He didn’t know it at the time, but University of Alabama senior quarterback Blake Sims more than foreshadowed what happened at LSU.

While talking with reporters the previous week the subject of the Crimson Tide’s previous visit to Tiger Stadium came up, when AJ McCarron dramatically led Alabama on what’s been called “The Drive.” The game-winning 72-yard possession lasted just 43 seconds and led to a dramatic 21-17 victory after LSU’s last-ditch effort to answer fell short.

Sims had been on the sideline that night and paid particular attention to McCarron as he guided the offense up the field toward the student section at the toughest venue in college football.

“He got the players talking a lot,” Sims recalled. “Communication’s very good for him. I noticed certain times in the game that he didn’t have to say nothing because the players can look to the sideline or they can look at each other, know the hand signals very well. He kept his composure very well. That was a tight game that year.

“Maybe I can do the same thing.”

What resulted was equally as impressive and could be almost called “The Drive II.”

To set the stage, the Crimson Tide was struggling in the second half against the host Tigers and appeared doomed when junior running back T.J. Yeldon fumbled due to the pain from a defender landing on his ankle, giving LSU a first down at the Alabama 6-yard line with 1:13 remaining and the score 10-10.

Alabama’s defense made a remarkable stand to hold LSU to a field goal with 50 seconds remaining …

 

After a mistake by LSU, which kicked the ball out of bounds, leaving LSU coach Les Miles with his jaw dropped on the sideline, Alabama got the ball at its 35. The first play was a quick 6-yard pass to tight end O.J. Howard, followed by a downfield incompletion to wide receiver DeAndrew White in which the defender played his arm and not the ball — setting an important precedent for the overtime when LSU fans thought Cyrus Jones should be called for pass interference. On third-and-4, Sims was flushed on a well-time safety blitz to nullify a screen pass, but the quarterback scampered for the first down.

 

What people forget about the 2012 game was that before completing 4 of 5 passes on the decisive possession, McCarron and the passing game had been ineffective.

After completing 9 of 15 attempts for 93 yards in the first half, he was 1 of 7 for 0 yards before getting the ball at the Alabama 28 with 1:43 on the clock. Alabama had had two passes dropped, two batted down, two broken up and McCarron threw two away en route to finishing 14 of 27 for 165 yards — and the one thing everyone remembers, the last-minute touchdown.

Similarly, the passing game had been anything but proficient. With Alabama continually checking out of runs to try and attack deep, which hadn’t worked, Sims was just 14 of 37 (38 percent) for 129 yards before the crucial possession. His longest completion downfield had been just 10 yards. The Crimson Tide had also converted just 5 of 17 third-down opportunities.

“I’m putting the whole thing on me,” Sims said. “If I would have did what I do, the game would have turned out a different way.”

 

With 20 seconds to go at the Alabama 46, Sims again found Howard for a short gain and then hit Amari Cooper on a slant, resulting in a rare drop by the wide receiver. On third down the pass rush again forced Sims to escape, only this time he threw downfield to wide receiver Christion Jones, who made a sliding catch for a 22-yard gain at the 26, which put the Crimson Tide in field-goal range.

 

The other hero of the 2012 game was T.J. Yeldon, who caught the screen pass that resulted in the 28-yard touchdown that broke the hearts of Tigers fans.

Due to an ankle injury sustained against Tennessee two weeks previous the running back had been limited during the practices leading up to the LSU game, but Alabama likes to put the onus on its best players during big games. So like usual he took the majority of handoffs against the run-tough Tigers.

After LSU pinned the Crimson Tide at its own 1-yard line with 1:56 to go coaches looked to the ground game to get Alabama out of trouble. Yeldon had a 5-yard gain followed by a 3-yard carry in which linebacker Lamar Louis landed on the ankle while making the tackle. The pain on the running back’s face was obvious as he lost control of the ball.

With just 1:13 remaining LSU was poised to beat Alabama for the first time since before the Crimson Tide won their national championship meeting in New Orleans at the end of the 2011 season. Announcements were being made telling fans not to storm the field.

“I went up to him and told him to keep his head,” Sims said. “’We’re going to go win this game. Don’t think you lost the game for us because the game ain’t over yet. Just go watch, we’re going to win this game for you.'”

 

After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Alabama wanted to get kicker Adam Griffith closer and again looked to White, who made a 16-yard sideline reception at the 10. As the normally raucous crowd continued to get quieter with each snap, perhaps because it had seen this before, Griffith calmly lined up the 27-yard field goal, ironically the same distance of his miss earlier in the game. He drilled it for a 13-13 score.

 

Coming in the one criticism of Sims was that his numbers on the road were significantly different from at Bryant-Denny Stadium. He was third in the Southeastern Conference in both passing yards and total yards, but the statistic that Alabama coaches paid attention to the most was passing efficiency.

He was fourth in the nation with a 172.68 rating, better than McCarron’s last year as a senior (167.2). At home it was a whopping 209.29 compared to 142.11 everywhere else.

Still, he had shown improvement, including helping lead Alabama to a 27-0 early lead at Tennessee on Oct. 25. But the only last-minute drive he had guided came up short at Ole Miss.

“There was no fear in his eyes,” Cooper said.

 

Although the 47 second-drive went 55 yards in nine plays, Alabama wasn’t done yet, but combined with one of the hardest hits you’ll ever see, Reuben Foster drilling Leonard Fournette on the subsequent kick return, it had all the momentum. On the first play of overtime, the Crimson Tide showed a different look with five wide including left tackle Cam Robinson faking that he was getting a screen pass to the right. Instead the ball went to the player who had been in his spot, tight end Brandon Greene, who was wide open and nearly scored. It set up White’s 6-yard touchdown reception that held up for the 20-13 victory.

 

“I was really proud of Blake, because he didn’t have one of his better games, and it was tough,” Nick Saban said. “He hung in there and made some great plays.”

Sims, who said he had no doubt that the Crimson Tide could pull out the win, went 4-for-6 for 50 yards on the drive along with the 5-yard run, and completed both pass attempts in overtime.

“That was big,” he said.