Wake me up when November ends

TUSCALOOSA — The scoreboard was glowing in the dusk, almost mocking the Alabama Crimson Tide as players walked to the locker room.
Senior receiver Matt Caddell, who was making that walk for the final time, forced himself to look at it.
ULM 21, Alabama 14.
“It’s kind of crazy. I don’t know, it’s just real crazy,” said a stunned Caddell.
What was crazy was the University of Louisiana at Monroe dressing room after the game. Coach Charlie Weatherbie and his Warhawks celebrated almost certainly that school’s biggest victory in a football game.
“It’s crazy in the locker room,” said ULM receiver Marty Humphrey, whose 11-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster broke a 14-14 tie with 3:05 left in the third quarter.
An opportunistic, undersized ULM defense made it stand up, partly because it made key plays in short-yard situations and partly because it made Alabama pay for its mistakes.
The Tide had five possessions after Humphrey’s touchdown. Leigh Tiffin had a field goal blocked, P.J. Fitzgerald punted once, Jimmy Johns fumbled on a 6-yard gain inside the ULM 15 and Alabama turned it over on downs on its final two drives.
“We did all the things in this football game that get you beat,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “I apologize to the people who support this program. We didn’t represent it with class today. We will continue to work to get where we want to go.”
Alabama is not going in the right direction. The Tide fell to 6-5 overall and has lost three games in a row. ULM improved to 5-6 after an 0-4 start.
“Alabama has got a real fine football team, a heck of a football team,” Weatherbie said. “We knew that we were going to play with no foolish penalties and no turnovers, and I think for the most part we did that.”
For the record, ULM did nothing to beat itself. The visitors didn’t have a turnover — the only opponent to accomplish that against Alabama this season. Conversely, Alabama didn’t do enough to beat the Warhawks.
“I think it’s pretty embarrassing,” junior quarterback John Parker Wilson said. “You can’t score 14 points and expect to win the game. I think the defense played pretty well but we have to learn how to put it in the end zone.”
Wilson finished 21-for-31 for 246 yards and a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Keith Brown on the game’s opening drive.
He was also intercepted twice, the first time was another catastrophic turnover — but it wasn’t his fault.
Wilson spotted an open Will Oakley on a 15-yard sideline route. Oakley missed the catchable pass, instead tipping it up. ULM defender Quintez Secka picked it off and returned it inside the Alabama 1 as the clock expired in the first quarter.
ULM’s Calvin Dawson, held under 100 yards for just the second time all year, got one of his 91 on the next play to tie the game.
Wilson was booed several times before and during the game. But as the crowd sensed that victory would be hard-fought, they spread it around.
“I heard them. Loud and clear,” Caddell said. “I hate for our fans to boo us. It’s embarrassing. We just have to do better. We love our fans, we want to do the best for them. It just hurts.”
But senior cornerback Simeon Castille understood.
“Our fans deserve better than that,” Castille said flatly.
Alabama had several chances at victory late in the game, but the best came with less than four minutes left.
Caddell caught a pass from Wilson for 25 yards up the sideline to the ULM 46. Wilson then found Jonathan Lowe in the right flat for 18 yards. Another pass to Brown put Alabama second-and-1 at the ULM 19.
Jimmy Johns, who started for the first time Saturday, then burst up the middle for a nice gain, but he fumbled and ULM’s Darius Battles recovered at the 13.
Alabama’s defense shoved ULM back to the 2-yard line and forced a punt. Alabama started at the Warhawks 26 after Lowe’s 19-yard punt return. Lowe returned kicks after the Tide’s Javier Arenas left the game early with a high ankle sprain. Arenas was standing on the sideline on crutches in the second half.
Alabama twice handed to Terry Grant on third and fourth down from the 18. He was stopped short both times.
“This is not the kind of football that, you know, we intend to be played here,” Saban said. “Hey, the earmarks are all there, guys. The turnovers, fumbling the ball at the end of the game, not making it on fourth-and-1 at the end of the game, we had three or four opportunities on possessions in the last 10 minutes of the game and couldn’t make the plays that we needed to make to do it. That’s where it’s at.”
Castille said it was time to get ready to work for Auburn next week.
“We gotta swallow this one,” the senior cornerback said. “We end up winning next week, a lot of people will forget about this loss.”