staff photo | Michelle Lepianka Carter
The seeds of what was to come later were sown in the aftermath of a five-turnover loss in September.
After a crushing home defeat to Ole Miss that spawned a host of national columns decrying the end of the Alabama dynasty, a group of leaders called a now-famous team meeting. They didn’t know it would end in another SEC championship and a second straight spot in the College Football Playoff.
They only knew that the performance that night — five turnovers and four penalties — was unacceptable and it wouldn’t be what defined the 2015 team.