Throwback Thursday: Alabama football 2004

My first season covering Alabama football was 2004, when Mike Shula led the NCAA-sanctioned Crimson Tide to a 6-6 record and an appearance in the Music City Bowl. Marion Barber III ran for 187 yards and a touchdown and Laurence Maroney added 105 as Minnesota pulled out a 20-16 victory.

What most Crimson Tide fans who were there may remember the most may have been the Gophers' marching band paying homage to the local fans in Nashville by mistakenly playing "Rocky Top." Oops.

Some of the other stories I wrote that season:

Bo Freeland running for a first down after he nearly had a punt blocked at Kentucky.

Wide receiver Keith Brown running head-first into the wall against South Carolina.

Sept. 1 – “Griffin to start ahead of Bryant”

That’s defensive tackle Rudy Griffin, the transfer from The Citadel, and Anthony Bryant. 

Dec. 14 – “Tide’s surprise: Christmas comes early for UA football team”

This one is for recruiting fans. The article was about getting commitments from R.A. Hubbard, Michael Ricks and Lionel Mitchell all in the same week. 

Here’s another name for recruiting fans: Fred Rouse, who once declared that he felt ready to jump straight from the high school level to the NFL. The wide receiver went to Florida State and has yet to make that jump.