Tide Fans -
Still Undefeated!!! How good it feels to be ranked #1 and have just beaten a tough opponent on the road in a VERY hostile environment. Death Valley is never an easy place to win, and with the pressure of being ranked #1 in the country and the return of Saban, I was VERY proud of our team to come out of there victorious! That was HUGE! Of course we had to do it in typical Alabama fashion by stressing all of us Tide Fans out to the point where I literally almost threw up in my seat. I have never thrown up at a Tide game, but that was the closest I have ever come. Having the pure elation of cheering for a Bama TD ripped away from me by a more than questionable holding call, and then having to watch us line up for a field goal for the win....you want to talk about a roller coaster of emotions. I know many of you were on that same roller coaster with me...it was brutal. Settling for the field goal attempt after getting screwed out of a TD - I was not feeling confident. And of course they blocked it, which really didn't surprise me. I just had a bad feeling about it. Tiger stadium was rocking, and they had the momentum going into overtime. Enter my official new "man crush"...Rashad Johnson! What a huge play to intercept that ball in OT - HUGE PLAY!!! The pass to Julio was incredible...what a freaking catch! JP takes it in from the 1...game over...pure elation from the Alabama section...it was awesome!
Games like this make me love The Tide even more, which I didn't think was possible. Sitting up about a mile high in the upper deck surrounded by other Tide faithful...it was beautiful. I think I hugged about 50 people I didn't know, but strangely I felt like I was hugging and high fiving close friends. Our fans are so awesome! Before the game, the group I was with came across a very gracious group of Tide fans - I believe they were actually students. The reason I assume this, is because before I knew it we were drinking their beer and doing Jeager Bombs with them. Aaaaahh I felt like I was 21 again. In case you don't know what a Jaeger Bomb is, allow me to explain. A Jaeger Bomb, is a rather large amount of Jaegermeister mixed with Red Bull. I was unfamiliar with this shot, because Red Bull unfortunately had not been invented when I was in school. Putting aside any fear of catching a disease from whomever had used the cup I took my shot out of...I slugged it down. Aaaaahhh sooo smooth! I have to say - I enjoyed the Jager Bomb.
A big shout out to my new friends who so graciously accommodated us.
I also need to give a shout out to most of the LSU fans. I wasn't really sure what to expect going to Baton Rouge with all the Saban haters, but most of them that we saw acted as civil as LSU fans can. One girl, dressed in her LSU garb complete with Tiger ears on her head approached me blowing a whistle. I was like...oh great here we go. I let her blow her whistle at me for a few seconds and then calmly responded..."Honey, you can blow your whistle all you want at me if you can find us 3 beers" She stopped blowing her whistle, smiled and said..."Sure - come on over here" The whistle blower turned out to be very nice and offered us food and drink. Before I could even thank her she had joined in with a line dance that had formed around the tailgating spot - it was wild! There were a few rowdy LSU fans before the game, and if I hear the expression "Tiger Bait" one more time...man they love saying that. Except it sounds more like "Tigah Bait" - the "r" is silent, and the "e" is apparently replaced by the letters "a" and "h" in Cajun speak. Overall the fans were OK to us before the game. I could go on telling stories of my travels to Baton Rouge, but you probably want a little analysis also.
Overall this was kind of an ugly game for us, but that is about what I expected. The running game was almost non existent in the first half, but thankfully we had Julio to catch some passes. What a performance he gave in this game! This kid is phenomenal. Yes, he did drop a few but he made some huge catches, and he is not easy to take down. I love watching him stiff arm and bull his way for more yards. I lover Javier, but seriously...if he fumbles again I am going to lose it! The defense played poorly against the run, and thankfully Jarret Lee is terrible so most of their passes ended up in the dirt, or in Rashad's hands. Did I mention that I love Rashad Johnson as much as a straight man can? We delivered when we needed it though, and that is the true sign of a champion! This was bound to be an ugly game, but LSU has some big boys so we knew we would have some trouble. There are many areas we could have played better, but the only thing that matters is that we played well enough to get the win, and clinch the SEC West title! We are going to Atlanta!
Players I love from this week:
- Rashad Johnson!!!!!!!
- Julio Jones....(nuff said)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Destroy Miss. State (we owe these guys a butt whipping)
The Tide is number 1 and I am loving it. I have so much swagger now that I may explode! The best way to tell when you have a great football team is when people start hating you, and there were a lot of Tide haters on Bourbon Street Saturday night. Not just LSU fans, but all kinds of random people who cheered for random teams. This may sound funny, but I love it when people hate us because then I know we are a damn good football team. I cannot wait for the rest of this season, and I cannot wait to play Florida in the SEC championship game. I sooo had hoped we would get the chance to play Tebow - I want to crush him and his Gaytors! People are already saying that Florida will crush us...right. I am fine if everyone wants to make us the underdog - they did the same thing in 1992. Bring it on Florida...bring it on!
Hold you heads high Tide Fans - we are Undefeated and 10-0! I hope to see you all in Tuscaloosa for the Miss. State game. I think Sylvester Croom and his Bulldogs will be in for a long night.
Until next week - Roll Tide!
Jason
