Lucky State U Strikes Again

No doubt the tube tops and cigarettes are flying off the shelves at every bait shop and flea market (read: mall) in Louisiana as the swamp things celebrate their “big win” over defending national champions the University of Alabama. I’d like to think it’s unlikely that logic-defying Coach Les Miles could do anything more than pad his pathetic resume with this win over the Crimson Tide. But then again, it’s Les Miles and stranger things have happened. Like

Dear South Carolina, One Great Game Doesn’t Make a Program

Stephen Garcia Plays Perfect Game to Beat Bama/Getty Images

Who would have thought “Stephen Garcia” and “perfect game” would be in the same sentence referring to the South Carolina QB playing anything beyond the realm of Old Maid or Super Mario Brothers? Probably no one.

So when the universe was perfectly aligned (or simply off kilter) for on Saturday afternoon, Garcia earned his 15 minutes of fame and the Gamecocks their 15 minutes of greatness in the shallow pool of their athletic lore by taking down the defending national champions and No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

After pulling off the monumental upset, they did all the requisite “we’ve-never-been-here-before” moves, like

For Alabama Fans, “The” Days Are Upon Us

O Happy Day: Winning the BCS National Championship

There are days and there are “the” days. It’s been a year checkered with “the” days already, and the season hasn’t even officially kicked off. The “the” days started with January 7, the date of the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, which by early morning on the East Coast became known as “THE” day–the one every Bama fan had eagerly anticipated and salivated over for 17 years.

Then there was “the” day of the national championship celebration, a decidedly low key 45-minute affair on January 16 in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Fans already had a lot to cheer about, but Nick Saban’s declaration that “this is not the end” just made those rabid gargantuan dreams we have that much bigger.
 
Don’t forget National Signing Day, when the Tide raked in another top class. It wasn’t the very

Dear Kirby, Be Smart

Having the Smarts To Succeed/al.com

Kirby, your obvious flaw that you are a Georgia graduate aside, the Bama Nation loves you.

For three years as you’ve assembled an impressive defense ranking among the top of Division I football, you’ve won our hearts, and we can only hope we’ve won yours.

So, now, as the world is sitting up and taking notice of your coaching prowess, I ask you to, please, be smart.

Nowhere were your defensive smarts more evident this year than in the SEC Championship game. Of course, they were there all along, but don’t think they’ve gone unnoticed.

It’s just that that matchup between No. 1 and No. 2 drew some of

College Football: Week 13

Apparently, hatred is a powerful motivator as Week 13, a.k.a. rivalry week in college football showed us.

Most of those bitter matchups were pretty close games, unless you’re Florida and instead ran up the score (only pulling the starters with a little more than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter) on an embattled Florida State team.

No matter to the man-crushing Tebow-worshipping media, who were so impressed with the Gators’

Blast From the Past: Bama-Auburn 1999

Bama-Auburn 1999 Memorable for Win, Signature Cheer

As I’ve mentioned before, 1999 was a great year in recent Alabama history. For one, I was a student at the Capstone, majoring in Crimson Tide football and journalism.

I only got the “official” degree in journalism, though. Perhaps the football one is just understood.

Alabama had already clinched a spot in the SEC Championship game opposite Florida the week before, so beating Auburn held no other implications other than bragging rights.

Any football fan knows that a win over a big rival can do wonders for “salvaging” a season, and any football coach knows that it can do wonders for saving your job.

Just ask Bill Curry or Mike Shula. I’m sure they