The last game the Crimson Tide lost was the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, 2009 against Utah, when current freshmen were juniors in high school. With a hard-won victory over Arkansas this past weekend, many underclassmen are relieved to have maintained the status of not losing a game as a UA student.
“After being spoiled my freshman year with an undefeated season and a national championship, I was upset as I watched the game on Saturday and thought that we might lose our first game,” said Morgan Butler, a sophomore majoring in business. “I was so proud that my team pulled through, as always.”
Jessica Evers, a freshman whose major is undecided, said she, too, was really nervous for the first half of the game.
“I couldn’t stop watching once I knew we were behind, especially around halftime when the score was 7-17,” Evers said. “I knew they had it in the fourth quarter, though. They define the fourth quarter.”
The choppy first half and close call against the then-No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks has many students concerned about the upcoming game against the No. 7 Florida Gators.
“I’m nervous about this weekend, because the last game was so close it kept me on the edge of my seat in front of the TV,” said Chloe Langford, a freshman majoring in education. “I kept thinking, ‘We can’t lose because it will mess up our perfect season.’”
Other students said they did not think a loss would have been the end of the season.
“I feel like we could’ve played a lot harder than we did last weekend,” said Kurtis Wiggins, a freshman majoring in secondary education. “I also don’t think, if we had lost, it would have been that big of a deal since we were playing a top 10 team. We still could have gone on to a good bowl game and maybe a national championship.”
In regards to the upcoming Florida game, Wiggins said he is not worried because Florida hasn’t been playing that well.
Ashleigh Sellers, a freshman majoring in exercise science, said she’s hoping to win by a larger point spread in subsequent games.
“I was on pins and needles last week during the Arkansas game, so this week I’m praying for a stronger lead,” Sellers said. “Nick Saban is capable of going undefeated all season, so I know we can do it.”
In Coach Saban’s first season at the University in 2007, his record was 6-7 and contained both his last regular season loss, against Auburn, and his last home loss, against Louisiana-Monroe. Since then, Saban’s record has been 30-2, with 18 straight wins.
Greg McElroy also boasts a winning streak that began in high school when he threw 56 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2005, the second most touchdown passes of all time in Texas high school football.
The quarterback has not lost a football game since 8th grade, and Alabama fans are hoping the Tide can pull off yet another BCS National Championship.
