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

BamaInBham

All-American
Feb 14, 2007
4,464
2,104
187
after digesting this idea for a few months, i feel pretty confident that that throw is number 1. recency bias be darned.
Agree completely. Will add that it very well could turn out to be one of the most important plays in college football history in that it will possibly affect the next several years - to the benefit of Alabama. I've noted this in other threads, so will spare everyone the elaboration :).
 

92tide

TideFans Legend
May 9, 2000
58,103
44,784
287
54
East Point, Ga, USA
i find a certain amount of happiness knowing that the play will be replayed and discussed ad nauseam (many times by gary) before every televised uga game this season.

it will likely be the lead in for every game we play as well.

just so no one has to expend any energy to watch it again

 
Last edited:

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,730
287
54
i find a certain amount of happiness knowing that the play will be replayed and discussed ad nauseam (many times by gary) before every televised uga game this season.

it will likely be the lead in for every game we play as well.

just so no one has to expend any energy to watch it again

You crush toads with heavy stones don't you, ha ha...
 

DzynKingRTR

TideFans Legend
Dec 17, 2003
42,131
29,288
287
Vinings, ga., usa
. When Francisco Cabrera scored Bream - speaking of moments that took forever - I leaped into the air and hit my hands on the ceiling. I have high walls now so not possible.
Funny I did the same thing back then. I also now have high walls but still came darn close to doing it again after Tua's pass. I was actually signaling TD as soon as Tua started to throw. I leaped up and started running to my TV as if to hug the team.
 

PA Tide Fan

All-American
Dec 11, 2014
4,441
3,055
187
Lancaster, PA
When Chris Fowler said "Alabama breaks Georgia hearts" it may have been an understatement. I'm sure after the sack Georgia fans felt the worst that could happen for them was a Alabama FG attempt to force a second OT, but given how badly our kicker missed in regulation they probably felt he'd miss again. They never thought Alabama TD, especially on the next play.

That one play may have decided the future of Tua, Jalen and Alabama football. Right now it appears Tua is the favorite for the starting job but had he not completed the pass or worse thrown an INT the QB competition might look different.
 

DzynKingRTR

TideFans Legend
Dec 17, 2003
42,131
29,288
287
Vinings, ga., usa
i find a certain amount of happiness knowing that the play will be replayed and discussed ad nauseam (many times by gary) before every televised uga game this season.

it will likely be the lead in for every game we play as well.

just so no one has to expend any energy to watch it again

It is going to be funny to hear auburn and uga fans complain about Gary mentioning it over and over and over and over and over and you get the point. Especially auburn fans who actually seem more bothered by us winning than any uga fan does. (at least the ones I know.)
 

rolltide7854

All-American
Aug 20, 2007
2,026
1,039
187
Birmingham, Ala
The look on Aaron Murray face is priceless. :biggrin:

i find a certain amount of happiness knowing that the play will be replayed and discussed ad nauseam (many times by gary) before every televised uga game this season.

it will likely be the lead in for every game we play as well.

just so no one has to expend any energy to watch it again

 

Tide&True

All-American
Sep 24, 2004
4,599
2,166
182
Murfreesboro, TN
Nothing comes close. I’ve been a Bama fan for many years and I can tell you it probably won’t be equaled as long as college football exists.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

editder

All-SEC
Nov 2, 2017
1,536
1,654
182
This is a clear number one and it's not even close. I don't say that to disparage any of our great moments but this one is in the next universe by itself.

1) It won the national championship. Without it, there's no title.

We could conceivably have beaten Penn State without the Goal Line Stand, and we would likely still have beaten Miami without the Strip. But this play won the game.

2) The drama was heightened by the sack on the previous play.

Discussed already.

3) Here's one I haven't seen: Alabama NEVER LED in the entire game until that play.

Ever. This was not the 2012 SECCG back and forth. We were behind from the moment UGA scored first. All the way until that play.

4) The sudden swiftness was the stuff of legend.

This was a heavyweight boxer getting his tail knocked all over the ring for 10 rounds of a 12 round fight, getting battered in the 11th and then decking the opponent with a lightning quick left to the jaw that nobody saw coming.


Van Tiffin's kick was awesome, but it was the result of a fearless drive and a soaring kick from a guy who had made MANY long field goals before (including 57 yards vs ATM that year and 53 vs Penn St the year before). Tiffin kicking a field goal - as awesome as it was - was not totally off the charts surprising and it was also a regular season game. Hell, most folks don't recall that we weren't even ranked going into the game despite having only two losses and a tie.


The lightning bolt was so sudden that my reaction was more of shock than jubilation. When Francisco Cabrera scored Bream - speaking of moments that took forever - I leaped into the air and hit my hands on the ceiling. I have high walls now so not possible, but I was almost in utter disbelief that it happened. I didn't even notice the receiver running over the camera guy in the end one as he celebrated until a few days later.
Great post, but I slightly disagree with the boxing analogy. We only got our tails kicked for half the game. We whipped them for most of the second half. It took us until the final play to pull ahead, although we should have won at the end of regulation.
 

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,730
287
54
Great post, but I slightly disagree with the boxing analogy. We only got our tails kicked for half the game. We whipped them for most of the second half. It took us until the final play to pull ahead, although we should have won at the end of regulation.
I actually agree with your assessment here btw.
 

4Q Basket Case

FB|BB Moderator
Staff member
Nov 8, 2004
9,554
12,823
237
Tuscaloosa
This is a clear number one and it's not even close. I don't say that to disparage any of our great moments but this one is in the next universe by itself.

1) It won the national championship. Without it, there's no title.

We could conceivably have beaten Penn State without the Goal Line Stand, and we would likely still have beaten Miami without the Strip. But this play won the game.

2) The drama was heightened by the sack on the previous play.

Discussed already.

3) Here's one I haven't seen: Alabama NEVER LED in the entire game until that play.

Ever. This was not the 2012 SECCG back and forth. We were behind from the moment UGA scored first. All the way until that play.

4) The sudden swiftness was the stuff of legend.

This was a heavyweight boxer getting his tail knocked all over the ring for 10 rounds of a 12 round fight, getting battered in the 11th and then decking the opponent with a lightning quick left to the jaw that nobody saw coming.


Van Tiffin's kick was awesome, but it was the result of a fearless drive and a soaring kick from a guy who had made MANY long field goals before (including 57 yards vs ATM that year and 53 vs Penn St the year before). Tiffin kicking a field goal - as awesome as it was - was not totally off the charts surprising and it was also a regular season game. Hell, most folks don't recall that we weren't even ranked going into the game despite having only two losses and a tie.


The lightning bolt was so sudden that my reaction was more of shock than jubilation. When Francisco Cabrera scored Bream - speaking of moments that took forever - I leaped into the air and hit my hands on the ceiling. I have high walls now so not possible, but I was almost in utter disbelief that it happened. I didn't even notice the receiver running over the camera guy in the end one as he celebrated until a few days later.
I agree that Tua to Smith is the most important play in Alabama history. But the Goal Line Stand is close. The difference that most people don't remember is that when Krauss stuffed the PSU FB, there were still 7-8 minutes left to go.

Great post, but I slightly disagree with the boxing analogy. We only got our tails kicked for half the game. We whipped them for most of the second half. It took us until the final play to pull ahead, although we should have won at the end of regulation.
Agreed. We got hammered for 30 minutes, then reversed it. For the second half and OT in isolation:

Alabama wins first downs 16-6
Wins rushing 24 att / 110 yds to 21 att / 36 yds
Wins passing 14 for 24, 165 yds to 5 for 9 106 yds (more on this in a minute)
Wins points 26-10

That's a pretty good hammering by us. But it's understated by the fact that over half of UGA's yards came on one play, the 80 yd bomb.

Outside of that one pass, they averaged 2.18 yards per play, and scored only 3 points, in overtime, after getting the ball on our 25. Even that is a testament to the kicker, not the UGA O, which actually backed up 9 yards. Blankenship nailed a 51 yarder.

As others have noted, even with the bomb, we still should have won at the end of regulation.

As much as UGA kicked out butts the first half, we returned the favor in the second.
 
Last edited:

CaliforniaTide

All-American
Aug 9, 2006
3,618
14
57
Huntsville, AL
For me, since becoming a student and a fan in 2006, it's definitely the greatest Alabama play I've seen. As soon as Tua released the ball, I was merely hoping it didn't get intercepted. Once Smith brought it down, all of us that were at my house watching the game were in total shock over how it ended. We were obviously happy and in "I can't believe it!" mode, but even now, I'm still not comprehending that Alabama won the game that way. I'm sure it's how Auburn fans still feel about Kick 6. Here's to hoping there a lot more of Tua coming in the next two years.
 

RedWave

All-SEC
Sep 26, 2000
1,579
3
0
Arlington, Tx
The Tua bomb might be the greatest play in history, simply because of what it ultimately meant for our season and, hopefully, our future. I definitely get the goal line stand argument. I have watched it numerous times on YouTube. I was alive then, but didn't understand football enough to know the significance at that time.

All that said, for my money, the greatest play in Alabama history is George Teague running down Lamar Thomas from behind and taking the ball away. Especially with Thomas's statements about nobody in our secondary being able to keep up with him. Second are the two blocks against Tennessee, with one on the last play of the game. That preserved our perfect season and led to our eventual 1st NC since 1992. Tua's bomb is #3 to me. And that is not to diminish it in any way. It is simply how those plays made me feel at the time they happened, and all of them were tremendous.
 

cmmiller711

All-American
Nov 24, 2006
2,070
11
57
Birmingham, AL
i find a certain amount of happiness knowing that the play will be replayed and discussed ad nauseam (many times by gary) before every televised uga game this season.

it will likely be the lead in for every game we play as well.

just so no one has to expend any energy to watch it again

This gave me actual chills again.
 

dayhiker

FB|BB Moderator
Staff member
Dec 8, 2000
8,700
3,782
337
Pell City, AL
i wish i had the spare $ to get that picture displayed on the corey tower in downtown atlanta, just for a week or so.
A friend of mine paddled whatever river goes through Atlanta recently. I assume he recalled me telling the story about my geology professor asking us what is native to every stream in Alabama. The answer was a shopping cart. So, my friend tags me on FB and asks me what was the most common item in the river that he saw on the float trip. I replied, "UGA National Championship t-shirts." I don't think some of his Georgia friends liked that too well. He's a Bama grad and thought that it was hilarious.
 

Latest threads

TideFans.shop : 2024 Madness!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a>
<br />

<!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \-->
<p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.