BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
It wasn't quite the fall of Saigon, or even Atlanta burning. But when the Alabama football program crumbled around him last fall, Shaun Alexander couldn't bear to watch.
Sidelined by his first injury and misplaced in a misguided offense, the Boone County graduate endured Alabama's worst season in 40 years.
Yet as he walks from the rubble, Alexander finally finds the spotlight is his.
The ballyhooed back is now a junior -- he turns 21 Sunday -- and four years removed from his legendary 3,166-yard, 54-touchdown senior year at Boone County.
His time has come.
"I've been waiting for this since I got down here," he said. "There's no pressure or anything -- nothing negative. I just can't wait to get out there and carry the offense."
Eager to atone for its 4-7 nightmare of 1997, the Crimson Tide opens play Sept. 5 at home against Brigham Young (7 p.m., ESPN). Alexander won't have to wait long for a handoff.
"He's gonna get the ball," said running backs coach Ivy Williams, a Xavier University grad. "We're gonna hand it to him, pitch it to him, throw it to him. Whatever it takes."
Only three starters return on offense: left tackle Chris Samuels, center Paul Hogan and split end Calvin Hall. Alexander is the lone running back with experience. None of the quarterback candidates has played much.
And when in doubt, Alabama historically runs the ball.
Alexander isn't just the coaches' choice. According to UA media personnel, of the three players depicted on different sets of the team's pocket schedules -- Alexander, Samuels and cornerback Fernando Bryant -- Alexander's are disappearing fastest.
The attention isn't new. Boone boosters used to sell "Alexander the Great" T-shirts bearing his mug.
In college, Alexander's profile grew quickly, especially after a school-record 291 yards, four-touchdown game against Louisiana State as a freshman. Retiring coach Gene Stallings tabbed him a Heisman candidate after that season, and NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. projected him the top running back prospect in the country. Last year was a setback. New offensive coordinator Bruce Arians installed a befuddling two-quarterback, pass-happy offense that ignored the team's strengths. Alexander's misstep was a literal one, as he tore ligaments in his left foot in Week 4.
The injury happened the week before Alabama traveled to Kentucky. Alexander played hurt against UK and the next two weeks, then sat out the next 3 1/2 games.
"I understand he had to go back home (against UK), but I don't know why he didn't sit that one out," Williams said. "It cost him in the long run."
Alabama lost six of its last seven games, and Arians was dismissed. The surviving coaches swear there will be a return to tradition. "We did a lot of stupid things," Williams said. "We changed everything for one guy (Arians)."
Said Alexander: "Last year was difficult, but it happens to the best of schools -- even Alabama. We knew how to win, now we know what it feels like to lose. It brought us back to earth."
Alexander's foot has healed, and diligent training this summer has sharpened his 6-foot-1, 213-pound physique.
While expectations of 1,000- to 2,000-yard seasons linger, Alexander worries more about unspoken obligations. He must lead not only on the stats page, but in the huddle.
"I don't think you get leadership just by age," he said. "You kind of grow into it. I know I've got to show the young guys the way." Alabama was picked to finish fifth of six teams in the Southeastern Conference's West Division. But seven starters return on defense, and if Alexander gets the offense churning, that poll could prove pointless.
In the wake of a forgettable 1997, and bearing the load of a state's expectations, Alexander remains the loosest man in Tuscaloosa. "I'm the one always cracking jokes and doing kid stuff," he said. "I want us to have fun. The coaches say, "You're the only 5-year-old starting tailback I know.' "
