Alabama victorious by a foot
DALLAS – As soon as the ball left Jamie Christensen’s foot, the only way to describe his 45-yard field goal attempt as time ran out was “ugly.”
It was low, it was wobbly and it had a sideways spin that seemed certain to make the ball hook left even if it had enough oomph to reach the crossbar.
Then it twirled through the bottom left corner of the goalpost, giving the No. 13 Crimson Tide a 13-10 victory over No. 18 Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl, ending a two-game losing streak and rewarding a senior class that’s been through a lot with a finish they’ll never forget.
Just that quickly, it became one of the most beautiful kicks in Alabama history.
“I hit the ground,” Christensen said. “I’m glad it just had the distance and I got it there.”
Christensen, a sophomore who’d won consecutive games in October in the closing seconds, joined Joe Montana as heroes of the most dramatic finishes in the 70-year history of the Cotton Bowl. While Montana overcame illness and bitter weather to lead Notre Dame past Houston 35-34 in 1979, Christensen battled back from missing a 39-yarder and having a 38-yard attempt blocked.
This one was the longest of his career and it fulfilled a promise to a teammate, made after his two goofs, that he would kick the winning field goal if Tech tied it. Getting into the same sentence with Montana makes it even better.
“That’s awesome,” Christensen said. “I’m still in a daze. It’s unbelievable.”
The entire stadium went silent when Christensen’s kick went up – well, about 15 feet up at its highest point. When the official closest to where the ball cleared threw up his arms, a teammate lifted Christensen into the air and a wild celebration began around them.
“I didn’t know if it was going to be good,” Christensen said. “I didn’t know until I saw the referee’s hands go up.”
A bizarre scene followed: While everyone from the Crimson Tide side of the field danced, everyone on the Red Raiders’ side was so stunned they weren’t moving.
“It didn’t look very good when it left his foot,” Tech coach Mike Leach said. “I had high hopes for it not being good at that point. Did he make it?”
Alabama’s speedy defense kept Tech’s offensive machine without a touchdown for 57 minutes and 4 seconds. Then the Red Raiders (9-3) finally broke through, tying the game at 10 on a 12-yard pass to Jarrett Hicks. Hodges threw it, despite having missed the previous series with what’s believed to be a torn ligament in his right knee.
“It was a tightly contested game by two really good teams,” Leach said. “But I guess they outplayed us … by a narrow margin.”