Without Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, Alabama is a lot more ordinary | Opinion
Houdini. He’s Mr. Heisman, because he’s Mr. Clutch.
For a season and a half, Bryce Young has been Alabama’s bail bondsman, springing his team out of one jam after another.
Alabama’s junior quarterback is the player it cannot afford to lose, and when Young entered the medical tent during the second quarter Saturday with a right shoulder injury, the Tide’s season hit a pothole with the potential to throw the crimson machine out of whack.
Young’s absence didn’t derail No. 2 Alabama on this day. The Tide led by two touchdowns, both supplied by Young, before his injury and held off No. 19 Arkansas, 49-26, at Razorback Stadium.
Saturday recap:What you need to know about college football’s Top 25 games for Week 5
The best news came afterward, when Nick Saban offered an injury update: a sprained AC joint in Young’s throwing shoulder. He’s day to day.
“He doesn’t have a serious injury,” Saban said.
In other words, this shouldn’t be as disruptive as Tua Tagovailoa’s hip dislocation in 2019 – the only year Alabama did not qualify for the College Football Playoff.
Still, it was bad enough that Young spiked his helmet in frustration while en route to seek medical attention on the sideline.
Milroe bolted 77 yards on a key third-down scramble to set up a fourth-quarter touchdown after Arkansas (3-2, 0-2) captured the momentum.
“It stopped the bleeding, for sure,” Saban said.
Plenty of coaches would take Milroe as their starter. You probably could stick Milroe on a couple of Alabama’s past national championship teams without altering the outcome.
Did Tide get an ‘A’ after surviving Arkansas without Bryce Young?
ALABAMA HANGS ON: Alabama football leaves Arkansas with win but Bryce Young injury looms
MILROE’S MOMENT: Alabama backup QB delivers key run in victory against Arkansas
Alabama wide receivers piled up drops when they weren’t dissecting an infirm Arkansas secondary, and its special teams made blunders that are uncharacteristic of Saban’s best teams. Alabama amassed 10 penalties.
Alabama’s defense is better than it was last season, but this is not a 2011 Alabama defense. More importantly, Alabama’s defense is not the caliber of Georgia’s. Neither is its offensive line or its tight ends.
Young is the great equalizer, though.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian compared Young to a magician for the way he avoided a blitzing defender who had him sighted in with 30 seconds left in Alabama’s great escape in Week 2.
Not only did Young avoid the sack, he scrambled for 20 yards to set up the winning field goal.
That’s who he is. When the pressure heightens, Young stays cool. When Alabama stumbles off track, he provides a course correction.
He can do that only if he’s on the field.
Alabama will need more magic this season, but will its Houdini be available to supply it?
Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.