1981 #7 Mississippi State at #8 Alabama (Highlights)

[@thinktwice8860]

Bama football during this time made Bear pretty frustrated. Many of the backs fumbled too much.

[@sneakypete62]

This game was played on Halloween and sure scared the hell out of me as a UA student at the game that day. Lewis was the best QB and should have played much more, but the Tide did not quite have the line talent it had in prior years and would not be loaded to prime Bryant levels until Saban took over.

[@5150TomG]

16:52 Terry Sanders kicked the last straight on style field goal at The University of Alabama

[@jimmybaker2845]

Was at work and listening to the game on the radio. Everyone was hovering around the radio thinking the Bulldogs could pull off another upset like the year before. No such luck. We all said the interception Bond threw at the goal line was payback for the fumble Ala had at the goal in the 1980 game. But still a great game.

[@BamaRewind]

It's about as direct an instance of revenge as I can remember in all of football.

[@robertleitch7528]

I listened to this game on the radio with my mother and other family members at my family house in the country Livingston, AL. I think my mother dang near had cardiac arrest with all the turnovers and back and forth instability of both teams. It was a good game but definitely remember all of the turnovers by both teams. RTR

[@82ghall]

use to work on Saturdays and Bama games were on the Radio. sounded like the Tide was going to get beat again on the last drive , remembered Tommy Wilcox pick, crowd went wild

[@shawngray2414]

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[@RedElephantStampede]

Always thought we should have got the ball to Bart Krout a lot more.

[@MrRFAvery]

Never saw as many turn overs in a game in my life.

[@crmsntyde4ever428]

Talk about winning ugly...geebus...No 25 for Bama (Linnie Patrick), is still to this day the greatest HS football player that I've ever seen...He had it all, EXCEPT the maturity that he needed to stay outta Coach Bryant's doghouse.

[@5150TomG]

Linnie Patrick read his press clippings too much and it affected him negatively his whole career and later life.

[@crmsntyde4ever428]

@@5150TomG Yep...And that's such a shame...He actually was lucky enough to play with the Michigan Panthers (USFL) for a short spell, and even scored 3 TD's in one game...But the demons caught up to him again, and that was pretty much the end of his playing career if I'm not mistaken.

[@thinktwice8860]

Patrick was awesome! However, 25 and 90 Boyd helped us lose the Cotton Bowl by shenanigans in the dorm and having to stay at home when the team went to Dallas.

[@xandercalimaderthemander1084]

Dang team's.fumbled a lot back then

[@philwilson4706]

My first Alabama game in Tuscaloosa

[@mathompson53187]

Hard hitting game.

[@theknowitall4090]

As bad as I hate to say it, Bryant had let the game pass him by at this time. Walter Lewis should have been the QB and ran the option every play. He had some great players from the 78-79 class that bailed him out but he was not the same coach. In 1980, Bama was playing Notre Dame and Bama got a turnover in ND territory and Bryant put in an all freshman backfield that promptly turned it back over. For the first time in my life I heard people questioning Bryant. Same with 1982. Lewis should have qbd the season. He wasn't very good but he was the best we had. Ken Coley should have never seen the field.

[@tmarsh0307]

Bama had numerous turnovers in 1981 and 1982. At this point, a transition from the Wishbone would have been a good idea. However, you do have to hand it to Bryant - after losing to Ga Tech and tying Southern Miss, he was able to rally this team to a 9-1-1 record, an SEC Co-Championship, and win at a top-5 Penn State team. When the wheels came off in 1982, he promptly retired. So, I don't know that the game had passed him by, but the decline in his health possibly hurt his ability to prepare Bama in his final two years. Either way, wow, what a legacy he left!

[@debbiehenson1096]

Coley was WAY better than ball hawk Lewis. Lewis is the one that sucked.

[@therealfronzilla]

Substituting all those QBs, Lewis, Coley and Grey, messed up the timing that the wishbone needed. I know Bear liked to platoon them, but it's the reason why there were so many fumbles. I forgot about how bad they used to fumble with the wishbone.

[@robpaul2004]

Watched it on closed circuit tv in the Humphrey Coliseum. Typical John Bond buffoonery.

[@Nastyfinger1444]

Looking back the UA offense was offensive.

[@jimmyhaley727]

the Turn Over game,,, hehehehe

[@MetallicAAlabamA]

I've counted 9 fumbles lol (make that 12 )

[@82ghall]

2 fumbles will cost you the game now for sure

[@hermanator74301]

Alabama hitting people hard out-of-bounds. Unreal. That last one the Tide defender grabbed the MSU player behind the bench , picked him up high in the air and slammed him. Refs were terrible.