North Jefferson News, North Jefferson, AL

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November 30, 2009

And <i>that</i> is why I don’t predict ball games

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For some reason, it is usually incumbent upon sports writers to try to pick the winners of games, especially football.

I almost went against my better judgement earlier to use this space to predict the winner of the Iron Bowl.

I am glad I did not do it. Because I would have looked like a fool, and there’s a whole lot more ways I can do that just fine, and I do so daily.

Frankly, I thought this would have been a blowout. My mind told me something on the order of two touchdowns plus a field goal, or thereabouts. Maybe even three TDs if Mark Ingram, the Tide’s Heisman Trophy hopeful, really got it in gear. Even Vegas sports books had settled on Alabama by 10 for a day or two.

But my heart kept telling me, “Don’t do it. This is the Iron Bowl. Auburn will Find A. Way. They have before, and they will again, and Alabama has returned the favor in similar occasions. Don’t rule out the Tigers, or you’ll be sorry.”

For once I listened to my heart and not my head, because War Dad-Gum Eagle gave Roll Tide the ride of its corporate life.

And the Tide gave football fans across the state and the world something to remember.

The last drive is destined to become the subject of a Daniel Moore print, available at a mall near you just in time for Christmas. It will certainly go down in Bama lore, not just for its near-perfect execution, but for saving the team’s national title aspirations.

That is what an Iron Bowl is supposed to be. It was not what this one was predicted to be.

Ingram had a so-so day with 30 yards on 16 carries. It will do little for his Heisman hopes, to say the least.

But the game did tell us this:

  • Trent Richardson is going to be really good. The freshman was one of the most highly-recruited running backs in the country. No we know why.
  • Gene Chizik looks to be the right man for Auburn. I’ve made fun of him for his bland speeches and snack-food name, but there’s no denying that the new man on The Plains has brought the Tigers back to respectability. This will ultimately benefit Alabama, because Nick Saban won’t be able to take any in-state or near-state prospect for granted. (Not that I think he might, but getting “fat and happy” can do that to someone.)
  • If Roy Upchurch does not do another thing in the brief remainder of his Bama career, he will always be remembered for that final catch. Congratulations, Roy, you’re now officially a legend. We’ll have a book signing, two dozen Quarterback Club breakfasts and a sports-talk radio gig lined up for you after graduation.

So now we move from one game for this history books to another. I’m sure there is a way that the coming SEC Championship Game between No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama can beat Friday’s game at Jordan-Hare. There always seems to be a way.

If it does, I’m just not sure that my heart can stay intact to watch it.

Robert Carter is the sports editor of The North Jefferson News.

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