Best performance by an opposing quarterback against Alabama? Pre & since CNS

Best performance by an opposing quarterback against Alabama under CNS?

  • Tim Tebow, Florida

    Votes: 2 3.0%
  • Cam Newton, Auburn

    Votes: 2 3.0%
  • Stephen Garcia, South Carolina

    Votes: 7 10.4%
  • Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

    Votes: 12 17.9%
  • Trevor Knight, Oklahoma

    Votes: 2 3.0%
  • Bo Wallace, Ole Miss

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • Chad Kelly, Ole Miss

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Cardale Jones, Ohio State

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Deshaun Watson, Clemson

    Votes: 35 52.2%
  • Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

    Votes: 6 9.0%

  • Total voters
    67

BamaNation

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I voted for Johnny Football. Seemed like no matter what we did, he excelled. I think he and Watson changed how football is played and certainly the type of players Alabama recruits on D.
 

UAH

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This is an easy one, Archie Manning in 1969 had a game for the ages. I still remember thinking wow, and we get to watch it on TV, at night.
540 yards of total offense and Bama beat 'em 33-32.

Here's a link:
https://247sports.com/college/alabama/Article/Hunter-Tide-Beat-Manning-Ole-Miss-104937050/
I was in Legion Field that night. The game had an 8:30 kick off for National TV and the pre-game was special. Manning ran all over the field. It was as incredible a football performance by a QB ever and the video of the game shot from the press box doesn't do it justice. After seeing that I have always said that Peyton and Eli were never the athletes that their dad was.

Scott Hunter was up to the task and led a 4th Qtr. drive with a TD throw I believe on 4th down. Archie got the ball one more time but Bama was able to finally corral him as the clock expired.

No doubt in my mind that this was the best all time QB performance against the Tide.
 

BamaMark.

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oskie

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This is an easy one, Archie Manning in 1969 had a game for the ages. I still remember thinking wow, and we get to watch it on TV, at night.
540 yards of total offense and Bama beat 'em 33-32.

Here's a link:
https://247sports.com/college/alabama/Article/Hunter-Tide-Beat-Manning-Ole-Miss-104937050/
I was in Legion Field that night. The game had an 8:30 kick off for National TV and the pre-game was special. Manning ran all over the field. It was as incredible a football performance by a QB ever and the video of the game shot from the press box doesn't do it justice. After seeing that I have always said that Peyton and Eli were never the athletes that their dad was.

Scott Hunter was up to the task and led a 4th Qtr. drive with a TD throw I believe on 4th down. Archie got the ball one more time but Bama was able to finally corral him as the clock expired.

No doubt in my mind that this was the best all time QB performance against the Tide.
... +1 for the Archie Manning/Scott Hunter shootout

... first thing that popped into my head when I saw the thread title :)
 

RTR91

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OK how would you like me to phrase that? Garcia was before Coach Saban and Watson was after Saban was hired. Isn't that what the OP asked?
(softly whispers: Saban was hired in January 2007 and was on the sideline when Garcia had his 2010 game.)
 

BamaMoon

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I like to post and then go back and read the other posts so here's my thought:

Johhny Manziel in T-town on a perfect Nov. day did the craziest thing I've ever seen for the whole game. Maybe it's because I was there in person and saw it with my own eyes but it was amazingly crazy good!

It was not just one play (the one that won him the Heisman) but he did stuff like that the whole game and we couldn't stop him. It's even amazing we almost pulled it out in the end.

Everybody on the list had a day, but Johhny football had the best of 'em all on one day against Bama.
 

BamaMoon

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I had a hard time not picking Watson. But Manziel did, crazy as he may be, I did not think possible.
My take too!

Without some circus-like catches, Manziel would have lost both games against Bama and wouldn't even be on the list. Same with the OM QBs. The WRs and a ton dumb luck are the only reason they're on the list.

Tebow, Watson, Scam - those guys just beat Bama.
That's not the way I remember that game in T-town. He just kept making throws all the time. He had an answer everytime. We should have won the game, but he's the reason we didn't.
 

81usaf92

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That's not the way I remember that game in T-town. He just kept making throws all the time. He had an answer everytime. We should have won the game, but he's the reason we didn't.
Manziel got spotted 20 points on the 1st 3 drives on some miracle situations (ie bobbling the ball back to himself, receivers running under ducks, AJ having the worst quarter in his career), and didn't do much else afterwards. Manziel probably had his best performance the following year, but he played a big part of us winning that one also.


But to be perfectly honest, Texas A&M's best player that day was Doug Nussmeier. Without one of his most "beautiful" displays of offensive incompetence we probably win 42-29 instead of lose 29-24. Its amazing that we won a NC with Nuss calling plays because we should've lost both of the LSU and UGA games with his bone headed play calling.
 

Moro Creek

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Before CNS, for me, it was Kim Hammond at Florida State in 1967. We could not stop him and they could not stop the Snakeman. 37-37 tie.
Since CNS, I must agree on Watson.
 

colbysullivan

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Manziel got spotted 20 points on the 1st 3 drives on some miracle situations (ie bobbling the ball back to himself, receivers running under ducks, AJ having the worst quarter in his career), and didn't do much else afterwards. Manziel probably had his best performance the following year, but he played a big part of us winning that one also.


But to be perfectly honest, Texas A&M's best player that day was Doug Nussmeier. Without one of his most "beautiful" displays of offensive incompetence we probably win 42-29 instead of lose 29-24. Its amazing that we won a NC with Nuss calling plays because we should've lost both of the LSU and UGA games with his bone headed play calling.
Receivers running under ducks?
 

81usaf92

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Receivers running under ducks?
There were so many times where his receivers bailed him out for misplaced balls, and balls thrown up in the air. Had he not had not had Swope or Evans constantly having to readjust or having to make crazy gallops to overthrown balls then we probably don't get in a 20 point hole to begin with.
 

selmaborntidefan

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During the Saban Era, it's DeShaun Watson.......by a mile. Even if you deduct his final drive in the first game, where he was way down and we forced him to chew up clock, he still had a helluva game. Clemson did NOT lose the first game because of anything Watson did or didn't do, they lost because we outfoxed them with the onsides kick, Coker had a helluva game, and Drake hit them with the virtual death blow.

The second one........that was perhaps the greatest defense ever until that night. And while the lack of offense helped, Watson still had to get it done.



Not to diss anyone, but the other quarterbacks......

Tebow - his team as a whole was superior, it wasn't just him. Simply look at the very next year.

Garcia - swallowed a magic pill before the game and turned into Aaron Rodgers for four quarters (he lost to 6-7 UK the very next week)

Newton - only was able to do it because we left 17 points or so on the field in the first half; if not for Ingram's bizarre fumble or Trent's drop, we win that game regardless of what Cam does

Knight - fluke game against a team that really didn't care that much

Wallace - fluke game decided by turnovers and almost nothing to do with what Bo did

Kelly - spot the boy five turnovers and he still needs two insane TDs (one illegal) to win by only six

Cardale - the story of that game was Zeke Elliott running all over us

Lawrence - the way we played, Kelly Bryant could have beaten us that night

The one I will address in a little detail is Manziel. The dude was dazzling, but I think he gets way too much credit for a win where he got spotted 20 points and only scored 9 the rest of the game. Let me put it this way: Clara Peller could have been the offensive coordinator that day in the final minutes, and the results could not have been any worse.


The second year? Let's see.....he was trailing 35-14, gave up a pick six, and his team was only in the game thanks to an inopportune fumble by TJ Yeldon on the death blow TD. Sure, he threw the ball, but most of those yards were receivers catching 15 or 20-yard flares and then running for forty yards. That prayer he tossed up.....just plain stupid and reckless.


=======================================

As far as pre-CNS.......I guess it depends on your age. Davey, Naegle, Archie, Collier, all good picks.


Tony Robinson of Tennessee did not have the numbers, but he was 2-0, leading a comeback and giving enough of a lead to win in 1985 before a torn ACL ended his career.
 

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