11/30 Auburn Game
There are times when I wish that there wasn’t so much animosity between Alabama fans and Auburn fans. It seems like all I hear from the Alabama side is excuses as to why the game was so close, and all I hear from the Auburn fans is that they are the better team, but we got lucky to win. Why can’t anybody say that this was a fantastic football game between two teams that played their hardest in the most heated rivalry in college football? That’s what should be said, because on Friday, we witnessed one of the greatest Iron Bowls in history. This game had it all, a scrappy underdog playing their best game of the season; a heavyweight getting knocked to the canvas early only to fight their way back up before the final bell; an epic last drive that will live forever in Alabama lore, and a final defensive stop to preserve the win. For once, I felt like I was watching players and coaches on both sides that were as passionate about the game as I am, and as tense as it was, I loved every second of it.
The phrase “the sum of all fears” comes to mind when I describe the opening sequence. We started with great field position, but Julio Jones was called out of bounds on a third down pass, and the next time we got the ball, the score was 14-0 Auburn. They actually got the ball back with that lead, but the AU QB missed his wide open (and I mean WIDE open) tight end on both second and third downs, forcing them to punt. Our offense finally found a little rhythm, and Trent Richardson scored a TD from the 2-yard line after Terrance Cody absolutely destroyed an AU linebacker standing on the goal line. Shortly after on a 3rd and 9, Greg McElroy stood tall in the pocket and hit Colin Peek on a 33-yard TD reception. In a game of so many huge plays, that one might get lost, but in reality, it was one of the most important of the game. If we didn’t convert, Tiffin would have been attempting a 50-yard field goal. Compare that scenario to tying the score 14-14. Again, this was an absolutely huge play by McElroy and Peek.
We missed a field goal before half time (Tiffin had a really tough day), so we took the 14-14 score into the locker room. We held them on their first possession on the second half, but couldn’t do anything with the ball when we got it back. On AU’s second play of their second possession, Marquis Johnson came on a corner blitz, but got picked up. Mark Barron bit on a pump fake, and 78 yards later, AU had a 21-14 lead. I was particularly concerned at this point, because I felt like our offense was struggling, and if we didn’t score immediately, AU had a chance to pretty much put the game away with another score. However, Javier Arenas had an absolutely enormous kick off return, putting us in great shape. We were only able to score a field goal, but it cut the AU lead to 21-17. For the sake of brevity, I’ll skip the next couple of possession, other than to say that we were able to cut the lead to 1 with another Tiffin field goal.
I want to skip ahead to approximately 10 minutes left in the game. Now, most people will start the Alabama dramatics with the drive, and I’ll get to that, but our defense had a huge stand leading up to that drive. AU held a 21-20 lead, and they had the ball first and 10 at our 44. Things were starting to look bleak, and we needed the defense to step up like they have all year, and unless you’re an AU fan, they didn’t disappoint. On the first, play, they stuffed the inside run for a gain of 1. On second down, they tried an option around the left end, but we absolutely blew it up, and Kareem Jackson tackled the pitch man for a loss of 7, leading to a 3rd and 16. On third down, Rolando McClain got through the line on a massive blitz and sacked their QB all the way back at their own 40. They were forced to punt, and we took over at the 21 yard line. Remember how on the previous series, they pinned us down at the 3 yard line to start our drive, so forcing them to punt back at the 40 was absolutely crucial. Then came the drive that will never be forgotten.
I’m tempted to talk about every play on this 15-play drive, but you all saw it in all its glory, so I’ll try to point out a couple of things that really struck me. First, McElroy was as clutch as could be, but Auburn helped a little. For some reason, they left Julio Jones all alone twice streaking across the middle leading to must-have first downs. McElroy hit Julio in stride both times, and that really seemed to build up his confidence. He continued to go to Julio, including a beautiful pass on a stop route along the left sideline. We were in long field goal range with about 2 minutes left, but then our offensive coordinator called the play I had been waiting for, when Trent Richardson released and McElroy hit him wide open in the flat. Richardson took the ball all the way down to the 10 and a half, and suddenly, the advantage was ours. Richardson had two more runs, taking the ball down to the three yard line, and then came the play that made me more proud of Coach Saban than I’ve ever been before.
I could write a whole blog on that fateful play, but in short, we were facing a third and 3 (or so), and the choice was ultimately whether to set up for the field goal, or take a shot at the end zone. There was about 1:30 left in the game, and the problem was that AU had one time out left, so basically, there was nothing we could do to prevent them from getting the ball back with about 1:20 left. To me, the choice was clear. We absolutely, positively had to try to score the TD. Kicking a field goal (assuming we made it), would have put us up by two, and as my brother Tommy and I fully understand (I name the two of us, because I’m not sure any actual coaches realize this), the difference between the other team needing a field goal to win and a TD to win is enormous. We initially called a running play to set up for the FG, but Saban called a timeout because he wanted a TD, and they changed the play to “Cody 5”, where Upchurch lined up in the FB position, and then released into the end zone after the play action to Richardson. The AU player bit on the play action, and Upchurch got a free release, and had a step on the defender. McElroy hit Upchurch in stride, and we took a 26-21 lead, and ultimately the game. I would be remiss if I didn’t talk a little more about that last play, because it wasn’t as easy as it seemed at the time. First, Upchurch was not wide open; the pass had to be on target. Second, McElroy was fading back on the throw because of the pressure, so it wasn’t an easy pass. McElroy deserves a lot of credit for his grace under pressure on that play, and Upchurch, well, he just went from “Irrelevant Roy” to “Immortal Roy” on that one play. Great job guys; your names will be written in Bama lore forever.
I could go on and on about this game, but I’ll end this blog like I started it. This was a truly great game, and both sides should be very, very proud not only of their teams, but also of this rivalry itself.
So here we are again, 12-0 and forced to face the ferocious Florida Gators in the SEC Championship game. Can we win? Yes, but like last year, it will take a monumental effort, and to be honest, I haven’t seen a Bama game this year where I thought we could beat Florida. If they play poorly, we have a good chance. If they play well, we have to play our best game. If they play their best game, we’ll lose. But that’s for next week. For now, we just won one of the greatest Iron Bowls in the history of this rivalry, the greatest rivalry in all of sports.
Check back next week as I review the SEC Championship game. Until then, feel free to send me any questions or comments.
Roll Tide,
Kenny
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