Sep 16, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Former Texas A&M Aggies player Johnny Manziel watches from the sideline during the first half of the game between the Aggies and the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Alabama’s Former Foe Makes Bold Statement After Florida State Beatdown

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Alex Villasis | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 11:46 AM ET

Under Nick Saban, beating the Alabama Crimson Tide was a rarity, especially at home, where they had lost only nine games with him as coach. Defeating the Crimson Tide was something monumental in college football, given their dominance over a long period of time.

One of the teams to accomplish that impressive feat was the Texas A&M Aggies, led by a Herculean performance by Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel in 2012. Now, years later, the tides have seemed to change with Kalen DeBoer at the helm. Losses that once seemed stunning can now be a result that can happen in any given game.

Following Alabama’s 31-17 loss against the Florida State Seminoles, Manziel had a lot to say about the current state of the Crimson Tide.

Fear Factor Appears To Be Gone

On Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, Manziel voiced a strong opinion on how teams feel about facing up against Alabama.

“Nobody’s walking in and seeing Alabama on the schedule and having any kind of shake, any kind of fear.”

During Manziel’s rant, he alluded to schools such as the Vanderbilt Commodores that are no longer scared of Alabama. That was the first loss that raised an eyebrow, as the last time the Commodores beat the Crimson Tide was in 1984. Later in the year, the Oklahoma Sooners dominated Alabama 24-3, and were a big reason why the Crimson Tide missed the college football playoff.

Going into this season, no one knew for certain if the Crimson Tide was going to return to its old form. In its showdown against the Florida State Seminoles, Alabama was manhandled and seemed to have no answers in the trenches. Florida State made it known they were going to impose their will in the run game, as quarterback Thomas Castellanos only threw 14 passes. The part that shocked everyone the most is that the Crimson Tide could not stop the bleeding, no matter what adjustments they made.

Seeing the losses last season and kicking off the year in this fashion, Manziel’s point is amplified more than ever. This is not to say Alabama is void of talent, but this is a team that once had players such as Julio Jones and Derrick Henry.

End of My Alabama Crimson Tide Rant

Reflecting on Alabama’s losses during the Saban era, it took Herculean efforts to take down a dynasty. From Joe Burrow’s performance in 2019 to Deshaun Watson’s once-in-a-lifetime outing in the National Championship game, these are performances that go down in the history books.

Now, there have been multiple occasions where Alabama looks completely outmatched against opponents we would have never thought could beat them. The days of seeing Saban run out of that tunnel with generational prospects are long and gone. As Manziel pointed out, teams are going into games against the Crimson Tide thinking not only can they compete, but they can get the best of them.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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