Mercer and Alabama to rematch in battle for the ages

In Mercer football’s final game of the season last November, they faced off against Alabama, the team who would go on to win the SEC championship.

It was a heavy loss for the Bears, 56-0, as Alabama proved why it is they are the most consistent number one team in the country.

“It was a tough but not an unexpected loss for us,” Head Coach Bobby Lamb said after the game. “We didn’t play to the best of our ability, and it showed on the field. I commend Alabama for building an excellent program.”

Many thought this would be the last time Mercer and Alabama would even be mentioned in the same sentence for many years to come. However, it does appear that the two school’s will face off again next season, just not in the way you would think.

Lamb said the idea for a rematch came to him while going through his team’s game reels.

“I eventually got tired and decided to clear my head by watching a movie,” Lamb said. “I was browsing through Netflix and saw this movie ‘8 Mile,’ which at first gave me the idea to make my players run that distance for losing the game. But then I decided to watch it.”

It was after watching the 2002 film starring famed rapper Eminem that Lamb said the idea hit him.

“I was so inspired by the movie that I immediately called up Nick Saban and challenged him to a rap battle.”

Lamb said he had a hard time getting Saban to agree to the challenge, until he put up a wager that the Alabama head coach couldn’t refuse.

If you remember, Mercer earned $600,000 for playing in its bout against Alabama. Well, it looks like Lamb has decided to risk it all for the title of top battle rapper.

Lamb said he had a tough time convincing Mercer President Bill Underwood to wager the money, but eventually he got him to concede.

“I simply told him, ‘It’s not about the money, it’s about the respect’,” Lamb said. “It’s a lesson I learned from the hood, which was difficult for me since I never lived there.”

Underwood said he has full confidence that Lamb can beat Saban in a rap battle, citing the coach’s apparent hip hop knowledge.

“I think coach’s experience gives him an edge of Saban,” Underwood said. “I mean, Bobby (Lamb) has watched ‘8 Mile’ two times already, and I don’t even think Saban has seen the movie once.”

Mercer Athletics is expected to send out a full press release on the deal soon letting fans know where and when the competition will take place.

 

Note: This is a satirical piece produced by the Cluster team in honor of April Fools Day. Thanks for reading!