Auburn looks for repeat of 1989 magic

By Ray Glier

For the AJC

As long as Auburn had to play one of its “home” games every other season in Birmingham at Legion Field, the Tigers felt ruled by Alabama, almost oppressed. Alabama, the dominant college football power in the state with all its political muscle, had declared it would never play at Auburn, so the Tigers had to load up and bus to the center of the Crimson Tide power base.

Auburn had agreed to the Birmingham site when the rivalry was renewed in 1948, but when they tried to get the series switched to home-and-home and were blocked, the Tigers resented it.

Then, 20 years ago, the buses sat idle, and Alabama went to Auburn for the first time for the Iron Bowl.

“Them finally coming and knowing what it meant to a whole generation, and for them to fight it so much and then finally come, that was without a doubt one of the most meaningful professional and personal days of my life,” said David Housel, a former Auburn athletics director and, before that, sports information director.

“No longer could anybody dictate Auburn’s business to it.”

The fact Alabama had to unload its players at the gates to Jordan-Hare Stadium in 1989 was one thing. What happened next was another thrill for the Tigers.

They won.

Twenty years ago, on Dec. 2, Alabama arrived with a 10-0 team ranked No. 2 in the nation and the 11th-ranked Tigers ruined the Crimson Tide’s national championship hopes with a 30-20 victory.

There will be a pregame ceremony recognizing the 1989 team at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Friday, and Alabama will be in town again with an undefeated team that is ranked No. 2 in the nation. The Crimson Tide (11-0) lead the rivalry 39-33-1.

Auburn (7-4) had won six consecutive games in the rivalry until the Tigers were blasted 36-0 last season in Tuscaloosa. Even with just one win in the series in the past seven meetings, Alabama is seen as the clearly dominant program in the state and a 10-point favorite Friday.

That perception infuriates Tigers senior tight end Tommy Trott, who told the Birmingham News this week, “It kind of ticks me off that things have gotten like this. It wasn’t but two years ago that we were on a six-game win streak. We’ve lost one ballgame, and all of a sudden people are putting up ‘I believe’ signs.”

Alabama and Auburn played in 1972 when the Tide was also 10-0 and ranked No. 2.

Legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant stirred the rivalry when he said he would rather “beat that cow college [Auburn] once than beat Texas 10 times.”

The ninth-ranked Tigers won 17-16 in a game nicknamed, “Punt, Bama, Punt” because the upset happened with two blocked punts that were returned for touchdowns.

Of course, the 2009 Auburn team is not as closely matched with Alabama as the Tigers’ 1972 and 1989 teams. Auburn’s defense is ranked ninth in the SEC and could have a lot of trouble with Alabama’s offense, which has become more balanced with the pass and the run.

The bitterness of the Iron Bowl rivalry is just one storyline. There are some other rich subplots to the game.

A slip Friday and Alabama is out of the race for the national championship. TCU, which is in fourth in the BCS standings, likely has closed too much ground for the Crimson Tide to lose to Auburn, beat Florida in the SEC Championship Game, and go to Pasadena for the national championship game.

Another subplot is the Heisman Trophy race, which involves Alabama running back Mark Ingram. The race is thought to be so close between Ingram and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy that Ingram must have a dazzling performance Friday to stay within reach.

There’s one more side story.

Just who is the best running back in the state? Auburn running back Ben Tate, who averages 109 yards rushing per game, says he is, not Ingram. He told the Athens Banner-Herald that before Auburn’s game with Georgia.

"Everybody's entitled to their opinion," Ingram told reporters in Tuscaloosa. "I'm just going to let the way I play talk for me."

Tate also told the Banner-Herald that he hopes Ingram wins the Heisman. It was probably the only conciliatory thing mentioned all week in this feud.