InDNo 0 Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 For Bama fans, Saban's image grisly in comparison to Bear By GREG COTE JACKSONVILLE -- The coach who hung heaviest over this college football game was the one who last roamed a sideline a quarter-century ago, underneath a checkered houndstooth hat. Bear Bryant, as both man and memory, has been inspiring Bobby Bowden most of his long life. That very same ghost is chasing Nick Saban, who can't get away. What's a warm memory to Florida State's Bowden is all heat to Alabama's Saban, and the Seminoles' 21-14 triumph over the Crimson Tide here Saturday only accentuated that on both sides. This game checked in high among career highlights for Bowden, which is saying something of a beloved 78-year-old coach, twice a national champion, an icon in his own right who happens to be his sport's all-time winner. He was born and raised in Birmingham, Ala., idolizing the Bear -- but, remarkably, this was the first time Bowden had faced Alabama in all his years as a head coach. A bronze bust of Bryant graces Bowden's office at FSU. So does a cherished scrapbook of yellowed news clippings from Alabama games in the 1940s, when a young kid was falling in love with football. He'd cry back then when Alabama lost. 'ELATION' FOR BOWDEN There were times Saturday evening when he'd blink back a tear as well. ''You all don't realize that when I was a kid what my love for that darn university was,'' he said afterward, in that folksy drawl that comes off as cornpone to those who don't know it's genuine. ``My feeling is one of elation. That is my home. This game was meaningful for me.'' His players knew it. ''We knew we had to win for Coach Bowden,'' said De'Cody Fagg, whose two touchdown catches made it happen (along with big defense and a spark from quarterback Xavier Lee off the bench). Not 20 steps away from Bowden in the next room, separated by a partition, Saban stood explaining a defeat that leaves the Tide turned down to a 3-2 record with a second consecutive defeat -- not the kind of stuff that will help Alabama believe the new man will be the one to finally escape the great shadow of the Bear. South Florida football fans still angry over Saban slinking out of town in January, leaving the Dolphins in the lurch after repeatedly denying Alabama's interest was mutual, would have enjoyed the sight of the diminutive Saban sweating behind a lectern Saturday as his team prepared to tumble from the national Top-25 polls, likely replaced there by the 3-1 Seminoles. More than that partition separates Bowden from Saban, of course. One is a cherished sports figure whose occasional nickname, Saint Bobby, reflects his being almost too good to be true. The Seminoles fans who had the better of Saturday's record crowd of 85,412 chanted his name as he walked off the field, then swooned and roared when he raised his hand to wave -- the Pope on a Vatican balcony. The other coach is the one his critics call Nick Satan, paranoid, given to fibs, personality challenged. This is the coach forever chasing his next huge contract, the antithesis of the grounded, deeply rooted Bowden. Tens of thousands of Tide fans filled the stadium and turned it red; it made your eyes bloodshot to see such an ocean of dueling crimson and garnet. None was chanting Saban's name, however. Unless you count the loud booing from Noles fans when his image appeared on the stadium's screen. (He must have felt like he was back in Miami.) TYPICAL SABAN The Saban post-loss combativeness familiar to South Florida media reappeared Saturday as the coach bickered with a Birmingham writer over whether he had said earlier in the week that this game would help or hurt Alabama's image. ''I said it was an opportunity to improve our identity as a team. That's not image,'' corrected a miffed Saban. It didn't escalate into a Mike Gundy tirade, but it was vintage Nick. ''I'll bet you any amount of money ,'' he went on. ``Image is how you dress. Identity is who you are. I'm going to start tape-recording what I said.'' Identity or image, both took a hit on the Bama side. After a scoreless first half so boring it could have put caffeine to sleep, FSU dominated Saban's guys in the way coaches can't stand. ''They out-physicaled and out-toughed us,'' Saban admitted. ``The mental and physical edge they established was the difference. I certainly feel like we have some regrets about how we played.'' The game verified that Alabama is not yet back up to the elite national level required to mollify Tuscaloosa and its Bear idolaters. Even further away is Saban from approaching the beloved stature that Bryant and Bowden have richly in common. The right team won here Saturday. So did the right coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUChizad 0 Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 By the way, how funny was it when USF had to block the offensive plays called from the sideline with a towel. Then the announcers commenting on Saban's reputation as a cheater. Solid gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InDNo 0 Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 By the way, how funny was it when USF had to block the offensive plays called from the sideline with a towel. Then the announcers commenting on Saban's reputation as a cheater. Solid gold. Another article I read noted that he once coached with Belichick. Birds of a feather ... InDNo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GalensGhost 0 Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 diminutive Saban Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtftiger 40 Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 By the way, how funny was it when USF had to block the offensive plays called from the sideline with a towel. Then the announcers commenting on Saban's reputation as a cheater. Solid gold. Don't forget. Jimbo Fisher coached under Saban at LSU. He was calling the plays last night for FSU. Do you think he had any inside knowledge on Saban's sign-stealing tactics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerOne 1,152 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 ''I said it was an opportunity to improve our identity as a team. That's not image,'' corrected a miffed Saban. It didn't escalate into a Mike Gundy tirade, but it was vintage Nick. ''I'll bet you any amount of money ,'' he went on. ``Image is how you dress. Identity is who you are. I'm going to start tape-recording what I said.'' no need to jerk, it already is recorded. Your psycho mental game is even confusing yourself. There is no team about this guy,it's all about him. That's his identity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,440 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 ''I said it was an opportunity to improve our identity as a team. That's not image,'' corrected a miffed Saban. It didn't escalate into a Mike Gundy tirade, but it was vintage Nick. ''I'll bet you any amount of money ,'' he went on. ``Image is how you dress. Identity is who you are. I'm going to start tape-recording what I said.'' no need to jerk, it already is recorded. Your psycho mental game is even confusing yourself. There is no team about this guy, it's all about him. That's his identity. That was a great insight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleDrill 178 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 ''I'll bet you any amount of money ,'' he went on. And he wasn't kidding either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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