Crimson Red Sports

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- An unlikely friendship began one afternoon in the swamps of north central Florida.

Looking back now, Shaun Alexander knew that when his Seattle Seahawks drafted Darrell Jackson they had reached deep into the Southeastern Conference talent pool. Alexander personally watched the former Gators wide receiver the day they both showcased their talents on a heart-racing afternoon of college football.

The 1999 game featured then-No. 21 Alabama at then-No. 3 Florida. It was an energy drink of entertainment surrounded by a violent thunderstorm of Crimson Tide turmoil.

Alexander said he has reflected on the game with Jackson. At the time, two NFL stars sat in the Seahawks' locker room and reminisced about one of the great football wars of the SEC.

"Every time I scored (that afternoon) I felt Darrell would score," Alexander said. "... I said, 'Hey, Darrell. I knew right then and there you were a player.' And he said, 'Yeah, but I fumbled that football. I put you back in it.'"

Jackson felt his performance (six catches, 127 yards and a career-high three touchdowns) was all but erased after he muffed a punt late in the fourth quarter.

Florida led by a touchdown when Marvin Brown recovered for Alabama, providing a surge of life with more than 3 minutes left on Florida's 22-yard line.

Alexander later converted a fourth-and-2 for a 13-yard touchdown to force overtime. He helped Alabama pound out a 40-39 overtime victory, scoring a 25-yard run on the Crimson Tide's first play of OT.

"I just remember seeing (teammate Shawn) Draper just run that guy all the way to the 5-yard line," Alexander said of winning run. "I said, 'God, we're about to win!' When I got in the end zone I said, 'We just beat the Florida Gators!'"

Florida kicker Jeff Chandler had missed his extra point in overtime. Chris Kemp also missed, but was granted a do-over after Florida's Bennie Alexander jumped offsides. That was the winning score.

Florida had won seven of the prior eight meetings, but Alabama's win snapped the Gators' 30-game home winning streak.

It was the last time Alabama won at Florida Field. The Tide has visited just two other times in the past 20 years, and both of those were losses. They will try to snap that streak Saturday at 7 p.m.

Alexander's performance was unforgettable. He was simply unstoppable when it mattered late in the game as he rushed 28 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns. He also had four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown reception.

Often early to rise even after most football games, Alexander said the physical pounding of the game forced him to sleep most of the next day. He said he felt "twice as slow" the next week in a 30-24 win against then-No. 11 Ole Miss.

"We kind of felt like if we could make it a fist fight to the end we would be able to hold onto it," Alexander said. "That was really the goal, to slug it out with them."

The win was a major boost for the Tide, which was coping with a highly publicized court settlement between then-coach Mike DuBose, the university and a former university employee.

Alabama had also fired athletic director Bob Bockrath just days before the game.

Tide fans were also irked after an embarrassing loss two weeks earlier, a 29-28 setback to Louisiana Tech at Legion Field on a Hail Mary pass.

Alexander said the feeling inside Alabama's locker room before the Florida game was that the Tide was better than the billing.

"Before the game I remember Coach DuBose sitting up and saying, 'You know what? No one in this stadium knows we're good enough to win except us,'" Alexander said. "(DuBose) said, 'But I want you all to remember this feeling right now because we're gonna talk about it in 60 minutes.' ... It was one of those feelings we were about to shock everybody, and no one knows.

"That's the best time to do it."

Huntsville's ABC station replayed this game Sunday afternoon. It was a great game. I had forgotten how good #15 Freddie Millions was that year. Chris Samuels was blowing huge holes for Alexander to run through. That was a pretty good Alabama team. No telling how good they could have been if they only had a coach.