“This guy is 17”. When the No.2 went up against the No.4, the world of CFB stood witness to one of the greatest games of the 2024 season. Kalen DeBoer has done his magic with the Tide. When they managed to steam-roll the Bulldogs, it was proven why DeBoer is best suited for the “next Nick Saban” title. However, giving him all the credit won’t do. You gotta admit, Kirby Smart and his team almost had all the Bama fans on the edge of their seats in the 3rd and 4th quarters. So, who turned the tides for the Tide? Ryan Williams, of course.

And so, Shedeur Sanders couldn’t stop himself from singing praises of the 17-year-old WR. On the October 1st episode of 2Legendary, Shedeur notes, “That receiver is crazy bro,” while talking about Williams and what he managed to pull against the Bulldogs. When people thought that maybe Smart and his boys had got this in the bag, Williams came out of nowhere during the 4th quarter and managed to nail a 75-yard touchdown run.

The best part of the game was watching Williams pull some Michael Jackson-level dance moves, dodging the defenders and bringing it home for Bama. “Ryan Williams is a freak,” was the first thing Bama fans had to say about the prodigy and his game-winning play. Not just that, even the legendary Serena Williams, jokingly claimed the WR as her ‘cousin,’ showing just how impressed she was with his skills.

This entire game managed to put Bama on the No.1 spot on the AP polls and you gotta say, DeBoer earned this fair and square. It’s kind of wild to think that Nick Saban has probably got Kirby Smart stuck in some form of genjutsu. First Smart had to carry the burden of becoming the next big coach like Saban and now he also has to carry the burden of losing to a team that didn’t even have Saban as the HC.

No matter where he goes, the Tide keeps turning things around for the Bulldogs. And this brings us to an important discussion. From what we saw the Bulldogs do during the 1st and the 2nd quarters of the Crimson Tide game, could it be that we have placed this team too high on the pedestal?

A reality check for Kirby Smart?

After Smart took over the program, no doubt the Dawgs became one of the best camps in the entire country. You can pretty much say that Kirby Smart put the Bulldogs on the map. The roster is blessed with amazing talents like QB Carson Beck and RB Trevor Etienne.

However, is the offense and the defense too overrated? When the Dawgs went up against the Wildcats, it should’ve been the best indication that something was wrong. Kentucky pushed the Dawgs to their limits, and it almost felt like Smart ain’t coming out of this one unscathed.

With 13-12, the Bulldogs did manage to seal the deal. However, the game also brought forward the fact that the Wildcats, with relative ease, managed to disassemble and break down arguably one of the best offenses in the country.

Props to Smart and his boys for managing to pull to a lead during the 3rd/4th quarter against the Tide, but things did turn around and they lost the game. Even though he is one of the best QBs in CFB, Beck still needs more time in the microwave.