Yeah, I remember hearing several people after the game saying, Tuberville just didn't get it. That he had no idea what this game really meant to the fans.
I'd say he figured it out. As a matter of fact, one of the talks I heard him give years later prior to one season had him saying he's well aware that the Iron Bowl is THE game on their schedule. They have stuff up on the bulletin boards all the time about that game. Glad he got it. I personally don't care how anyone else feels and certainly I want AU to win every game, regardless. But THAT game......
It was a weird game. From the jump it looked like Carnell was going to run all over their ass. Then they got him in that pileup when he was struggling for yards and broke his collarbone.
Everybody started looking around trying to figure out who was going to take up the slack. Then Zow hit two passes and we were staggered.
Franchione had snookered us, too. Everybody was expecting Watts to come out and run that goofy ass option with his flat, dead arm. AU's coaching staff spent the entire time prepping for Watts. Weren't defensively prepared for Zow.
What made it worse is we were like a 12-point favorite and would have gone to the SEC-CG if we'd won.
That was the year we would have beaten the bleeding fuck out of LSU in September, but had to move the game after the twin tower attacks. We limped in there with our chemistry destroyed and no Carnell and looked like shit.
I seriously thought Tuberville was dead man walking. And then when he shit the bed in 2003? I was on the firing line, locked and loaded too.