CRIMSON FACTOID: We hear an awful lot from the Auburn fans about Got A Second?. Well Let Them Relish That Second WhiLe We Relish the 57 Seconds for THE KICK: A masterful drive directed by Mike Shula set the stage for Van Tiffin’s signature moment in the 1985 Iron Bowl By Keith Dunnavant for CRIMSON REPLAY: No one who understood anything about football gave unranked, twice-beaten Alabama much of a chance. Twelve weeks after leading a remarkable last-minute drive to beat Georgia in the season opener, Alabama quarterback Mike Shula faced a similar predicament against his archrival, so the offense was fortified by the confidence that can only come from achieving against tremendous odds. Now a field goal would win it, but the Bama 20 was a long way from field goal range. In a distant, still unimagined future, Shula’s Alabama legacy would be forever clouded by his mediocrity as a coach, but on the final Saturday in November 1985, he coolly directed one of the most impressive drives in Alabama history. He will always have those 57 seconds, and they were brilliant. After a costly sack, with the clock ticking below 40 seconds and Alabama facing a desperate 3rd-and-18 from its own 12, guard David Gilmer returned to the huddle breathing fire. “We’ve been in worse spots! We’re going to score right here!” Center Wes Neighbors could count, and he knew, despite the last-minute heroics against Georgia, that the Crimson Tide was entering uncharted territory. “I’m thinking, ‘David, you’re wrong but I’m not going to argue with you.’” Shula’s third-down pass to tailback Gene Jelks gained 14 yards, leaving Bama with a critical 4th-and-4 from the 26. “Mike’s leadership on that drive was outstanding,” said Jelks, who outshined Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson on the day, scoring on a 74-yard romp early in the fourth quarter. “There was no panic. We knew what we could do, because we’d been there before.” The fourth-down call came from assistant coach Rocky Felker in the press box, and it caught Auburn completely by surprise. Expecting Alabama to pass, Pat Dye’s defense bit on the pitch to Jelks, who handed off to speedster Al Bell, who ran the reverse untouched for 20 yards and a first down at the 46…sprung by Shula, who landed a thunderous block. “An awesome block,” Neighbors recalled. “Hit him right in the mouth.” Moments later, the smash-mouth quarterback found Greg Richardson on a crossing route, and the swift wide receiver from Mobile raced for a 19-yard gain before scooting out of bounds at the Auburn 35, stopping the clock with six seconds left. Several minutes after Tiffin’s perfect kick culminated a rally for the ages, Perkins stood before his team in a steamy Alabama lockerroom, rendered momentarily speechless by what he had just witnessed, filling up the room with the power of his silence. During a reunion of Perkins’ four teams (1983-86) inside The Zone at Bryant-Denny Stadium, several dozen aging former players and their wives listened with pride as Paul Kennedy and long-time radio color man Doug Layton re-enacted those frantic final moments from long ago, when beating Auburn was everything. Those players never won a championship, but they would always have those 57 seconds.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 21:15:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015