Alabama’s Sugar Bowl on Saturday was a microcosm of its season as a whole: a little bit of sour, a lot of sweet and not much clarity about what’s next.
The slow-starting Tide fell behind 10-0 but scored the next 35 points to blow past Kansas State, 45-20, and finish its season 11-2.
Alabama entered Saturday’s game with nine seniors having accepted invitations to the Senior Bowl and four juniors as virtual locks to enter the 2023 NFL draft. With Alabama facing a third-and-10 and trailing 10-0 late in the first quarter, Young connected with Gibbs on a 60-yard catch-and-run that led to a 6-yard touchdown catch by freshman wide receiver Isaiah Bond three plays later.
Branch, an expected first-round pick, intercepted K-State quarterback Will Howard in the third quarter, sacked him in the fourth quarter and finished with four tackles for a loss. Safety Jordan Battle, a four-year starter headed for the Senior Bowl, picked off Howard on the first possession of the game and fellow starting safety De’Marcco Hellams, also part of the Senior Bowl, had a team-high 13 tackles.
The majority of Alabama’s offseason roster movement has already happened, in the case of its 11 scholarship players entering the transfer portal, or is expected to happen soon, in the case of the juniors declaring for the NFL draft.
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