On "Running Up the Score"

that if Texas didn’t want us to score again, they should have taken their "OMG #1 RUN DEFENSE!!111" (tm Todd) and stopped us. I wanted to score again because I was scared as hell that they could still come back. I would think they would take that as a compliment.

… pretty much as it happened. There were a few answers at the time, but I wasn’t completely satisfied. I was pretty worried that it was a classless move on our part (and no I don’t care that other schools run up the score on a regular basis….. It’s not about who they are it’s about who we are.) I have now had time to go back and watch the replay and I really don’t think that we were running up the score. Lets review

1:48 on the stopped clock. (TX 1 TO left) with Bama on the 27 – We run to the left for 16 yards. There is a flag on the play (face mask – half the distance) so tack on another 11 yards for a 22 yard play.

1:41 on stopped clock (TX still with 1 TO) – We are on the 5 yard line and run up the middle for a few yards and the clock continues to run.

0:52 on a running clock (TX still with 1TO) – Trent goes up the middle for the last TD. If we had not scored this play and ran off 10-15 seconds, I could see us taking a knee. At this point we could have successfully ended the game.

Why did we score? To me it was a simple by product of circumstances. Think about it. If we had recoved the ball on our own 30 we would have run a few plays, made a few first downs and taken a knee. The problem was that we got the ball on the TX 27. We were too succussful on that first play when we went for 22 yards and ONLY USED 7 SECONDS. The next two plays (which we needed to run to kill the clock) we ran straight up the gut. We can not realisticly say hey, go out and run for a few yards… but don’t finish the play and score from 5 yards out. On a side note, if we really wanted to run up the score, we would have been calling timeouts

Bottom line, we ran three plays and scored at least partly because the TX defense had by and large given up the ghost. Maybe we should have run, maybe we should have taken a knee. It is what it is. Personally, I am just happy with the W.

Roll Tide.

After everything was said and done Colt McCoy congratulated the Tide on national TV and gave them credit for playing a great game. I can’t stand the Longhorns but McCoy is a class act. Unlike many of the Longhorn fans who cheered when Sam Bradford went down with his injury. Maybe they should go out and work to get back to the title game next year so they can play the Tide again.

I figure Texas WOULD have called the timeout. This was for the National Championship. No second chances, it was now or never.

Based on what we saw during the year, I have no doubt that when he was SURE the game was over, Saban would have ordered the kneel, but not before.

Hell, atter the Richardson TD, think what happened. Texas had time to run the kickoff back, throw an 18 yard pass, and throw another pass that was intercepted. King hit a knee, and Bama ran yet another play, this time a kneeldown.

I agree, it would have been CLOSE to impossible for Texas to do anything if Bama had quit, but not totally.

That Bama had a chance to take a knee and end the game, but instead chose to score. It was unnecessary and netted Alabama nothing.

Some here have brought up the A&M game from last year as “proof” that Texas runs up the score too. Which suggests that a) you agree that Alabama ran up the score when they didn’t have to, and b) you’re a little defensive about it (since you wouldn’t feel the need to search through Texas football history to find a comprable example if you weren’t).

In the interest of full disclosure, I too got defensive when I saw that Texas ran up the score, since I disagree with the practice no matter who’s playing. So I went back and looked at the game, and I don’t think it’s the same.

Alabama tacking on more points doesn’t change the end result. They still win the game, and the NC.

Texas on the other hand wasn’t just playing the Aggies. They were in a 3-way tie with OU and Tech. Tech, by virtue of a blow out a week earlier, was the least likely to make it. OU wrapped up their season against a ranked OSU opponent. Texas played unranked A&M before OU, which made it likely that only a complete and total slaughter of the Aggies might stay in voters minds long enough to be remembered by the time they got around to voting. Texas was playing for a chance to go to the Conference Championship and the NC, it was more than a game against the Aggies. We didn’t enjoy running up the score (ok….maybe a little) but it was the only shot Texas was going to get. Was it running up the score? Yes. But it was done for reasons beyond disrespecting the guys on the other end of the field.

Do the ends justify the means? Hard to say. I always try to put myself in the other guys shoes. If A&M had to slaughter Texas in order to get a shot at the Big12 CC & NC, and they ran up the score would I enjoy it? Nope. Would I understand it…sure.

If Bama had gained something by scoring that last TD, I wouldn’t care. A better ranking, a spot in the big game, a new TD/Rushing/Carries record… something then I wouldn’t even remember it. But there was nothing gained there…except 6 more points, and maybe trying to rub in the win a little more.

Bama burned 35 seconds between 1st and 2nd down. There was a total of 66 seconds left in the game, Bama had a 10 point lead, and 3 downs. If Bama burns 35 seconds on the next two downs – THE GAME IS OVER.

Even if Bama can’t milk every last second out of the clock, Texas still has to score twice to tie/win.

By and large, most Bama fans have demonstrated real class, as have the players. Bama played tough and capitalized when it mattered, which is what champions do. Bama is the best team in the country and National Champions, no excuses or asterix’s. Enjoy the NC, 18 years is a long time to wait!

But you’ll never convince me that Saban didn’t run up the score intentionally.