Henry To'o To'o on why football 'has always been fun to me,' playing in critical moments

Alabama linebacker Henry To’o To’o has been one of the most impactful transfers of the college football season, and he seems to be having a good time with his new team. 

“I’ve always been a guy who smiles ever since I played football, since I was really, really young,” To’o To’o said Monday in response to a question about the smile often on his face after he makes tackles. “It’s always been fun to me. Football is something that I can go out and hit somebody and have fun with it without getting in trouble, without getting yelled at. That’s definitely an attribute of mine. I just like having fun out there.”

The Tennessee transfer leads the Crimson Tide defense with 68 tackles this season. To’o To’o had nine tackles and forced a fumble in last week’s game against LSU, only Alabama’s third forced fumble this season.

Defense led Crimson Tide to victory against Tigers

In a high-stakes situation against LSU on Saturday, the Alabama defense had to step up. While To’o To’o obviously prefers a blowout win, the opportunity to make a huge impact on the game is something in which To’o To’o and his teammates revel when the situation arises. 

“As a defense you love critical moments,” To’o To’o said. “That’s what you work so hard for. You don’t want to be in those critical moments, but when it’s time to crunch down, when it’s time to bow up as a defense, that’s kinda the moments we live for as a defense to be able to test who we really are.”

With just five seconds left in the game and a 6-point lead, the Crimson Tide defense was tasked with batting down one final shot into the end zone by LSU quarterback Max Johnson. 

“We just knew we had to get the ball down,” the linebacker said. “It was one of those plays where you see on the college football highlight reel where somebody catches it, and we just knew we couldn’t let that happen. I’ve never been in that situation before, so it was kind of crazy. But we all had to home in to what we had to do and bat the ball down.”

Johnson dropped back from the Alabama 30 yard line and failed to complete the pass. The Crimson Tide held on to win 20-14 and moved to 8-1 on the season. The play kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive. 

The Crimson Tide play their final non-conference game of the 2021 season on Saturday when they host New Mexico State. Alabama finishes out the season against two pesky opponents in Arkansas and Auburn. If they can win out, they will head to Atlanta to face Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. 

Saturday’s game kicks off at 11:00 a.m. CT on the SEC Network. Alabama is a 51.5-point favorite.