The Game That Started Everything: Nick Saban's First Signature Win at Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — September 15, 2007 was an important night for the Alabama football program.

Some might say it was the moment that the Crimson Tide became a contender again in the college football world.

Unranked, unproven Alabama welcomed the defending SEC West champion Arkansas Razorbacks to Bryant-Denny Stadium on a bustling September night. While the Crimson Tide finished 6-7 the year prior, there was a lot of new energy on campus — due to the arrival of new head coach Nick Saban.

Saban was fresh off two lackluster seasons in South Florida with the NFL's Miami Dolphins, where he finished 15-17 in two years. But prior to that, he had seen major success as a college head coach, winning a national title at LSU in 2003.

Back in the college game, and at a storied program like the one in Tuscaloosa, something was brewing. Something big.

"Man, I’m gonna be honest, it was just such an electric atmosphere on Saturday," former Alabama wide receiver Matt Caddell said. "Leading up, you go back to that staff — you’ve got Kirby [Smart], you’ve got [Jeremy] Pruitt on that staff, you’ve got Bobby Williams, Bo Davis. Saban’s first year, it was just a total different regime. Under Saban, the preparation is so key. He had us highly-confident going into that game. We knew it was going to be a challenge with Houston Nutt, Darren McFadden, Peyton Hillis, Felix Jones — their running game was fierce. But we had them at home and we looked to get the upset. We prepared like that — we prepared like we were gonna win like Coach Saban does."

The aforementioned McFadden was the runner-up for the Heisman in 2006, and a lot of college football experts in the region thought he should have won over Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith. The Razorbacks planned on making a run back to the SEC championship — and more.

"Coming off the season before, we were 6-7, there was a ton of hype with Coach Saban there," former Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson said. "We had some good players. I remember growing up, Arkansas was always towards the beginning of the season. You knew pretty early on where you’re gonna be at. It’s still early in the season, you’ve got a new coach, you don’t know exactly what you’ve got yet — especially when you were 6-6 a year before. They were pretty strong coming into it. We were still an unknown team at the time."

Arkansas had won three of the previous four matchups against the Crimson Tide. The Razorbacks were 1-0 looking to get in and out of Tuscaloosa with a key conference road victory.

It wasn't going to be that easy.

"I just remember coming out for warmups out of the tunnel and it was so electric," Caddell said. "I was like, ‘Oh, this is crazy.’ It was just a new type of energy. [Alabama fans] had a new energy, optimism. We were unranked and Arkansas was ranked 16th in the country. You’ve got Heisman finalists coming in there. We knew it was a big game so we just wanted to show how good we were. Back then, the Arkansas game was so pivotal."

Alabama jumped out to a fiery start behind its home crowd. The Crimson Tide led 21-0 early, and then 31-10 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.

That's when the game flipped on its head.

The Razorbacks scored 28 straight points on the legs of McFadden, who finished the game with 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. Arkansas also had Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis. The Razorbacks rushed for 301 yards as a team behind their three future NFL running backs.

With Arkansas leading 38-31 with under eight minutes to go, it looked like another close loss for an Alabama program that was very familiar with slim defeats under head coach Mike Shula. As the clock got under under 4:30 to play, the Crimson Tide was faced with fourth-and-6 at the Razorbacks' 25-yard line. Despite being down by seven points, Saban decided to kick the field goal. With the way Arkansas was running the football, it nearly looked like a waving of the white flag at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

"I think when Saban got there, regardless of the situation, nobody would’ve questioned or second-guessed anything," Wilson said. "I think that was one of the things when he came in, he brought a ton of success. You were like, ‘This guy’s got the blueprint. Let’s just figure this thing out with him and do everything we can because we think he knows the answers to the test.’ Which he obviously still does.

"Our mentality with Coach Saban was like, whatever this guy wants to do, we’re gonna go do it for him. He obviously knows better than us."

Leigh Tiffin put three points through the uprights. That wasn't the difficult part. Alabama had to find a way to stop a Heisman-caliber running back from getting a first down or two, which would have put the game away, and then rally offensively.

"I think Coach Saban had prepared us," Caddell said. "We had put in such a great week of preparation — I don’t think there was ever doubt. They go up 38-31 and it’s looking grim. We had some guys down, it was hard to stop McFadden. The defense had to get a stop in order for us to get the ball back. I remember Coach Saban called a timeout and was like, ‘Listen, we need a stop right here.’

"And they got a stop."

After allowing one first down, the Crimson Tide couldn't surrender another. On first down, Jones went to the left where he was met by defensive lineman Lorenzo Washington and safety Marcus Carter for a short loss. Second down brought the same result — Michael Smith to the right stopped by linemen Wallace Gilberry and Bobby Greenwood. After Alabama called timeout with 2:31 to go, it was linebacker Ezekial Knight's turn on third-and-12, with Casey Dick's sideline throw to Robert Johnson incomplete.

Following the subsequent punt, Alabama had just over two minutes to drive the length of the field. The Crimson Tide took over at its own 26-yard line with the game on the line.

"At that moment, I remember talking to John Parker Wilson and I remember telling JP, ‘We’re gonna win this game. We’re gonna win this game.’ We always thought we were a really good two-minute team," Caddell said.

"We always felt confident. There’s no way you can guard Keith Brown, D.J. Hall, myself, Mike McCoy — we felt like there was no defense that could guard all four of us."

"We wanted to be there," Wilson said. "We were Alabama fans. We always had belief in ourselves. We never quit, we never gave up. We always had the belief that we had a chance to win with the guys that [were in that] huddle and we weren't stopping until the very end. [Caddell] was a big part of that."

He sure was. Wilson found Caddell five different times on that drive, including 19 yards off the first snap, and the Crimson Tide methodically moved to within the 5-yard line. However, there were only 14 seconds remaining. Following an incompletion, it had 3rd-and-1.

"We prepared for that situation so many times," Caddell said. "We kind of ran the previous play to the other side. We flipped it to the side we usually [went], where it’s me and [Wilson]. I remember breaking the huddle, and I have the option to either run the route or fake the route and cut inside. When we broke the huddle, I just wanted to confirm with [Wilson] and make sure we were on the same page. When we lined up, I kind of figured what defense they were running, so I knew if I could get past my guy and get to the corner, we had a chance. So that’s what I did."

Wilson lofted a pass to Caddell, who nearly jumped over his defender to make the catch in the back of the end zone.

"I came down with it, got back up and it was just pure pandemonium after that," Caddell said. "I just remember getting bombarded by everybody and being on the bottom of the pile. It felt like we were celebrating for like 10 minutes before we kicked the extra point. It was just crazy, getting that first signature win for Saban — a special moment for sure."

For Wilson, there was never a doubt where the ball was going on that play, which capped the nine-play, 73-yard drive.

"The thing about Matt was, he was as good as it gets," Wilson said. "He was the most dependable person that we had. He’s gonna go make a play and get it done. And do exactly what he was supposed to do, literally every single time. I think that was a lot of the reason we went to him on that play. This guy’s gonna run the right route, has all the athletic ability you want. We got the look we wanted, and he goes up and makes that catch."

"I don't remember every play or every series, but that's definitely one of the ones that definitely sticks out to me. Pretty cool experience being in there with the fans experiencing that drive."

The win sent Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama into a frenzy. For the first time in a while, it felt like the program was back on the map.

"It was crazy. I remember when we lined up to kick the extra point, the stadium kept getting louder and louder," Caddell said. "I think ‘Bama fans were just like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe we actually won this game.’ I remember going in the locker room — it was crazy. Scott Cochran was up, everybody was just so excited. I remember going on The Strip — I’ve never seen The Strip like that. It kind of reminded me of Mardi Gras or something. Everybody was in the streets, pure pandemonium — even into the late hours. It was just a special moment for Alabama football history, Coach Saban."

"We got an amazing coach, we were able to win a game that maybe we weren’t supposed to. That was a big deal," Wilson said. "There was a lot of excitement, a lot of anticipation for that season. And I think this was kind of the first like, ‘Hey we’ve got a chance, we can put this together."

For Caddell and many other veterans, that win was the silver lining in a turbulent career.

"I actually signed under Coach Shula, but I committed under Coach [Dennis] Franchione," Caddell said. "That just shows you how much I wanted to go to Alabama. That whole Class of 2003 — I think it was just a special group of guys that just wanted to, we wanted to go to Alabama because you can’t beat, especially growing up in the state, the history and all the legends, putting on that crimson jersey. I was the type that just stuck with it. Some things you can’t control — it’s not like it is nowadays with the portal and all this stuff. I never wanted to leave Alabama regardless of who the coach was. I didn’t want to leave my guys. I wanted to play for Alabama, I wanted to finish it out at Alabama. I just thank God that I was able to finish my senior season with Coach Saban. It’s just a special place — it’s like no other place."

A lot of players on that team didn't see the win over the Razorbacks as an upset. They had been training and practicing for games like that since the first day of practice under Saban.

"Have you ever seen the movie “Full Metal Jacket,” and the drill sergeant is chewing everybody out? It was like that," Caddell said. "It was totally different — such a demand placed on excellence and preparation. The practices were so freaking hard. I’ll never forget our first practice. It wasn’t even pads and we were like, ‘Yo, this is crazy.’ Nobody is standing around — everybody is doing something, everybody has a job to do, has a purpose. It was so intense. The amount of plays we ran, the amount of drills — just a totally different regime. And now looking back, it just goes to show you why Coach Saban was so successful. He expects the best from his players and even that much more from his coaches. The way he demands the fourth-quarter program — that was new to us. The offseason program was just crazy. It was so hard on us, it was one of those things that was gonna make us that much better and that much more confident. You just knew it was going to be good things to come."

While it was hard, Wilson said that buy-in wasn't an issue, with the potential success Saban was bringing to the program.

"It was easy for the players to buy in because he won a national championship at LSU, went to the NFL, now he’s at Alabama. He’s done it. Coach Saban knows exactly what it takes to be a championship-type team," Wilson said. "He came here for a reason. I think for most of the players, we felt like, ‘OK, new coach — we’ve got a great chance to be successful.’ We didn’t know how long it was going to take but if we do things the right way, it’s eventually going to work out. A lot of the guys that were on our team grew up in Alabama, were Alabama fans, truly wanted to be there to turn everything around. I think that was a lot of the reason for the success we had early because the buy-in was immediate from everybody."

After starting 6-2, that 2007 Alabama team finished 7-6. All six of those losses came by just one score, and the Crimson Tide also endured the textbook disbursement scandal that led to the suspension of some key players. While that season didn't finish the way fans wanted, with a return trip to the Independence Bowl, it set up big things for the future.

"We figured out how to win," Wilson said. "We were able to win those close games [in 2008]. We beat LSU in overtime, we beat Georgia, we beat Clemson. I think it was taking the mentality of that 2007 team and refining it over the offseason."

The 2007 season was Caddell's last with the program. Unlike Wilson, he didn't get to play in the 2008 SEC Championship Game against Tim Tebow and Florida.

However, six national championships and eight conference titles later, none of it is a surprise for someone who was there at the beginning.

"I wish that first-year Saban would be on this year’s team because he was breaking a lot more headsets back then than he is now," Caddell joked. "I know he’s a granddad. I kid with him now, I’m like, ‘You’re getting soft now on these guys. You used to be all tough Saban when we were there.’ Now he’s grandpa Saban. He still has that same demeanor, presence, that aura about him. I was always confident being in his program — being able to see it inside and out, buying into the culture, buying into what he says, what he preaches. I just knew ‘Bama was gonna be really, really good moving forward — just how he runs things, how he runs his program. Championships were on the horizon."

Fast forward 16 years, the Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) and Razorbacks (2-4, 0-3 SEC) meet as members of the SEC West for the final time. Both Caddell and Wilson like the potential of this year's team.

"I think we’re still a work in progress," Caddell said. "I think once we put it all together, we’re gonna be a totally different team. I believe we have a championship-level defense. I think the offense is coming along with [Jalen] Milroe and [Tommy] Rees. If we all get it on the same page and eliminate these penalties and stop hurting ourselves, we can be a really, really good team. I just think we’ve got to take it week-by-week, one game at a time, 1-0 each week. This team is constantly continuing to improve week in, week out. Just imagine when we put it all together for four quarters — we’re gonna be a dangerous team moving forward."

"I really like this team," Wilson said. "I think they’ve gotten better every single week. I think they have continued to improve in all aspects — I think the defense is playing great, I think Jalen Milroe has gotten better each and every week, had his best game when we needed him this past week against A&M. I think this team continues to get better. The makeup of this team is great. I think their passion — they’re trying to get better. And I think it’s showing each and every week."

The Game That Started Everything: Nick Saban's First Signature Win at Alabama

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