They say if you look out at Lake Alice on a Florida evening, you’ll be met by the glow of hundreds of alligator eyes. A mile away on Florida’s campus, a different swamp engulfs its visitors with a similarly eerie environment.

The gaze of the 88,000-plus inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium might not glow like the inhabitants of the swamp across campus. However, the roar from the sea of orange and blue is just as unsettling.

Proceeded by the theme from “Jaws,” an intro on the stadium’s video board warns that “only Gators get out alive.” That was especially true during the 1990s as Florida posted a 30-game home winning streak spanning from 1994-99.

That run was ended by Alabama on Oct. 2, 1999, as a Mike Dubose team journeyed to the Swamp with a chip on its shoulder. An afternoon marked by redemption, revenge and a crucial second chance saw the Crimson Tide come away with a wild 40-39 overtime victory, sparking the way for an eventual SEC title as Alabama defeated Florida again in Atlanta two months later.

Since then, the two programs have faced off in several big matchups, including the Tide’s 52-46 victory in last season’s SEC Championship Game. Saturday could offer another memorable meeting as No. 1 Alabama (2-0) travels to No. 11 Florida (2-0) for its SEC opener.

As Alabama looks to survive another trip to The Swamp this weekend, let’s revisit the Tide’s dramatic escape 22 years ago.

Minutes before taking the field against Florida, Dubose addressed his team in the visiting locker room, referencing Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 to remind his players of the strength they wield as a unit.

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor,” the Bible verse reads. “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”

Two weeks earlier, then-No. 18 Alabama was humbled by Louisiana Tech as a Hail Mary touchdown in the closing seconds allowed the visitors to pull off a shocking upset inside Legion Field. Dubose, who had admitted to lying about a personal relationship with a school employee a month earlier, was booed off the field by his home fans. At that point, both the head coach and his program appeared to be on the verge of collapse.

Then the Tide began to turn.

Galvanized by the senior leadership of Shaun Alexander, Chris Samuels and Cornelius Griffin, Alabama’s approach intensified following the defeat. After slumping to a 7-5 record with a loss in the Music City Bowl the year before, a sense of urgency crept over the program as the team refused to suffer the same fate for a second straight season.

Practices intensified as the pieces of Alabama’s retooled roster began to come together in unison. From there, the understanding that two can accomplish more than one was formed.

“That was pretty much our rallying cry,” linebacker Marvin Constant said. “We knew that as long as we stuck together as brothers there was nothing we couldn’t do. Now let’s go whoop ’em.”

Alabama responded the following week, taking down No. 14 Arkansas, 35-28, inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium. After falling out of the rankings following its upset loss to Louisiana Tech, the Tide’s win over the Razorbacks vaulted it back to No. 21, setting up a marquee matchup against the No. 3 Gators.

“I had a peace going down there,” Dubose said of the trip to Florida. “I had a peace about our team just with the way we prepared and the focus that we had. That senior class was amazing. They weren’t going to let us do anything but win.”

Few gave Alabama a shot at leaving Florida victorious. Heading into the matchup, the Gators’ last home defeat came at the hands of Auburn five years earlier.

Led by legendary head coach Steve Spurrier, Florida’s high-paced offense came into the game against Alabama averaging 43.5 points per game. The Gators had already taken down defending national champion Tennessee at home earlier in the season and seemed poised for a title run of their own — a talking point Tide players were reminded of ad nauseam during their preparation that week.

“We were hearing a lot about Florida, but we knew what we had,” defensive lineman Kenny Smith said. “We knew the seniors that we had in Chris Samuels and Shaun Alexander. We knew that our left side was strong and not too many people were going to stop that. We came into that game looking to prove a point.”

The extra motivation wasn’t needed for an Alabama roster that featured several Florida natives, including quarterback Andrew Zow, receiver Antonio Carter, right guard Will Cuthbert and placekicker Chris Kemp.

Growing up a Gators fan in Jacksonville, Kemp had originally planned to stay at home and kick for Florida in college. The Gators even made him a verbal offer during the spring of his junior year. However, 20 minutes later, he tore his ACL while filling in at receiver during practice. The injury forced the kicker to miss his senior season, ultimately putting him on a path to join the Tide. Interestingly enough, Kemp’s replacement at Mandarin High School that season, Jeff Chandler, went on to kick for the Gators during the 1999 game.

Other Alabama players held ties to Florida through their recruitment. Constant was one of those, as Spurrier tried hard to pull the Tuscaloosa native away from his hometown team. In fact, the linebacker was supposed to visit Florida during his senior year of high school but decided to cancel the trip and instead called Spurrier that week to inform the head coach of his decision to honor his commitment to Alabama.

Spurrier’s response: “It’s your loss.”

That message stuck with Constant, who was determined to get the last laugh when he finally did make his way down to Gainesville, Fla.

“It was personal,” Constant said. “So yeah, we talked crap that whole game. We gave them all they wanted and then some.”

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium isn’t the biggest venue in the SEC, but it does reach one of the highest decibel levels. A portion of the fully enclosed stadium is below ground level which allows it to trap noise easier. Steep concrete stands and close-proximity seating add to a claustrophobic feeling for visitors.

Although, for Alabama, that just made quieting the crowd that much more enjoyable.

“Oh my God, that’s one of the most fun stadiums to play in,” Constant said. “When they’re at their loudest, screaming and shouting, it is hard to hear. It’s hard to do anything in there.”

Alabama’s defense didn’t give the hometown fans much to cheer about early on as it forced a punt on Florida’s first possession before jarring the ball loose from running back Robert Gillespie — who now serves as Alabama’s running backs coach — on the first play of the Gators’ second drive.

Alabama went on to settle for a field goal on its ensuing possession only to see Florida answer back with a 73-yard touchdown pass from Doug Johnson to Darrell Jackson on the next play from scrimmage. While the score brought The Swamp back to its feet, the Tide’s defense rebounded by silencing the Gators for the rest of the half. Alabama added a 1-yard touchdown run from Alexander and another field goal to head into the break with a 13-7 lead.

“We felt like we matched up well with them,” Dubose said. “Most of the time when we had played them in the past, our system of offense and defense had stacked up pretty well with what they were doing offensively and defensively. It was just a matter of going down there and handling the crowd because it’s a very loud, very noisy, difficult environment to handle if you’re not prepared. But it goes back to our senior leadership. We felt like that group wasn’t going to let us lose.”

Florida stuck back in the second half as cornerback Bennie Alexander returned an interception 42 yards in the third quarter to allow the Gators to retake the lead. The game then proceeded to go back and forth as both offenses traded blows against increasingly winded defenses.

The catalyst of Alabama’s attack was Shaun Alexander, who gashed the Gators for 106 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries while adding four receptions for 94 yards, including a 47 score from Zow. Often running behind Samuels, the star back helped the Tide control the ball for 41:22 on the afternoon.

“Shaun was one of those guys who the bigger the game, the better he played,” Dubose said. “He always wanted the ball in the big moments, and that’s what the great players do. That was a big game and Shaun realized it.”

Zow and Carter also served as key contributors in their respective homecomings. Zow completed 28 of 40 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns with an interception while Carter caught one of those scores as part of nine receptions for 93 yards. Meanwhile, Freddie Milons led Alabama with 10 receptions for 119 yards.

“We were moving the ball on them,” fullback Marvin Brown said “Shaun Alexander was one of those guys who was kind of like a ghost. It was just hard to tackle him. When you saw Shaun get to the edge on that power play, you knew it was going to be a touchdown. We had those kinds of guys who if we hung around, we were going to make a play.”

Clinging to a 26-25 lead with 6:22 remaining in the game, Alabama was forced to call out the punt team as a holding penalty followed by an intentional grounding call set up a fourth-and-25 from the Tide 27-yard line.

The situation went from bad to worse as Brown, who was serving as the punt protector, went to make a call at the line only to have the ball unexpectedly snapped at his chest. The play resulted in a fumble as Florida recovered at Alabama’s 26-yard line before taking the lead on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Jackson three plays later.

“It was loud, so I remember I needed to walk up to the line so they could hear me,” Brown recalled. “I’m getting ready to tell them to snap it and the ball comes at me. There’s really nothing I could have done, but I still felt like it was my fault. I just told myself, I’ve got to make something happen now.”

Brown would get that chance sooner than expected as Alabama’s next possession stalled at midfield. Trailing 33-26 with less than four minutes to play and one timeout remaining, Dubose elected to trust his defense, sending his punt team out on a fourth-and-11 from the Florida 48-yard line.

The decision was instantly rewarded as Jackson misjudged the ball in the air during the punt return, letting the ball bounce off him at his own 21-yard line. A swarm of desperate white jerseys dove to the ground, including Brown who joined the pile late, blocking off the view from the side judge.

“When I got to the pile, I distinctly remember seeing a guy holding the ball,” Brown recalled. “It was kind of weird, but it was like it was meant for me to be standing there at that time to see the ball. I dived in, and the guy was trying to hold the ball, but one of my teammates, Kindal Moorehead, his foot is in between the ball and the guy’s chest. So as he’s going, I grab the guy’s arms and start pulling his arms apart. Then Kindal moves his foot, and when that happens I grabbed the ball.

“I had my whole body locked on the ball. I was holding on for life because I couldn’t let that one get away.”

Brown still has a scar on his knuckle from the bramble of hands clawing for the football. Although, that was a small price to pay for redemption in what resulted in a game-saving play.

After recovering the fumble, Alabama failed to pick up a first down on its next three plays setting up a fourth-and-2 from the 13-yard line with 1:30 remaining. Taking a handoff, Alexander burst through the middle of the line before shaking off a Florida defender en route to the end zone for the game-tying score.

Florida advanced the ball past midfield on its ensuing possession. However, a sack by Alabama linebacker Chris Horne ended the drive, setting up an overtime period for the ages.

The night before the game, Alabama gathered as a team to watch “For the Love of the Game,” a baseball movie in which Kevin Costner’s character reflects on his life while pitching a perfect game. One of the recurring scenes in the film involves Costner’s character reminding himself to “clear the mechanism” as he blocks out the crowd noise and zeroes in on the task in front of him.

It turns out Hollywood makes that look a bit easier than it is in real life.

After winning the toss, Alabama elected to go on defense first, giving Florida the ball to start overtime. From there, a red-hot Gators offense picked up where it left off, driving down the field before scoring a touchdown on a 6-yard pass from Johnson to Reche Caldwell.

An excited Florida crowd erupted into euphoria before hollowing out into a state of shock as Chandler pushed the ensuing extra-point wide right.

Kemp caught his former high school teammate’s missed attempt on the video board while kicking into the net on the sidelines. Instantly the Alabama kicker knew that he would be in position to add the game-winning extra point if the Tide found the end zone with its possession. Figuring he’d have time for five or six more practice kicks, Kemp collected himself and returned to the net.

Alexander and the Tide’s offense had other plans.

Taking the first-down handoff at the 25-yard line, the back broke through a wide-open hole on the left side of the line as tight end Shawn Draper cleared the way for a one-play score. Moments later, Kemp found himself facing the biggest moment of his life.

Breaking the huddle, holder Patrick Morgan reminded his kicker of the message from the movie the night before.

“Clear the mechanism,” he said before kneeling down to take the snap.

Yeah, right.

“I never hear the crowd, to be honest,” Kemp said. “At least I hadn’t in my life. That was the first time that I heard it.”

Kemp usually relies on crowd noise to let him know if his extra-point tires are successful or not as the short kicks are often already on their way through the uprights by the time he’s done following through his motion. For the first time in his career, the affirming cheer from his supporting fans was nowhere to be found.

Instead, The Swamp roared with delight as he too pushed his kick wide to the right, seemingly sending the overtime period into another round.

Kemp remembers being in a state of disbelief while running to the sidelines before quickly noticing Dubose and the coaching staff motioning him to return to the field.

Kemp, as well as most of the crowd inside the stadium, had failed to spot the yellow flag that sat in the end zone as Florida’s Bennie Alexander was whistled offside, giving the Tide another chance at the win.

“Going back onto the field, I just wanted to crush it,” Kemp recalled. “I didn’t go through my full follow-through. Quite frankly, I was just trying to push it, drive it and drive it low. I didn’t want it to be blocked from the outside because that’s where they originally came from. I just wanted to get it through there.”

Kemp actually overcorrected and nearly sent the ball wide left. However, his kick snuck inside the left goalpost, this time sending the Alabama corner to the left of him in a frenzy.

At that point, Kemp was just looking for someone to hug.

“It’s something you dream of,” Kemp said. “Just getting the opportunity to kick the game-winning kick and then also with my past history with Florida. I tell ya, I actually got a little light-headed when I finally got underneath the stands and saw my family. I got a little weak in the knees, and it finally hit me. That whole feeling just sinks in and it’s like, ‘Did this really just happen?’”

It sure did. And it’s a moment Alabama fans aren’t soon to forget.