Crimson Tide Hope John Parker Wilson's Experience Pays Off in 2008

With the game tied 34-34 with under two minutes remaining, everything was on the line.  One team had national title hopes and both wanted SEC West supremacy.  It was obvious that we had an instant classic on our hands.

Junior quarterback John Parker Wilson and the Crimson Tide offense approached the line of scrimmage for a crucial 3rd and 12 from their own 29-yard line.  They were so close to taking another monumental step towards their aspirations of an SEC championship.

With the snap of the ball, the imposing LSU Tiger defense rushed seven men.  The stalwart Alabama offensive line held them all out, except for one.  Safety Chad Jones found a hole in the left side of the line and wrapped himself around Wilson and twirled him around to the ground. Wilson lost the football as it fell helplessly to the turf, and was subsequently recovered by LSU, setting up the deciding touchdown.

In one brief, almost unbelievable moment, Alabama’s conference title hopes had disappeared.  The thunderous cheers from the faithful decked in crimson at Bryant-Denny Stadium were silenced.  Wilson was faced with questions that had no easy answers.

The heartbreaking defeat sent the Tide into a downward spiral, as they lost their next three games, including a disastrous loss at home to Louisiana-Monroe and a sixth straight defeat at the hands of arch-rival Auburn. But as fans and college football analysts often dwell on what “could have been” for Alabama in 2007, Wilson and the Tide players are looking to improve on last season’s 7-6 record. This time, Alabama hopes that Wilson, now a senior, will be one of the driving forces to get the team over the hump.

And why not?  Wilson is a senior, after all. Say what you want about the interceptions, the fumbles, and the win-loss record, but John Parker Wilson is certainly battle-tested at this point.  He’s manned the Crimson Tide offense in some of the most fearsome road environments one mind could ever conjure up. The cries of “Pig Sooey!” ringing throughout Razorback Stadium?  The constant blaring of “Rockytop” in Big Orange country?  The not-so-friendly confines of Death Valley in Baton Rouge?  Wilson has seen it all.

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