Behind Enemy Lines – Winners All Around

I apologize for the lack of posts over the last few days, especially an Iron Bowl review. Beautiful Blogle's grandfather passed away last Sunday, and we've been out of town for the past few days. I promise to have a review for you tomorrow, but for now you will just have to deal with a Bammer's perspective of the game they should have lost.
Season 2, Week 14 - Winners All Around
by FireWillHeath

How often do you leave the Auburn-Alabama game with both sides in a reasonably good mood?

It happened this past Friday, when Alabama rallied for a 26-21 victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

During most of the offseason — as 'Bama fans rubbed Auburn's noses in the 36-0 debacle of 2008 and national prominence, while Auburn fans (apparently) sniffed around in the hopes of catching Alabama cheating — it certainly didn't seem possible. As the season unfolded — and Auburn started 5-0, just like Alabama — it didn't seem possible. And before the game — as both sets of fans started wringing their hands about the possibilities (championships, Heismans, etc) — it certainly didn't seem possible.

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Behind Enemy Lines – No Dominance Here

Season 2, Week 13 - No Dominance Here
by FireWillHeath

In the Auburn-Alabama rivalry, the word “dominance” comes up a bit too often.

Alabama fans, for example, love to point out their team’s historical “dominance” over Auburn, quickly pointing out their all-time record over their archrivals (39-33-1). Auburn fans, of course, will counter with more recent statistics: specifically, since Paul Bryant left college football and this earth in 1983, Auburn owns a 15-11 mark vs. ‘Bama, including separate win streaks of four and six years (this decade, Auburn has lost to Alabama exactly twice).

Closer inspection reveals, of course, that neither program has truly “dominated” the other. This decade, the average margin of victory in this game is a mere 13.5 points, and even that is somewhat skewed by separate Alabama blowouts (24 and 36 points). And neither program ever really lets the other get too far ahead – Auburn’s six-year win streak excepted, the last seriously long win streak either team held was in the 1970s, when Bryant’s Alabama team won 9 straight.

Alabama was certain to dominate the state for the foreseeable future after 1999; Auburn was certain to do the same after 2000; Alabama had the upper hand after 2001; Auburn “owned” Alabama after 2007. And right now, obviously, ‘Bama runs things going into Friday.

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Behind Enemy Lines – The Decade That Was

Season 2, Week 12 - The Decade That Was
by FireWillHeath

Since the decade is winding down to a close — and since we're all basically in a off-week (de facto for us, de jure for the Aubs) — I figured I'd take some time to look at the close of this decade in SEC football.

You'd forgotten about it, right? I basically had, also. But it is a reality: the '00s (whatever you wish to call them) will end in December, ushering in a brand-new decade of...well, everything.

As a 'Bama graduate and devotee, this decade hasn't been that much fun. I've watched my favorite team suffer through NCAA troubles that won't go away, four different losing (or non-winning) seasons and five different head coaches (five!). We've been to Shreveport three times for a bowl, with one trip to Nashville thrown in for good measure. Just for balance's sake, we've also won (at least) 10 games four seasons as well (counting this season).

(Note: for a preseason review of this decade in SEC football, go here ... note that I somehow predicted UGA to be a sleeper, which worked out ... really well.)

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Behind Enemy Lines – Sour Grapes Make Sweet Whine

Season 2, Week 11 - Sour Grapes Make Sweet Whine
by FireWillHeath

Here's the best reason that should've been an INT for Patrick Peterson in the fourth quarter on Saturday in Tuscaloosa; so everybody will shut the hell up.

The prevailing story on Sunday should've been the tenacity of the battle between LSU & Alabama, about Alabama's ability to repeat as SEC West champs (and clinching the deal well before the final week of the season), about Julio Jones redeeming himself from a mostly forgettable season (capped off by that sequence where he forgot to take himself out & cost his team a chance at a touchdown) with an extraordinary effort for the game-winning touchdown.

Instead, we're sitting here talking about officials. Again.

OK, so the SEC helped us get here, obviously -- by showing a willingness to publicly reprimand, then suspend, an officiating crew for some mistakes (the kind that happen all the time everywhere, by the way) basically opened the door for a-holes like Lane Kiffin and Dan Mullen to run their mouths. Eventually, that forced the SEC to institute this silly "zero-tolerance" policy ... which has only drawn more attention to the whole issue.

(Note: To the credit of Les Miles & LSU's program, their guys took the high road consistently. Yet another way LSU is superior to Tennessee.)

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Behind Enemy Lines – The Robot vs. The Gambler

There is way too much Bama talk in this post, but it does share my sentiments about Les Miles and does mention two Alabama losses, so I'll give it a pass. Try not to puke though.
Season 2, Week 10 - The Robot vs. The Gambler
by FireWillHeath

The alleged "rivalry" between Alabama & LSU, of course, went to another level prior to the 2007 season, when Nick Saban came to Tuscaloosa. It cut LSU fans because, of course, Saban is the man most responsible for LSU's claim to SEC Program of the Decade. More than that, though, Saban's arrival in Tuscaloosa meant, essentially, that Alabama was done screwing around with "feel-good" hires — Mal Moore and the Board of Trustees essentially said, "Screw it, let's throw a ton of money at at a proven hired gun and fix this thing for good." Saban's hire at Alabama meant the Tide would no longer lose out on recruiting battles in-state (like they did with, say, Jamarcus Russell) and that they would no longer be out-prepared, either mentally or physically. Party time in Baton Rouge, essentially, ended when Nick Saban showed up here.

Few coaching dichotomies are as fascinating as the one between Les Miles and Nick Saban. We've covered this before, but Nick Saban's teams, when they're playing the way he wants are a boring lot: they pound the football, play solid, well-disciplined defense, don't turn the ball over and slowly kill your will to resist them. It's been most evident in big games away from home — a season ago, traveled to Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU. In each of those games, Alabama followed the same formula: take an early lead; weather the storm from the opposition; extend the lead; extend it a little more; leave town with an easy win (note: Nick Saban said this week that he wants to throw the ball downfield more for more big plays, which could just be for fun). This season, thus far they've been to Kentucky and Ole Miss, winning by a combined score of 50-23. They just don't let the other team's crowd get into it. Ever.

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Behind Enemy Lines – Dude, I’m Tired

Season 2, Week 9 - Dude, I'm Tired
by FireWillHeath

Most people walk around tired all the time. In fact, a typical office conversation first thing in the morning goes something like this:
"Mornin."
(Grumble)
"How are you?"
(Note: We actually don't care how people are.)
"Tired."

So very few of us want to hear about how tired our favorite football teams are. After all, we wake up at ridiculous hours, fight all kinds of traffic, pay exorbitant fees for tickets and fight all day with various appliances (for concessions or tailgating). All they have to do is eat their specially-made food and play a lousy game for our amusement.

I said all that to say this: our two favorite teams (in the case of this case, Alabama for me and Auburn for the 5 of you who read this blog) look tired.

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Behind Enemy Lines – Knock Down, Drag Out

Mr. FireWillHeath gives the Auburn-LSU rivalry a little respect, and tells us that as a college football fan, it is his favorite. But I suspect that he only loves it because the Tigers beat each other up so much in this game, as he mentions, that it gives his Tahd an advantage later in the season. They won't need an advantage this year. Auburn and LSU will just be lucky to share the same field with the Glorious Tahd this season. Give 'em 13.

Season 2, Week 8 - Knock Down, Drag Out
by FireWillHeath

One of the more underrated rivalries this decade has been the game between LSU and Auburn.

I am, of course, a 'Bama fan by nature and nurture (and the grace of God). But I'm also a football fan, and the football fan in me has enjoyed Auburn and LSU this decade.

Few people outside the region have recognized the rivalry for its intense nature (and apparently still fail to recognize it, as evidenced by the fact that ESPN decided to show Florida's trip to Mississippi St. in its marquee slot over this game). The fact of the matter: for the bulk of the decade, LSU & Auburn were the two most talented teams in the SEC, only they kept beating up on one another and — at least in part — held each other back from a shot at the title.

The rivalry's always been a heated one, of course, owing mostly to the fact that LSU fans carry themselves a little like zombies from horror movies: mindless, flesh-eating and vicious (they also attack people in droves). There's the famous "Earthquake Game" that everybody knows (kind of overrated through the years) and the "Interception Game" of 1994 (one of the single weirdest moments in football history). The '95 & '96 games — both LSU victories — are overlooked for their memorable qualities: both came right down to the wire, and in '96 something at Auburn even caught fire (the old gym, it turns out).

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