Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn got the 2014 edition Iron Bowl rivalry started on Thursday night.
CollegeSpun.com posted a YouTube video from the Auburn athletic department, showing Malzahn and the football teams on the court during halftime of the Alabama-Auburn basketball game in Auburn. The halftime featured a ceremony of Malzahn accepting the James E. Foy V - ODK Sportsmanship Trophy, which goes annually to the winner of the Crimson Tide-Tigers football game.
After thanking his players, coaches and the Auburn fans, Malzahn lets the crowd in on a little secret.
"I'm here to tell you - this trophy, it's going to be around here for a while. War Eagle!" Malzahn said to a frenzied response.
The Auburn basketball team proceeded to whip Alabama 74-55.
The Tigers football team defeated the Crimson Tide 34-28 in the 2013 Iron Bowl on Nov. 30 when Chris Davis fielded Alabama's missed 57-yard field goal attempt nine yards deep in the end zone and took it back for a touchdown as time expired in regulation.
The Tigers scored 13 points in the final 32 seconds to pull off the stunning victory.
No telling how Alabama coach Nick Saban will respond. The man who complained about the 2012 BCS Championship Game victory over LSU, saying "That damn game cost me a week in recruiting," no doubt will use the YouTube video of Malzahn's speech as a motivator for his Crimson Tide in 2014.
But considering his logic about having to play in the national championship game in terms of lost recruiting time, he might actually be thankful to Malzahn for helping end Alabama's season a few days early - even though college football recruiting was in a dead period, meaning no in-person recruiting is allowed during that time.
Saban was able to secure a job on ESPN during the BCS title game between Florida State and Auburn on Jan. 6, giving Saban some face time to impress recruits.
So Malzahn appears to be playing right into his hands.
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