Recapping the Iron Bowl

I will try to post a few blogs on here at once today. I don't really have time for this, but have been behind on my blogs. First, I will recap the Iron Bowl of 2007.

It was rather boring in a lot of ways. No really great play. No incredible kick or TD run to win the game for either side. No great upset. No great comeback. It was rather boring.

But even yet, the game is still the Iron Bowl, and perhaps as time goes on, the game will stick out more. A few plays will stick out. All the hard-hitting will stick out. We will have to see. I think the game was really a battle between mediocre teams, but I do think that each team played hard for what it was worth. In the end, AU won the game 17-10, bringing home their sixth straight Iron Bowl win.

However three games into the season, many people thought that AU would not win. AU was 1-2. UAT was 3-0. But I still gave AU a chance. My Dad (see blog links) actually predicted AU to win when AU was 1-2 and UAT was 3-0 (You can find this on his blog at this point in the season). I never actually predicted AU until the end, but I did give them a chance. UAT was 3-0 but had not proven too much to me. AU looked like that had potential, and were just not quite clicking. In the end, AU finished not a great team, but did go 7-2 since the 1-2 start. This included games against UF, LSU, and UGA all on the road - a pretty tough route.

AU looked mediocre going into the UAT game due to their disgusting loss to UGA. But UGA is also, and was then, one of the hottest teams in college football. UAT looked bad after losses to MSU and LOUSIANA MONROE, but had also shown that they can play some ball in games such as UT, and even though they lost, LSU. UAT played a hard game against AU, but you could just tell that AU pretty much was not going to lose the game. UAT got their only touchdown on a drive that had a couple of contraversial calls (pass interference, and TD on fourth down). In the first half UAT got the breaks off of contraversial calls. In the second half, AU gave UAT a cheap 15 yards on a ruffing the kicker. But the UAT came up real big for AU by ruffing the quarterback Brandon Cox (BTW, Cox may can throw interceptions, but he gets an Emmy for falling on that play!). AU made the plays when they needed to. They had a long punt return. Jeraud Powers made a great interception when it appeared UAT would score and take the lead going into half time. AU went for it on fourth down at the end, and won, putting the game away. Simply put, AU was the better teams, made better plays, and may have wanted it just a big more than UAT.

This game may have been boring. But we will remember the Jeraud Powers interception, stipping the ball away from great Tide receiver D.J. Hall. He wanted it more than Hall did. We may remember the security dog bitting Jeraud Powers late in the game. We may remember AU going for it on fourth and one - converting and putting the game away. My prediction was close (AU 24 UAT 14). It was a typical AU win over UAT. AU held the lead most of the game, UAT comes back in the end, kicks an onsides kick that AU recovers and runs out the clock. AU won the last six. UAT scored last in five of the last six. UAT kicked an onside kick in four out of the last six. AU won by eight points or less four out of the last six, and the other two were only by ten points. A typical AU win over UAT. AU played better. AU won. That simple.

War Eagle!

What do you think?

November 29, 2007

Ryan Hampton