BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Scott Cochran had just showered, but the sweat was still pouring. Tugging at his collar with a tie tied tight, Alabama's strength coach made the rounds in a somber Crimson Tide locker room.
Some players sat wide-eyed in shock. Seniors hugged teammates one final time after Ohio State took the Sugar Bowl semifinal, 42-35 on a wild night in the Superdome.
For Cochran, the mission starts anew.
"Do not forget this feeling," he preaches to a young player at his locker.
Those same four Superdome locker-room walls housed Alabama for last season's Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma. But the scene this Thursday had an extra shade of heartbreak. In the hallway, coaches' wives wiped away tears as the reality set in. Coach Nick Saban was the only speaker in the locker room and his speech focused on the response.
"It's pretty sad," tight end O.J. Howard said. "Nobody likes losing. It's really down right now."
The nation's No. 1 team was an eight-point favorite and pounced to a 21-6 lead off Ohio State turnovers. A few starters sat silent, turning down any requests to speak in the 30 minutes the doors were open to reporters.
"When you look at last year's Auburn game, the Sugar Bowl last year, those things never leave you," center Ryan Kelly said. "Those are things to build upon for next year. I think coach Cochran does such a nice job of, not only the physical aspects of the way players develop, but the mental. Everybody is feeling bad right now. Nobody's happy about that."
Receiver Amari Cooper said it felt a lot like last January after the 45-31 loss to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
"This time came fast," he said. "We lost to Oklahoma. It felt like yesterday. Now we're here and unfortunately we lost, but hopefully next year we can win when we're in this situation. It's going to come fast. That's why (Cochran's) starting now so they can remember and work hard."
And the message was heard.
"But I think that's what makes it special," Kelly said. "We cherish these seniors who've done so much for this program and it's something we need to remember for next year. God-willing we get back here again, I know we're going to fight like hell to get there. You learn from it and move on."
Continue reading...
Some players sat wide-eyed in shock. Seniors hugged teammates one final time after Ohio State took the Sugar Bowl semifinal, 42-35 on a wild night in the Superdome.
For Cochran, the mission starts anew.
"Do not forget this feeling," he preaches to a young player at his locker.
Those same four Superdome locker-room walls housed Alabama for last season's Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma. But the scene this Thursday had an extra shade of heartbreak. In the hallway, coaches' wives wiped away tears as the reality set in. Coach Nick Saban was the only speaker in the locker room and his speech focused on the response.
"It's pretty sad," tight end O.J. Howard said. "Nobody likes losing. It's really down right now."
The nation's No. 1 team was an eight-point favorite and pounced to a 21-6 lead off Ohio State turnovers. A few starters sat silent, turning down any requests to speak in the 30 minutes the doors were open to reporters.
"When you look at last year's Auburn game, the Sugar Bowl last year, those things never leave you," center Ryan Kelly said. "Those are things to build upon for next year. I think coach Cochran does such a nice job of, not only the physical aspects of the way players develop, but the mental. Everybody is feeling bad right now. Nobody's happy about that."
Receiver Amari Cooper said it felt a lot like last January after the 45-31 loss to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
"This time came fast," he said. "We lost to Oklahoma. It felt like yesterday. Now we're here and unfortunately we lost, but hopefully next year we can win when we're in this situation. It's going to come fast. That's why (Cochran's) starting now so they can remember and work hard."
And the message was heard.
"But I think that's what makes it special," Kelly said. "We cherish these seniors who've done so much for this program and it's something we need to remember for next year. God-willing we get back here again, I know we're going to fight like hell to get there. You learn from it and move on."
Continue reading...
