"That pissed us off" - Alabama national champ reveals how Urban Meyer gave bulletin board material to Nick Saban

Nick Saban’s 17-year reign at Alabama is widely considered legendary, with six national championships and nine Southeastern Conference titles to his name. However, he couldn’t have done it without his players, or without some good competition.

One of those was former Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram II. He became the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy and helped lead the team to the 2009 national title. However, in the 2008 SEC championship game, his team lost to Urban Meyer’s Florida 31-20.

Ingram sat down with Meyer and FOX Sports commentator Rob Stone on Wednesday. He was asked what moment had him and the Tide the most fired up.

“Well, 2009 for sure, man," Ingram said (09:02), via “The Triple Option” show.

"We had a 12-0 season. We went to the SEC championship. We played coach Meyer and his Gators. We were winning for three quarters and we did not finish the game. And they won. They went to the national championship and they won the national championship. And that pissed us off because we knew that we were that close."

The loss stuck with Alabama and became bulletin board material for Saban and the program the next year.

“So that next season all we did in the fourth quarter program in the spring, in the summer," Ingram said. "We did everything we could possibly do to get back to that moment. And when we got back to that moment, we went 12-0. It was one versus two again in the SEC championship game, us versus coach Meyer.

“How often do you get time for redemption like that? You know what I mean? And we were in that locker room, boys were crying, boys were ready to roll. I knew we was going to get it done that day. Even though they had a tremendous team, a tremendous coach. People were ready. We was ready."

The Tide defeated the Gators 32-13 in the rematch, securing its place in the national championship, and eventually winning it.

---

Alabama’s 2025 national championship chances after Nick Saban era

According to ESPN’s FPI, Alabama has a strong shot at winning the national title in 2025. The Crimson Tide were given the fourth-best chance at 10.4%, behind Ohio State, Georgia and Texas.

Alabama has a hard schedule ahead, as the program will play five of the top 20 teams in the FPI rankings, including rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl.

Kalen DeBoer, Nick Saban's successor, is heading into his second season as the Tide's coach. His first year didn’t meet expectations, with the team finishing in the top 12, but missed the College Football Playoff.

However, ahead of this fall, the team has the No. 3 recruiting class in the country. DeBoer will again work with Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, which should help the offense stay strong. The defense is also expected to improve.