bcs title game
(part ten)
((the x-factor))


all excerpts taken from HACAM

from august 31, 2007:

"- finally, if you don't believe that the only thing that matters is whether julio jones comes to alabama and brings his five star buddies with him, then you can't see the forest for the trees."

from november 28, 2007:

"i stick to this. losing four straight to end the year hurts. it hurts real bad. i have faith in saban, though. i have faith that he can convince julio that alabama needs a supernova to lead them back to prominence. a supernova to go along with their "star". we'll know in just over a couple months whether bama gets him or not. i am saying here that they do."

from february 6, 2008:

"and the leader? the moses that anchored the group that will be remembered for years to come, barring anything illegal or unforeseen, as the class that announced alabama's return? his name is julio. julio jones. why is he the name above all names? why is he more important today than burton or tyler or even star? because he's already a legend. if you are even a casual college football fan, if someone says the name, "julio", you know who they are referring to. to some in this state, he's already an icon. he will soon be a brand. why? because according to the worldwide leader in sports, he the most gifted high school senior in the nation. not just the state. not just the southeast. the. nation. he is the most high profile athlete ever to pick alabama (to this day, i still feel jilted by tim heisman) and it's not just us, the fans, that noticed. it's the high school seniors that came to alabama to play with him. it's the high school juniors that will want to come next year. it's the parents (the ones that live through the accolades of their children) of high school sophomores and freshmen that heard, today, that alabama was now shown in lights, decorated with tinsel, no longer clouded with the suspicion of being past it's prime...

...why does julio matter? because everything just changed. here's hoping it feels familiar."

from august 12, 2008:

"god bless you, julio (and burton and jerrell and mark and mark and tyler and others). crimson and white suits you (all) quite nicely."

from august 17, 2008:

"this serves as just another testament to the possibility that julio jones is the savior of all mankind. even in the midst of two-a-days, your promise of "something better" can keep old friendships aflame."

from august 25, 2008:

"to be or not to be julio?
i choose "to be.""

from december 7, 2008:

"julio jones was freshman all-american."

from april 7, 2009:

"i swear to christ, if he says one more thing about freaking julio jones, i am never going to read his idiotic blog again..."

from october 31, 2009:

yep.

-----------------------------------------

by definition, x-factors tend to fly under the radar. julio jones hasn't flown under the radar since he was about 16.

but a funny thing happened on the way to julio leading the rabid collection of humans that root for the university of alabama football program in unhealthy ways through to the promised land.

after posting ridiculous numbers for a sec freshman in 2008, leading all to believe he was set to break even more records in 2009, his role evolved. he would be equally important, in skill and scheme, to the gameplan, but he would not be the focus point. saban found the identity of his team early, and i mean virginia tech early, in his ferocious three headed attack in the backfield of ingram, spelled by this year's super-frosh trent richardson and relieved on third down by mr. reliable, tried and true senior rusher roy upchurch. alabama would run to set up the pass. they would run to set up play-action. and they would run to set up the deep ball to julio and maze. and it worked.

julio's numbers suffered for it, but, whether you choose to believe it or not, he says that he doesn't and didn't care. whether you choose to believe it or not, julio says that he wants to do whatever he can to help his team win. if that means blocking downfield, he has done that. if that means carrying his team to a game winning iron bowl drive, he has done that. if it means no longer being the most decorated player in his own recruiting class (how flipping ridiculous is that???), he has done that.

and so, in a twisted and beautiful irony, julio has fallen under the radar. just a bit.

until tonight. i don't make predictions very often, but i predict that julio will be the most important player on the field. he may catch 10 balls for 150 yards and 2 td's and he may not.

but just as he was way back in february of 2008, julio is the one that changed the rules. he is the one that led alabama back from irrelevance. and no matter the outcome tonight, he is the neo to my morpheus. blindly and with complete confidence, i cast my team's fate with him. he is the one. he is...

...the x-factor.