From the Sideline – Iron Bowl Edition

This past Thanksgiving weekend COULD have been the best three games in four days I've ever experienced.

My adventure started with on Wednesday with Alabama basketball taking on Duke at Madison Square Garden. It COULD have been a major victory for Anthony Grant's program. But despite a quick start, and a gutsy comeback effort, the Tide lost.

The day after Thanksgiving, Alabama COULD have bounced back with a nice resume' building victory at The Garden against Drexel. But despite having the ball in the hands of its best player (Trevor Releford) at the end of regulation - and then again in the third overtime - the Tide lost.

After that game, I got about four hours sleep, had a 2:30 am Central wake up call in New York City, and arrived in Auburn a little after 10.

An Alabama victory COULD have salvaged the weekend.

But you know what DID happen.

There are so many "COULD have been" moments throughout that game. Blaming the kicker(s) is the easy thing to do, but it was far from the only issue the Tide had.

That's why the only play I have allowed myself to watch is the final one. I watched it, because I wanted to see exactly what happened during the return. The reason I can't watch the rest of the game is because I know there will be no fewer than a dozen plays that will show where that game was truly lost.

From where I was standing on the Alabama sideline, I had a perfect view of Adam Griffith's 57-yard attempt at becoming a legend - an attempt Chris Davis would claim for himself 109-yards later in the opposite direction.

The wind on the field was blowing briskly at Griffith's back - actually at an angle - that was trying to desperately to push the ball back toward the right upright.

Moments before it sailed toward the goal post, I started thinking of my very first Iron Bowl to experience in person.

Legion Field.

1985.

Van Tiffin.

The Kick.

I started thinking how incredible it would be to go from watching that kick as a fan in 1985, from my seat in the North End Zone, to watching an even longer kick 28 years later from the 50-yard line on the Alabama sideline as a member of the Crimson Tide Sports Network crew.

It COULD have been one of the happiest moments I've ever been a part of in sports.

Instead, it COULD have been one of the most painful.