The afternoon began with a headset outage, and to this day parties on both sides passive-aggressively accuse each other of gamesmanship. The clash between two college football rivals wound over a strange three hours, bereft of drama until a sudden infusion of it in the final three minutes. The contest ended with a blocked kick that literally has been framed and mounted in the winning school’s rich history.
Thereafter, the two programs went their separate ways—one to the pinnacle of college football, the other into the abyss of mediocrity. This may be the week No. 3 Alabama and No. 6 Tennessee return to equal footing. They really haven’t been there since that crossroads game in Tuscaloosa 13 years ago.
The final score at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Oct. 24, 2009, was Alabama 12, Tennessee 10. Terrence Cody—a 6'5", 354-pound behemoth of a defensive lineman nicknamed Mount Cody—ended it by swatting down a Daniel Lincoln field goal on the final play. Winning coach Nick Saban shook hands with losing coach Lane Kiffin, and since then one of the great Southeastern Conference rivalries hasn’t been the same.
