Even 15 Years Later, Bad Taste From ULM Loss Still Lingers at Alabama: Just A Minute

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Yes, it is true, Nick Saban once got booed at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Or rather his team did, but that's really one and the same in the fan reaction at a game context. Besides, the coach would probably be the first one to say that it was deserving all the way around.

What's that you say? There's no way. How could Crimson Tide fans boo the man who ignited the greatest dynasty college football has ever seen?

The response is four words, which we've been all reminded of this week: "University of Louisiana Monroe."

For those of you who weren't in Tuscaloosa or rooting for Alabama in 2007, November 17 was just a lousy day all the way around. Even the weather was, as I described back then, "drab, morose and lifeless."

The football team, coming off back-to-back losses to LSU and Mississippi State, followed suit, and began the day with its biggest playmaker suspended for the first half of his final game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Yep, it was the Senior Day to forget: 21-14.

This was the Saturday the Crimson Tide had the opportunity to turn things around before the Iron Bowl, and secure a better bowl destination. Instead, it ended up being nothing short of disheartening. Four turnovers, a blocked field goal and three fourth-quarter drives were all snuffed out, leaving a pretty stunned non-sellout crowd.

Consequently, a moment I'll never forget while sitting in the postgame media room, when a fan favorite on that team, Darren Mustin, couldn't make it past the door.

“I can’t do this,” was all the emotional linebacker could say before walking out without answering a single question. Normally I'd be completely against that kind of thing as a journalist, and I always took note of which guys faced the media after tough losses, but that retreat told me more than any response given by a teammate in the room that day.

Saban didn't have that luxury. “The earmarks were all there,” he said, and like usual, was right. He also proclaimed that he was "embarrassed for all our fans."

Alabama had been in a tailspin since Oct. 20, the day the textbook disbursement scandal became common knowledge. Scores of Crimson Tide athletes in just about all sports were using their free books as part of their scholarships to pocket some extra cash, and eventually got caught.

Football bore the brunt of it because of the timing as Antoine Caldwell, Marlon Davis, Glen Coffee, Marquis Johnson and Chris Rogers were suspended for four games by the school for violating NCAA rules. Alabama still managed to top Tennessee without them, 41-17, but the Crimson Tide subsequently lost four straight and only a win against Colorado in the Independence Bowl prevented a losing season.

It was the first of 100 straight wins against unranked opponents, a streak that might never be broken.

Little did anyone know how much things would subsequently change in college football.

The 2007 season was one of the weirdest we'll ever see — or so we thought at the time. It opened with Michigan taking a stunning loss to Appalachian State (well before it moved up from the Football Championship Subdivision), and Southern California was one of five teams ranked second to lose to an unranked team.

For the final week of the regular season, the marquee game was the Big 12 showdown between No. 4 Missouri at No. 2 Kansas, as the Jayhawks were 11-0 under Mark Mangino (Gary Pinkel's Tigers won and moved up to No. 1).

CBS had passed on Alabama at Auburn for Tennessee and Kentucky. It was the right call as well. The Volunteers won in the fourth overtime, 52-50, to lock down a spot in the SEC Championship Game.

In terms of excitement, it was the exact opposite of Alabama and Louisiana Monroe, which will probably always be remembered as the ultimate dud of the Saban era. Losing to a team from the Sun Belt Conference may be back in vogue this year, but in this case the head coach, Charlie Weatherbie, made just $130,000 a season, less that every Crimson Tide assistant coach.

Nowadays with NIL the Crimson Tide's waterboy may make more than that in tips, although he's probably known as a hydration specialist.

Somewhat ironically, the Warhawks are now coached by a familiar name, Terry Bowden, who was previously the head coach at Samford (1987-92), Auburn (1993-98), North Alabama (2009-11) and Akron (2012-18). In 1978, he was a graduate assistant at West Virginia, when Saban was the defensive backs coach for Frank Cignetti Jr., who passed away last week.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Terry and what he’s trying to do at ULM," Saban said on Wednesday.

Bowden's making $430,000 a year. Alabama will also pay ULM a $1.915 million guarantee to play this season, and $1.925 million for a return trip in 2025.

The Redhawks were to get $1.4 million for their visit in 2015, a 34-0 victory for the home team. But not even that thumping could completely nullify the lingering taste of the 2007 loss. Some 5,450 days later, it's still there.

"I'm certainly not pleased the way we represented that tradition today," Saban said at the podium after losing when his team was favored by 24 1/2 points.

This time the Crimson Tide is favored by 50 per the SI Sportsbook.

Christopher Walsh's commentary Just A Minute appears every week on BamaCentral.

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