THE IRON BOWL!!

I was in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 78th rendition of the Iron Bowl. For those of you not in the know, the Iron Bowl is moniker for the annual football battle between the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) and the University of Auburn (War Eagle!). I have never had much of an affiliation for this game other than just being a big fan of college football. It's a major rivalry game that ranks right up there with Army/Navy, Michigan/Ohio State, and the Tobacco Road basketball war that is Carolina/Duke. For the past four years, however, the Iron Bowl has taken more prominence in my life. My fiance' is a major Auburn fan, much to the chagrin of her mother and father who bleed Alabama crimson. We were visiting said mother in Chattanooga during this year's Iron Bowl, so we trekked down to the local Buffalo Wild Wings for beers, football, and fun. This year's game did not hold much promise, as Alabama came in undefeated and ranked #2 in the country, while Auburn was having an off year. With a rivalry like this, however, you never know what is going to happen. Everyone was all smiles and peace-loving before kickoff

but that would soon change. Auburn scored first on a 67 yard end around and then recovered an onside kick and took a surprise 14-0 lead. Shirley was starting to get nervous, and it showed:

She befriended a TENNESSEE fan (puke) who was adamant that I drop Michigan and pick up an SEC team so that Ivey doesn't have to marry "out of conference." If Alabama didn't score soon, I feared that she may end up like this:

Alabama did turn it around, however. Down 21-19 late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Greg McElroy put together a 79 yard touchdown march that will forever be known in Bear Bryant country as "The Drive." It ended with a touchdown pass to a senior running back (Roy Upchurch) that had never had a touchdown catch. When Rolando McClain batted down Auburn's hail mary in the end zone, Shirley could breathe easy again. At the end of the day, it felt like a win/win for everyone. Shirley gets her shot at the national title game, Ivey has to feel good about Auburn's prospects for next year, and I got to see a great college football game. With all due respect to Roll Tide! and War Eagle!, though, I do hope that one day Go Blue! will once again play in a game that means something.......