HOOVER, Ala. — Welcome to Alabama day.
When you enter the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Birmingham on the last day of Southeastern Conference Media Days, you’re greeted by what can only be described as a surreal scene. A Crimson horde stands behind a rope waiting to get one picture or one replica helmet signed by coach Nick Saban. The coach is second only to Jesus in popularity throughout the parts of the state dominated by Alabama supporters, but one man stands in firm solidarity and defiance in a thicket of his rival’s most ardent — some might say unhinged — fans.
Jeff Moorer didn’t grow up an Auburn fan. In fact, he didn’t even grow up in the state of Alabama. He’s a native of North Carolina, but in 2006 moved to Pinson, Ala., 125 miles from Auburn University’s campus and 73 miles from the University of Alabama. The 42-year-old real estate agent said he was forced to pick one of the SEC powers to become a fan, and his nature to gravitate to the underdogs led him to pick to the Tigers.
“They never really get a lot of respect,” Moorer said. “They’re not arrogant like Alabama fans. (Alabama fans) always think that they can’t be beat, that they’ll never lose. They think that Saban’s greatest thing since redbeans and rice. But you know, Auburn has changed that since he’s been here, because Auburn’s beaten him three times.”
One of those Auburn victories, perhaps the most famous, over its hated rival came last season when Chris Davis’ 109-yard field goal returned for a touchdown propelled the Tigers into the SEC championship game, and later a berth in the BCS National Championship Game.
Moorer claims he saw the improbable play coming. He called his cousin as Auburn stood on the sideline on his television, coach Gus Malzahn speaking to his special teams unit. Return man Chris Davis came onto the field with the field goal unit, and Moorer says he knew what was about to happen. He felt when he saw Davis on the field that they were forming a while, and he knew Alabama didn’t have anyone on the field fast enough to catch Davis. As Davis sprinted unmolested down the sideline, Moorer was overcome with excitement.
“I’m jumping up and down,” he said. “I said ‘go, go, go, go, go you got it, you got it!’ And I’m holding my drink up in the air as he’s running I said ‘there it is, he’s gone, he’s gone and it ain’t nobody in Tuscaloosa that can catch him!’ They’re all falling down, here we go, it’s over, it’s over.”
For him, last season was sweet vindication, a revenge tour over the foes that had doomed Auburn to a 3-9 record in 2012. Besides the Iron Bowl victory, Moorer took great pleasure in watching the Tigers bottle up Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, because “nobody thought Manziel could be beaten in Kyle Field.”
Of course his second-favorite victory of the year came in another rivalry game against Georgia, when receiver Ricardo Louis hauled in a batted ball on a Nick Marshall Hail Mary pass to give Auburn a go-ahead touchdown. His smile beams when reliving the play, and he gestures in the direction of a woman wearing a Georgia t-shirt, there to see her Bulldogs, who paraded through the hotel earlier in the day.
“I was at my house, sitting on the edge of my bed getting ready to go out,” Moorer said. “And I was drinking a beer. Me, I’m going to watch the game til the end, but before it happened I just had this feeling, they’re setting up Nick Marshall, and I said ‘you know, they’ve gotta go for a Hail Mary.’
“So I seen him throw that Hail Mary up, and the two Georgia players collided I said ‘we’ve still got a chance’ and (the ball) hadn’t hit the ground yet, so I said he’s gonna get it, then when I seen him take it in I said ‘it’s over, it’s over, he’s gone.’”
His Tigers fell short of a national title, but he thinks they’ll be better next season thanks to Marshall and a talented stable of running backs. He doesn’t go to regular season Auburn games, content to stay home or watch them at the bar with his friends. He does get to The Plains for the “A Day” spring game, however. This April he saw Marshall display impressive pocket presence, something he says nobody thought he could do. He’ll also be at fan day as well, cheering on his favorite underdog.
Moorer’s last words to alligatorSports were the Auburn rallying cry “War Eagle.” Not to be outdone, a woman next to him quickly interjects with “Roll Tide.” Jeff Moorer is still the underdog, even in the lobby of a hotel at SEC Media Days.
Auburn fan Jeff Moorer (center) waits in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Birmingham on Thursday during the final day of the Southeastern Conference Media Days.
