Was it the game of the new century? Maybe not but there was something special about the defensive struggle that ended up with LSU beating Alabama 9-6. It was not the sort of football game that people are used to in this era when the scores are high and the ball is always in the air. It was the sort of old school 3 yards and a cloud of dust game, however, that coaches such as Vince Lombardi, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler to name but a few would have thought was grand. Two teams giving their all to bring glory to themselves their schools and their states.
I know that the college game is hypocritical and think that players should be paid a stipend but I prefer the passion of the college game to the NFL. There I said it. There’s something special about a blood rivalry like the one LSU and Alabama have: it gets one’s, uh, blood flowing. The game even overshadowed the Saints in New Orleans for a week. That’s saying a lot.
The picture is of two coaching legends: Bear Bryant of Alabama and Charlie McLendon of LSU. I had the pleasure of being acquainted with Charlie Mac. He was a charming man who would have been very proud of the Tigers right now. It was his kind of game: no frills football stripped down to its essentials.
As a Tiger fan I would rather not have a rematch with Coach Grumpy and his team. It was hard enough beating them once.
Now where the hell is my giant foam finger?