Ad Disclosure
Nick Saban coached LSU from 2000-2004 before leaving for the NFL to coach the Miami Dolphins. He lasted just two seasons in the NFL before returning to the college game.
But to the surprise of the LSU faithful, he came back to coach the Tigers’ SEC West foe Alabama, which only stoked the fire of the heated rivalry between the Tigers and Crimson Tide.
So since 2007, Saban must play LSU, which he won a national championship with in 2003, at least once every season in what has become known to some as the “Saban Bowl.”
The first installment of the “Saban Bowl” was a thrilling game in Tuscaloosa between No. 3 LSU and No. 17 Alabama on Nov. 3, 2007. The two teams scored a combined 75 points, and the Tigers used two late touchdowns to pull out the narrow 41-34 victory and stay in the national championship discussion that season.
Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas put the Crimson Tide ahead 34-27 when he took a punt 61 yards to the house with 7:33 left in the game. The game was virtually on the line when LSU was faced with a fourth-and-4 at the Alabama 32-yard line.
But much like the Tigers and their coach Les Miles have been accustomed to doing over the years, LSU went for it on fourth down and converted. Tigers quarterback Matt Flynn completed a pass across the middle of the field to wide receiver Early Doucet, who shook off one defender and dodged another to score a 32-yard touchdown and tie the game up with 2:49 left to play.
Then, an Alabama turnover allowed LSU to score the game-winning touchdown just a little more than a minute later. Tigers safety Chad Jones strip-sacked Crimson Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson, and the ball was recovered by LSU on the Alabama 3-yard line.
Two plays later, Tigers running back Jacob Hester plunged forward on a run from the 1-yard line and gave LSU the 41-34 lead with 1:26 on the clock.
After losing the first matchup against his former team, Saban was not a happy camper. He sternly told reporters after the game that the LSU-Alabama rivalry has nothing to do with him and seemed pretty sick of that storyline continuously being brought up.
“It ain’t got nothing to do with me,” Saban said in his postgame press conference. “I don’t coach LSU anymore. I coach Alabama. I’m going to do a good job coaching Alabama. We’re going to recruit good players. We’re going to have a good team. We’re going to have a good program. So, it’s got nothing to do with me. Nothing.”
Saban might not have wanted to make the game about himself, but LSU was more than happy to let its win reflect the validity of its coach. Before this win, some LSU followers questioned whether or not Miles was really a good coach or if he was riding the success of the talent that Saban had brought in before leaving for the NFL. After beating his predecessor straight up, Miles had finally earned the full trust of the LSU supporters.
“It’s good to get this game behind us,” LSU quarterback Matt Flynn said after the game, “and let coach Miles know this is his team.”
However, Saban has done a good job of making up for the initial loss to LSU. Alabama leads the series 6-3 since the “Saban Bowl” started, including each of the last four matchups.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
