In a Total College Sports interview with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Sean Salisbury asked what makes Alabama successful. Mariota said the Alabama Crimson Tide football team is successful because of players and Coach Nick Saban.

In the above embedded video (sorry some mobile systems cannot watch) the Alabama and BCS conversation begins around the two minute mark. A brief transcript follows:
Salisbury asked, “Right now the national championship seems to run through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. So, we can’t go through an interview without asking, number 1 in your mind, Why are they so good? And when you study them, what amazes you about them?”

Mariota said, “It is just the next guy up. A great example is the running backs. Mark Ingram left and then there is Trent Richardson. Now it is Eddie Lacy. They have that type of program where you don’t rebuild, but reload. They have a great coach who always puts them in good situations. I think that is the main reason for the success. They are just able to continue to learn from the guy in front of them and when they have their opportunity, they make the most of it.”

Salisbury asked, “Did you guys belong in the national title game?”

Mariota said, “We had a really good team this year. We ended up winning the Fiesta Bowl and that was a great success, but we still had a little sour taste in our mouth. We felt we should have had the opportunity to play…Sometimes that is the way the ball bounces.”

The interview covers Mariota as a Heisman candidate next year, a Super Bowl prediction, how Oregon will respond to losing Coach Chip Kelly and Oregon’s new coach.

So, what do you think has made Alabama a dominant power in college football?

8 thoughts on “Alabama Football: Oregon QB Marcus Mariota talks about the reasons for the Tide’s dominance”

  1. I think he pretty much summed it up – although he didn’t mention how the tradition can also motivate to overacheive making Bama sometimes play like a super team see 2013 BCSNCG. On another note: I was out of pocket for the Pro Bowl. I saw that just before the game Julio was elevated to starting position. However, after the game nothing I read even mentioned his name, snd in the stats he din’t have a single touch in the air or in the ground. Cinsidering the NFC scored 60 some fucking points I couldn’t see how he could possibly have been shut out. No Bama site have mentioned a damn thing either. Anybody know the story in this???? Thanks. RTR!

  2. Julio played the first series of the Pro Bowl and then took himself out. Drew Brees didn’t throw his way so no stats for him. My Dad said he thought Julio tweaked his hamstring during the last Falcons game against the 49ers. Hope that helps! I would’ve loved to have watched him play.

  3. Thanks. I couldn’t find a single word on the net, not even oñ the Falcons or Pro Bowl sites. As for tweeking something, that’s not a surprise. NOBODY plays harder or abuses their body more than Julio. Pissed me off that AJ Green was the star of the AFC. Would have been great to see him dominate AJ again. RTR!

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