Watched the 1997 AU-AL game on ESPN Classic today.
Odd how clear things are in retrospect.
Bowden was very clearly out of his depth. Auburn was a double-digit favorite and played like it had somewhere better to be. Dameyune struggled with what he was asked to do and at one point simply turned his back on the field in a show of disrespect for the direction Bowden took.
The team had talent (but struggled to find any consistency in the running game, there was nothing much to work with there) but seemed ill prepared, lackadaisical, unfocused and apathetic.
Auburn won, but should have lost.
It was also funny to see that fuckwad Dabbo wallowing around on the Alabama sidelines. They had a terrible team with a ton of talent. Wouldn't use Shaun Alexander because they didn't like how he practiced.
Although I hate them with a bleeding passion it was hard not to feel a little bad for Scisssum after he fumbled the game away. They were literally one play away from finishing off a major upset.
Also wonder how that game would have gone with instant replay. On one Alabama fumble, Auburn clearly had the ball and then Freddie Kitchens started punching the shit out of the guy and took the ball away. They let them have it back.
Speaking of punching, I noticed probably a dozen times where a player would be on the ground and Alabama players were punching them in the stomach, ribs and legs. I knew a guy who was part of the Alabama staff who told me once that DuBose not only condoned it, but he coached it. Believed in inflicting "pile punishment." Never thought much of it until I saw that happening and remembered what he'd said.
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