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Looking back at Alabama’s loss to Ole Miss last season, one of the primary culprits was the fact that the team turned the ball over five times. However, beyond the obvious turnover differential, there is also the fact that Alabama was gashed by the Ole Miss passing game.
Where does Chad Kelly’s performance rank among the top 10 passing games against Saban-led Alabama teams? Let’s explore:
10. Ryan Mallet, Arkansas (2010)
Alabama escaped this game with a 24-20 win, but Mallett sure made things interesting while passing for 357 yards. He helped Arkansas climb to a 17-7 lead starting with a 43-yard touchdown throw to Ronnie Wingo Jr, just 50 seconds into the game and then providing the 10-point cushion with a 1-yard TD run. This is at the bottom of the list because Mallett threw three interceptions. Unfortunately, one interception put the Alabama offense at the Arkansas 12-yard line, eventually resulting in an Alabama touchdown. Still, Mallett had more passing yards than anyone else against Alabama during the 2010 season.
9. Brian Johnson, Utah (2008)
Johnson led the heavy underdog Utah Utes to a 31-17 Sugar Bowl victory against Alabama. The win capped a perfect 13-0 season, while Alabama seemed to suffer a hangover from a gut-wrenching SEC Championship Game loss to Florida. Utah receiver Freddie Brown had 12 receptions for 125 yards. Johnson threw for 336 yards and 3 touchdown passes.
8. Clint Trickett, West Virginia (2014)
Trickett had Kevin White at his disposal, and Trickett leaned on him heavily. White finished the game with 9 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, the team had to settle for one too many field goals, falling to the Crimson Tide, 33-23. At the end of the day, Trickett passed for 365 yards and the lone touchdown to White.
7. Matt Flynn, LSU (2007)
Flynn helped LSU get revenge on the school’s former coach as the Tigers passed for 388 yards, resulting in a 41-34 win. Flynn had 353 of the total passing yards, while receiver Early Doucet had a 35-yard completion. Doucet was also big on the receiving end, catching 5 passes for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns.
6. Chad Kelly, Ole Miss (2015)
Most people will remember the lasting image of a tipped ball that somehow wound up in Quincy Adeboyejo’s hands, while the receiver raced to the end zone to give Ole Miss a commanding lead. Quarterback Chad Kelly did an excellent job of spreading the ball around, finishing the game with 341 yards passing. Three of his receivers (Cody Core, Laquon Treadwell and Adeboyejo) scored touchdowns. This season, only Adeboyejo returns from that trio, but he also has tight end Evan Engram along with several young wideouts.
5. Trevor Knight, Oklahoma (2013)
Knight will face Alabama yet again this season in a Texas A&M uniform, but back in 2013, he was a relative newcomer to the Oklahoma program getting the start in the Sugar Bowl for the underdog Sooners. Alabama was coming off a demoralizing loss to rival Auburn. Sound familiar? The result was also familiar. Like Utah, Oklahoma entered the game with a chip on its shoulder and Knight found great success both on the ground, and even more so, in the air. He finished the game with 348 yards passing to go with 4 TDs and an INT in a 45-31 victory.
4. Deshaun Watson, Clemson (2015)
Alabama couldn’t contain Deshaun Watson, but the team managed to outscore him and the Clemson offense. The three previous championships at Alabama under Saban weren’t close in score, but the 2015 championship was an exciting seesaw. Watson finished the game with 405 yards passing along with 4 TDs and an INT in a valiant effort, but Alabama won the game, 45-40.
3. Nick Marshall, Auburn (2014)
Marshall and Sammie Coates had monster games against Alabama. In the interest of disclosure, Alabama’s defense in 2014 was one of Saban’s weaker units statistically speaking. The team allowed 226 yards passing per game, the most yards through the air allowed in the Saban era. Still, Marshall had the strongest passing performance of any opponent during the season. Marshall finished the game with 456 yards passing and 3 touchdowns (with an INT) while carrying the ball 13 times as well. Coates had 5 receptions for an astounding 206 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Auburn offense put up 44 points, the second-highest total on this list, but primarily because of Amari Cooper, Alabama won 55-44.
2. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (2013)
Alabama fans were introduced to Manziel in 2012 in a wild 29-24 loss. While Manziel’s overall performance in that contest was noteworthy, his passing performance in 2013 was superior. Manziel had a resounding lead for the entire game in 2012, while he played catch-up from the second quarter on in the 2013 contest. In the end, he finished with five touchdown passes and 464 yards passing, the highest total on this list. Receiver Mike Evans had 7 receptions for 279 yards and a touchdown.
1. Zach Mettenberger, LSU (2012)
From a purely statistical point of view, this belongs at the bottom of the list. However, consider the fact that the 2012 Alabama defense allowed a stingy 10.9 points per game. Also, consider the fact that just one year earlier, LSU managed just 144 combined yards passing in two games against Alabama, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. Granted, the 2011 defense was statistically a little better than the 2012 defense, but the 2012 defense wasn’t too far off. With that said, Mettenberger finished the game with 298 yards passing, more than any other quarterback during the season. LSU had Alabama on the ropes in the fourth quarter until a highly charged A.J. McCarron found T.J. Yeldon, and Alabama somehow escaped Death Valley with an incredible 21-17 win.
