When it happened, people all across Alabama probably let out a collective, joyous cry of, "Roll Tide, Roll."
From Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Mobile, glued to their radios or televisions, they jumped from their recliners and broad smiles crossed their faces.
Amid all this happiness, Alabama linebacker Thomas Rayam was ready to shed tears.
"It felt good to block it, but when I first did it I almost cried because it was just so close of a game," the 6'7", 286-pound senior said.
Rayam had just burst through Penn State's line and blocked the Lions' final field goal attempt, preserving a 17-16 victory Saturday.
So instead of a Penn State win in front of the second-largest crowd ever at Beaver Stadium, the Crimson Tide earned their seventh consecutive win and moved closer to a possible National Championship.
Prior to the game, Alabama coach Bill Curry referred to the Tide as a "blue-collar" team. Hard work and determination were the keys for his squad, he said.
Penn State's final offensive play, an 18-yard field goal attempt on 3rd-and-1 from Alabama's 1, exemplified Curry's philosophy. It was a desperate time for the Tide and called for desperate measures.
"At first we were going to slide (the defensive formation) to the right because they were coming from an unbalanced line," Rayam explained. "All of a sudden, Coach (Jeff) Fitzgerald, he's the field-goal block coach, he said, 'Desperation, desperation,' and that's when all three of us big guys get together up front."
"Desperation" is the name for an Alabama rushing scheme designed specifically to block field goal attempts. Saturday's game was the first time the Crimson Tide used the play during a game.
Along with Rayam, defensive tackles George Thornton (6'3", 293) and Mike Ramil (6'7", 270) stacked the gap between Penn State long snapper Mark Lawn and the left-guard spot. When Lawn snapped the ball, all three surged toward kicker Ray Tarasi.
"I didn't think I was going to block it. I was going to open the pathway for Mike Ramil," said Rayam, who lined up over Lawn's left shoulder. "When I came off the line, I must have come off so hard that I got enough penetration to get up and block it.
"I just put my hand up," he continued. "I've been in that situation plenty of times before and never got a block."
Rayam, from Orlando, Fla., entered the game only a few plays earlier to give linebacker Derrick Rushton a breather. He had watched Penn State tailback Blair Thomas lead the offense downfield on its last drive when the coaches called his name.
"I came into the game about two plays before (the field goal attempt) and I told everybody that we were still on top," Rayam said. "We never stopped believing we were going to win and we knew they weren't going to get anything easy."
Coach Joe Paterno attributed the missed attempt to a high snap. Holder Joe Markiewicz could not get the ball down and, as a result, Tarasi could not get the ball up as high.
Earlier in the final period, Tarasi had booted a career-long 46-yard field goal. The senior was 3-for-4 on the day.
"I didn't have time to notice if the kick was low or not," explained Rayam, whose extended right arm proved to be the difference in the game. "All I did was get up and get a hand on it."
On the last play of the first half, Alabama ignored the possibility of a field goal and attempted a touchdown on 1st-and-1 from Penn State's 1. The attempt faded, but Curry agreed with Paterno's decision in a similar situation at the end of the game.
"I would've done the same thing Joe did," the third-year Alabama coach said. "Everybody has a 'desperation,' and ours worked well for us today in that situation."
