Remembering Alabama’s epic comeback in the 2021 Iron Bowl.
Happy Thanksgiving to all you wonderful folks that have decided to make Roll Tide Wire a part of your day! I hope your day is as full of love and thanksgiving as your belly is with turkey, dressing, and all the other holiday dishes.
Well, when Thanksgiving rolls around we know that means one thing in these parts: the Iron Bowl has arrived.
When Alabama and Auburn collide inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon, that will mark the 87th edition of one of the most historic and ferocious rivalries in all of the sports.
Before we get to Saturday’s matchup let’s take a trip down memory lane to one year ago when the Crimson Tide had one of the most epic comeback victories in Iron Bowl history.
How Alabama has fared in the contest leading up to the Iron Bowl over the past ten seasons.
No. 8 Alabama is set to take on the Austin Peay Governors this weekend in Tuscaloosa before wrapping up the 2022 regular season against arch-rival Auburn.
[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Crimson Tide will have to get started early this weekend with the matchup against the Governors scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
Obviously, Alabama will need to take care of business on Saturday before moving on to Cadillac Williams and the Auburn Tigers, but I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane and look at how the Crimson Tide fared on the weekend before the Iron Bowl.
Here are the last 10 results for the Tide the week before facing the Tigers.
The plays that led to Alabama’s convincing 42-21 win over Ole Miss in 2021.
Ever since Lane Kiffin took over as head coach of Ole Miss, the annual matchup between the Tide and the Rebels has been must-see TV.
So far, Alabama head coach [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] has avoided losing to his former offensive coordinator, but Kiffin has given Saban all he has wanted and more.
In 2020 it was an explosive offensive affair between Alabama and Ole Miss with the Tide pulling away late to win in Oxford 63-48.
Last season in Bryant-Denny, Alabama played much better and really controlled the game from start to finish and defeated the Rebels 42-21. Here is how it went down in Tuscaloosa last season:
Alabama and LSU are set to battle for first place in the SEC West on Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
This game has a different feel heading into it than last season’s matchup. In 2021, LSU had already made the decision to dismiss Ed Orgeron as their head coach, and their program was at a bit of a crossroads.
Even still the Tigers battled and made the game much closer than it probably should have been with [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and Alabama narrowly escaping Bryant-Denny Stadium with a 20-14 win.
Let’s take a look back at the top plays from the 2021 contest in Tuscaloosa.
The plays that lead to Alabama’s dominating win over Mississippi State in 2021.
Saturday night in Tuscaloosa will feature a pair of top-25 teams who have high-flying offenses and two of the best quarterbacks in college football.
Mike Leach will be bringing his Mississippi State Bulldogs into town to take on [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide!
The Bulldogs feature the third-best passer of the season so far in junior Will Rogers who has already thrown for over 2,300 yards and 24 touchdowns.
We all remember how poorly the Crimson Tide defense looked last week in Knoxville and I am sure coach Saban and defensive coordinator Pete Golding will have the defenders fired up to take on the Air-Raid attack from Mississippi State.
Last season saw the Crimson Tide completely suffocate the Bulldog offense surrendering just nine points in the contest.
Let’s take a look at the plays that defined last season’s blow-out win for the Tide in Starkville.
The plays that defined the epic matchup between Alabama and Arkansas in 2021.
We are now just a couple of days away from Alabama’s SEC showdown with the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville. It will be Alabama’s first road contest since its Sept. 10 matchup in Austin with the Texas Longhorns.
Road games have been a bit rough for the Crimson Tide over the past couple of seasons and Alabama is sure to be challenged this Saturday by the Hogs.
The 2021 matchup with Arkansas turned into a barn burner in Tuscaloosa as the Tide took the late-season contest 42-35.
Before this weekend’s contest gets underway, let’s take a look back at the fun-filled matchup from last season.
On a ‘Throwback Thursday’, Auburn Wire takes a journey back to 2013.
The Auburn Tigers will face the Missouri Tigers on Saturday morning for just the 4th time in history, and for the first time ever at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
In honor of Auburn’s SEC opener, Auburn Wire travels back in time to an important game in the short series between these two programs with our “Throwback Thursday” feature.
Today’s rewind takes us back to the 2013 season when Auburn defeated Missouri, 59-42, in a battle of unlikely representatives in the SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The matchup was surprising, as Missouri represented the East division despite only being in the SEC for just two seasons. Auburn rebounded from a 3-9 season one year prior to represent the SEC West in Gus Malzahn’s first season on the Plains.
Both teams nearly matched each other, as neither team held a lead of over eight points through three quarters of play, with Auburn holding onto a 45-42 lead heading into the final stanza.
Auburn, who had pulled off miraculous plays against Georgia and Alabama just a few weeks prior, had more magic in their pocket.
Auburn running back [autotag]Tre Mason[/autotag] rushed for two scores in the 4th quarter to lift Auburn over Missouri to claim their 8th SEC Championship.
Mason rushed for four touchdowns in the game and recorded 304 total rushing yards in the game. Quarterback [autotag]Nick Marshall[/autotag] rushed for an additional 101 yards and completed 9-of-11 passes for 132 yards. Most of Marshall’s passes went to [autotag]Sammie Coates[/autotag], who caught six passes for 94 yards.
Here is a look back at one of the most important wins in the series against Missouri, the 2013 SEC Championship Game:
On this edition of Throwback Thursday, we’re taking a look back at one of the high points of the Matt Nagy career — Bears vs. Rams in 2018.
Every Thursday throughout the 2021 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Chicago Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.
December 9th, 2018: Bears defeat the Los Angeles Rams 15-6 in frigid weather
Matt Nagy had a memorable first year as the team’s head coach, winning 12 games to capture the NFC North division title. Of those 12 wins, however, the victory over the eventual NFC champion Los Angeles Rams might be the most impressive one. And for that, a lot of credit should go to former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for neutralizing one of the most explosive offenses in the league that year.
The Rams visited the Bears for a Sunday night showdown in chilly temperatures. It was a far cry from the warmth of Los Angeles for the Rams and it showed, though they did get off to a hot start in the game. Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky threw his first of three interceptions on the opening drive, setting up the Rams in the redzone. But they felt the stifling Bears defense immediately and had to settle for three points.
Chicago responded with their own field goal drive, facing a Rams defense that was nearly as formidable as Fangio’s unit. The two teams were locked at 3-3 until Rams quarterback Jared Goff threw an ill-advised pick to linebacker Roquan Smith, setting the Bears up in prime scoring position. They would net another field goal to take the 6-3 lead, only to see the Rams match it and tie things up again. It was a defensive slugfest with neither team getting anywhere on offense. Interceptions by both teams finished out the half.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The Bears needed to do something to break the stalemate and got a boost from both offense and defense. Los Angeles got the ball to start the second half and the Bears defense flexed its muscle. After dropping running back Todd Gurley for a five-yard loss, the Bears took down Goff in the endzone thanks to nose tackle Eddie Goldman to get a safety and the lead. Now it was the offense’s turn to wake up.
Trubisky connected with receiver Allen Robinson three times on the ensuing drive, while also getting contributions from running back Jordan Howard. They would score the game’s only touchdown when Nagy called “Santa’s Sleigh”, a trick pass play designed to go to lineman Bradley Sowell. He scored to make it a 15-6 ballgame, which would be enough to hold onto the win the rest of the way.
All in all, the Bears picked off Goff four times and limited the Rams to just 214 total yards on the day. Fangio put on a clinic on how to stop Sean McVay and his offense and the Bears got their ninth win of the year. Unfortunately, the Bears have played the Rams three more times since, all on the road, and have lost each one. Perhaps things change if the two teams meet again on the lakefront in the next year or so.
In this week’s Throwback Thursday, the Bears were shocked by the Dolphins, losing their only game of their legendary 1985 season.
Every Thursday throughout the 2021 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Chicago Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.
December 2nd, 1985: Chicago Bears get shocked by the Miami Dolphins, lose only game of the season to end undefeated streak
When it comes to the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, there weren’t many blemishes from that special season. In fact, there’s really just one game that stands out in a negative way. I’m talking, of course, about the prime-time loss to the Miami Dolphins that ended the undefeated season.
The Bears were still without starting quarterback Jim McMahon, who had missed the last three weeks due to an injury, meaning Steve Fuller would once again get the start. But the matchup everyone wanted to see was the Bears’ suffocating defense against Dan Marino. Surprisingly, Marino won this battle in a knockout.
Miami decided to roll Marino out of the pocket more frequently to avoid the Bears pass rush and it worked to perfection. Marino was able to easily connect with his receivers and struck first, finding Nat Moore for a 33-yard touchdown. Fuller and the Bears responded in kind, scoring a touchdown of their own when the quarterback called his own number to get into the endzone. Unlike the Bears previous two games where they combined to shutout their opponents 80-0, they knew this one was going to be different.
Early in the second quarter, the Dolphins kept coming and took a 17-7 lead, putting the Bears in a spot they’re not accustomed to being in. By halftime, the Dolphins had this game wrapped up, leading 31-10. The mood was tense in Chicago’s locker room, with reports of head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan going at it after Ditka tried to meddle in defensive affairs, which Ryan didn’t appreciate.
Chicago trimmed the lead early in the third quarter thanks to another Fuller touchdown run, but the Dolphins responded right away with their own scoring drive to keep their 21-point lead. Marino had himself a day, throwing for 270 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. It was the best performance a quarterback had against the legendary defense.
Though Fuller finally threw a passing touchdown later in the quarter, he was removed near the end of the game for McMahon. Fuller finished the day 11-for-21 with 169 yards, one touchdown and two picks. McMahon also threw an interception, attempting just six passes. The only standout offensive performer was Walter Payton, who accumulated 121 yards on 23 carries.
The Bears wound up losing 38-24 for their one and only loss of the 1985 season. To make matters more interesting, they recorded their famous “Super Bowl Shuffle” the very next day, despite some concerns about the optics coming off a loss. It turned out to be the thing they needed though, as they wouldn’t lose another game en route to their first Super Bowl title.
On this edition of Throwback Thursday, the Bears defeated the Ravens 23-20 in overtime in harsh conditions back in November 2013.
Every Thursday throughout the 2021 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Chicago Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.
November 17, 2013: Bears defeat Ravens 23-20 in overtime in harsh conditions
Soldier Field is often criticized for its poor playing surface but eight years ago, the turf had never looked worse when the Chicago Bears welcomed in the reigning Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. Inclement weather threatened the area, but the game got underway as scheduled.
The Ravens took the early 7-0 lead on a touchdown run from Ray Rice and added a field goal before the weather became a major issue. Storms and strong wind forced players, coaches, and fans to take shelter and play had to be halted for nearly two hours. When the weather cleared and the game resumed, Soldier Field looked like a mud pit. But the delay might have been what the Bears needed.
After a promising offensive drive that ended up resulting in just three points, the Bears defense came alive. Defensive end David Bass intercepted Joe Flacco near the line of scrimmage and took the ball back for a touchdown to tie the game at 10-10. Baltimore didn’t dwell on the turnover for long, though, as they marched downfield and found the endzone on a quick strike from Flacco to Torrey Smith. The Bears were once again down by seven.
Another defensive interception, this time by linebacker Jon Bostic, led to more points for the Bears. Robbie Gould added a second field goal to trim the deficit to 17-13 to close out the first half. The Bears were able to carry that momentum into the final two quarters.
Baltimore got the ball to start the third quarter and were driving, but elected to go for it on a long fourth down while in field goal range. The Bears defense clamped down, however, as Flacco was sacked by Cheta Ozougwu to turn the ball over on downs. It didn’t take long after that for the Bears offense to finally wake up.
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Josh McCown, starting in place for the injured Jay Cutler, got the ball moving with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery to get into Ravens territory. Matt Forte then did the rest, catching a 14-yard pass for the touchdown and the lead early in the fourth quarter. The score would stay that way until the Ravens mounted a potential game-winning drive late in the game.
The Bears were pushed to the limit as the fourth quarter wound down. Flacco and the Ravens were driving and had the ball at the Bears five-yard line with over thirty seconds left. But a valiant effort from the Bears defense prevented a touchdown, leading to the tying field goal from Justin Tucker to force overtime. A marathon game was about to go the extra mile. Fortunately for the fans still in attendance, it would be worth it.
The Ravens got the ball first and promptly went three-and-out, opening the door for the Bears to get the win. They busted it down. McCown found Martellus Bennett for a deep pass to move within field goal range and Gould did the rest, drilling a 38-yard field goal to win the game 23-20. McCown had his second win in a row as a starter and the Bears improved to 6-4 on the season.
The two teams play again at Soldier Field this Sunday afternoon for the first time since this game. Hopefully this one doesn’t last nearly six hours, though.
