Cary Clark's Greatest Games: 1990 Iron Bowl

Stallings, Sewell, helped Tide change tone of rivalry

There are many fond memories among Alabama fans regarding the 1990 Iron Bowl at Birmingham’s Legion Field. Chief on that list would be breaking Auburn’s four-game winning streak in the series. Also memorable was the stifling defense that day, starting with a vicious sack of Tigers quarterback Stan White by Tide defensive line Byron Holbrooks.

All-American senior kicker Phillip Doyle had a big day with three field goals. His final boot , a 40=yarder to ice the win, came in the fourth quarter a few plays after first-year coach Gene Stallings gambled on a fourth-and-one near midfield and fullback Martin Houston – now a Tuscaloosa sports talk radio host – converted.

Those numerous fourth-and-short conversions by Stallings were meant to send a message to both his offensive line and to his friend Pat Dye on the Auburn sideline. Mission accomplished.

A little known running back in Tide lore had a career day that day against the Tigers. Academics later claimed the career of Junior Sewell, but the Abbeville sophomore will never be forgotten by those in the stands that day at “The Old Gray Lady,” aka Legion Field.

Sewell ran for 64 yards on 14 carries, often dragging would-be tacklers for extra yardage and finding the first down marker.

Bama opened the scoring in the first quarter on a one-yard plunge by the later Robert Jones. Senior quarterback Gary Hollingsworth finished 14-for-28 for 102 yards. His leading receivers were tight end Lamonde Russell and running back Derrick Lassic, who each caught four passes.

Hollingsworth had the wind knocked out of him in the second half and you can stump most Bama fans with the answer to who replaced him under center for a few plays. Not wanting to use true freshman Jay Barker’s redshirt, Stallings and offensive coordinator Mal Moore sent in little-used walk-on Scott Etter, a Louisville, KY native.

“It liked to have scared me to death, because I knew I was next,” Barker said later in his biography In Due Time, penned by former Alabama SID Wayne Atcheson.

The Tide defense was led by the seven stops each of safety Stacy Harrison and special teams ace Lorenzo "Whammy” Ward.

Back in those days bumper stickers were still a thing and two of the most popular among Bama Nation were “No, no, no, not 5 in a row” and “Gene Knows Auburn.” The latter was a spin on the “Bo Knows” mania regarding Auburn Heisman winner Bo Jackson.