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Saturday’s game at LSU will go a long way in defining Blake Sims’ legacy
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It was the moment that most of Death Valley went deadly silent.
T.J. Yeldon had just taken a screen pass and gone 28 yards into the end zone for a 21-17 lead with 51 seconds remaining, leaving only those on the University of Alabama side to cheer wildly.
The rest of Tiger Stadium was stunned as the Crimson Tide contingency jumped, whooped and hollered while television cameras zeroed in on the celebration. They finally fixated on the person who stood out the most, and wasn’t the running back or even quarterback A.J. McCarron after leading the game-winning 72-yard drive that lasted just 43 seconds.
It was Blake Sims, who didn’t even get into the game but was gesturing in a way that he later wished he could take back.
“I was just so happy,” Sims said about the dramatic 2012 victory that propelled Alabama back into the national title picture. “That stadium was like, it gets you that way.
“I looked down and there was a camera right there in my face and I was like, ‘Man, I’m about to get in trouble.’”
Saturday, when Alabama returns to LSU (8 p.m. ET, CBS), the cameras won’t stop being focused on Sims, who this time knows exactly what he’s getting into on the road. Ole Miss was obviously a big game in front of 61,826 fans, and Tennessee had its usual 100,000-plus on hand, although they were pretty quiet after the Vols quickly fell behind 27-0.
This is different. This is Death Valley, “Where dreams come to die,” and at night. While that doesn’t quite add up to being college football’s version of the Kobayashi Maru, the no-win scenario in Star Trek, it’s nevertheless a key test for Sims as a quarterback.
If Alabama wins he’ll likely go from being the guy even his own fans doubted to being a serious candidate for national accolades. He’s third in the nation in passing efficiency (172.7 rating), yet was shut out of the various watch lists until the Davey O’Brien Award named him a semifinalist on Tuesday.
“I think he’s made a lot of improvement,” Coach Nick Saban said about his play away from Bryant-Denny Stadium. “The way we started the Tennessee game was really good, but when I talk about playing complete games I think that’s the one thing that will be imperative for us playing on the road again this week.”
That’s because there’s a lot more to playing at LSU than a raucous crowd and Mike the Tiger, like facing a ferocious defense. In typical fashion coordinator John Chavis’ talented crew leads the nation in passing-efficiency defense and is fourth in scoring D. It’s fourth against the pass and fifth in the red-zone.
“They’re aggressive,” Sims said. “They really have a passion about the game. They know the details that they have to do to win games. I think that’s the main thing, they focus on and they practice so hard on it that’s why they’re able to do the things they can do in the game.”
Which brings us back to the 2012 showdown because the one thing about it that really stuck with Sims wasn’t College GameDay being there for the No. 1 vs. No. 5 matchup or director Spike Lee standing on the sideline and cheering for the home team. It was how McCarron handled himself.
What people forget was that before completing 4 of 5 passes on the decisive drive McCarron and the passing game were really struggling. After completing 9 of 15 attempts for 93 yards in the first half, he was 1 of 7 for 0 yards before the final possession. Alabama 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.
“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. Knowing how loud it is, communication is going to be very big for us. We’ve got to talk.”
That’s something that Sims has been working on behind the scenes, including during the bye. He’s sat down with offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin to try and figure out ways to speed up the process of receiving the play call, getting everyone lined up, reading the defense, making adjustments and then snapping the ball all at a brisk pace.
Doing so keeps the momentum of a drive going, helps him get the ball out faster, makes things easier on the linemen, is better for the receivers, decreases the chances of his getting hit …
“I think my confidence is a lot better,” he said. “I think that trust is the big, big thing for us.
When it comes to beating LSU, though, so are big plays. Wide receiver Julio Jones proved that more than once, as did tight end O.J. Howard with his 52-yard touchdown last season. Note that like Yeldon’s score they were all passes.
During the eight times the teams have played since Nick Saban arrived at Alabama in 2007, including the BCS Championship Game at the end of the 2011 season, the Crimson Tide has had just two carries gain more than 28 yards. This fall Alabama’s biggest rushing play by a running back has been 31 yards, while overall it’s Sims with his 43-yard touchdown at Tennessee.
Perhaps the ground game will come through — LSU’s defense is a surprising 63rd against the run — or maybe Sims will find himself in a similar situation as McCarron, with the ball and the game on the line. Either way is fine with him as long as the Crimson Tide wins, and if so he might even top the emotional response to Yeldon’s touchdown.
“His body language doesn’t show how much happiness there was,” Sims said. “That was his freshman year. I think that he didn’t realize what he just did, how big it was for him. I think inside he was just yelling, so happy for himself.”
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.