For Alabama football, opponent no longer matters: 'We feel like we’re the best'

For Alabama football, opponent no longer matters: ‘We feel like we’re the best’

Posted by author November 17, 2024 Football

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Mercer could have been anyone for Alabama football Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Bears were just what was in the way, and that led to a 52-7 drubbing.

In the Alabama locker room, that mentality has a title: “nameless, faceless opponent.”

“It doesn’t matter who we play,” Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard said. “We make sure we bring the Alabama standard. We don’t do anything differently. We just prepare how we’re supposed to. And when Saturday comes, we go out and execute to the best of our ability.”

Bernard said Alabama does not look past any opponent, repeating the age-old cliche that “it’s about us” not them.

But here’s the thing about where Alabama football stands: The Crimson Tide doesn’t look past any opponent because it’s a locker room that feels it would be looking past every opponent it faces moving forward.

“As long as we play the game we’re supposed to and play to our standard, I don’t feel there’s a team out there that can really compete with us on the field,” Bernard said. “As long as we’re doing our jobs, I don’t really feel like it’s the other team that’s stopping us from getting to where we want to.”

Since Alabama’s 24-17 loss to Tennessee Oct. 19, the Crimson Tide has outscored opponents 128-20.

Since that game, the Crimson Tide defense has recorded nine turnovers in three games and averaged more than 471 yards of offense.

Coach Kalen DeBoer sees the shift, sees what the “nameless, faceless opponent” really means.

“The intensity of guys in practice, it’s not like guys are flying off the walls and things like that,” DeBoer said. “There’s a focus that they bring. There’s a business-like approach where they know that they have to do this: They have to eat right, sleep right, do all those things off the field, take care of the business there. And it leads to the success that they had.”

Qua Russaw says it’s nothing new. It’s the mentality Alabama has carried each and every game, even if it didn’t have a name.

Ryan Williams said it’s “what we’ve been saying day-in and day-out” and it’s all about execution.

Jihaad Campbell described it simply as understanding a task and attacking it.

All of this carries over to Oklahoma and Auburn, the players believe. Because it’s not about the opponent. It’s never been about the opponent.

“At the end of the day, we feel like we’re the best,” Russaw said. “That’s how we got to work.”

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.