Iron Bowl

Never in my life have I screamed so long, so loud, and with so much passion as I did at the 2008 Iron Bowl. For those of you non-football fans, this is the annual match up between the bitter rivals of the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers. The last time I saw the matchup in T-Town, Jeff and I sat in some less-desirable seats and were under Chinese water torture the entire game. There were pipes above us leaking out what I, to this day, swear was just water (because I don't want to think of any of the other alternatives). Drip.... drip.... drip... yeah, you get the picture. So, this year we had our usual seats, but the drips were coming all day from a combination of the rain and the mist that lasted all day. Our tailgating friends had planned ahead and protected the food and makeshift bar with lots of tarps. The time seemed to fly by so quickly, not only the tailgating time, but the season as a whole. It is hard to believe that the regular season was coming to an end. On the way down, Jeff and I had discussed how it seemed amazing that we went from fighting 100 degree, high humidity games to freezing temperatures, trees not only changing colors, but also losing leaves in a span that seemed so short to us. We entered Bryant Denny Stadium anxious and excited. The place was electric and the fans delivered. Most of us sat only occasionally, if at all. I forgot all about the rain that was falling and the cooler temperature. It was so loud and with each Bama score, instead of the fans slowing down, the energy level increased. After all, these were our bitter rivals. With Alabama being #1 in the country and Auburn on the verge of a losing season, their year would be made (and coach's job saved) by knocking off the Tide in their own house. Auburn had won the last 6 in a row and rumors are that Coach Tuberville got off the bus holding up 7 fingers (I'd gladly show him one finger!). By the 3rd quarter, it was obvious that the Auburn players were struggling to keep the fight. Their fans began the march of the lemmings - filing out of the stadium as if they were marching off the cliff. What is it about the color orange? The fans for Tennessee, Clemson and now Auburn retreat in droves quickly out of the stadium when things are not in their favor. By the end of the game, with a score of 36-0 in Bama's favor, all was right with the world. I got great satisfaction screaming Rammer Jammer over and over again. There had been a beat-down in T-Town and the state could be Crimson once again.