It’s the Third Saturday in October, which always bring to mind some of the greatest plays in the history of the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry.

One of those was made by Crimson Tide safety Roman Harper in 2005, when he forced a fumble by Volunteers fullback Cory Anderson in a tie game late in the fourth quarter. The ball rolled through the end zone for a touchback, and Alabama then drove for Jamie Christensen’s 34-yard field goal to secure a 6-3 victory over Tennessee.

The win was Alabama’s first over Tennessee in Tuscaloosa since 1930, as most Crimson Tide home games vs. the Volunteers took place in Birmingham until 1999. It also kept Alabama undefeated on the way to a 10-2 finish, the high point of the Mike Shula era.

Now an analyst for the SEC Network, Harper was asked by host Laura Rutledge about his “Rocky Stop” during Saturday’s edition of SEC Now in Knoxville. Here’s what he had to say:

“It was a very low-scoring game, that’s the simple way to put it,” Harper said. “I thought he actually ran me over. … I just wanted to get over there and throw myself in front of him. … Get to a shuffle right before you have to make contact, throw your body out there, make a play. Sometimes you’d rather be lucky.”

Asked by fellow analyst Tim Tebow if it was a “head or a shoulder” that Harper hit the ball with, Harper said he wasn’t sure.

“I closed my eyes, Tim,” Harper said. “That’s a big boy. He was about 285, I was about 190.”

Here are highlights of the 2005 Alabama-Tennessee game. Harper’s big play happens at about the 19-minute mark:

Harper was an All-SEC selection at safety for the Crimson Tide in 2005, then was a second-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in the following year’s NFL draft. He played 11 years in the league with the Saints and Panthers, winning a Super Bowl ring with New Orleans after the 2009 season and making the Pro Bowl twice.