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A season to remember: 2021 brought return to normalcy for Alabama football

Ken Roberts, The Tuscaloosa News
·2 min read
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Nov 20, 2021; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks (7), Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams (1), Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) and Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III (8) watche as the lights go red and fans use their cell phones at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated Arkansas 42-35. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

The 2021 season brought a return to normalcy for the University of Alabama football team and its fans.

Limits on the crowd capacity at college football stadiums, in place for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, were lifted this year.

On Saturday, the Crimson Tide played before a sellout crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 41-24 in the SEC Championship Game.

UA will play Cincinnati at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 31 at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, in the first round of the College Football Playoffs

Here's a quick review of UA's 2021 season:

Nick Saban's 15th season at the helm of Alabama football began with a 44-13 win over Miami in Atlanta. This marked the first time UA had played the Hurricanes since Gene Stallings' 1992 UA team earned a national title by beating Miami in the Sugar Bowl.

UA opened the 2021 home schedule with a 48-14 win over Mercer at Bryant-Denny Stadium, in the first football game in Tuscaloosa without crowd limits since November 2019.

A 31-29 road win over the Florida Gators in the SEC opener followed, and UA closed out September with a 63-14 home win over Southern Miss.

Nov 27, 2021; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) prays near the back of the end zone before the Crimson Tide's game with the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Alabama defeated Auburn 24-22 in four overtimes. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2021; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) prays near the back of the end zone before the Crimson Tide's game with the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Alabama defeated Auburn 24-22 in four overtimes. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

UA opened October with a 42-21 win over Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, followed by a 41-38 loss at Texas A&M, as Jimbo Fisher became the first former Saban assistant to defeat his ex-boss.

Alabama got back on the winning track with a 49-9 victory over Mississippi State in Starkville and a 52-24 home win over the Tennessee Volunteers, extending the Tide's win streak over the Vols to 15 games.

November began with three home games, a 20-14 home win over LSU in Ed Orgeron's last season, followed by a 59-3 walloping of New Mexico State and a 42-35 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

In the Iron Bowl, Alabama won a thriller over Auburn, 24-22, after four overtimes at Jordan-Hare Stadium to close out the regular season.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: A season to remember: 2021 brings return to normalcy for UA football