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

Blast From the Past: Bama-Florida 1999

Bama-Florida 1999: No Tickets To Witness 21st SEC Title

Sure, I entertained the thought of making the short trip to Atlanta to see the SEC Championship game the last two years.

But the closest I (almost) came to actually getting there was in 1999, and I enlisted a little help along the way.

A 9-2 regular season was good enough to get us to the Georgia Dome for a rematch against Florida.

About two months prior to the SEC Championship meeting, Alabama beat the Spurrier-coached Gators

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

Bryant-Denny Stadium Behind the Scenes

The Alabama “A” Inside the Locker Room

Getting Ready for the Game

Terry Grant and Javier Arenas

Best Seats in the House

The outcome of the game could have been better. Still, it was a great one: Alabama hosting Georgia in Tuscaloosa at night; coach Nick Saban on the sidelines poised to turn the Tide.

But one Matthew Stafford completion to the end zone in overtime cancelled out John Parker-Wilson’s comeback bid, and it was over. No. 22 Georgia wins, 26-23.

For me, precious little can soothe a loss—especially the season’s first—and God bless those who know this firsthand. But on this trip to Tuscaloosa, I might have found as much

College Football: Week 12

As expected, Florida and Alabama routed their overmatched opponents, FIU and Tennessee-Chattanooga, respectively. Still, give credit to Nick Saban for not running up the score on the FCS Mocs.

In the second half, the backups took over and finished the game. On every fourth down, the Tide went for it instead of taking the field goal points. RB Mark Ingram and company headed to the bench early to get a head-start on a short week of rest prior to the Iron Bowl meeting in Auburn on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Florida “got their offensive rhythm back” against Sun Belt Conference foe Florida International in preparation for a barely-bowl-eligible Florida State in the Swamp. But, hey, they have won 21 in a row, including “big wins”