score and won in overtime.
“We just didn’t finish the last 4 minutes of the game like we liked to,” Saban said at his postgame news conference at Rose Bowl Stadium. “We are all very disappointed and the players are disappointed as well.
“But one thing I told them in the locker room after the game was that this was one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history, in terms of where this team came from, what they were able to accomplish and what they were able to do. … I’m really really proud of this group.”
Monday’s game marked the Tide’s eighth semifinal appearance in 10 years. They won four national titles in the College Football Playoff era, which started in 2014.
The Tide (12-2), who haven’t lost more than two games in a season since 2010, lost to the Texas Longhorns in their second game of their 2023-24 campaign. That Sept. 9 setback was the earliest ever in a season for a Saban-led team at Alabama.
Alabama then won their next 10, advancing to the Southeastern Conference title game. There, they upset the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal.
The Tide did not reach the Top 4 of the College Football Playoff rankings until the final week of the season. They ranked No. 8 in the initial rankings, which were released Oct. 31. They kept that spot in the next four revisions.
“I don’t look at it necessarily from winning and losing or you won the championship, you didn’t win the championship,” Saban said of the 2023-24 season. “As a coach, you are always trying to get your team to improve and be the best they can be.
“I think this team probably improved from the South Florida and Texas game early in the season as much as any team I’ve ever coached. That takes a lot of hard work, a lot of people being very committed to doing things they need to do to self assess and improve their game.
“All these players bought in on this team and did it in first-class fashion. That’s why, I think, it is one of the teams I’ll remember most and be the most proud of.”
The Tide averaged 34 points and 401.2 yards per game this season. They totaled just 288 yards and allowed six sacks in Monday’s loss.
“I just wish I could have done more as a coach to help them be successful, help them finish,” Saban said. “All we can do now is learn from the lessons that sometimes failings bring to us.
The No. 1 Wolverines will face the No. 3 Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff finale on Monday at NRG Stadium in Houston. That game will air at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.
Congressional authorization that allowed Alabama to replace SNAP benefits lost to theft or fraud expired on Saturday, meaning the state can no longer process affidavits involving theft unless congress acts.
Under federal legislation, states have been allowed to use federal money to replace residents’ EBT funds lost to card skimming, card cloning and other fraud since Dec. 21, 2022, but the legislation set Dec. 20, 2024 as the end date of the provision.
“Therefore, the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) cannot process affidavits with thefts occurring on or after Saturday, December 21. Alabama DHR will continue to process affidavits of theft for incidents that occurred on or prior to December 20, 2024 from households impacted by EBT card skimming, cloning, and similar fraud,” the agency said Monday.
Scammers have stolen nearly $5 million in recent months from Alabama families who receive food stamps, according to DHR.
In November alone, DHR received nearly 14,000 requests from families seeking reimbursement for funds stolen by scammers.
Reports of theft prior to Dec. 21 have to be submitted to county DHR offices within 30 dates of a resident having discovered the fraud.
Locations and contact information for all 67 county DHR offices are available at dhr.alabama.gov/county-office-contact. The site also has more information on how to report fraud, ways to prevent benefit theft, and other tips.
All reports of skimming, cloning, or similar fraud will require confirmation verifying that all information reported in the request is true and correct, the agency noted.
EBT cardholders may be contacted about their claim, and those who purposefully give false information may be prosecuted, according to DHR.
Michigan will play in one week from today when the Wolverines travel down to Florida to take on Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The maize and blue will take on Bama for the second time in this calendar year and Michigan got the best of the Crimson Tide the first time the two teams played. The Wolverines got past Nick Sabana and Co. to win the Rose Bowl and move to the national title.
But both teams will look extremely different when the two square off in Tampa. Between bowl opt-outs, transfers, and losing so many seniors from the first time the two played — it’s hardly a glimpse of what we saw in January.
But before the game, here are some game notes thanks to M Go Blue.
• This will be the seventh meeting between Michigan and Alabama; series is tied at three wins apiece.
• U-M won the last matchup, a 27-20 victory in overtime in the 2024 CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl.
• Michigan is making its seventh appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
• Kalel Mullings is 52 yards shy of 1,000 this season: rushed 185 times for 948 yards and scored 12 TDs.
• Ernest Hausmann leads U-M with a career-best 82 tackles and 7 TFLs.
• Josaiah Stewart is pacing the defense in TFLs (13) and sacks (8.5).
• Dominic Zvada is the Big Ten’s most accurate kicker with a 94.4 percent conversion rate (17-18 on FGs).
• U-M has compiled a 23-29 record in bowl games, listing 11th in the NCAA in appearances and 17th in victories.
• This will be the 19th time that Michigan faces a Southeastern Conference school in a bowl game.
• The Wolverines have a 9-9 mark against the SEC in bowl games.
• The most recent bowl match-up with the SEC came in the 2023 CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl, a 27-20 overtime victory over Alabama on New Year’s Day.
• Michigan is no stranger to the Southeastern Conference and will face an SEC school for the 41st time in school history.
• The Wolverines have a 26-13-1 all-time record against schools from the SEC.
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BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) – A two-vehicle crash on Alabama 59 near Baldwin County 34 has closed down the road, according to law enforcement.
Authorities said the crash occurred at 8:23 pm.
Law enforcement is on scene investigating and there is no timetable on when it will be reopened.
Copyright 2024 WALA. All rights reserved.
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