ESPN's David Pollack brings up Alabama's kicking game on Twitter and Cade Foster and AJ McCarron respond
During Friday night's MAC Championship game between Bowling Green and Northern Illinois, David Pollack, an analyst for ESPN, tweeted praise upon Mathew Sims, the kicker for Northern Illinois.
Sims had just drilled a 51-yard field goal and Pollack couldn't help mentioning the Iron Bowl in the process.
There is def one part of NIU's game that Bama wished they had, a FG kicker. This kid has a BOOT. He can make it from 60+.
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) December 7, 2013
That's in obvious reference to Alabama's kicking issues against Auburn. Cade Foster missed three field goals and Adam Griffith came up short on that fateful 58-yarder that Auburn returned for the 34-28 win.
Foster was o-2 when Nick Saban decided to go for it on fourth-and-one with just over five minutes left instead of kicking a 30-yard field goal. Alabama came up short.
Foster saw Pollack's tweet and offered a response. So did his quarterback AJ McCarron, who defended his teammate in the days following the loss on Twitter too.
@Foster_43 don't pay attention to someone especially when their opinion means zero at all. We will go to war on the field with you any day! — AJ McCarron (@10AJMcCarron) December 7, 2013
Here's where Pollack's tweet gets really fun. Sims hasn't exactly been the poster boy for consistency this season. In fact, after Pollack's tweet, he missed the other two field goals he attempted and finished 2-4 on the night.
After Foster responded, Pollack said he didn't mean it as an insult to him.
@Foster_43 It's wasn't meant as an insult to u my man. It was more about that guy being able to boot if from 60.
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) December 7, 2013
For the season, Sims is 15-23 on field goal attempts while Foster is 11-15. In case you don't want to do the math, the percentage advantage goes to Foster. (And if it means anything to you, Saban said Griffith makes 60-yard field goals in practice.)
Was Pollack trying to stir something up? After all, he did go to Georgia, an SEC rival of Alabama's, and earlier this year said on College Gameday that he wasn't a fan of Condoleezza Rice's inclusion on the selection committee for the playoff beginning next season.
Consider it mission accomplished if so. He just probably wasn't expecting Foster to respond.
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is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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