They're in a state of resurgence

Sporting News, The, Oct 25, 1993 by Ivan Maisel

For the last decade, the state of Alabama has watched Florida seize the title of football capital of the South. In a state where weddings aren't scheduled until football games are, losing that title is no small catastrophe.

On Saturday, the heart of Dixie struck back.

Although no one says Alabama or Auburn is ready to whip Florida State, the Crimson Tide and Tigers have taken care of the other two schools in the Sunshine State. Crowds of more than 83,000 packed stadiums last Saturday in Birmingham and Auburn to watch their undefeated heroes play. To the surprise of many, Auburn and Alabama remain undefeated.

The Tigers stunned Florida, 38-35, by matching Steve Spurrier's fun-and-gun offense pass for pass. That was because Terry Bowden is coaching Auburn. Bowdens know how to pass, too. The Tigers are 7-0 and, egad, the only unbeaten, untied team in the Southeastern Conference.

Untied is the operative word there. Change all those references to "winning" streaks, please. The Crimson Tide have a 29-game "unbeaten" streak. It has an eight-game "unbeaten" streak against Tennessee.

If the proof of a champion's mettle is that it refuses to lose, then praise Alabama. With 1:44 to play, 82-yards to travel and no timeouts, the Crimson Tide did what they couldn't do for the entire game: score a touchdown.

If, however, championship standards require an offense to turn five turnovers into more than two field goals, then the Crimson Tide failed. All Alabama got for its dramatic drive and two-point conversion was a 17-17 tie.

Judging from the reaction of the Alabama fans at Legion Field, they felt as if their team won. When flanker David Palmer lined up at quarterback and circled right end for the tying two points with 21 seconds to play, the churchly quiet Tide fans roared in celebration. The Alabama players differed.

"Right now, I'm happy," Alabama cornerback Willie Gaston said. "But I never want this feeling again."

Tennessee outplayed the defending national champions. But the Volunteers have done that before during the past eight years. What they didn't do was close the deal.

The Vols won the battles on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Heath Shuler showed himself worthy of Heisman Trophy consideration in the first half and an Academy Award nomination in the second.

Shuler completed 15 of 18 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown in the first half. On the third play of the second half, he suffered an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder and went 0 for 8 after halftime.

But Alabama never caught on that Shuler was having difficulty passing. The Crimson Tide were so concerned with the pass that Charlie Gamer ran a sprint draw 73 yards for a touchdown on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Tennessee led, 17-9. But the Volunteers didn't win.

Coach Phillip Fulmer displayed his ambivalence after the game.

"I am very, very proud of my team," Fulmer said. "They came to Birmingham to play the national champions, and they tied us."

Which is to say, the Volunteers blew a lead. Florida did the same.

On Friday morning, Bowden stretched his legs from a chair in his office and envisioned how his Tigers could beat the Gators.

"If they're hot, I'm not sure we can keep up with them," Bowden said. "I've got to get to the second half and be close. Within seven, 10, maybe, or even up seven or 10. If we get down 14, we can't catch up. I don't tell my players that, but that's not our game."

His players might not have believed him. Florida scored late in the first half for a 27-14 lead. Auburn came back to take a 35-27 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Florida tied the score but left Auburn enough time to give kicker Scott Etheridge time to win it.

The senior, who kicked two winners last season, made a 41-yarder with 1:21 to play. Etheridge is 7 for 9 this season and 29 for 37 over a season-and-a-half.

"I hope this win will help us get some respect, because we beat the fourth-ranked team in the country," Etheridge says. "Are we one of the top five teams in the country? Probably not, but we showed we can play against the best teams in the country."

The biggest loser Saturday might have been the Sugar Bowl. Auburn can't play there because of NCAA sanctions. Alabama has a blemish. And, more importantly, Alabama's road to a national title goes through Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn on November 20. Name the football capital of the South on that day.

Buffaloes back

In 1990, Colorado suffered a loss and a tie in its first three games and went on to win a share of the national championship. The Buffaloes suffered two losses in a tough non-conference schedule to open this season. With a visit to Oklahoma last Saturday, Colorado Coach Bill McCartney knew the Buffaloes had little margin for error.

"If we don't win this game, we're really in a difficult position," McCartney said. "The team that escapes with a victory can really gain a lot of momentum and feel particularly good about itself."

Oklahoma, perhaps unaccustomed to feeling good about itself, reverted to illness Saturday. Colorado dominated the Sooners, extending its unbeaten streak against them to four years with a 27-10 victory. That item we wrote last week about the return of Oklahoma? Pretend it didn't happen.