There isn’t much Alabama football in the Rose Bowl. Indeed, Nick Saban won his first national title in Tuscaloosa following the 2009 season in a national title game held in the stadium. The Crimson Tide participated in the COVID edition of the game, which was held in Arlington, Texas, during the pandemic-affected 2020 College Football Playoff.
However, the standard Rose Bowl? That dates back to 1945.
In the Granddaddy of Them All, Alabama outside linebacker Dallas Turner acknowledged the Rose Bowl’s famous status on Tuesday, one day before his team’s College Football Playoff semifinal appearance. “My teammates and I have a great opportunity as I grew up watching it.” Simply travel to Los Angeles and enjoy yourself; it’s sure to be enjoyable. Many members of our staff have never even visited the west before, so it’s a novel experience for all of them.
The Saban dynasty began with the 2009 national championship game. The Crimson Tide, powered by players like Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, and Rolando McClain, defeated Texas 37-21 to win the BCS title.
Malachi Moore was impacted by the game when he was younger.
On Tuesday, the senior safety for Alabama stated, “I do remember watching that game.” When Mark Ingram scored and kind of raised his gloves in that manner, I kind of noticed that every time I scored, I would do the same thing in practice the following day. I’ll remember it for sure, and having fun there is guaranteed.
Growing up in Texas, Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe may not have been a UA fan at the time, but he also recalled the game. Josh Chapman, the current director of player development at Alabama and a nose tackle on the 2009 squad, wouldn’t have allowed that to continue for very long even if he hadn’t remembered the game going into Alabama.
Milroe remarked, “He talks about that game all the time.” “I am acquainted with the game. I remember how our Alabama team wrapped up the match after four quarters. That is the aspect of the game that caught my attention. I remember that game and how difficult it was to defeat Texas.
Milroe had other enduring memories of the Rose Bowl besides that game. He claimed to have owned a Vince Young jersey as a child before Alabama’s game against Texas this season.Young torched the Southern Cal defense in the game after the 2005 season, helping the Longhorns win the national championship. In the last seconds of that game, he scored the winning touchdown by running.
Milroe remarked, “I’ve definitely seen that highlight. I grew up watching Vince Young.” I saw that highlight a lot when I was growing up. This week, I witnessed it.
On January 1, Milroe and the rest of the Crimson Tide will have the opportunity to add their names to the legendary Rose Bowl record. In the national championship game, which will take place in Houston on January 8th, the winner of Alabama’s game against Michigan will play either Texas or Washington.
