The ball was snapped and 101,821 pairs of eyes followed the ball 25 yards as it sailed through the uprights. The deafening roar became a deafening silence. The Game of the Century was over, and what a game it was.
All was wrong with the world for those in crimson and white. The Tide had lost.
But, on Saturday night the real losers in Bryant-Denny Stadium were not those sprinting as fast as possible to the locker room. They were their fans.
Bear Bryant once said, “Show class, have pride and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.”
After three and a half hours of one of the most physically and mentally grueling games ever played, those suited up in crimson had not only been beaten, but betrayed.
Boos were heard when Cade Foster took the field. Cups, shakers and anything with the ability to be thrown landed in the north end zone after LSU kicked the game winning field goal. Classiness was checked at the entrance gates, apparently.
It is to those participants this strong reminder is sent: you are a part of the University of Alabama. At Alabama, we live it. At Alabama, we act like we’ve been there. At Alabama, we stick together. We win as a team, and we lose as a team.
The team may have lost the game, but they should not lose their fan base.
It’s hard to find a silver lining in a loss. But, there is always a silver lining.
Saturday night’s silver lining was this: there was a time not so long ago when Alabama fans would have never thought it possible to beat the No. 1 team in the nation. There was a time Alabama was not relevant. Be thankful to expect a win and not hope for one. As awful as losing is, there is a twisted appreciation in not being able to comprehend the feeling.
As painful as Saturday night was, it was one night. And it was less painful than anything that happened during the Mike Dubose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Price and Mike Shula eras.
During those years a silver lining was almost always hard to find.
Luckily for those who were having such a hard time finding this silver lining, the football gods delivered another one to the Tide. Sunday evening, exactly 24 hours since kickoff, the newest BCS rankings were revealed. Alabama had fallen only one spot to No. 3.
Despite what many had thought Saturday night, there was still hope. With an Oklahoma State loss, Alabama could still be in contention for the national title. (A Stanford loss would also be helpful.) The only way these other team’s losses matter is if the Tide wins out.
The Game of the Century may be over, but the season is not. A rematch is within the realm of possibility. Those who threw their shakers onto the field Saturday night might want to call lost and found to retrieve them.
Morgan Upton is a senior majoring in journalism.
