It didn’t take long for former Alabama All-American Mike Johnson to narrow in on his favorite on-field memory with the Crimson Tide.
The former offensive lineman and national champion joined the “Beat Everyone” podcast to talk all things Crimson Tide, but when it came to his favorite memory, he declared, “This is every offensive lineman’s dream.”
And ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit was a big reason for the memory.
The former Atlanta Falcons star, who earned first team All-SEC honors during his time in Tuscaloosa pointed to the game many proclaim as the re-birth of Crimson Tide football: The BCS national championship win over Texas on Jan. 7, 2010.
Johnson, who played guard between the likes of James Carpenter and William Vlachos, pointed to perhaps the most popular play of the game, but for reasons people may not recall.
Running back Trent Richardson broke a second-quarter run for a touchdown to put the Tide ahead for good.
“I saw a blitz look I had seen on film where they kind of overload the weakside of the play,” recalled Johnson, who also talks Tide on AL.com’s “Head to Head” with Simone Eli. “I recognized it immediately. I tapped James Carpenter and was like, ‘Hey, here comes that stunt. It was Sam Acho, playing in a four-technique, in front of James Carpenter. He’s gonna pinch. Here it comes. Just pick up the blitzer. Here it comes. I kept tapping him. I picked up Sam Acho. I pancaked him. James picked up the (line)backer and Trent Richardson scored from 40 or 50 yards out in Pasadena.”
It was a 49-yard run to be exact. Richardson wasn’t even touched.
“Not only did that end with me on a Daniel Moore painting, but also - and this is the most important - Kirk Herbstreit came back from commercial break and put a circle (on the film) and said, ‘Watch Mike Johnson, left guard, here.’
“I just have to tell y’all - as an offensive lineman - there is nothing better than having them circle you and say, ‘Watch this guy go to work,’ especially in the national title game.
“An absolute career highlight.”
He said the hole “parted like the Red Sea.”
