The View from Section 109: The Alabama Game

As only Nick Saban can so eloquently say, "it was what it was." Auburn used a strong first quarter performance and, in true Tommy Tuberville fashion, punched in one last score as time dwindled off the game clock in the fourth quarter to record a school-best sixth-straight victory over the hated Crimson Tide by a final count of 17-10.

First off, I have to say that I can't remember ever being this sore following a game from screaming and yelling. It's crazy to think of all the tense moments I've missed cheering on from being on the sidelines or in the press box from times between 1999-2004. I think it made Saturday night all that more special. Sure, I got loud and a little crazy last year in Tuscaloosa but I never expected to lose that game. This one was different. After listening to 200Saban this and that for 11-plus months, it was time to take care of business.

Much props should be given to an unsung hero, Jonathan Wilhite. I wrote in this blog roughly 48 hours prior to kickoff that DJ Hall would be licking his chops to go one-on-one with Wilhite, and he got his wish. However, No. 24 hit Hall harder than his local weed dealer when the "star" wideout failed to pay up last spring and caused him to sit out a crucial fourth quarter series in which the Tide was desperately trying not to lose momentum or a chance to win the ball game. Heck, I may even go as far to say that DJ Hall was the best player on our defense thanks to his refusal to bring down a perfectly-thrown John Parker Wilson pass to the corner of the end zone, which subsequently ended up in the hands of Jerraud Powers.

Speaking of Powers, I'm so excited about this kid's future and potential to be that shut-down corner we've been missing since Carlos Rogers. Its almost a shame (well, wait, it is a shame) that Eric Berry chose Tennessee over us because those two would make it very difficult for 2008 offenses to complete deep passes. So we move on, but Powers has definitely shown a knack for creating havoc on the opposition this year. If only he could have knocked down that last pass against LSU, but he was (as he is almost always) in perfect position and got beat only by a great pass and great catch.

A couple more defenders who deserve mention are Josh Thompson and, of course, Tray Blackmon. All Stump did Saturday night was play the game of his life, racking up 12 tackles that helped him to take home SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors. Tray "I just want to hit people" Blackmon laid some serious smacks to Glenn "I Swear I Didn't Know That I Did Something Wrong" Coffee and Keith McCall, causing the Tide offense to earn every yard at a dear price throughout the course of the contest. He may be the best linebacker to only play 15 or so games in his AU career in school history.

Do you think AU's defense (namely Quentin Groves) was in JPW's head Saturday night? Every time he felt a hand on his jersey the kid tossed the ball away or took off running for his life. I'm not sure this guy has the mental stability to win a huge game, which is why I would gladly take Brandon Cox over him any day of the week and twice on game days.

Which brings me to...Say what you want about AU's starting QB (and my friend Paul has definitely exercised that liberty throughout Brandon's career), but he got the job done yet again in the biggest of games. While his performances against USF and Miss. State left a lot to be desired, he came through in the clutch against UF, Arkansas, LSU and Alabama - nearly leading us to an improbable 4-0 record in those contests this year. His legacy will forever be sealed as a winner - and I can't ever remember a quarterback being hit as many times as he has. We are going to miss him next season, especially early.

I'm beginning to believe more and more that Will Muschamp had more to do with LSU's national championship and five-year run earlier this decade than Nick Saban will ever want to admit. Major Applewhite had no answers for our defense at all Saturday night, and Applewhite's not alone in that category. The guy is ready for his own program, and he'll have his choice of jobs sooner rather than later. I just hope its not too soon and we have a chance to offer him the possibility of being the highest-paid DC in the country. I can't think of any other defensive coordinator that is more deserving.

It was nice to have very creative plays called for the first 15 scripted plays of the game Saturday night. We seemed much fresher on the offensive side of the ball and this helped to intensify our efforts to march down the field on both our first two drives. Aside from the Georgia game, we were thisclose to hitting the big play yet again but had one player not execute, which was the difference in touchdowns and field goals/punts.

I'm a huge Al Borges fan and will always be one thanks to his contributions to the 2004 season, but it may be time for a change in philosophy. His one flaw that I can see is that no one has developed into anything better than what they were when they first started playing for AU as freshmen. It will not hurt my feelings if he is retained, though. We showed that we're still capable of the shifts and motion that were so prevalent in 2004 and 2005 - we just need to call for that a little more often against teams like Miss. State, Arkansas and Georgia and not just against Alabama and LSU.

In conclusion, this was one of our most satisfying victories over them to date. Nothing will ever be able to replace the memory of Quentin Groves and Sen'Derrick Marks directing the band in the "Hey Song" just after the final seconds ticked off the clock.


***TAILGATE NEWS***
We'll discuss some of the tailgate news later on this blog, but it was definitely our best one of the season. All season, we were looking for year two production out of a first-year tailgate, and I think we finally began to accomplish this in the last two games (Ole Miss and Alabama). We'll take some time to recharge our batteries before getting together and going over what worked and didn't work in the 2007 season before making preliminary plans for 2008.

***COACHING CAROUSEL***
I'll address my thoughts on the craziest day in college football since Sept. 29. I'm just glad that we get to keep Houston Nutt in the SEC and that his fun bag of tricks will be saved for a different school from now on. Hey Arkansas, enjoy trying to defend the Fish "hide behind the offensive line before sneaking around for a 90-yard gain" play next season in Fayetteville.