Alabama coach Nick Saban once likened his team's loss to Louisiana-Monroe in 2007 to both the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the Japanese ambush at Pearl Harbor in 1941, as the "kind of catastrophic event" that would similarly prepare the Crimson Tide for existential battle and triumph. Specifically, he was referring to the upcoming clash with Auburn the following week, which Alabama also lost, its sixth consecutive defeat at the hands of its hated rival.
But if any loss in the Saban era qualifies as "catastrophic" in a fundamental, soul-searing sense where Tide fans are concerned, it was 'Bama's blown 24-0 lead against Auburn on Nov. 26, which not only granted the Tigers another year of instate bragging rights in the most painful possible fashion, but also cleared their path to the an undefeated regular season, an inevitable Heisman win for übermensch quarterback Cam Newton and the BCS championship. Alabama's immediate reaction to the catastrophe: A 49-7 obliteration of its next opponent, Michigan State, in the Capital One Bowl. From there, 'Bama has subsequently plastered the locker room with posters of Newton and teammate Nick Fairley reveling in the silence of the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium following the Tigers' historic comeback, bracketed by pictures of the scoreboard at both the height of the Tide's first half dominance (24-0 in the second quarter) and the depths of the 28-27 final. The promise: "Never Again."
Of course, read literally, the pledge could be "Never blow a 24-point home lead to Auburn again," which would have a pretty good chance of going fulfilled for at least the next 75 years or so. Considering, though, that Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen enthusiastically promised his team after its second straight win over rival Ole Miss on Nov. 27 that MSU would never lose to the Rebels again, 'Bama's statement cries for a broader interpretation: In this cutthroat conference, the Yellowhammer State will never allow itself to fall on the wrong end of a widening vitriol gap.
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Hat tip: WarBlogle.com, via Roll Bama Roll.
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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