Incredible! Awesome! Unreal! Did that just happen? All those thoughts ran through my head while the final seconds ticked off the clock at Bryant-Denny Stadium this past Friday. Auburn, being down 24-0 midway thru the second quarter, came back and outscored and outhearted the mighty Crimson Tide 28-3 over the final two and a half quarters to win 28-27. Not a big deal you say? Let me run this by you: Alabama has not lost a game in Bryant-Denny in the last 20 games. That's 20-0, people. Alabama has the #1 scoring defense in the SEC and I believe 2nd overall. Alabama so dominated the first half that at one point they had outgained Auburn by over 200 yards. That's outgaining the #1 offense in the SEC and one of the best in the nation. Alabama scored at will and stopped Cam and co. at will also. The turnaround happened when bama had the ball. Mark Ingram caught a screen pass and made a bunch of people miss and was racing down the sideline for a big gain. Antione Carter hustled and ran down Ingram and knocked the ball out of his arms. The ball rolled down the sideline (and I mean right down the line) and into the endzone where Auburn recovered the ball for a touchback. Auburn ended up scoring a 36 yard TD to cut the lead to 24-7. It could have easily been 31-0. On the ensuing drive, bama drove deep again inside the 10 of Auburn. Fairley sacks McElroy and he fumbles. bama's offensive linemen just stood there looking at the sacked QB and Fairley crawled around one of them and recovered the fumble. Again, could have been 38-7 at half but it was only 24-7. Auburn gets the ball in the 2nd half and scores on a 71 yard pass to T-Zac on the second play. This makes it a 10 point game and I believe this is when bama started playing not to lose and Auburn started playing to win. Alabama only had 67 yards of offense in the 2nd half. You read that correctly: 67 yards. they were 0-7 on third downs and did not really threaten again until their next-to-last drive. That was the one where T Bell sacked McElroy and got a concussion. I dont like to see anyone get hurt, especially an injury that can affect their life after sports, but it was to alot of satisfaction that he lost his last game at Bryant-Denney and to Auburn. He has been a source of arrogance and downright rudeness toward his opponents and i have seen on youtube (you can search it and see for yourself) where after, I believe, his 2nd TD pass he shot the Auburn fans and band a bird. Classless. And speaking of that, it has been revealed today that higher officials knew about and authorized the playing of "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Take the Money and Run" over the loud speaker at BDS when Auburn and Cam Newton came out to warm up. Wow, I can understand the students being sophomoric and throwing fake money at Cam, but university officials? POS's! You wonder why Auburn people have such disdain toward Alabama? That's why, crap like that. It's the whole gammit. The whole Bear quote "Cow college" and the Franchione "school down the road" and all of it. I understand that Auburn has obnoxious and rude fans as well. Every school does. But it seems that bama fans try to degrade and mock other team's fans more than they cheer for their own team. Think about it. What do bama fans chant after a win? rammer jammer. so, bama wins and now the fans are gonna rub it in by screaming we just beat the hell out you? good sportsmanship. anyway, im getting off my soapbox. overall, it was a great win. a great come-from-behind victory that people will remember forever; much like the '72, '83, '86, '89, and '93 games. This puts Auburn one victory away from going to their first ever BCS national championship game. Auburn has a rematch against the South Carolina Gamecocks who lost earlier in the year to Auburn. It is very hard to beat a team twice in one year, but it does happen, especially in the SEC Championship game. The team that won the first time are 4-1 in the rematch. Auburn did it in 2004 against Tennessee. the 2nd game was a whole lot closer, however. I plan on going to the BCS game if we make it. I dont know how I'm going to afford it, or if my wife will let me sleep in the house when I get back, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I may never see it again. I'm a realist and other than the shaft of '04, Auburn has really only been in this position a couple of times since 1957. I believe the closest years have been 1958, 1960, 1971, 1983, 1993 (undefeated but on probation with no bowl), and 2004 (shafted by the BCS and voters). Notice only three of those years I have been alive and i was 4 in 1983. So, like I said, this is my best and possibly only chance. But again, we have to win one more. Hopefully, we can take care of business saturday.
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