Local Sports
And <i>that</i> is why I don’t predict ball games
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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Full sectional wrestling results for local teams
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Girls basketball playoffs: Jordan beats #8 Hayden, Gardendale falls to Mountain Brook
Haylie McCleney scored 26 points to lead Mortimer Jordan past eighth-ranked Hayden 55-49 in the semifinals of the Class 5A Area 11 Girls Tournament at Erwin Thursday night.
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CLAS 5A-AREA 11 BOYS BASKETBALL: Mortimer Jordan 82, Hayden 67
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BASKETBALL: Hayden boys finally crack goose egg
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Hayden girls, boys JV take Blount County titles
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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Nation scores 30 as Devils rout ACA
Brianna Nation saved the best for last.
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BOYS BASKETBALL: Rockets can't contain Pleasant Grove
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Four Yellow Jackets sign with Bevill softball
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PREP BASKETBALL:Hayden girls advance to Blount County finals
Hayden made it look easy as they rolled to an early 30-10 lead, going on to take a 59-34 victory over Susan Moore in the semifinals of the Blount County Tournament at Oneonta.
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Full sectional wrestling results for local teams


