The paralyzing feeling I had walking out of the Georgia Dome the night of August 30, 2008, is something I'd never felt before as a sports fan.
Alabama 34, Clemson 10.
"HEY TIGERS! HEY TIGERS! HEY TIGERS! WE JUST BEAT THE HELL OUTTA YOU! RAMMER JAMMER YELLOW HAMMER GIVE 'EM HELL ALABAMA!"
It echoes to this day. It haunts my dreams. They sure did beat the hell out of us.
My senior year of school started as the most promising in recent memory in terms of Clemson football. Our Tigers were ranked No. 9 in the preseason polls, what with 16 starters back including every offensive skill player - CJ Spiller, James Davis, Aaron Kelly to name a few - and an incoming class that would produce incredible talent a few years later.
Clemson was on its way to prominence. Opening the season with Alabama in the Dome was a mere blip on the radar.
Nick Saban was entering just his second season in Tuscaloosa. His first produced a 7-6 campaign and the interwebs were abound with rumors of his recruiting tactics. Players were driving in Escalades and receiving $100 handshakes every where they turned.
But the Tide were a year away and the recruits Saban brought to Alabama would need time to develop and turn the 12-time National Champions back into a contender.
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I ran into more than one obnoxious Alabama fan that Saturday in Atlanta. They were proclaiming they were back, that Saban was a God-send. Well-known recruit Julio Jones was the best player who hadn't played a down in college football. Terrance Cody was the monster inside Bama needed to shore up its defense.
It was all speculative, but Alabama fans aren't ones to hide their optimism. They'd waited more than a decade to get back to relevance and this was it.
I ignored their ramblings and trash talk. Let it all play out on the field. We've got Thunder and Lightning. We've got weapons at receiver and a veteran quarterback. We've got a defense that is ready to jump to the next level.
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| My brother and me in the Georgia Dome hours before kickoff in 2008. |
This was our time. This was our season. We would have the crowd advantage, the skill player advantage and the scoreboard advantage.
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After a Tide field goal on the opening drive, it was the Tigers' turn. What an exciting moment this would be. Finally, a long offseason of build-up and chatter about having the best offense in Clemson history would be unleashed.
First down. Incomplete pass.
Second down. Fumble.
Freshman running back Jamie Harper had been reportedly promised the first carry of the season by Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden. He got it. And his Clemson career got off to the rockiest of starts.
The next four Tiger offensive drives resulted in one field goal, one interception and two punts. Total yards: 71.
Halftime score: Alabama 23, Clemson 3.
By that point, it was over. We had nothing. We were doing nothing. This was Alabama's night to party on. We were back to the drawing boards.
I screamed. I cursed. I left my seat about five rows up in the end zone and found a spot in the bowels of the Dome to sulk.
I was embarrassed for my team. We talked the talk and walked with our tiger tails tucked between our legs.
--
Still sitting there fuming over the inevitable, I heard a roar from what sounded like our side of the stadium. Were our fans that silly to be cheering on our team coming back out of the tunnel after halftime?
As I slowly got to my feet, Clemson fans went racing past me having seen the action unfold on one of the concourse TVs. Spiller returned the opening kickoff of the second half 96 yards for a touchdown.
Life was breathed back into the orange faithful. How could I have given up on my team just one half into the season? What kind of fan am I?
The little voice inside my head then screamed at me, "GET BACK IN YOUR SEAT AND WATCH THE SECOND HALF!"
We forced a punt! Oh my goodness, we get the ball back with a chance to get within a touchdown of the lead!
Two drives later, it became crystal clear we weren't going to do this comeback thing. Alabama scored again to extend the lead to 31-10 late in the third quarter.
--
We were bullied on and off the field that night. Final rushing totals - Alabama 239, Clemson 0. Goose egg. Nil. Nada. Zip.
That Rammer Jammer chant grew louder with each verse. I sat on the empty Clemson side and soaked it all in. I made sure to remember the feeling. The clock was well past 0:00. There was little to no orange left inside the Georgia Dome. The party on the Crimson Tide sideline reached fever pitch.
"HEY TIGERS! HEY TIGERS! HEY TIGERS! WE JUST BEAT THE HELL OUTTA YOU!"
My roommate and I finally got the strength to get up out our seats and walk a lonely walk back to our car. We drove back to Clemson that night in complete silence. I don't know if we couldn't find the words to say or if we simply didn't want to talk about it at all.
Darkness and silence the entire drive up I-85 from Atlanta to Clemson.
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Eight full seasons later, here we are. The rematch is set.
No. 1 and undefeated Clemson out to shock the world.
No. 2 Alabama seeking its fourth crown under Saban.
It is perfect harmony that these two programs clash for college football's greatest achievement. Two programs headed in completely opposite directions that fateful night in 2008 will renew acquaintances on the biggest stage with the brightest lights.
All the world will be watching as the Tigers and the Tide tango in the desert. You bet your bottom dollar I'll be at University of Phoenix Stadium dressed to the nines in Solid Orange.
It's time to make another memory. It's time to put that nightmare to bed. It's time to make January 11, 2016, be the night that makes us forget August 30, 2008. It's time for Clemson to rise to the top.
Remember 2008. Make them never forget 2016.
It's our time.
Don't forget about the thrown cinder block I believe it was.
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