Tua bomb was the greatest single play in Alabama athletics history.

Tenntiderman said:

I want to say this......the bomb to #6 was beautiful ......but to me is just another example of what Bama football is. For all the folks out there who counted us down and out? Another disappointment for them. That play is why these kids go to Bama. No we don't win every single game, but that play and all the other previous plays showed why we were there. To win. You never count out the Tide when the hay is still going into the loft so to speak. Blocking on that play was awesome. They believed. It was Bama football. Fighting to the end. The old guard was happy!! Been a Tidesman since 1961. I was 9. Real Tidesmen are tough. I realized that things needed to go well to avoid another sack. Nothing could have been better. Got to hear the nation whine about needing 8 more teams in the playoffs all over again!!!! I love it I do!!

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I agree with you.................there are many plays in Bama football history that could make the same claim...............The Goal Line Stand, George Teague's strip of Lamar "The Mouth" Thomas........I don't know if I could pick just one, but the "Hawaiian Punch" was one heck of a play and right there with the best of them

Keeter said:

I agree with you.................there are many plays in Bama football history that could make the same claim...............The Goal Line Stand, George Teague's strip of Lamar "The Mouth" Thomas........I don't know if I could pick just one, but the "Hawaiian Punch" was one heck of a play and right there with the best of them

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Technically that play never happened.

92tide said:

i have re-watched the second half a few times and the change in momentum and attitude of both teams is palpable throughout the half. even with the couple of big plays uga had (the td and interception) it just had the feel that bama was not going to be denied.

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I feel the same way.
As for the greatest play in Alabama history, I think the jury is still out.
If Tua leads Bama to it's first three-peat, then we can say it set up the three-peat and was maybe the greatest play in Bama athletics history. Until we see where it leads, I'm not sure. There have been a lot of great plays in Bama athletics history.
A case could be made for Johnny Mack Brown's 59 yard TD catch that put Bama up for good over the Huskies to win Bama's first national championship was the greatest play in Bama athletics history.

After the sack and before the pass, the TV camera stays on Tua, calmly looking to the sideline for the play. It makes me remember John Madden’s story about Ken Stabler when, after a similar disaster play, a beaten up Stabler drawls “Anybody got any bright ideas for third and 31?”

I know it’s early in his career, but Tua’s presence on the field reminds me of Stabler. Clutch plays and almost instinctive in reading the defense. We’ll see.

So, one of the shows on XM radio yesterday brought up this same questions (open to whoever your team was) about the best, most iconic play in your team's history (regardless of sport). The question was raised sort on in remembrance of Billy Cannon after his passing the weekend.

Anyway, he also wanted to know what was the worst play in your team's history, the one you would most like to forget. This got me thinking. No matter how great a play was, it probably doesn't mean that much unless the opposing team is going to have it stuck in their head as a play they wish they could forget. So, as awesome as Tyrone Prothro's catch was, I doubt anyone from Southern Miss loses any sleep over that happening. I am not sure that George Teague running down Lamar Thomas had a definite effect on the final score. It did prevent a possible momentum shift, but that momentum shift might not have happened even if they scored. Just because I get to choose my own favorite, and not a matter of disrespect to the great plays in our history, I am going to exclude any that I was not actively watching when they happened, so the run in the mud and goal line stand, as great as they were, really had no emotional impact on me, because I saw them years after they happened.

This leads me back to the Tua pass. The positive emotion was overwhelming when it happened. And I really think that play has to rank very highly on the list of plays UGA fans wish had never happened or wish they could forget. Using that as a measure, it has to be the best.

Anyone wanna take a guess what I call the worst play in our history?

crimsonaudio said:

First thing that popped into my head was kick-six.

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that one was horrible. i was sitting there at my cousins house yelling at the tv as we were lining up for the fg to take the damned game to ot that these miserable lucky bastiges are going to block the fg attempt and return it for a td.

i have a few others that could be contenders, giving up 4th and forever to ut in 2003 (i think), two blocked punts returned for td's. though not as consequential, the pick 6 vs miss state in 2007.

Tidewater said:

I feel the same way.
As for the greatest play in Alabama history, I think the jury is still out.
If Tua leads Bama to it's first three-peat, then we can say it set up the three-peat and was maybe the greatest play in Bama athletics history. Until we see where it leads, I'm not sure. There have been a lot of great plays in Bama athletics history.
A case could be made for Johnny Mack Brown's 59 yard TD catch that put Bama up for good over the Huskies to win Bama's first national championship was the greatest play in Bama athletics history.

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Nope. It's Tua. The Brown TD was in the third quarter and put Alabama up 20-12. Not much of a comparison to what Tua did.

I've been taking this topic in for awhile, but I guess I'll just add this:

Unless we have another play that results in a walk-off national championship game win, I have a hard time believing Tua's bomb won't be the single greatest play in Alabama athletics history. I've laid out what I think the stakes of that national championship game were in another topic. Basically I think that this game would likely define whether Saban's championship legacy had mostly been written or still have pages left to write. It would be hard to shake losing two straight national titles where inadequacy on offense undermined a valiant effort on defense. Look how a few changes on the staff, slight strategy changes in offers, and that come-from-behind win reenergized recruiting. A loss would've hurt that turnaround because prospects like hitching their wagon to teams with great playmakers on offense. You don't want to be a defender at a school that can shut down a potential superstar NFL QB for 3 quarters only to lose because your own quarterback can't complete a 10 yard curl. You don't want to be on an offense where the biggest plays are only possible on your quarterback's legs because they can't deliver that 10 yard curl pass. Tua has been a big recruiting tool because the prospects looks at him and sees the next Watson or Mariota. You want to be blocking for a guy like that, be a skill guy for that QB, and play defense with an offense that can score points with ease.


The play itself, what it accomplished, and what it created for the future make it the single greatest play without a doubt.

rgw - that is what makes this better than the goal line stand: walk-off. There was still about 5-6 minutes left in that game after the goal line stand. Alabama had far from sealed the deal at that point, and PSU still had a great chance of winning.

crimsonaudio said:

First thing that popped into my head was kick-six.

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Yep. I might see that as their most iconic play in their history because it is the play that we, as Bama fans, would most like to be able to forget but can't.

Ingram fumble in the Iron Bowl. The ball rolled so far inbounds. Not to mention the wasteland that would be Auburn football if we had held on to that game.


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CoachJeff said:

Nope. It's Tua. The Brown TD was in the third quarter and put Alabama up 20-12. Not much of a comparison to what Tua did.

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Brown's TD put Bama up 14-12. Both teams subsequently scored again, but Bama never relinguished the lead.
I am always on guard for "presentism," the belief that what applies today is what has always applied. It was not fore-ordained from the beginning of time that Bama would be one of those schools that won national championships. Until Brown helped Bama take that lead first ever lead in its first ever national championship game, it had never happened, so Brown's catch is pretty darned important.
In 1926, Alabama had never won a national championship. How many subsequent players came to Alabama because they believed Bama could win another one? 1926, 1930, 1934, etc.

None of that is to say that Tua's walk-off TD pass is unimportant or was not spectacular, just that today's Bama program stands on the shoulders of giants.

AlexanderFan said:

Ingram fumble in the Iron Bowl. The ball rolled so far inbounds. Not to mention the wasteland that would be Auburn football if we had held on to that game.

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Which is why I want Bama to beat the Barn every time by triple digits until they become Montevallo East.

Tidewater said:

Which is why I want Bama to beat the Barn every time by triple digits until they become Montevallo East.

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I would be in favor of that outcome, and really love it if they took the Viles down with them.

Tidewater said:

Brown's TD put Bama up 14-12. Both teams subsequently scored again, but Bama never relinguished the lead.
I am always on guard for "presentism," the belief that what applies today is what has always applied. It was not fore-ordained from the beginning of time that Bama would be one of those schools that won national championships. Until Brown helped Bama take that lead first ever lead in its first ever national championship game, it had never happened, so Brown's catch is pretty darned important.
In 1926, Alabama had never won a national championship. How many subsequent players came to Alabama because they believed Bama could win another one? 1926, 1930, 1934, etc.

None of that is to say that Tua's walk-off TD pass is unimportant or was not spectacular, just that today's Bama program stands on the shoulders of giants.

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A TD in the third quarter of a close game doesn't compare to a walk off TD in OT.

AlexanderFan said:

Ingram fumble in the Iron Bowl. The ball rolled so far inbounds. Not to mention the wasteland that would be Auburn football if we had held on to that game.


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there were a few plays in that game. iirc, trent dropped a super easy, short pass that was a walk in td.

CoachJeff said:

A TD in the third quarter of a close game doesn't compare to a walk off TD in OT.

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I'm not trying to be argumentative, but winning a first ever national championship does not exactly compare with winning a 17th (and a 5th in nine years).
Heck, Bama might have gone the route of Sewanee if not for that game.

Tidewater said:

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but winning a first ever national championship does not exactly compare with winning a 17th (and a 5th in nine years).
Heck, Bama might have gone the route of Sewanee if not for that game.

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Sorry, but the whole "standing on the shoulders of giants" thing doesn't apply here unless the giant's name is Nick Saban.

Ask Notre Dame how worthless that stuff is when you are trying to win championships today.

Tidewater said:

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but winning a first ever national championship does not exactly compare with winning a 17th (and a 5th in nine years).
Heck, Bama might have gone the route of Sewanee if not for that game.

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You're saying one play in the 3rd quarter of a bowl game in 1926 was more important than a game winning TD in OT in the national championship game?

Bama didn't lose a game the next year. Was that because of the play that happened in the 3rd quarter of the last game the previous year?

I'm not saying the 1926 Rose Bowl win wasn't big (it was) but I think you're valuing the play combined with the game too highly.

I think an argument can be made that the Tua play was the greatest single play in CFB history, at least in terms of on the field importance.