One Alabama player did something unimaginable, and it revived the Crimson Tide’s offense in an epic comeback against Oklahoma
Alabama TE Josh Cuevas fought through his injury to help propel the Crimson Tide’s offense in a 17-point comeback to win against Oklahoma.
The Alabama Crimson Tide looked like it was dead in the water after going down 17-0 to the Oklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoff, but then the tide changed.
The offense has been struggling lately, and missing key players due to injuries hasn’t helped at all. There was optimism for some, and real doubt for others, about being ready on game day, but one player fought through his injury for the team.
Alabama finally got back its heart and soul of the offense, and it made a huge difference. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb praised tight end Josh Cuevas after the game for fighting through his injury, which helped Alabama win its way to the Rose Bowl.
Ryan Grubb calls TE Josh Cuevas the toughest player he’s ever seen play
Cuevas has been out for a few weeks now with a foot injury, and he was seen wearing a boot as the team walked into the SEC Championship game against Georgia.
There was a lot of doubt in Cuevas’ game availability against Oklahoma, but the senior TE fought through it and made a difference on game day. It wasn’t easy, though, as Cuevas had to wear a special plate on his cleat to help out, and Grubb didn’t let his grit go unnoticed after the game.
“Josh Cuevas is one of the toughest kids I’ve ever seen play football,” Grubb said. “Mentally, physically, to be able to do what he did tonight is absolutely unbelievable. You know? I mean, people who are a little bit older remember Terrell Owens coming back and playing in a Super Bowl with a broken foot. I think he had a spiral fracture. And you think about those kinds of stories with a guy like Josh, and we didn’t think there was any way he was going to play, and he just kept saying he was going to find a way. And the doctors, you know, and Jeff do an incredible job, and they got him back out on the field, and he’s just, yeah, his mindset and his perseverance are just special. It’s really rare.”
Josh Cuevas was heavily missed over the last few games
Alabama’s struggles on offense were no secret to anybody who has been watching over the last few weeks, and Cuevas’ injury has been a major factor. He was the leading receiver the first time these two teams played, and we knew he would have an impact again. Alabama was down 17-0 and needed to answer. That’s when Ty Simpson hit Lotzeir Brooks for a big gain on third down, followed by a 23-yard gain to Cuevas to get them in position to score.
Cuevas has been a safety blanket for Simpson and also an underrated blocker on the edge. Simpson finally was able to sit in the pocket and find a rhythm to make the plays downfield, and Cuevas’ chipping on his way to his routes helped more than people realize.
Alabama’s comeback was a full team effort, but the offense wouldn’t have been the same without Cuevas on the field. Now, he has time to continue to heal before the Crimson Tide heads out west for the Rose Bowl against the No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers.
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