Bama Seniors Want To Win Home Finale

Ken Rogers - Dothan Eagle/Ken Rogers - Dothan Eagle
Published: November 16, 2007
Updated: November 16, 2007

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama will honor its 22 seniors before Saturday’s game against the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

It is a senior class that has been largely underappreciated. Despite the brilliance of DJ Hall and the tenacity of Justin Britt, the non-stop motor of Wallace Gilberry and the steadiness of Simeon Castille, the sum of the class perhaps hasn’t equalled its parts.

But they will try to be the first Alabama seniors to walk off the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium with a victory in their home finale since 2001.

“I hope this is something that can be a memorable final home game and something they can take with them,” Tide head coach Nick Saban said. “I hope that what this team can accomplish is something that everyone can find some pride in the improvement we made in the way we finished the season.”

Sending the seniors out with a victory is on the minds of the underclassmen.

Junior quarterback John Parker Wilson said the senior trio of DJ Hall, Keith Brown and Matt Caddell has made a tremendous impact not just on the record book, but on the entire program.

“It’s going to be big-time for them,” Wilson said of Saturday’s home finale. “They’ve been here for a while and together for so long and have helped everybody else out so much.

“We just have to send these guys off on a good note, especially in these last two weeks. We just have to get some momentum going into our last game.”

Gilberry said he couldn’t believe how fast time has flown.

“It’s very weird. This moment coming up, I’m not going to say I dread it, but I definitely didn’t want to see it coming so soon, especially with the things that we have going around here right now,” Gilberry said. “It’s been very satisfying. I’ve broken both of the tackle for loss records since I’ve been here, so I think this career, and this season so far, has been going pretty good for me.”

Inside linebacker Darren Mustin, a senior who transferred to Alabama from Middle Tennessee, noted the class had experienced tremendous change — particularly the fifth-year seniors.

“I think this is the class that had three coaches. Is that right?” Mustin asked, referring to the Dennis Franchione/Mike Price recruiting class, then the Mike Shula and now Saban eras.
Mustin was asked about the legacy of this class.

“I want it to be that we were winners and that we fought. Through all the adversity that we went through, we fought,” said the senior from Brentwood, Tenn.

“I want to win. I want to win. I want to know my last year in college football that I had a winning record. That we left winning. There’s not much that you can say about that. I want to win. I’ve always won and I like winning. I hate losing.

“So, you know, about the seniors, I know Wallace wants to win. I know Keith Saunders wants to win. DJ, Simeon, I know all the seniors — I mean, there’s a lot of them; I can’t sit here and count them all — we want to win. This is it for us. I definitely don’t want to lose my last game on Bryant-Denny. No way. So we gotta buckle down and get ready.”

Justin Britt knows it’s a special, emotional week. On Saturday, his mother, Vera Britt and the rest of the family — which includes two former Tide players, Wesley and Taylor — will be there to see Justin’s final home game.

“This week is going to be an interesting and very emotional week,” Britt said after Tuesday’s practice. “My mother is coming to the game — and that is a miracle in itself. That is a huge emotion right there and then there are more emotions that the Britt legacy is coming to an end. I don’t want it to be over, but it is what it is.”

Hall will leave as the most dominant player in this senior class. He already holds the Alabama career records for receptions and yardage by a receiver, among others.

“He has so many people following him that he doesn’t even know,” Mustin said of Hall, who needs one touchdown reception to tie the school’s career record of 18. “People are going to follow him. He has such a sense of swagger about him.

“When I came down here I really didn’t know anybody. When I hung out or whatever, he knew my roommate, Theo, and they rapped a little bit. I just saw he was a cool person. I kinda looked up to him. I was like, ‘OK, this guy’s legit. He has a good character about him.’

“He was good at everything, you know what I’m saying? He’s one of those quiet leaders. You gotta hang around him, then you figure it out. I can’t really explain it. He’s one of those quiet leaders that he’s going to have a crowd around, following him.”

There is no live television for Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. kickoff.