36-0
i've been sitting on this for several months now, keeping it in my pocket (courtesy of the great barstoolio) for just the right time. well, if tonight isn't the right time, then when would be?
you heard me mention his name over fifteen months ago. andy and kiker being the exceptions, i may have even introduced him to you. he wasn't the mvp of the game tonight. that honor goes to glen coffee and mark ingram and one of the best offensive lines in the country. but his presence as metaphor and actuality combined with the mentality of this alabama team that has completely bought what nick saban is selling made "the leap" tonight. not that the eleven wins of 2008 prior to this day were not important. each was a step in the journey. but it was tonight that exposed their in-state rival's six game winning streak as being flawed, at best, and, at worst, meaningless. it was tonight that alabama re-arrived on the national stage as a worthy opponent to the mighty tim tebow and his army of really fast guys. it was tonight that alabama became alabama again. because "being alabama" means controlling, no, dominating your rival in such a way that hindsight proves them to be no more significant a blip on your season's radar than any other victim.
julio didn't win this game by himself. he wasn't even the catalyst for the change (see: saban) that has now come to those that see through crimson colored glasses. maybe he was wise enough to see what was coming before the rest of us. maybe he was just lucky to be along for the ride. he will be the one player above all others that will represent this season of transition and looking ahead to looking back fifteen years from now, that'll be a pretty cool place to be for him i would think.
i am glad i was among my 'bama friends and family tonight. i am glad that i didn't have to swallow my enthusiasm out of respect for "the other side." whatever happens next week, you can watch alabama in a bcs game at my house. a bcs game. in year two. wow. if tebow and co. do stem the tide (pun intended), temporarily, when they (and stafford and moreno) have departed for the nfl in 2009 and left star jackson and julio to rule the sec without them next year, there will be nothing and no team remaining to prevent alabama from ascending to the top of college football once again.
roll. freaking. tide.
5 comments:
Well first of all Kevin, I don't want you to feel like you need be any less enthusiastic because your team is doing well. Totally understandable. I would be doing the same, if my team had done anything worth being enthused about this season.
But I don't think I agree your comment about totally writing off the past six years. Is it because this win was better than the past six Auburn wins, those don't count? I think Auburn won those games for the same reason Alabama won this year--because they were better than the other team. Yeah 36 to 0 is worse than any other Iron Bowl in the past 7...probably more (just found out today that was the first time Auburn has been shut out since like 2003!) So yeah, I think Auburn is just.that.bad. this year. If you didn't think it was possible to degrade that much in one season, we proved it was.
Don't want you to think that I'm bringing it up because I'm bitter about the game or something...I kind of expected it, what with number 1 against number 119. Expectations were pretty low on my end in the first place.
But hey, I'm dwelling on what happened in the past, and God knows Auburn fans give Alabama fans enough grief about doing that, so I'll leave it alone. Haha. Have a good one man!
Ha! I am glad you can forgive my excitement, Jacob. It's been a long time, right?
And don't hear me as discounting individual Auburn wins over the course of the last six years. I've said this before, I think what this Alabama football season proved is that the idea of either team rolling off six wins in a row is flawed, all things (recruiting, coaching, etc.) being equal.
Of course Auburn will be better on the field some years than Alabama and vice versa. The results, or lack thereof, of recruiting sanctions would have made no difference against a Cadillac, Ronnie Brown, Jason Campbell led Auburn team.
My release last night was a reaction to every irrational Auburn fan I've heard give credit to Auburn's victories the last six years without also acknowledging that Alabama's on field product had been handicapped by overzealous "support" of it's program by people with too much money. That handicap no longer exists.
Last night, in a way, was good for both sides. Last night proved that there are no longer any excuses. Let the rivalry now resume to it's fullest extent!
Well, all I'm saying is, it took Alabama six years to beat Auburn...
:)
But you know I can't be too hardcore of an Auburn fan since I've stepped foot inside Bryant-Denny stadium and lightning bolts haven't struck me. I'm no fair-weather fan, though, so congrats to your team - they deserve it.
Did I tell you my uncle met Bear Bryant and shook his hand? I know I told Joseph. It's awesome having that bit of history in the family.
Hope you all are feeling better!
Did that voice-mail come through as I hoped? I had no real way to tell if the call ever went through, and couldn't imagine if it would be at all discernible anyway, but I figured it was worth a shot. What a feeling.
Roll Tide. See you this weekend, probably.
Roll Tide!!
Melinda
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