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Johnny Manziel's masterpiece in Tuscaloosa is one of the more memorable college football moments of the past decade.

In part because of just how great Manziel was that 2012 afternoon, and in part because it introduced a form of kryptonite that could bring down Nick Saban's mighty Alabama defense.

Less than two months later, no one was talking about Saban's antiquated system needing an overhaul. The Crimson Tide demolished Notre Dame for its second consecutive BCS title, and the immediate reflex was to wonder how anyone could possibly compete with the Saban machine in years to come.

As it turned out, the presence of dynamic quarterbacks in well-conceived spread systems would give Alabama plenty of fits over the next two years. Nick Marshall and Auburn knocked off the Tide in the 2013 regular-season finale, followed by a red-hot Trevor Knight and Oklahoma doing the same in the Sugar Bowl.

A year later, it was Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott lighting up Alabama's defense in the CFP semifinal. And then, of course, Deshaun Watson having his way with the Tide in 2015 and 2016.

So while we had never seen an offense pillage Alabama's defense the way Trevor Lawrence and Co. did a few months ago, there were certainly previous examples of elite quarterback play bringing Saban to his knees in high-profile games.