Crimson Tide of 2008 reliving feats of 1992 team

TUSCALOOSA, Ala., Dec 03, 2008 (The Orlando Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- ACONF | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- People around here who have been watching Alabama football for a while say this Crimson Tide team is reminiscent of one that played back in 1992 - the one that went undefeated, beat Florida in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game and then won the national championship against Miami.

Since Bear Bryant retired after the 1982 season, that '92 team has represented the light in more than two decades filled mostly with dark moments, embarrassment and turmoil. Yet like in '92, the Crimson Tide now are reminding folks of how football was once played here.

The teams resemble one another, some say, because of the way Alabama is running on offense, hitting on defense and winning with substance over style.

Jay Barker remembers Alabama teams like that.

He played quarterback, of course, for the '92 Tide, and when he has watched No. 1 Alabama play during the past three months, he has seen things that remind him of the old days: the conservative offense built on the power running game; the dominant, intimidating defense.

"We're not going to win the style points," said Barker, who these days hosts a radio show in Birmingham. "We're just not. We're going to run the football, we're going to play defense, play special teams, make the big plays when needed.

"And that's just what Alabama's been known for, that's the identity."

It's an identity that had been missing here for a long time. But, Barker said, "I just love that (Alabama Coach) Nick Saban has kind of brought (that) back to the campus, brought (that) back to this program."

If the current version of Alabama is to earn the same place in history as the 1992 team, then it must in its 13th game do something that the '92 team also did: Beat a seemingly unbeatable opponent from Florida.

Back then, it was undefeated Miami in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship. Come Saturday, of course, it will be once-beaten Florida in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.

Few gave the Tide a chance against the Hurricanes, and then Alabama won 34-13. Few are giving 'Bama a chance now against the Gators.

"We liked that role," said Matt Hammond, an offensive lineman on the '92 team who set the school record for most starts.

Hammond said he and his teammates used to get up on Saturday mornings, flip on ESPN's College GameDay, and wait for Lee Corso to make his pick for whatever game Alabama was playing in that day.

"And we always wanted him to pick against us," Hammond said. "And I think that's the role that Alabama likes and is comfortable with, and I don't think that's going to bother this team in the least."

Those who play for Alabama nowadays, of course, have little if any recollection of what the Tide did in '92. John Parker Wilson, the Crimson Tide's quarterback, was just 7 and he said he was too young "to know really what was going on."

"But you know," Wilson said, "From what I remember, they had a great defense and a good running game."

If Wilson could remember more, he might realize how similar the role he's playing is to the role Barker played for the '92 team. Or how both teams utilized dominant rushing defenses that held the opposition, on average, to well below 100 rushing yards per game. Or how both teams used bruising runners to punish teams on the ground - Glen Coffee this season and Derrick Lassic in '92.

About the only differences between the teams, Barker said, is that his Alabama team was coming off of an 11-1 season and that expectations were high.

"There was a lot more expected of us that wasn't expected in Nick Saban's second year," he said.

Even so, few expected the Crimson Tide to beat Miami in the height of the Hurricanes' heyday.

Looking back, Hammond said, "We kind of rejuvenated the state, rejuvenated the program a little bit."

And perhaps that's where the teams are most similar, because that's exactly what this team has done, too. The old guys, those who were around here 16 years ago, can sense that.

"This year has been really fun," Barker said, "because so many comparisons to that team have been made."

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