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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — When the University of Alabama’s game came down to the end of regulation and sophomore Adam Griffith was lining up a 27-yard field goal, senior quarterback Blake Sims couldn’t watch.
He had just led a 55-yard drive in 43 seconds to get the Crimson Tide down to the LSU 10, and the distance was the same from where Griffith had put one off the left upright earlier in the game.
So how did Sims know it went through and the teams were headed to overtime?
“I just heard silence,” he said.
With No. 5 hosting No. 1 Mississippi State on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) it doesn’t take much imagination to think that the game could come down to a kicker.
“I have all the confidence in the world in Adam Griffith,” Coach Nick Saban said. “I mean the problem around here everyone thinks the kicker is going to make every kick, and that’s not going to happen. I guess everyone thinks we are going to win every game, too, but I don’t think that’s always going to happen.
“He obviously showed worthy of that confidence in making big kicks in the last game. He has been a real warrior for us this year in the way he has battled through some injuries that have affected his preparation to some degree. He never complains about it and always is there to kick when need him in the games.”
Although Griffith’s injury has never been disclosed, he’s 11 of 16 in field goals this season (68.8 percent) with the longest being 47 yards.
Mississippi State’s Evan Sobiesk is 6 of 7, but the longest was 37 yards. If you factor in the two other kickers who have made attempts and the Bulldogs are 0-for-3 from 40 yards or longer — 6 of 9 (66.7 percent) overall.
Griffith is 4 of 6 from the same distance.
“Me and him kind of grew up in the same town, grew up in high school,” Sims said about Griffith, who also grew up in Georgia. “I’ve been seeing that kid make big-time kicks since he’s been little.”
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
