It was a long and visually dull drive across the hills of northern Mississippi into the state of Alabama, and as the Friday afternoon came to a close, I could not help but start to let the excitement slowly take me over. Having finally finished the school week after what seemed like an eternity of classes and homework, we were finally on our way. The Ole Miss Rebels were set for a road showdown with the then number two, and comfortably favored, University of Alabama football team. The Rebels were about to try and do what no other Ole Miss team had done before them, win back to back games over the Crimson Tide. To make things just a little more complicated, factor in that Ole Miss had previously only beaten the Tide once in Tuscaloosa since the rivalry's inception. On top of that, Alabama had only lost one game in what had become known across the country as the coach's signature “revenge” games during Nick Saban's tenure. The Crimson Tide had also never lost a conference opener at home since Saban took over the program. Needless to say, the odds were not in the Rebel's favor, but Hugh Freeze had put together a good team of his own. Now, in front of a hostile crowd for a primetime kickoff, it was time to find out just how good. There was plenty of reason to be excited. So, as we arrived in Birmingham, I ran inside, jumped in bed as soon as I could get my shoes off, and shut my eyes, hoping to fall asleep as soon as possible so that game day could finally be here.
As we drove into the Tuscaloosa city limits the next day, traffic was surprisingly not as bad as I had imagined it would be. Previous experiences of growing up an Alabama fan and going to games with my family made me all too familiar with the city's lackluster ability to try and hold a population of around 400,000 on game day. So, like the sucker for tradition that I am, I took Meghan to the mall for our pregame meal in the food court just as I had always done on game day in Tuscaloosa. Romantic, right? The only difference is, this time I was sporting my red and powder blue instead of my usual crimson and white. After eating my customary China Garden box and catching odd looks, which I am not sure were caused by the Ole Miss gear or the food, we hurried out to the car so we could get a jump on finding a parking spot near the stadium for a reasonable price.
We found a spot at Central High School, located four or five blocks south of Bryant-Denny Stadium's towering columns, so we parked and started the hike towards the Quad. Now, I knew what I was walking into, having been to Alabama games as a kid, but never had I found myself a stranger with no where in particular to go until now. I leaned over and commented to Meghan under my breath, “Now I think I know how other people feel when they come to the Grove.” For anyone who may not know, the Quad is the University of Alabama equivalent to the Grove, just a shoddier version. So we wandered around, returning an emphatic “Hotty Toddy!” to the occasional Ole Miss fan as they would randomly pass. Suddenly, I remembered the invitation we had received to come tailgate from our semi-employer, The Southern Shirt Company, that was founded and based in Tuscaloosa. I say semi-employer because Meghan and I represent the company as campus ambassadors for Ole Miss, so we headed to tent twenty in front of the Gorgas Library. When we arrived, we were met with amazing hospitality. Free drinks and food were continuously handed our way, as well as a seat in front of the TV to watch Auburn getting run over by LSU, which all of the Alabama faithful seemed to thoroughly enjoy. We met and talked to the founder, who is conveniently also from my hometown of Ocean Springs, and many of the other employees and family members. Everyone was just simply having a downright good time, poking fun at each other with the occasional “Roll Tide” or “Hotty Toddy.” A highly contested round of beer pong ensued until the hour we had all been waiting for finally arrived, game time.
Once in the stadium, the atmosphere was electric. I had been going to Alabama games all my life, but never had I seen Bryant-Denny rocking quite like this. I could feel it in the air. The pom-poms and stadium were shaking, “Dixie Land Delight” was blaring, and Alabama wanted revenge. I had the feeling all day that this was going to be a nail biter, but it was at that moment I knew it was going to be a battle until the bitter end. As the teams lined up for the opening kick off, the stadium had reached fever pitch. I could feel the stadium swaying underneath my feet. I could not even hear myself think. Suddenly, through the deafening of the crowd noise there was an even louder sound, the hype inducing intro rhythm of hip-hop artist Drake's hit record “Back To Back.” The Ole Miss kickoff team and sideline erupted, swaying back and forth swaggerishly to the beat. As soon as it registered, Meghan leaned over and asked simply, “Foreshadowing?” “Let's find out.” I said, as Gary Wunderlich booted it deep into the arms of the Alabama return man, the echoes of long and drawn out “Roll Tide Roll!” booming through the stadium.
The kick, the catch... Boom! The kickoff team makes contact with the return man and the crowd instantly goes from cheering to silent. The Ole Miss players are swarming around the spot of the ball, pointing in the opposite direction as if they knew that they had gained possession. As I looked and waited, a player in a white jersey and powder blue lid comes bursting out of the pile with the football. “The ruling on the field is that the Alabama player fumbled the football before his knee was down, therefore it is Ole Miss' football.” said the referee. It was almost as if the life had been instantly sucked from the stadium. The Alabama sideline could not believe it, and neither could the crowd. They had picked up right where they left off in the last meeting, a fumbling on the kickoff. Ole Miss quickly cashed the turnover and field position into points, albeit only a field goal, but the Rebels took the lead early.
Back and forth the teams went, both defenses showing that they were once again a part of the nation's elite, trading field goals to put the game at a 3-3 draw into the second quarter. Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss' star number one recruit from a few short years ago, was wreaking havoc on the Alabama offensive line. In the eyes of the NFL Scouts, you could say that he was “putting on a clinic.” The pressure from the Ole Miss defensive front would soon take it's toll on young Alabama quarterback Cooper Bateman, allowing Rebel safety Trae Elston to make a pivotal play in the game, intercepting a deep throw toward the middle of the field. In stunting a Tide drive, the Rebels also moved into Alabama territory on the return. Against a defense as good as Alabama's, field position, no matter how it is earned, is vital. Ole Miss, lead by quarterback Chad Kelly, took the opportunity and drove down to the Crimson Tide half yard line. Alabama still would not break defensively, holding the Rebels on three straight plays, making it fourth and goal. Bringing his signature “big” package into the game, Coach Hugh Freeze was about to fool everyone in the stadium, including me. The snap went to the three hundred pound wildcat quarterback Jeremy Liggins for what was sure to be a powerful run into the teeth of the Crimson Tide defense. Just as soon as Liggins caught the snap, then popped the ball back forward right into the hands of running back Jordan Wilkins, who was motioning across the formation. Wilkins strolled into the end zone untouched to take the lead. Silence. The ensuing kickoff went to star Alabama running back Kenyan Drake, who then proceeded to fumble it away as well. The crowd was in disbelief. Three plays later, Chad Kelly took the snap from the Alabama four yard line, somehow getting to the corner and outside of the defense. He dove through a tackle towards the crimson painted end zone, landing defiantly with his arms outstretched for another touchdown. 17-3, Ole Miss leads. But, like all great teams do, Alabama would come roaring back, scoring on a long touchdown drive to end the half with Ole Miss only leading 17-10. The momentum was shifting back to the Crimson Tide, and the stadium could feel it too.
After the half with Alabama's defense playing on fire and the momentum ever building in the Tide's favor, the Rebels faced a pivotal third down with one yard to gain. They could not afford to go three-and-out on this drive. If they did, they were at risk of losing any momentum they may have left. As the ball was snapped, trouble immediately followed. The football sailed up over Chad Kelly's head, barely low enough for him to get a hand on it. It popped straight up into the air and just floated for what seemed like hours. By the time he caught it, three Crimson Tide defenders were swarming, closing in on him. There was no escape. In a Johnny Manziel-esque sequence of events, Kelly swiveled and heaved the ball into the direction of receiver Laquon Treadwell. I could just see the game changing interception coming. The ball fluttered pitifully down as Laquon jumped up to try and catch it, two defenders draped on him. As he grabbed it, an Alabama defender knocked it straight down out of his hands. In an extreme turn of events, instead of falling to the ground, the football bounced off of the second Alabama defender's helmet back up into the air. It fell right into the hands of Rebel receiver Quincy Adeboyejo, who then streaked down the sideline and into the end zone for a touchdown. Everyone was in such extreme disbelief that no one could say a word. As the Ole Miss sideline erupted in applause, the Alabama sideline was the polar opposite. Nick Saban was irate. He threw his arms up in the air defiantly as he mouthed, “What the?...” 24-10, Ole Miss.
From that point, the game took a huge turn in the Rebels favor as they continued to pour it on. Forcing and taking advantage of Crimson Tide turnover, they just began to beat Alabama in every aspect of the football game. The score grew to a 30-10 Ole Miss lead near the end of the third quarter. It was far from over. Just as before, Alabama would come roaring back, lead by senior quarterback Jake Coker, the starter of the Tide's two previous games who had been benched in place of Bateman for tonights game. Alabama was then able to crank up the pressure and shut down the Ole Miss offense as they mounted their come back, scoring fourteen unanswered points. Ole Miss' lead stood only at six, 30-24. Just as it seemed Alabama had regained all momentum, Rebel quarterback Chad Kelly sprinted right as if to run, pulling up at the very last second as if to throw. He pushed the ball over the head of the Alabama defender and it glided right into the hands of receiver Cody Core, who was standing all alone down the sideline. Core took it the rest of the way, racing into the end zone for a touchdown. 36-24, Ole Miss leads with eleven minutes left to play. The Landshark Defense would then step up once again, intercepting Coker on the following drive. This would seemingly give the Rebels the stop they needed to finish the game. Two plays later, Chad Kelly would find Laquon Treadwell in the end zone over the top of Alabama defensive back Cyrus Jones for another touchdown, and just like that, the Rebels had a 43-24 lead with only nine minutes to play. It was at this point that some of the Alabama fans started to pour out of the stadium, essentially conceiting defeat. The Alabama players would not waiver though, again driving down the field for a score, never giving up and cutting the lead to 43-30 with six minutes to play in the game. What followed was a sequence of events that made me sure Ole Miss was going to go back to their old ways and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as I had watched them do so many times before. Alabama kicker Adam Griffith chipped a perfectly executed onside kick. It bounced up into the air, over the Rebel receivers, and into the hands of an Alabama player. The Tide was not dead yet. On the ensuing possession, Alabama quarterback Jake Coker would again find the end zone in the form of his newfound go-to receiver, Richard Mullaney, cutting the Ole Miss lead to 43-37 with three minutes left in the game.
Following the kickoff, Ole Miss was attempting to put the game away on offense. With no time out's left, the Alabama coaching staff had put in all of their chips in hopes of stopping the Rebels on this drive. Ole Miss only needed one first down to win the game, but it was not meant to be. Forced to punt, the Rebel defenders would once again be called upon to win the game. Now the only thing standing between Alabama and a miraculous comeback victory was the Landshark defense. It all came down to a fourth down play for the Tide. Everyone in the stadium, Alabama and Ole Miss fans alike, collectively held their breath as Jake Coker dropped back to throw and fired across the field. Incomplete! The defense had done it once again! Ole Miss had done what seemed impossible, beating the Crimson Tide two years in a row. Drake's song could be heard echoing from the Ole Miss locker room and team buses for the rest of the night, “Oh man, oh man, oh man, not again..” The Rebels had beat Alabama, and they had done it back to back.
This essay was written as a creative writing assignment in one of my education classes.
- Hunter Jones
