COLLEGE FOOTBALL / GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI : Miami Was Simply Outnumbered, and Alabama Is No. 1

By GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI

Jan. 3, 1993 12 AM PT

NEW ORLEANS — Alabama’s devoted legion of followers left Saturday the same way they arrived, with cries of “Roll, Tide!” echoing through the narrow streets of the French Quarter and car horns, each one seemingly programmed to play the school fight song, honking into the cool morning air.

The Crimson Tide’s 34-13 Sugar Bowl victory against Miami wasn’t even 12 hours old and already every other fan wore freshly silk-screened T-shirts featuring not only the game score, but also some cruel jab at the embarrassed Hurricanes.

A pickup truck, its rear and side windows almost completely covered with soap writings, moved slowly up nearby Canal Street. Gino Who? and Miami No. 1 . Not were the most legible of the messages.

Fans passed each other on the crowded sidewalks and almost without fail, there would be a wink, a nod of the head, a knowing smile or a simple, “Roll, Tide,” the universal language of all things crimson. A night earlier they witnessed an Alabama victory that not only brought another national championship to Tuscaloosa, but ended an infant Miami dynasty and created a place for Coach Gene Stallings in Crimson Tide football folklore previously reserved for Bear Bryant and no one else.

In a hotel meeting room Saturday, Stallings, his eyes nearly the color of his red sport coat, officially accepted the trophy that goes to the winner of the final USA Today/CNN coaches poll. At one point, he accidentally plucked the crystal football from its place atop the trophy. Informed that the handcrafted decoration was worth $35,000, he gingerly put it back, all the time handling it as if it were a soap bubble in danger of bursting.

And as if there was any doubt, Stallings also learned that Alabama was a unanimous No. 1 choice in the just-released Associated Press poll. Of course, that was before some wise guy first told him that Notre Dame had been awarded first place.

“Well, they didn’t get my vote,” Stallings said.

It was a day of celebration for Stallings and Alabama. As silly as it might sound to those not familiar with the passion and fervency of Alabama football, Stallings became a tiny legend in his own right this week.

It was Stallings who, as the game drew near with then-No. 1 Miami, all but said his team was better than the favored Hurricanes. It was Stallings who embraced the Bryant legacy rather than be intimidated and overwhelmed by it. And it was Stallings who delivered the upset and national title that Alabama followers craved.

All this from a man who was fired twice as a head coach and was interviewing for the Naval Academy job when Alabama contacted him in late 1989.

“Ah, the rest of us are just coaches at Alabama,” said Stallings, who dismissed any talk of Bryant-like status. “Just because we win a few games isn’t going to make anybody forget about him.”

This was no aw-shucks act. Stallings meant it.

An example: Minutes after defeating the Hurricanes, Stallings opened his postgame news conference with a few generic comments and then, much to the amazement of the assembled national media, began listing the assorted bumps and bruises suffered by his players. Stallings wins a national championship and yet, his first thoughts are about his players’ sprained ankles and the odd contusion or two.

As usual, Stallings wasn’t able to sleep after the game. He never can. But this time he could happily toss and turn with the knowledge that his team exploited every Miami weakness, no matter how small.

“I thought our team was superbly prepared,” Stallings said.

Stallings is no stranger to success. While an assistant on Bryant’s Alabama staff in the late 1950s and early ‘60s, Stallings earned two national championship rings. In 1978, he won a Super Bowl ring with Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys.

Whether he wants to admit it, the victory against Miami, and the national title that came with it, was special. He was his own boss this time. Better yet, few people thought he could do it.

But there he was Saturday, contemplating what to do with his sudden overabundance of championship jewelry. At last, a solution.

“I’m gonna put this Super Bowl ring to bed,” he said.

A few blocks away in the Hurricanes’ team hotel, Miami Coach Dennis Erickson tried to explain how a team that won its previous 29 games and 78 of its last 83 could be so dominated by the predictable Crimson Tide.

Let him count the reasons:

1) “They obviously had better plans, out-coached us.”

Miami expected lots of zone coverage from Alabama’s secondary. The Hurricanes got it, but they also got a surprising amount of man-on-man coverage, which accounted for at least one, maybe two, of the three interceptions thrown by Miami’s Heisman Trophy winner, Gino Torretta. After replaying the game in his mind, Erickson later said Alabama’s defensive backs are the best his teams have faced since his arrival at Miami in 1989.

2) “They dominated us at the line of scrimmage.”

Alabama rushed for 290 yards against the Hurricanes, the most given up by Miami all season. Erickson still can’t believe how easily Alabama was able to run outside on the speedy Hurricanes. And Crimson Tide defensive ends John Copeland and Eric Curry, two sure-fire first-round NFL draft choices, pressured Torretta all evening.

3) “As I look at us, obviously we’ve got to find a way to develop a better running game. It was an obvious liability for us all season.”

Miami rushed for 48 yards against Alabama. At one point Friday night, Torretta was the leading ground gainer for the Hurricanes, which means Erickson’s beloved one-back offense might undergo some tinkering. Something has to be done about a meager running attack that never reached the 200-yard mark the entire season.

4) “The matchups in this game weren’t in our favor.”

Miami’s offensive line was no match for Alabama’s defensive line. Torretta and his receivers couldn’t overcome the absence of a running game. Miami’s fans couldn’t begin to compete with the multitudes cheering for the Crimson Tide. In essence, it was almost a home game for Alabama.

5) “We just weren’t very good, bottom line.”

And Alabama was. Case closed.

Asked if he ever expected to watch a videotape of the Miami loss, Erickson said, “I got to. Want to watch it with me? We’ll get some popcorn. It’ll be like watching, ‘Friday the 13th--Part Eight.’ ” . . . Texas A&M; ought to be pleased. The Aggies improved their Cotton Bowl point production 50%, from two points in 1992, to three points in 1993. . . . So much for this being a down year in the Southeastern Conference. SEC teams finished 5-1 in bowl games. . . . The Lost Boys: Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne is 0-6 in his last six postseason games, Colorado’s Bill McCartney is 1-6 and 2-5 before that as an assistant at Michigan, and Ohio State’s John Cooper is 0-4.

Final Polls

ASSOCIATED PRESSNo., Team: Record

1. Alabama: 13-0-0

2. Florida State: 11-1-0

3. Miami: 11-1-0

4. Notre Dame: 10-1-1

5. Michigan: 9-0-3

6. Syracuse: 10-2-0

7. Texas A&M;: 12-1-0

8. Georgia: 10-2-0

9. Stanford: 10-3-0

10. Florida: 9-4-0