By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Lost in other headlines and highlights has been Alabama’s improvement and production in the kicking game.

Alabama is college football’s most powerful program. With four national championships in seven years, the Crimson Tide are the game’s gold standard. Heisman Trophy-winning running backs and dominant defenseds have been consistent characteristics; an often-overlooked aspect of Alabama’s success, however, has, at times, been one of it’s most important. The Crimson Tide win games, even national titles, on special teams.

Arguably Alabama’s most important sequence of last season, a timely onsides kick followed by a stunning kickoff return helped head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide raise yet another championship banner.

Early in the fourth quarter, with Alabama struggling to stop Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson in the College Football Playoff Final, the Crimson Tide turned a key touchdown into, perhaps, the game’s call of the year. Saban opted for an onsides kick, catching the Tigers off guard and recovering the football on Adam Griffith’s perfect pooch. Validation in hand, Alabama scored on a 51-yard touchdown pass two plays later.

After a Clemson field goal narrowed the favorite’s margin to just four points, Kenyan Drake made the biggest play of his career, a 95-yard burst down the sidelines for a critical kick return for a touchdown.

“I think special teams was huge in this game, kickoff return for a touchdown, onside kick, probably changed the momentum of the game when it was 21-21, and I just think our players took advantage of every opportunity that they had, and never been prouder of any group of guys in my life,” Saban explained.

Of the Crimson Tide’s last four scores, all in the final period, three of them came either directly or indirectly off of special teams.

“Getting that onside kick, I think, did change the momentum of the game. We scored on the big play two plays later, and then we had a kickoff return for a touchdown, too, which was huge,” Saban added. “So special teams was really big for us in this game.”

Such success was, largely, a season-long theme. Alabama led the nation with five punt returns for a touchdown, adding another, aforementioned, kickoff return for a score. Griffith tied for the SEC-lead with 23 field goals made and punter JK Scott averaged over 44 yards per boot. Additionally, the Crimson Tide had the most kicks blocked, six, of any power five team; no other conference team had more than four.

Griffith and Scott were recently named second and first-team pre-season all-league by the media and form the SEC’s top tandem at kicker and punter.

Lost in other headlines and highlights has been Alabama’s improvement and production in the kicking game. Simple talent, for the Crimson Tide, is what stands out at first-glace; special teams play, however, is an area worth a second-look.