EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the 10th story in a series on the 15 most memorable SEC football games beat writer David Paschall has covered since joining the newspaper in 1990. The games are being presented in chronological order.
The Alabama-Tennessee football rivalry is as packed with tradition as it is colorful, but it has become incredibly one-sided as a result of the Crimson Tide winning all 13 meetings under current coach Nick Saban.
Alabama has won the past four series matchups by an average score of 47-13, which is all the more reason to savor the Tide’s 12-10 escape in 2009 that was decided on Terrence Cody’s block of Daniel Lincoln’s 44-yard field-goal attempt as time expired. The Tide won the 2009 national championship while enduring just two single-possession games – a 26-21 comeback triumph at Auburn and the outcome provided by a 6-foot-5, 354-pounder known simply as “Mount Cody.”
“That play was really significant in terms of that team and what that team was able to accomplish,” Saban said this past October. “My thoughts before the kick were that we had not played very well in the game. My thoughts afterward were that it was a great play by a lot of players, because I’m not sure if Julio (Jones) or somebody else would have blocked that kick if he didn’t block it.
“Sometimes in rivalry games you have those tough tests, and you’ve got to be ready for them. We were very fortunate that day to be able to come out on top.”