ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Or not.

Or yes!

I just watched the end of the Bama game.  Quite a game, much better than last week's.  So much more fun to come from behind than to barely hang on to it.  The game could be considered a hang on, but that overturned call was one of the most wonderful things I've ever seen.

The beginning of the end began on fourth down in the red zone, with Bama lining up to kick.  The snap and, ITS A FAKE!  We're tackled and the ball is turned over on downs.  Great.  Personally, if we we're going to go for it, we should have lined up like we were going to.  We stop Ole Miss three times, setting up a fourth down conversion attempt.  They make it.  They take three downs to get another first, and then blast downfield until they were just outside field goal range for the tie.  We sack them.  Incomplete pass.  Another sack.  This next play is the game.

He falls back into the pocket, and then fires deep.  It's a tussle, but it appears Alabama intercepted it!  But then why is the Old Miss player coming up with it?  Aparently, we got the interception, but the it got stripped and taken so that they were on our one.  Saban calls a timeout to get it reviewed, it takes until almost the end of the timeout until they start to review it.  For five minutes, I am on edge.  Then the ref comes out.  Before the catch, both recievers went out of bounds, making them both ineligable recievers.  The catch didn't count, and it was a turnover on downs.  JPW kneels, and the game is over.

Speaking of JPW!  I was impressed with his play today.  He did really well, and was almost unstoppable in the first half.  Saban had defended him fiercely in a press conference prior to the game, and I guess his trust in him was well founded.

Speaking of Saban, I only had one problem with him today.  The fake kick that I spoke of above.  We had three options.  1. Go for it and hope we get a touchdown, winning the game.  2.  Go for it and get a first down, making the game winning touchdown much easier to get.  3.  Kick a field goal and force them to go all the way for the win.  Saban tried #2, but got a little too fancy.  He had some great play calling near the end of the Arkansas game, where he elected for a field goal instead of risking a TOD by going a touchdown.  But that field goal turned out to be the difference.  But we saw none of that here today.

What we did see was some amazing plays by Ole Miss's defensive line.  They have some very good players there, and I would watch out if I were playing them.

Bama is famous for nail biters like today.  We have historic ones, such as the kick in an Iron Bowl many years ago, where Van Tiffen, father of our kicker today Liegh Tiffin, kicked a last second field goal to win it.

We have the many from two years ago, after the Florida game when we lost Prothro, that were incredibly low scoring and came down to the last second.  I especially remember the last second field goal against Tennesse, because I was at a restaurant watching the game through a glass window showing into a room where a couple was having an engagement party (maybe it was a suprise engagement party, I don't remember), and my food was late.  I rejoiced throughout my meal.

And I'll never forget last year's bowl game.  Us versus Oklahoma State.  We were down two touchdowns 5 minutes into the fourth.  We come back to tye it, but with 7 seconds left they kick the game winning field goal.

This year is no different.  Just look at the last five games, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida State, Houston, and Mississippi. 

Arkansas - A touchdown in the last ten seconds to cap on the first comeback win for Nick Saban.

Georgia - Overtime touchdown to end a comeback that would have caused Bryant-Denny Stadium to collapse because of the noise shaking the foundations had they won.

Florida State - We comeback to within a touchdown, and get the onside kick, only to have it taken away by an illegal touching call.  Darn you Michael Jackson!

Houston - Interception in the endzone to save a collapse which lasted three quarters.

Ole Miss - See above.

Well, I didn't say which way they had to come out, but if you go see an Alabama game, I have one piece of advice for you.

NEVER LEAVE EARLY!

(Oh, and sorry I didn't get my picks up, I was busy yesterday.)