Alabama's biggest game of the year (so far) saw the Tide offense break out of a mid-season slump. Amassing 267 yards passing, Greg McElroy had easily his best performance since September, hitting Darius Hanks and Julio Jones for touchdowns. Mark Ingram had another stellar performance as well, gaining 144 yards on 22 carries, over 100 of which came in the second half.
Alabama and LSU played for control of the SEC West, as they have for the last two years, and the game played out as many experts predicted - a close battle for three quarters that the Tide would eventually pull away from. The win sets up an Alabama-Florida matchup in the SEC Championship game on December 5.
My seven points:
1. The monkey is off Greg McElroy's back. Underwhelming statistics and lack of red zone success for McElroy over the last month have led to a lot of questioning from fans and pundits about what is wrong and even some . The source of McElroy's problems has been pretty obvious, as was the source of his success tonight. Pressure. Unlike Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee, LSU was unable to put sustained pressure on McElroy. Therefore he was able to stand in the pocket and make throws. McElroy finished 19-of-34 with two TDs and a pick against a quality defense.
2. Ditto for Julio Jones. Jones has been hampered by injuries all year, and while he still hasn't regained his form from last year, he did turn in the biggest play of the game - a 73-yard touchdown reception that put the Tide ahead for good. Jones wasn't perfect - a dropped pass deep in Alabama territory helped set up the safety LSU got on the next play. But a hundred-yard receiving day can heal many wounds.
3. Mark Ingram for Heisman is looking like more than just talk. Most Alabama fans are unconcerned about Heisman talk. After all, SEC and national championships are within the Tide's reach, and no Alabama player has ever finished higher than third in the Heisman balloting anyway. But Mark Ingram was a tentative midseason favorite to win the Trophy coming into the game, and he soldified his reputation today for playing big in big games, which is one of the most important things that a candidate can do. Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen probably killed his chances today with a three turnover showing in a loss to Navy. Colt McCoy (Texas) and Tim Tebow (Florida) are both in the race by virtue of leading undefeated teams (as is Ingram) but both quarterbacks are suffering somewhat due to comparisons to their previous seasons. Right now, the Heisman Trophy looks like it is Ingram's to win.
4. SEC Officiating didn't do itself any favors tonight. The big story in SEC football over the past month has been blown calls by officials in critical moments, and the aftermath thereof. Conspiracy theorists have accused the SEC of propping up Florida and Alabama in order to keep them undefeated, and to be fair, bad calls did impact the LSU-Georgia and Florida-Arkansas games. (The Alabama-Tennessee helmet controversy, by contrast, was mostly a creation of CBS color analyst Gary Danielson). Bad calls have always been a part of college football, but there is intense scrutiny on the SEC right now. That's why I wouldn't be surprised to see the Greg McElroy interception no-call become a big topic of conversation this week. The video evidence was not 100% conclusive, but it looked like Patrick Peterson may have gotten his foot down before going out of bounds. Danielson, of course, had already ruled it an interception from his perspective, and disgruntled (read, L-O-S-E-R) fans will probably point to the call as further evidence that the SEC helped Alabama win.
5. Strength and conditioning appeared to be a huge advantage for Alabama in this game. It seemed to me that as the game went along, LSU seemed to have an injured player on the turf virtually every other play. One lineman, running back, quarterback, cornerback, etc. after another went down for the Tigers while I only remember one player for Alabama going out of the game at all (Arenas) and he made it back in a few plays later. It's a credit LSU's talent level that they were able to stay in the game with so many players leaving the field, but it did seem a little odd to me that the injuries seemed to be so weighted to their side. Flukey injuries can happen to anyone, but a 8- or 10-1 injury margin is hugely significant in a close game, and may point to a difference between the conditioning of the two teams.
6. Leigh Tiffin is the all-time leading scorer for Alabama. Tiffin has not only recovered completely from being the goat for Alabama's loss to Arkansas in 2006 (he missed two field goals and an extra point in overtime), but has become perhaps the best kicker in the country and the Crimson Tide's all-time leading scorer. Tiffin hit three field goals and an extra point to stand alone above three other legendary Tide kickers - Philip Doyle, Michael Proctor, and his father, Van Tiffin. If Alabama is to reach its championship dreams, Tiffin will continue to play a critical part.
7. Mississippi State won't be a cakewalk. State is in a perfect position to spoil the party for Alabama next week in Starkville. The Bulldogs have improved steadily throughout the year, and while the talent is still thin, overconfidence can be fatal to the Tide's hopes. Just ask anyone on the 1980 Alabama team, who went into Starkville ranked number 1, riding a 28-game winning streak and heavily favored over the unranked Bulldogs. State went on to win that day 6-3, causing a fumble on what would might have been Alabama's go-ahead touchdown play. Saban is not going to take any opponent lightly. Let's hope the team follows his lead.
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