Alabama and Tennessee will meet in a top-ten matchup for the first time in over a decade on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. As a result of the highly anticipated SEC rivalry game, many have found themselves thinking back on the last significant meetings between the two programs.
Ex-Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy became the latest member of the Crimson Tide to share a story about a past “Third Saturday in October” game. He specifically pointed to the 2008 matchup in Knoxville, when No. 2 Alabama came into the contest as a clear favorite.
The former Crimson Tide signal-caller revealed that his team came to Neyland Stadium prepared to celebrate, laden with cigars for the postgame locker room shenanigans. However, the players realized they had forgotten to buy lighters, so they began asking fans in the stands for them as the game clock wound down.
McElroy headed up the charge, stuffing the lighters from the fans into his pants, only to get the call from Nick Saban to go into the game to the closing stages. As a freshman backup for the Tide, McElroy took the field for the final few plays of the 29–9 Alabama victory with five lighters in his pants.
Whether or not Saban ever found out about McElroy’s covert operation remains unclear, but the incident clearly didn’t impact the quarterback’s time with the program. McElroy went onto to serve as the starter for Alabama when the team won the BCS national championship game over Texas in 2010.
Who will celebrate with cigars on Saturday afternoon remains unknown, as the No. 3 Tide stand to face their toughest test of the year against the No. 6 Volunteers. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
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