line, the ball squirted free and out of the end zone - touchback - Alabama ball at their 20 yard line, 5:08 left. Time to make a play.

Brodie Croyle answered the bell with a 42-yard strike to D.J. Hall, to the Vol 36. Five plays later, Christensen split the uprights, with a 34-yard field goal and a 6-3 Crimson Tide victory.

Bama fans were delirious. No Tide fan considered leaving the Stadium until after the Rammer Jammer chant, roaring with the band:

TC inched out of Bryant Denny with the multitude - up Colonial, onto the Quad. Bama music blared from speakers, grills fired up, fans breaking out the beverages. Down on the strip, in the bars, patios, and restaurants they cranked it up. And at the Greek houses along University - it was party time.

Cap kept moving to the car, out onto Campus Dr., back to Wings. The place was already jammed with happy Crimson Tide fans. Cap put his name on the list, and caught up on games and scores from across the country, until finally he scored a coveted table and a burger, and watched Auburn fall to LSU in overtime.

Then, as the late games were winding down on the west coast, Cap strolled across the parking lot under a starry sky, back to the Hampton and into his room, where GameDay Final brought the day home with scores, highlights, and helmet stickers.

Another great Saturday of autumn showdowns across the campuses of America. Cap fell into bed, exhausted. As his eyelids dropped, he found the energy - one more time,

“Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Give ‘Em Hell Alabama!”

Rearview mirror
Trip Captain slept in on Sunday morning. With an afternoon flight out of Birmingham, he was in no hurry. He drove over to the Waysider for breakfast, then back to the campus. On University Blvd., Friday night’s Block Party had been replaced by a few slow-moving survivors, seeking coffee and nourishment, combing newspapers to rehash the Tide win, and looking ahead to next week.

Cap returned to the Quad beneath a clear, sunny sky, sat on a bench beneath the hardwoods, and reviewed the weekend.

From a fan’s vantage point, what identifies this place? What would he take with him when recalling this thing known as Alabama football?

Gorgas Library

The Quad, Gorgas Library, the President’s Mansion, the strip, Bear Bryant, the Paul W. Bryant Museum, Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Crimson Tide, the Elephant, the Million Dollar Band, the "Elephant Stomp,” "Roll Tide Roll,” "Yea Alabama,” "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer,” and Denny Chimes.

Alabama football is among the nation’s elite, without question. A program boasting a proud history filled with victory and steeped in tradition, the Crimson Tide inspires a rabid following, second to none.

Cap knows he will be headed back to T-Town in the future - to hear the Chimes, stomp with the Elephant, and scream Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer after the Crimson Tide humbles another hapless foe.

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Part 1

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