LA Tech 26
Alabama 20
LA Tech 26
Alabama 20
I'm gonna show my age. Wow, time flies, I was only 50 back then!
Alabama won the SEC that year, and what was amazing to me is that the Bulldogs held Alabama to 20 points! The Dogs getting 26 really didn't surprise me, they were an awesome offensive football team, but as I recall, if it hadn't been for number 40, we would have lost that game.
As time expired, he was the only guy who had a chance to stop Alabama from returning the kickoff for a touchdown. Somehow he went thru two or three Alabama blockers to tackle the Alabama kick returner, else it would have ended like the South Carolina game. I think someone else got credit for the tackle, but I'm pretty darn sure it was number 40. Anyone remember who he was. As I recall he was a running back who mostly played on special teams.
I listened to that game over the internet from my hotel room in London during a business trip. A few hours later I took the shortest flight ever from London to DFW Airport (at least it was the shortest ever for me).
In 1997 when we beat Bama they finished something like 4-8. It was in 1999, when we beat them 29-28 that they won the SEC. They toasted Florida in the SEC championship game that year, 34-7, or some score like that. I might have some of the numbers wrong, but anyway, in was '99.
The flash of White Castle earned his scholly that day because Alexander was headed to the house. That was my 40th birthday, September 18, 1999 and my my wife was expecting with my third child. Rugrats crawling around our feet at the game are now grown and married, with children of their own.
The 1997 game doesn't get as much hoopla as the 1999 game. It was just a "mild" upset. Of course it was still a big deal for us.
I remember the pompous Paul Finebaum (was that redundant?) writing before the 1999 game how there was no way Alabama would be caught off guard and lose to Tech again.
Good old Memorial Gym
In '99, we were 8-3 and beat the sec champs and we had no bowl game. Of course, not as many bowls back then and we did not have a conference.
Getting info on this game played in 1997 is like trying to find the Lost Ark. I guess this game was played at a time just before most internet media sources were to the point of archiving games on the internet. That said, if you clink on the link below and scroll down to Game 8 of the 1997 season, Alabama has a very nice write-up on the game, complete with game box score and statistics. (It can't be copied and pasted, I tried.)
In short, Tim Rattay completed 29 of 48 pass attempts for 361 yards, and Haynesville native Bobby Ray Tell ran for 98 more yards as our Bulldogs racked up 522 yards of total offense vs the Crimson Tide's paltry 389 yards of offense that day. LA Tech's Troy Edwards had 9 receptions for 126 yards and 1 TD. Sean Cangelosi --and name that would come to live in Crimson Tide infamy 2 years later-- ended up with 2 catches for 41 yards and a TD that day.
Yes, it was Alabama's homecoming, and LA Tech spoiled it. Enjoy.
http://www.rolltide.com/documents/20...d=7688#page=15