Williams: WKU Fought Harder Than The Irish
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I watched the hype-machine, Notre Dame, get thrown into the cage with the alpha male lion of the SEC and crawl into the fetal position while simultaneously waving the white towel as the Tide ROLLED to their third national title in four years.
Face it, was anybody interested in this game after halftime? OK, aside from those that wanted to catch numerous glimpses of A.J. McCarron's "Miss Alabama" girlfriend in the crowd, but if you are tech savvy, you had already followed her on Twitter and Instagram therefore having instant access to her photographic hotness.
Congratulations Katherine, your association with Alabama's starting quarterback has given you over 100,000 Twitter stalkers!
Which brings me back to my point, the BCS title game was ultimately so one-sided that ESPN had to reach beyond the scope of gridiron action to maintain it's viewers' attention.
So, could the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers been more competitive than Notre Dame against Alabama in the "SEC Is Gonna Win This Title" game?
The answer is yes.
Now, wipe away the spewed soft drink and sweet tea matter off your computer screen and please refrain from calling me a "backwoods sports journalist that's clinically insane." I just need five more minutes of your time to explain myself, which will also require you to stop looking at Instagram photos of "Miss Alabama."
Western Kentucky and Notre Dame have a common opponent: Alabama.
Yes I know, the Hilltoppers hootenanny with Alabama was light years ago (September 8th), but despite losing 35-0, the argument can be made that WKU's loss to the Tide was more impressive than Notre Dame's.
Consider this: The Fightin' Irish might have been playing on a national stage in front of 80,120 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL. However, roughly 60% of those fans were dressed in green, navy, and gold with nothing to root for after the first 15 minutes except cold beer.
WKU played a true road game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of 101,821 rabid Alabama fans wearing long sleeve button-ups with khaki shorts screaming ROLL TIDE, ROLL!
Consider this: The Tide offense carved up Notre Dame's defense for 529 total yards, 28 first downs, and two 100-yard rushers in Eddie Lacy (140 yards) and T.J. Yeldon (108 yards)
The Hilltopper defense held Alabama to 328 yards, 17 first downs, and allowed zero 100-yard rushers that hot day in the south.
Consider this: Notre Dame did manage to score a couple of late touchdowns to make the score appear somewhat respectable at 42-14. The Irish accumulated 302 total yards (only 32 rushing) and 16 first downs.
WKU could only muster 224 yards of total offense against the vaunted Alabama defense. Also, the Crimson Tide were able to convert four Hilltopper turnovers into 21 points. Take those points off turnovers away, you get a 14-0 final score...hypothetically speaking!
Sure, the Hilltoppers wouldn't have a chance against Nick Saban and the college football monopoly that is the Alabama Crimson Tide, but if WKU traded places with Notre Dame on Monday night, I bet they'd put up a damn good fight...all things considered.