Alabama Football: Ranking 5 worst losses in program history
By James Bowers
5. Southern Miss 27, Alabama 24 (1990)
For Alabama fans, this loss is a little more forgivable in hindsight after subsequent years saw the illustrious NFL career of Southern Miss’ quarterback that day.
That said, when Brett Favre and his merry band of Golden Eagles walked out of Birmingham’s Legion Field having felled the Crimson Tide, it was an earth-shaking defeat. It left for Tide fans the kind of sour taste that Red Sox fans must have experienced four years earlier when first baseman Bill Buckner’s failure to field what should have been an easy New York Met groundout kept the curse of Bambino alive.
A 5-6 Southern Miss team is not supposed to beat mighty Alabama. It just doesn’t happen. On September 8,1990, it did, kicking off Gene Stallings’ tenure on a bad note.
Alabama beat itself with several turnovers including three interceptions by quarterback Gary Hollingsworth. Two of these turnovers set up Southern Miss scores; one of Hollingsworth’s interceptions was returned for a 75-yard touchdown by the Golden Eagles’ Kerry Valrie.
Favre; rallying from a serious injury in an automobile accident two months prior, was not actually supposed to start for USM but took the field by surprise. He managed to complete 9-of-17 pass attempts for 125 yards, including some key completions on a fourth-quarter drive for what would become the Golden Eagles’ game-winning field goal.
A third Hollingsworth interception proved fatal to the Tide’s quest for victory.
The Golden Eagles would wind up 8-4 in 1990, and we all know what became of the quarterback who was the game-time decision that day. The loss placed Stallings under immediate scrutiny. His debut season at the helm of the Crimson TIde was a struggle, as ‘Bama limped to 7-5. Stallings was able to revive his fortunes, leading Alabama to a national title two years later in 1992. He would field several more successful ‘Bama squads before calling it quits in 1982.
Unfortunately, Alabama’s coach during the next game on this list was not so lucky.