I found a report from one AGG33 that made it to the game! http://mb3.theinsiders.com/futahstatefrm3.showMessage?topicID=8591.topic
Report from the Alabama trip For those interested, I provide my reflections of my first trip to Alabama. The Trip We arrived Thursday in Birmingham. Spent Thursday evening driving around Birmingham seeing the town. We ate at the 5 Points Grill on 20th Street. Kind of a college hang-out but with good food and a lively atmosphere. Utah v. aTm was on the tube and the whole place was cheering for Utah. I didn't realize how bitter they were toward Franchione, We had to explain to the locals why we couldn't cheer for Utah. Spent Friday doing a few touristy things. We went by Vulcan park. This was an interesting park/museum in the center of Birmingham. It sits on top of a hill with a huge statue of the god of forging and metallurgy (the whole structure is probably 100 feet high). You can see the statue from nearly anywhere in town. I read a lot about the history of Birmingham and how it came into being (rich iron ore mines and factories). Birmingham was a vital manufacturing center during WWII. Later we went by the Birmingham zoo and Botanical Gardens (got caught in a torrential downpour). Later we went for a tour of Samford University. This was a beautiful campus. Many old sandstone buildings and trees and gardens all over. We were tempted to take a few cuts with baseball team as they were practicing. The UAB campus was mainly downtown and didn't have the feel of a traditional college like Samford or UA. Later we drove around the Mountain Brook (?) area and saw some beautiful plantation style homes with immaculate yards and gardens framed by southern pine and other trees. I couldn't believe how green and lush it is down there. Alabama is a very beautiful state. The highways had nary a piece of litter. We ate Friday night at the Dreamland Barbeque (sorry Tuscaloosa folk, it was getting late and we were hungry). It was crowded but the food did not disappoint. Baylor was in town playing UAB and they had a lot of supporters in there as well. I was sucking babeque sauce off my fingertips the rest of the night. They also had a banana pudding that was outstanding. Saturday we left for Tuscaloosa (about 45 minute drive) at about 11:00. Not a whole lot of traffic going down at that hour. We drove around Tuscaloosa for a bit. We parked at the Boy Scout parking lot (thanks for the tip). We walked around campus and took in the atmosphere. They know how to throw a party. We went through the temple of Tutankamen, I mean the shrine of Bear Bryant. We saw the Denny Chimes memorial with all the names and handprints of Alabama team captains from 1947 to the present. We walked the Quad and sorority row (no offense to the locals, but I prefer the ladies of Utah, California and Arizona... I guess it is what you are accustomed to). UA has a beautiful campus. Many old beautful buildings. The Greek houses were incredible, those kids live in luxury. The entire area around the stadium was a sea of red There were probably 3 times as many tailgaters as people who could fit into the stadium. Many TVs and barbeques everywhere. They were selling merchandise on every corner. About 90 minutes before gametime the Tide came down Paul W. Bryant Avenue in buses to a huge ovation with a police escort and sirens blaring. People lined the streets and waved pom-poms and touched their forheads to the pavement. The people were friendly and wanted to chat. We were getting hungry and got fed at one tent. We were offered drinks often and people wanted to talk football. We showed some of them USU media guide so they could see our campus. We waited outside the gate as the band and cheerleaders entered the stadium. It was quite a scene. I think We had walked about a block before the first of many dozens of playings of "Sweet Home Alabama" was played from a pick-up truck. Do you guys ever get tired of that song? After the game we hung around the stadium for over an hour and still took an hour and a half to get back to Birmingham for the the traffic. Saturday night we were back at the 5-points grill to catch the end of the Notre Dame - BYU game. Live band playing in the background. Damn the Irish, couldn't they win to at least have something to cheer about? The Game. It was disappointing to see UA take the opening drive for a touchdown. Much has been said about the USU defense but they let down that opening drive. A personal foul didn't help matters. They did stiffen up the rest of the half, however. We did not pick up blitzes very well at all. The lack of a running game (again) hurts the offense. Robinson made a great move to juke the corner and get in for USUs first score. He showed a lot of promise for the future. McNeal is quick. He had some nice gains and Cole found creative ways to get him the ball. I still think we need a solid straight-up north to south runner. Forbes struggled getting any positive yardage. I heard boos from the Alabama fans as the team went in for halftime. I thought it was sacriligious to boo the Tide. Maybe they were still booing the refs for the blown call on Leon's punt. Speaking of which, that was one great punt. I thought we were going to see a fake but he booted a good one. Spirits were high in the Aggie section at halftime but they got dampened quickly. An interception of a ricocheted pass returned for a touchdown on USUs opening drive, followed by a 3 and out and a 57 yard TD pass on Bama's first offensive possession and the game was over. Bama's last two TDs were scored against primarily second and third string players. I think almost everyone played and it was a great atmosphere. The defense forgot how to tackle in the second half. It turned out to be a typical USU football game. Hang around early, play tough defense for a while, give up big plays to keep drives going or scores, get your own drives stalled by dropped passes or penalties, become predictable in the play calling and lose by a margin that is not indicative with how close the game really was. There were a few beligerant fans in the section next to the USU section that had to remind us that USU was 117th out of 117 schools and that we were a joke, etc., the typical stuff a-holes think they have to point out to people that traveled 1500 miles to watch a game and really have no control over what goes on with the team they came to watch. I guess you get those anywhere you go. There were some postives to be taken, but I also saw several areas of concern. We are susceptible to speed (obviously), too many dropped passes, no running game (I think Shields should get more carries), inability to pick up blitzes, mis-communications between QB and WR, odd play calling, lack of ability to create turnovers. Next week will make or break the season, in my opinion. I know it's only the second week of the year, but if we lose a home game to a conference rival, the season is over. We better win with a big statement game or the season is a waste. On another note, UNLV looks very beatable. My thanks to the good people of Alabama for your hospitality. I enjoyed your beautiful state and may even make the trip again next year. Good luck to the Crimson Tide in the rest of your season. I will watched with interest the Tennessee and Auburn games. ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net New AOL.com addresses are NOT allowed on this list. Get a real ISP.
