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When Alabama rolled out to a 21-0 lead after the
first quarter, everything was all good. 
John Parker Wilson and D.J. Hall were playing pitch and catch.  This was amazing!  Alabama
was back.  They were going to get their
first big win under new head coach Nick Saban to send them back to under title
of true SEC contenders.  Then, nearing
the end of the third quarter, they still held a 31-10 lead over the Razorbacks.  This one’s in the bag, for sure.

In the words of Lee Corso, "not
so fast my friends"…..

 
In the next 9:57, Arkansas would close the
deficit with frightening speed firmly on the back of running back and Heisman
contender Darren McFadden.  All of a
sudden, with just 8 minutes left in the game, Alabama found themselves down 38-31!  What happened?!  How could a team give up 28 unanswered points
in just 10 minutes after looking so dominant? 
Approximately 3:48 later, the Crimson Tide cut the deficit on the sturdy
leg of place kicker Leigh Tiffin with a 42 yard field goal.  The lead for the Razorbacks was just 4.  Alabama would get the quick stop and march
all the way back down the field under the calm, cool, and collected John Parker
Wilson and with just 8 seconds left in the game Wilson completed a pretty pass
to receiver Matt Caddell who made an even prettier grab, leaping over the
defensive back and picking the ball out of the air. 

 
The game was fairly ugly with
each team committing 3 turnovers apiece. 
However, there were also some moments of nearly perfectly constructed
football.  D.J. Hall had a career day,
catching 6 passes for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Caddell, who caught the game-winner also had
a nice day with 9 grabs for 91 yards and that winning touchdown.  John Parker Wilson also had a great day,
completing 24 of 45 passes for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns.

As for Arkansas goes, well all
Darren McFadden and Felix Jones did was combine for 291 yards rushing (195 of
them by McFadden) with 2 touchdowns (both by McFadden).  Not to mention, they also combined for 105
yards on returns.  Somehow, in the end,
this was still not enough as the Crimson Tide squeaked by the Hogs.

My Thoughts:

- My first thought is how special Darren McFadden is.  The guy absolutely poured every ounce of energy
he had onto the field and left nothing to spare.  Every yard added up could not have measured
how much heart this guy runs with.  The
wreckless abandon with which he ran and the fact that he was in on almost every
single offensive play of the game (including lining up behind center) shows the
true character of this man and it is my belief that he may end up being one of
the greatest running backs in NFL history when all is said and done thanks to
his unmatched blend of speed, size, and most of all, his leadership qualities.

- My other thought on this game
is about Alabama
head coach Nick Saban.  Listen, the guy
may be a jerk who looks and roams the sidelines just like his jerk mentor Mr.
Belichick, but the guy is truly a hell of a football coach.  Something on a sports radio station about new
coaches coming into power programs reminded me of this earlier today.  To be able to turn a team around, back into a
true championship contender (i.e. Urban Meyer at Florida last year) you have to have two
things as a head coach…..

1. Confidence, and 2. A Plan.

If you have these two things, then players
can truly believe in the program again and begin to buy-in.  Saban has both.  That last drive by Alabama in Saturday’s win really showed just
how much this group of guys truly believes in Saban and his system and his
plan.  After failing to hold such a huge
lead and momentum like they did, Alabama
could have easily folded, but they did not.

To march back down the field and end it making a gutsy pass like that
with just 8 seconds left to win such a close SEC game over a damn good Arkansas
program.  That right there showed just
how much impact Saban has already had. 
And we all know how demanding those close games in the SEC can be….how
much heart and belief in yourself and your teammates around you it takes to be
able to pull out a win like that.  That
doesn’t just come from nowhere.  A win
like that, ending it the way they did, doesn’t come without true belief.  Imagine a couple of years down the road just
how scary good this program can be once they get all of Saban’s recruits into
Tuscaloosa.  I have a feeling that the
days of talking about the next Bear Bryant are soon over.  The Crimson Tide will be a force to be
reckoned with for the coming decade, mark my words.