A game that many expected to be Alabama's toughest test of the season turned into exactly that, as an inspired Arkansas team, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Ryan Mallett, gave the Tide all it wanted for 60 minutes. Alabama trailed 17-7 at halftime and fell behind by 13 in the second half before methodically grinding out a win over the Razorbacks. Mallett threw for 357 yards on 25 for 38 passing, but his three interceptions proved to be the difference in the game.
These are my Seven Points for Game 4:
1. This game played out somewhat like the Auburn game last year. Arkansas got on the board early. The crowd was really into the game. The Razorbacks were fired up and built a two-touchdown lead. However, when the fourth quarter came along, Alabama completely dominated Arkansas, scored the winning points, forced two turnovers, and played as if it was unrattled by the circumstances.
2. This game played out somewhat like the South Carolina game last year. Alabama has a lot of weapons on offense, but in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line, Mark Ingram got the ball. Ingram delivered, rushing for 157 yards and 2 TD on 24 carries. The last scoring drive for Alabama was all Ingram, in the wildcat and in the I-formation, showing the same grit and determination that won him the Heisman in 2009.
3. Robert Lester's second interception was the biggest play of the game. Lester, who has picked off four passes this year in four games,was out of position at times today, and made some freshman mistakes against an experienced, top-flight offense. But Lester's over-the-middle interception in the fourth quarter, after the Tide had settled for a field goal and trailed 17-20 with six minutes left in the game, completely deflated the Razorbacks and their fans. Lester returned the overthrown pass 33 yards to the Arkansas 12 and set up Ingram's go-ahead score.
4. Nick Saban's decision to go for it on fourth and inches showed the confidence he has in this offense. Alabama faced a fourth and inches on its own 44 with 54 seconds left in the game. Last week, in a similar situation, Mallett had led Arkansas to a win over Georgia, driving the Hogs down field in about 50 seconds to score the winning touchdown. The Tide tried to shift around to draw Arkansas offsides, then after a timeout showed that they were going to go for it when Arkansas expected a punt. Alabama had to call timeout again though when the correct personnel did not make it out on to the field. The conventional wisdom in that situation would have been to punt, but Alabama went for it anyway, with Greg McElroy sneaking forward for the first down, to salt the game away.
5. The Tide continues to play stronger in the second half. The first three games of the year were all pretty much blowouts - over by halftime. Alabama had not allowed an opponent to score in the second half until today. Although they did give up a field goal to the Razorbacks in the third quarter, the Tide outscored the Hogs 17-3 in the second half and limited the Arkansas offense to 120 yards in the final two quarters. Credit halftime adjustments by the coaching staff as well as an inexperienced defense that is basically learning on the job.
6. This might have been the worst defensive match-up Alabama will face all year. Arkansas's Mallett is a great pocket passer with good receivers, a great offensive line and a complex big-play offense. Alabama's defensive secondary is inexperienced and the defensive line has not been able to get much pressure on quarterbacks. Early on, the defense looked lost - unable to keep up with the receivers, fooled by the schemes - and Mallett picked them apart. As the game progressed however, the defense was able to adjust. By the fourth quarter, Mallett was the one who looked lost as 'Bama pressure forced two decisive interceptions.
7. These next few weeks will determine much about the rest of the season. Alabama comes home next week to face Florida, then will travel to South Carolina. This three-week stretch has tested the Tide already, but by the end of it we'll know whether Alabama is capable of winning the SEC again as well as returning to the BCS Championship Game. No other top 10 team faces a gauntlet of ranked teams like Alabama does. If the Tide can successfully navigate these next two games, and stay injury-free, it should have an excellent chance to repeat.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Game 3 Review: No. 1 Alabama 62, Duke 13
Alabama's first road trip of the season was hardly a nailbiter. The Tide scored on its first four possessions, did not experience a third down or a punt until late in the game, and scored the most points it has since the 1991 game against Tulane. Greg McElroy and Mark Ingram finished their day early. The first team defense, however, displayed some areas of concern as Alabama heads into SEC play next week.
My Seven Points on Game 3:
1. Yeah, Mark Ingram's knee is okay. Knee surgery sure 2ain't what it used to be. Merely 19 days after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, Ingram reminded everyone why he won the Heisman Trophy last year. Ingram had a mere nine carries for 151 yards and 2 TDs. He made a great cutback move on his second touchdown that made it clear he has returned with the full range of motion. The budding "running back controversy" that some fans tried to start this week died on the vine as Ingram ran all over the Blue Devils in very limited action.
2. Alabama's offense is starting to live up to the hype. Preseason speculation about the Tide and its returning weapons on offense was that the offense might be Alabama's best ever. It's hard to make an evaluation about that after game three, but the Tide has scored early and often in each of its three games. Alabama has had a 100-yard rusher in each game this season, and they have been three different players. Greg McElroy has completed over 70% of his passes and has only thrown one interception. Five different receivers have caught touchdown passes. Bama has a lot of looks and a lot of ways to beat you on offense.
3. Secondary play may not be the defense's biggest issue. The defensive secondary is young, and Bama has looked inexperienced and out of position at times. Against Duke, however, the problems seemed to be up front. The Blue Devils finished with over 300 yards of offense, and many times plays that should have been stopped in the offensive backfield made into the secondary. The defensive line and linebackers did not play very well overall today. Josh Snead didn't break the Tide's 36-game streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher, but he came within hailing distance. The Tide tightened up a good bit in the second half, so its unclear if early problems were a lack of effort or if the large lead caused Duke to slack off. Either way, its an area of concern when the Tide faces better competition.
4. Again, the second half gave Alabama plenty of opportunity to get young players some time on the field. For the third straight week, Alabama has had the opportunity to put a number of second, third and fourth string players in meaningful game action. We shouldn't expect to see as much of that now that SEC play is starting for Alabama, but the chance to get the younger, less experienced men into the games may turn out to be critical as the season rolls along.
5. Wallace Wade Stadium doesn't really do the coach justice. We fully understand why Duke turned down lots of money to get Alabama into the on-campus stadium rather than selling the game to a large city. And while it's great that there is a stadium that honors the coach that established Alabama football as a national power, the 36,000-seat horseshoe that bears Wallace Wade's name looks more like a product of Wade's era than a modern football complex. After spending two weeks celebrating the expansion at Bryant-Denny, the contrast is pretty stark. One would hope that Coach Cutcliffe will be able to have enough success at Duke in years to come to do something about that.
6. The defense may not match up well against Arkansas. Arkansas has steadily improved each week, and after a confidence-building defeat of Georgia, the Razorbacks will be gearing up to ruin Alabama's season next week. We're not sold on Ryan Mallett as the "best quarterback in college football," but he can throw the long ball. The Hogs' receivers know how to catch the ball too. Alabama's secondary will be sorely tested in Fayetteville next week.
7. So far, the Tide looks like the best team in the country. Despite problems on defense, the Tide has still outscored its opponents 134-19 in three games. Alabama has taken the lead in each game and has never relinquished control. None of its opponents have scored in the second half. Each game has been completely in the bag at halftime. After watching other top teams struggle at times to put decent opponents away, the Tide appears to be unstoppable at its best. Alabama isn't perfect - there have been enough issues each week to give the coaches plenty to work on for the next game. The Tide, however, is a solid number one.
My Seven Points on Game 3:
1. Yeah, Mark Ingram's knee is okay. Knee surgery sure 2ain't what it used to be. Merely 19 days after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, Ingram reminded everyone why he won the Heisman Trophy last year. Ingram had a mere nine carries for 151 yards and 2 TDs. He made a great cutback move on his second touchdown that made it clear he has returned with the full range of motion. The budding "running back controversy" that some fans tried to start this week died on the vine as Ingram ran all over the Blue Devils in very limited action.
2. Alabama's offense is starting to live up to the hype. Preseason speculation about the Tide and its returning weapons on offense was that the offense might be Alabama's best ever. It's hard to make an evaluation about that after game three, but the Tide has scored early and often in each of its three games. Alabama has had a 100-yard rusher in each game this season, and they have been three different players. Greg McElroy has completed over 70% of his passes and has only thrown one interception. Five different receivers have caught touchdown passes. Bama has a lot of looks and a lot of ways to beat you on offense.
3. Secondary play may not be the defense's biggest issue. The defensive secondary is young, and Bama has looked inexperienced and out of position at times. Against Duke, however, the problems seemed to be up front. The Blue Devils finished with over 300 yards of offense, and many times plays that should have been stopped in the offensive backfield made into the secondary. The defensive line and linebackers did not play very well overall today. Josh Snead didn't break the Tide's 36-game streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher, but he came within hailing distance. The Tide tightened up a good bit in the second half, so its unclear if early problems were a lack of effort or if the large lead caused Duke to slack off. Either way, its an area of concern when the Tide faces better competition.
4. Again, the second half gave Alabama plenty of opportunity to get young players some time on the field. For the third straight week, Alabama has had the opportunity to put a number of second, third and fourth string players in meaningful game action. We shouldn't expect to see as much of that now that SEC play is starting for Alabama, but the chance to get the younger, less experienced men into the games may turn out to be critical as the season rolls along.
5. Wallace Wade Stadium doesn't really do the coach justice. We fully understand why Duke turned down lots of money to get Alabama into the on-campus stadium rather than selling the game to a large city. And while it's great that there is a stadium that honors the coach that established Alabama football as a national power, the 36,000-seat horseshoe that bears Wallace Wade's name looks more like a product of Wade's era than a modern football complex. After spending two weeks celebrating the expansion at Bryant-Denny, the contrast is pretty stark. One would hope that Coach Cutcliffe will be able to have enough success at Duke in years to come to do something about that.
6. The defense may not match up well against Arkansas. Arkansas has steadily improved each week, and after a confidence-building defeat of Georgia, the Razorbacks will be gearing up to ruin Alabama's season next week. We're not sold on Ryan Mallett as the "best quarterback in college football," but he can throw the long ball. The Hogs' receivers know how to catch the ball too. Alabama's secondary will be sorely tested in Fayetteville next week.
7. So far, the Tide looks like the best team in the country. Despite problems on defense, the Tide has still outscored its opponents 134-19 in three games. Alabama has taken the lead in each game and has never relinquished control. None of its opponents have scored in the second half. Each game has been completely in the bag at halftime. After watching other top teams struggle at times to put decent opponents away, the Tide appears to be unstoppable at its best. Alabama isn't perfect - there have been enough issues each week to give the coaches plenty to work on for the next game. The Tide, however, is a solid number one.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
What Alabama Football Means to Me (or How I Learned to Hate Auburn)
I was born in Tuscaloosa. My mother grew up there, and my dad's family was from the Tuscaloosa area as well, although he was an Air Force brat and moved around quite a bit in his early years. My entire family had at least a passing interest in Alabama football, but as a small child you can't really appreciate much about a 3+ hour football game. My father was a bi-vocational Southern Baptist pastor while I was growing up, and between his two jobs we were obliged to move around some as well. My parents both watched and enjoyed Alabama football games, which never seemed strange to me growing up. Now though, I find it pretty interesting.
See, my father isn't a sports nut by any means. He doesn't really enjoy any other sport than football. He doesn't watch the NFL. He will watch other SEC football teams, especially Auburn, mainly hoping that they lose. My mother likes to talk about the team with me, sometimes asking questions, sometime telling me things she's heard. She watches Alabama play, but she might get agitated when the games are close or if 'Bama isn't playing well. Sometimes she gets too nervous to watch. My parents both went to school at Alabama, but neither of them have been to a game in at least 15-20 years. So I'm not really sure why Alabama football became an important part of their lives or mine. Maybe it became a link back to Tuscaloosa when we moved away from family and friends. Maybe it was a way of latching on to a cultural identity. Maybe it was just a matter of cheering for their alma mater. In any event, my first football memory happened over 30 years ago.
When we moved away from Tuscaloosa the first time, we weren't gone for very long - just a couple of years. Then when I was about five, we moved away for good, right into the heart of enemy territory - Opelika, Alabama. My earliest football-related memory occurred around the holidays. My uncle Bill, who is five years older than me, played football with me in our front yard. The football was a small white plastic one, the kind that you see nowadays at high school pep rallies. It had red stripes and Alabama logos, and I remember pretending to be Alabama as we prepared to watch the Tide face Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.
During my early childhood, Alabama was one of the most dominant teams in the country. I was born a few months before Alabama won the 1973 national championship. Paul 'Bear' Bryant led the team to two more back-to-back championships in 1978 and 1979. The Tide won eight SEC titles in the 1970s. Bear Bryant became the winningest college football coach of all time in 1981. I remember getting a coke bottle with his picture on it and a cup with '315' on the side. Then it all came crashing down.
I guess I was aware of Auburn before the 1982 season, but my hatred for them started on one particular day. That day was November 27. I was nine years old and Auburn had never beaten Alabama in my lifetime. Then came "Bo Over the Top," a 22-23 loss, and Auburn fans tearing down the goalposts at Legion Field. Bear Bryant had already announced his retirement and then had to suffer the indignity of losing his final game to a team he had beaten 19 times in 25 years. I cried. Barely two months later, I was at school in Mrs. Owings class and Jennifer Oliver came up to me and told me that Bear Bryant had died. I laughed at her. Jennifer got upset and told the teacher that I laughed because Bear Bryant had died. Mrs. Owings reprimanded me, and I was stunned. I had laughed at Jennifer because I didn't believe her. It was crazy. How could the Bear be dead? I continued in disbelief until I got home and learned that it was all too true. I blamed Auburn football, Pat Dye, Bo Jackson, and every other Auburn fan I knew.
The decade of the 1980s was a difficult time to be an Alabama fan. We lived in Tallassee, Alabama, a small town 25 miles from Auburn, so I could more or less count on my fingers and toes every Alabama fan in my class. On top of that, it was the golden age of Auburn football. Pat Dye coached the Tigers to four SEC titles, and won four games in a row over the Tide. He also succeeded in getting the game moved from Birmingham to Auburn in 1989. It's easy to be a fan when your team is on top. It's harder when your team is terrible. Hardest of all, though? It's being a fan of a team that was once mighty and isn't any more. Those few Alabama fans at school that I knew took comfort in each other's support. It became so much a part of how I perceived my classmates, I can still tell you the team affiliation of people I haven't seen or spoken to in 20+ years. My Alabama pride was hardened in the crucible of those fall days. I wore my Alabama T-shirts to school the Monday after an Iron Bowl loss to show that I loved the Tide anyway, enduring the jibes and taunts of Auburn fans who did not acknowledge their inherent inferiority. The Crimson Tide's adversity had, in a small way, become my own.
By the time I graduated from high school, Alabama had righted the ship under Coach Gene Stallings, who won a national championship my freshman year at the University. But those formative years shaped me and my fandom. They inspired me to learn about the history of Alabama football, so that I could refute the arguments of bandwagon Auburn fans. They taught me to believe in upsets (1984) and miracles (1985). They showed me that I could live through a loss, even when it was hard. And they forged my identification with a group of college athletes I didn't know and would probably never meet. When I talked about Alabama playing well, I said that "we" did it. When facing another team's fans, I would tell them that they wouldn't beat "us." Although I would never play a snap of college football at Alabama (or anywhere else), I felt as much a part of the team as the players on the field.
I'm doing my best to raise my kids the same way.
See, my father isn't a sports nut by any means. He doesn't really enjoy any other sport than football. He doesn't watch the NFL. He will watch other SEC football teams, especially Auburn, mainly hoping that they lose. My mother likes to talk about the team with me, sometimes asking questions, sometime telling me things she's heard. She watches Alabama play, but she might get agitated when the games are close or if 'Bama isn't playing well. Sometimes she gets too nervous to watch. My parents both went to school at Alabama, but neither of them have been to a game in at least 15-20 years. So I'm not really sure why Alabama football became an important part of their lives or mine. Maybe it became a link back to Tuscaloosa when we moved away from family and friends. Maybe it was a way of latching on to a cultural identity. Maybe it was just a matter of cheering for their alma mater. In any event, my first football memory happened over 30 years ago.
When we moved away from Tuscaloosa the first time, we weren't gone for very long - just a couple of years. Then when I was about five, we moved away for good, right into the heart of enemy territory - Opelika, Alabama. My earliest football-related memory occurred around the holidays. My uncle Bill, who is five years older than me, played football with me in our front yard. The football was a small white plastic one, the kind that you see nowadays at high school pep rallies. It had red stripes and Alabama logos, and I remember pretending to be Alabama as we prepared to watch the Tide face Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.
During my early childhood, Alabama was one of the most dominant teams in the country. I was born a few months before Alabama won the 1973 national championship. Paul 'Bear' Bryant led the team to two more back-to-back championships in 1978 and 1979. The Tide won eight SEC titles in the 1970s. Bear Bryant became the winningest college football coach of all time in 1981. I remember getting a coke bottle with his picture on it and a cup with '315' on the side. Then it all came crashing down.
I guess I was aware of Auburn before the 1982 season, but my hatred for them started on one particular day. That day was November 27. I was nine years old and Auburn had never beaten Alabama in my lifetime. Then came "Bo Over the Top," a 22-23 loss, and Auburn fans tearing down the goalposts at Legion Field. Bear Bryant had already announced his retirement and then had to suffer the indignity of losing his final game to a team he had beaten 19 times in 25 years. I cried. Barely two months later, I was at school in Mrs. Owings class and Jennifer Oliver came up to me and told me that Bear Bryant had died. I laughed at her. Jennifer got upset and told the teacher that I laughed because Bear Bryant had died. Mrs. Owings reprimanded me, and I was stunned. I had laughed at Jennifer because I didn't believe her. It was crazy. How could the Bear be dead? I continued in disbelief until I got home and learned that it was all too true. I blamed Auburn football, Pat Dye, Bo Jackson, and every other Auburn fan I knew.
The decade of the 1980s was a difficult time to be an Alabama fan. We lived in Tallassee, Alabama, a small town 25 miles from Auburn, so I could more or less count on my fingers and toes every Alabama fan in my class. On top of that, it was the golden age of Auburn football. Pat Dye coached the Tigers to four SEC titles, and won four games in a row over the Tide. He also succeeded in getting the game moved from Birmingham to Auburn in 1989. It's easy to be a fan when your team is on top. It's harder when your team is terrible. Hardest of all, though? It's being a fan of a team that was once mighty and isn't any more. Those few Alabama fans at school that I knew took comfort in each other's support. It became so much a part of how I perceived my classmates, I can still tell you the team affiliation of people I haven't seen or spoken to in 20+ years. My Alabama pride was hardened in the crucible of those fall days. I wore my Alabama T-shirts to school the Monday after an Iron Bowl loss to show that I loved the Tide anyway, enduring the jibes and taunts of Auburn fans who did not acknowledge their inherent inferiority. The Crimson Tide's adversity had, in a small way, become my own.
By the time I graduated from high school, Alabama had righted the ship under Coach Gene Stallings, who won a national championship my freshman year at the University. But those formative years shaped me and my fandom. They inspired me to learn about the history of Alabama football, so that I could refute the arguments of bandwagon Auburn fans. They taught me to believe in upsets (1984) and miracles (1985). They showed me that I could live through a loss, even when it was hard. And they forged my identification with a group of college athletes I didn't know and would probably never meet. When I talked about Alabama playing well, I said that "we" did it. When facing another team's fans, I would tell them that they wouldn't beat "us." Although I would never play a snap of college football at Alabama (or anywhere else), I felt as much a part of the team as the players on the field.
I'm doing my best to raise my kids the same way.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
College Football Week 2: Contenders and Pretenders
Two weeks into the college football season, Saturday was a day of massive matchups and even more massive upsets. As always, there were clear winners and losers, as well as a team that lost without even playing. Once again, it's time for Contenders and Pretenders.
Contender - South Carolina (17-6 over Georgia). We praised the Gamecocks last week after their shellacking of Southern Miss, but reserved judgment on USC East until they faced the Georgia Bulldogs. Carolina defeated the Dawgs in convincing fashion, pounding them into submission with powerful running back Marcus Lattimore (37 car., 182 yds., 2 TD). The Gamecocks proved that they can compete with the upper echelon of the SEC East. Now they have to prove that they can sustain success.
Pretender - Boise State (Idle). After defeating #10 Virginia Tech 33-30 last Monday night, Boise State was the talk of the nation. Should they be allowed into the BCS Championship Game? Were they the number one team in the country? Did it matter that their conference is terrible if they have proven themselves over and over again? Shouldn't defeating a great Virginia Tech team in what was more or less a home game for the Hokies be enough to prove their worth? The question that every one should have been asking was, 'What if Virginia Tech isn't very good?' After FCS (that's I-AA to you and me) squad James Madison defeated the Hokies 21-16 at HOME on Saturday, it's clear that Virginia Tech is not a Top 25 caliber team, and now Boise State has no quality win to hang their little blue hat on. If the Broncos played in a good league, that wouldn't be the end of the world. But since they don't, the same process that could have vaulted them into the championship game with only one quality win will almost surely keep them out of it without one.
Contenders - Former Champs. One of the storylines going in to Saturday was that the three marquee matchups of the day featured rematches of former national championship game pairings from the past - #1 Alabama - #18 Penn State (1979 Sugar Bowl); #2 Ohio State - #12 Miami (2003 BCS Championship Game); and #10 Oklahoma - #17 Florida State (2001 BCS Championship Game). At the end of the day, all three games finished with the same three winners as those championships - Alabama, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. Other common factors were that none of the games were really close, with the higher-ranked home teams romping in each contest.
Pretenders - The ACC. The Atlantic Coast Conference has had a bad couple of years in football, finishing 2-6 in bowl games in 2008 and 3-4 in 2009. The conference suffered through an off-season that exposed the weak position it faces vis-a-vis television contracts and conference re-alignment. It hasn't placed a representative in the BCS national championship game in ten years, and it has been nearly that long since it had a serious contender. And it generally suffers from the characterization that its fans tolerate football season until basketball tips off. The 2010 season was supposed to be the one where the ACC started re-asserting itself, but the first two weeks have been abysmal. Virginia Tech, the highest-ranked ACC team preseason, suffered the aforementioned devastating losses to Boise State and James Madison. North Carolina lost part of its team to NCAA violations, then dropped a heartbreaker to an average LSU team. The defending ACC champ Georgia Tech fell to Kansas Saturday, who lost to FCS-level North Dakota State the previous week. Miami and Florida were both crushed in big matchups. It is entirely possible that no ACC team will remain in the top 20 when polls come out Monday. A lot is riding on Clemson's matchup with Auburn next week. The Tigers are the only upper-tier ACC team still undefeated after week two.
TossUp - The FCS. Nobody except the NCAA and the folks at the Worldwide Leader even seem to know what the FCS is. Regular Joes still call them I-AA. (For the record, the NCAA now calls that the Football Championship Subdivision.) That doesn't mean that FCS schools aren't getting a lot of notice though. Through two weeks of football, six FCS teams have defeated FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams. And although Kansas and Ole Miss gave the Big 12 and SEC a black eye last week, the Big Ten (Minnesota) and the ACC (Va. Tech) felt the wrath in week two. There were only five losses by FBS teams to FCS teams in all of 2009. The separation between the two subdivisions is as fuzzy as it has ever been.
Contender - South Carolina (17-6 over Georgia). We praised the Gamecocks last week after their shellacking of Southern Miss, but reserved judgment on USC East until they faced the Georgia Bulldogs. Carolina defeated the Dawgs in convincing fashion, pounding them into submission with powerful running back Marcus Lattimore (37 car., 182 yds., 2 TD). The Gamecocks proved that they can compete with the upper echelon of the SEC East. Now they have to prove that they can sustain success.
Pretender - Boise State (Idle). After defeating #10 Virginia Tech 33-30 last Monday night, Boise State was the talk of the nation. Should they be allowed into the BCS Championship Game? Were they the number one team in the country? Did it matter that their conference is terrible if they have proven themselves over and over again? Shouldn't defeating a great Virginia Tech team in what was more or less a home game for the Hokies be enough to prove their worth? The question that every one should have been asking was, 'What if Virginia Tech isn't very good?' After FCS (that's I-AA to you and me) squad James Madison defeated the Hokies 21-16 at HOME on Saturday, it's clear that Virginia Tech is not a Top 25 caliber team, and now Boise State has no quality win to hang their little blue hat on. If the Broncos played in a good league, that wouldn't be the end of the world. But since they don't, the same process that could have vaulted them into the championship game with only one quality win will almost surely keep them out of it without one.
Contenders - Former Champs. One of the storylines going in to Saturday was that the three marquee matchups of the day featured rematches of former national championship game pairings from the past - #1 Alabama - #18 Penn State (1979 Sugar Bowl); #2 Ohio State - #12 Miami (2003 BCS Championship Game); and #10 Oklahoma - #17 Florida State (2001 BCS Championship Game). At the end of the day, all three games finished with the same three winners as those championships - Alabama, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. Other common factors were that none of the games were really close, with the higher-ranked home teams romping in each contest.
Pretenders - The ACC. The Atlantic Coast Conference has had a bad couple of years in football, finishing 2-6 in bowl games in 2008 and 3-4 in 2009. The conference suffered through an off-season that exposed the weak position it faces vis-a-vis television contracts and conference re-alignment. It hasn't placed a representative in the BCS national championship game in ten years, and it has been nearly that long since it had a serious contender. And it generally suffers from the characterization that its fans tolerate football season until basketball tips off. The 2010 season was supposed to be the one where the ACC started re-asserting itself, but the first two weeks have been abysmal. Virginia Tech, the highest-ranked ACC team preseason, suffered the aforementioned devastating losses to Boise State and James Madison. North Carolina lost part of its team to NCAA violations, then dropped a heartbreaker to an average LSU team. The defending ACC champ Georgia Tech fell to Kansas Saturday, who lost to FCS-level North Dakota State the previous week. Miami and Florida were both crushed in big matchups. It is entirely possible that no ACC team will remain in the top 20 when polls come out Monday. A lot is riding on Clemson's matchup with Auburn next week. The Tigers are the only upper-tier ACC team still undefeated after week two.
TossUp - The FCS. Nobody except the NCAA and the folks at the Worldwide Leader even seem to know what the FCS is. Regular Joes still call them I-AA. (For the record, the NCAA now calls that the Football Championship Subdivision.) That doesn't mean that FCS schools aren't getting a lot of notice though. Through two weeks of football, six FCS teams have defeated FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams. And although Kansas and Ole Miss gave the Big 12 and SEC a black eye last week, the Big Ten (Minnesota) and the ACC (Va. Tech) felt the wrath in week two. There were only five losses by FBS teams to FCS teams in all of 2009. The separation between the two subdivisions is as fuzzy as it has ever been.
Game 2 Review: No. 1 Alabama 24, No. 18 Penn State 3
With all eyes on Tuscaloosa, the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide completely demolished Penn State in a renewal of one of the most interesting and historic series in college football. The postponement of the home-and-home series from the 2004/2005 seasons to 2010/2011 set Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions up to visit Tuscaloosa in the midst of an Alabama football renaissance, and the Tide smothered PSU from beginning to end.
My Seven Points on Game Two:
1. Trent Richardson is more than able to carry the load while Ingram recovers. Mark Ingram's knee injury kept him out of the game for the second straight week, but Trent Richardson made sure that he was hardly missed. Penn State had not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 17 games until Richardson slashed the Lions defense for 102 in the first half. He finished with 144 yards rushing on 22 carries and a touchdown, and caught an additional 4 passes for 46 yards. Much was made over the last few days of Richardson's freakish strength, and of course, there was the Sports Illustrated cover as well. The bottom line is, Trent is an amazing running back in his own right, and he and Ingram are arguably the top two backs in the country.
2. When you're good, "jinxes" don't matter. ESPN's Gameday visited Tuscaloosa for the sixth time today. Alabama was 0-5 coming in to the game tonight with GameDay on campus. Sports Illustrated featured Trent Richardson on the cover this week. The SI "cover jinx" is legendary. Fortunately, silly superstitions do not dress out for football games. Both "jinxes" quietly died in light of a decisive performance by Alabama and Richardson tonight.
3. At this point in his career, McElroy confidently executes the offense. While he wasn't perfect, McElroy turned in a workmanlike performance, completing 16 of 24 passes for 229 yards and 2 TD. McElroy has matured into a field general, managing the offense, making good decisions, hitting receivers in impossibly tight coverage, and just generally looking every bit the undefeated senior quarterback. We don't expect to see a mid-season slump from the Rhodes Scholar candidate this year like we did in 2009.
4. Special teams performed well, although not perfectly. Cade Foster did miss a long field goal, and a few Penn State kick returns gained more yardage than strictly necessary. Cody Mandell continued to impress with solid punting, averaging 37 yards on three punts. Overall, far from being the weak link that some expected, the special teams contributed solidly to the Alabama win.
5. Youth in the secondary was exposed a little bit tonight, relatively speaking. There were a few blown coverages. Lowery and Lester were out of position a couple of times, and there were some missed tackles and dropped interceptions. On the other hand, the Penn State quarterbacks combined for 14 of 31 passing with 156 yards and 3 interceptions, so the "problems" that we saw ended up being a lot less problematic in light of the results. Forcing turnovers is critical for any defense, and one of the differences tonight was that Alabama forced turnovers nearly every time the Nittany Lions were in the red zone.
6. Give me SEC officials any day. Rogers Redding and the Southeastern Conference officiating crews have taken a lot of hits over the the past couple of years. In fairness, some of it is deserved, and some is sour grapes. The Big Ten officials tonight, however, made several puzzling calls - none more so than the decision to give Penn State the ball back on an admittedly bizarre play. The Lions fumbled the ball in the red zone, Alabama cornerback Robert Lester picked it up and ran it nearly to the opposite end zone before having the ball ripped loose. Then Bama's Dre Kirkpatrick fell on the ball and had it punched out again while rolling on the ground. How Kirkpatrick was not ruled down, even after the replay, was unclear. In addition, the officials seemed to spot the ball a yard short every time Alabama hit the ground. We didn't notice poor spotting on the other side of the ball, however. All in all, it made us glad that we'll be done with Big Ten officials for the foreseeable future.
7. Everybody's talking about separation. In the last two years, the talk around the country has been about how Alabama and Florida had separated themselves from the rest of the SEC. After two weeks of football, it may be fair to say that the top two teams in the country, Alabama and Ohio State, have separated themselves from the rest of the nation. The Buckeyes looked strong while dispatching the Miami Hurricanes 36-24, and both the Tide and OSU should be favored in every game they both have the rest of the year. It's too early to book a trip to Glendale, Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl, but we wouldn't rule it out for either team.
My Seven Points on Game Two:
1. Trent Richardson is more than able to carry the load while Ingram recovers. Mark Ingram's knee injury kept him out of the game for the second straight week, but Trent Richardson made sure that he was hardly missed. Penn State had not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 17 games until Richardson slashed the Lions defense for 102 in the first half. He finished with 144 yards rushing on 22 carries and a touchdown, and caught an additional 4 passes for 46 yards. Much was made over the last few days of Richardson's freakish strength, and of course, there was the Sports Illustrated cover as well. The bottom line is, Trent is an amazing running back in his own right, and he and Ingram are arguably the top two backs in the country.
2. When you're good, "jinxes" don't matter. ESPN's Gameday visited Tuscaloosa for the sixth time today. Alabama was 0-5 coming in to the game tonight with GameDay on campus. Sports Illustrated featured Trent Richardson on the cover this week. The SI "cover jinx" is legendary. Fortunately, silly superstitions do not dress out for football games. Both "jinxes" quietly died in light of a decisive performance by Alabama and Richardson tonight.
3. At this point in his career, McElroy confidently executes the offense. While he wasn't perfect, McElroy turned in a workmanlike performance, completing 16 of 24 passes for 229 yards and 2 TD. McElroy has matured into a field general, managing the offense, making good decisions, hitting receivers in impossibly tight coverage, and just generally looking every bit the undefeated senior quarterback. We don't expect to see a mid-season slump from the Rhodes Scholar candidate this year like we did in 2009.
4. Special teams performed well, although not perfectly. Cade Foster did miss a long field goal, and a few Penn State kick returns gained more yardage than strictly necessary. Cody Mandell continued to impress with solid punting, averaging 37 yards on three punts. Overall, far from being the weak link that some expected, the special teams contributed solidly to the Alabama win.
5. Youth in the secondary was exposed a little bit tonight, relatively speaking. There were a few blown coverages. Lowery and Lester were out of position a couple of times, and there were some missed tackles and dropped interceptions. On the other hand, the Penn State quarterbacks combined for 14 of 31 passing with 156 yards and 3 interceptions, so the "problems" that we saw ended up being a lot less problematic in light of the results. Forcing turnovers is critical for any defense, and one of the differences tonight was that Alabama forced turnovers nearly every time the Nittany Lions were in the red zone.
6. Give me SEC officials any day. Rogers Redding and the Southeastern Conference officiating crews have taken a lot of hits over the the past couple of years. In fairness, some of it is deserved, and some is sour grapes. The Big Ten officials tonight, however, made several puzzling calls - none more so than the decision to give Penn State the ball back on an admittedly bizarre play. The Lions fumbled the ball in the red zone, Alabama cornerback Robert Lester picked it up and ran it nearly to the opposite end zone before having the ball ripped loose. Then Bama's Dre Kirkpatrick fell on the ball and had it punched out again while rolling on the ground. How Kirkpatrick was not ruled down, even after the replay, was unclear. In addition, the officials seemed to spot the ball a yard short every time Alabama hit the ground. We didn't notice poor spotting on the other side of the ball, however. All in all, it made us glad that we'll be done with Big Ten officials for the foreseeable future.
7. Everybody's talking about separation. In the last two years, the talk around the country has been about how Alabama and Florida had separated themselves from the rest of the SEC. After two weeks of football, it may be fair to say that the top two teams in the country, Alabama and Ohio State, have separated themselves from the rest of the nation. The Buckeyes looked strong while dispatching the Miami Hurricanes 36-24, and both the Tide and OSU should be favored in every game they both have the rest of the year. It's too early to book a trip to Glendale, Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl, but we wouldn't rule it out for either team.
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Game 1 Review: No. 1 Alabama 48, San Jose State 3
The 2010 edition of the Alabama Crimson Tide probably didn't expect much of a contest in its opener against San Jose State, and to be fair, it didn't get much of one. The Tide, however, did take care of business quickly and efficiently against the Spartans, and subsequently got some meaningful game experience to a number of young players. The result was a nice tune-up game for Penn State next Saturday.
My Seven Points on Game One:
1. Off-the-field distractions didn't seem to impact the team. The off-season had its share of opportunities to lose focus, with Mark Ingram's knee injury and Marcel Dareus' two-game suspension, not to mention that little matter of the 2009 national championship and the attendant media interest. Alabama did not seem to be affected on the field, however, even against a non-marquee team. Anyone who doubts that distracted, unfocused teams can look bad against over-matched opponents need only roam as far as Oxford or Gainesville. It is a tribute to the Tide's buy-in to Nick Saban's philosophy that Alabama came out enthusiastic and ready to play.
2. Special teams looked much better than expected. After losing the starting punter, kicker, kick returner and holder from last year's squad, Alabama's biggest question mark coming into the season was arguably special teams. Cody Mandell made two punts over 50 yards, and both Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster made every field goal and extra point attempted. Kickoff returns were decent, and while no one is going to approach Arenas as a punt returner, coverage on punts and kicks was good. Granted, SJSU is no great test, but the special teams overall contributed to the win and did everything they were asked to do.
3. Mark Ingram shouldn't have to hurry back. Ingram is a great player and leader, without question. He is the best blocker among the RBs, and he just doesn't turn the ball over. That being said, Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy, and Demetrius Goode all ran the ball really well against SJSU, and should give 'Bama the opportunity get Ingram back to 100 percent before he plays again, hopefully by the time SEC play begins.
4. Greg McElroy was totally in command. This is Greg's team. He was calm in the pocket, made great throws, and good decisions (the improvised toss to Richardson might have been the best). He looked like he was having fun and was totally confident, passing 13 of 15 for 218 yards and a TD in basically two quarters. He has continued to grow and mature into a real on-the-field leader.
5. It was good, however, to see McCarron early and often. Once the game started getting away from the Spartans, McCarron came in and almost immediately threw a fantastic touchdown pass to Julio Jones (fantastic more for the catch than the throw). Anyone who has been a Bama fan long enough to remember Brodie Croyle's season-ending knee injury (or David Smith's, if you want to go back another couple of decades) knows that the line between backup and starter can be one play. I like the fact that Saban got McCarron some game experience early, and seated McElroy, Richardson, and most of the other starters once the result was certain.
6. The stadium looks fantastic. I've been in and around Bryant-Denny Stadium many times, and have seen it from inside and out since the south end zone construction began, but you don't really get the full impact of it until it's full of rowdy fans. In a way, though, tonight was really a dress rehearsal. As great as 101,821 fans looked and felt against SJSU, no fan went into that game expecting anything but a blowout and a chance to see some new players get on the field. Next week will provide the first real chance to change the game with the enclosed space and crowd noise. That being said, the new work looks beautiful. Compared to the 70,000-81,000 seat structure that I experienced as a college student, it looks like a totally different place, and one that every 'Bama man (or woman) should be proud of.
7. Overall, this night was a success. Although it didn't provide the excitement that opening day has the last two years, the matchup with San Jose State provided something for this team that it needed. In 2008, Alabama's decisive win over Clemson gave the team the confidence that it could compete at a high level and set the stage for a great run that ended in Atlanta 12 games later. Last year, the victory over Virginia Tech established a fresh-faced young quarterback and inaugurated a national championship run. In 2010, the question is not talent but experience, and the game was lopsided enough that second, third and fourth-string players got significant time on the field. Beyond that, they mostly maintained the level of play and enthusiasm that the starters established. That is a good sign of things to come.
My Seven Points on Game One:
1. Off-the-field distractions didn't seem to impact the team. The off-season had its share of opportunities to lose focus, with Mark Ingram's knee injury and Marcel Dareus' two-game suspension, not to mention that little matter of the 2009 national championship and the attendant media interest. Alabama did not seem to be affected on the field, however, even against a non-marquee team. Anyone who doubts that distracted, unfocused teams can look bad against over-matched opponents need only roam as far as Oxford or Gainesville. It is a tribute to the Tide's buy-in to Nick Saban's philosophy that Alabama came out enthusiastic and ready to play.
2. Special teams looked much better than expected. After losing the starting punter, kicker, kick returner and holder from last year's squad, Alabama's biggest question mark coming into the season was arguably special teams. Cody Mandell made two punts over 50 yards, and both Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster made every field goal and extra point attempted. Kickoff returns were decent, and while no one is going to approach Arenas as a punt returner, coverage on punts and kicks was good. Granted, SJSU is no great test, but the special teams overall contributed to the win and did everything they were asked to do.
3. Mark Ingram shouldn't have to hurry back. Ingram is a great player and leader, without question. He is the best blocker among the RBs, and he just doesn't turn the ball over. That being said, Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy, and Demetrius Goode all ran the ball really well against SJSU, and should give 'Bama the opportunity get Ingram back to 100 percent before he plays again, hopefully by the time SEC play begins.
4. Greg McElroy was totally in command. This is Greg's team. He was calm in the pocket, made great throws, and good decisions (the improvised toss to Richardson might have been the best). He looked like he was having fun and was totally confident, passing 13 of 15 for 218 yards and a TD in basically two quarters. He has continued to grow and mature into a real on-the-field leader.
5. It was good, however, to see McCarron early and often. Once the game started getting away from the Spartans, McCarron came in and almost immediately threw a fantastic touchdown pass to Julio Jones (fantastic more for the catch than the throw). Anyone who has been a Bama fan long enough to remember Brodie Croyle's season-ending knee injury (or David Smith's, if you want to go back another couple of decades) knows that the line between backup and starter can be one play. I like the fact that Saban got McCarron some game experience early, and seated McElroy, Richardson, and most of the other starters once the result was certain.
6. The stadium looks fantastic. I've been in and around Bryant-Denny Stadium many times, and have seen it from inside and out since the south end zone construction began, but you don't really get the full impact of it until it's full of rowdy fans. In a way, though, tonight was really a dress rehearsal. As great as 101,821 fans looked and felt against SJSU, no fan went into that game expecting anything but a blowout and a chance to see some new players get on the field. Next week will provide the first real chance to change the game with the enclosed space and crowd noise. That being said, the new work looks beautiful. Compared to the 70,000-81,000 seat structure that I experienced as a college student, it looks like a totally different place, and one that every 'Bama man (or woman) should be proud of.
7. Overall, this night was a success. Although it didn't provide the excitement that opening day has the last two years, the matchup with San Jose State provided something for this team that it needed. In 2008, Alabama's decisive win over Clemson gave the team the confidence that it could compete at a high level and set the stage for a great run that ended in Atlanta 12 games later. Last year, the victory over Virginia Tech established a fresh-faced young quarterback and inaugurated a national championship run. In 2010, the question is not talent but experience, and the game was lopsided enough that second, third and fourth-string players got significant time on the field. Beyond that, they mostly maintained the level of play and enthusiasm that the starters established. That is a good sign of things to come.
Friday, September 03, 2010
College Football Day 1: Contenders and Pretenders
College football kicked off last night with 18(!) games. Although most of them were cakewalks, there were a few surprising moments. Without further adieu, here is what we learned last night as we wade into the 2010 season.
Contender - South Carolina (41-13 over Southern Miss). Every year since Steve Spurrier took the helm at South Carolina, Gamecock fans have been predicting success on the way to another eight-win season. This year, they might be right. Southern Miss was no great competition last night, but neither are they a team that surrenders a lot of 30-point blowouts. Carolina looked poised, confident and hungry last night. If they can get by Georgia next Saturday, they will prove themselves at least the second best team in the SEC East. After that, who knows?
Pretender - Pittsburgh (24-27 OT to Utah). The best thing that you can say about Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is that he has put Pitt back into the conversation since taking over the Panthers. Unfortunately, they seem to take two steps back for every step forward. Pitt blew a golden opportunity at Utah last night to capitalize on a top 15 ranking, a moderately high-profile opponent, and a winnable game. Pitt will still probably win a game or two this year that they shouldn't, but this was an chance to prove that they could play with the big boys, and they blew it.
Tossup - USC (49-36 over Hawaii). For all the blows that USC has taken over the off-season, many prognosticators still predicted that the talent level at USC would put them in contention for a conference title this year, if not the national championship. Last night's game at Hawaii showed that the Trojans have lots of offensive talent for certain. On the defense, which Monte Kiffin is supposed to own, there is a lot of work to be done. Granted, USC did not do any contact work at all in fall camp due to low numbers and the Warriors did surprise the USC coaching staff by running the pistol formation rather than their customary spread. But giving up nearly 600 yards to Hawaii, and getting good and gassed doing it, does not bode well for the rest of the season.
Punching Bag of the Week - UAB (31-32 to FAU). When will the Birmingham media stop treating UAB like they are a top-tier college football program (we're looking at YOU Birmingham News and WJOX)? The Blazers don't deserve to be treated like they are one step behind Alabama and Auburn. They aren't even one step behind Troy. This was supposed to be the year Neil Callaway had the Blazers in Conference USA contention. They even, somehow, pulled 25,000 fans to Legion Field on a Thursday night. And then they lay an egg against a team that they destroyed 56-29 last year. UAB ranks 101 out of 119 FBS teams in winning percentage (that's 18 spots below Vanderbilt, if you're keeping score). Compare that to Alabama (6th), Auburn (16th) and Troy (43rd). Put a fork in the Blazers. They are done.
Contender - South Carolina (41-13 over Southern Miss). Every year since Steve Spurrier took the helm at South Carolina, Gamecock fans have been predicting success on the way to another eight-win season. This year, they might be right. Southern Miss was no great competition last night, but neither are they a team that surrenders a lot of 30-point blowouts. Carolina looked poised, confident and hungry last night. If they can get by Georgia next Saturday, they will prove themselves at least the second best team in the SEC East. After that, who knows?
Pretender - Pittsburgh (24-27 OT to Utah). The best thing that you can say about Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is that he has put Pitt back into the conversation since taking over the Panthers. Unfortunately, they seem to take two steps back for every step forward. Pitt blew a golden opportunity at Utah last night to capitalize on a top 15 ranking, a moderately high-profile opponent, and a winnable game. Pitt will still probably win a game or two this year that they shouldn't, but this was an chance to prove that they could play with the big boys, and they blew it.
Tossup - USC (49-36 over Hawaii). For all the blows that USC has taken over the off-season, many prognosticators still predicted that the talent level at USC would put them in contention for a conference title this year, if not the national championship. Last night's game at Hawaii showed that the Trojans have lots of offensive talent for certain. On the defense, which Monte Kiffin is supposed to own, there is a lot of work to be done. Granted, USC did not do any contact work at all in fall camp due to low numbers and the Warriors did surprise the USC coaching staff by running the pistol formation rather than their customary spread. But giving up nearly 600 yards to Hawaii, and getting good and gassed doing it, does not bode well for the rest of the season.
Punching Bag of the Week - UAB (31-32 to FAU). When will the Birmingham media stop treating UAB like they are a top-tier college football program (we're looking at YOU Birmingham News and WJOX)? The Blazers don't deserve to be treated like they are one step behind Alabama and Auburn. They aren't even one step behind Troy. This was supposed to be the year Neil Callaway had the Blazers in Conference USA contention. They even, somehow, pulled 25,000 fans to Legion Field on a Thursday night. And then they lay an egg against a team that they destroyed 56-29 last year. UAB ranks 101 out of 119 FBS teams in winning percentage (that's 18 spots below Vanderbilt, if you're keeping score). Compare that to Alabama (6th), Auburn (16th) and Troy (43rd). Put a fork in the Blazers. They are done.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Review: No. 1 Alabama 37, No. 2 Texas 21
It wasn't easy. Alabama overcame an inspired comeback. Texas gave an heroic effort behind a freshman quarterback and an outstanding wide receiver. Alabama overcame two early turnovers. Texas intercepted a pass on a fake punt and inexplicably failed to field a short kickoff. Alabama overcame tons of history - the Heisman jinx, the underdog advantage, the 0-7-1 record against the Longhorns, and the fact that no coach in the modern era had ever won a national championship at two different schools. But Alabama did overcome, winning the 2009 BCS National Championship over the Texas Longhorns 37-21.
My Seven Points:
1. Alabama was able to win the game because they were able to run the ball. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram had 22 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns, fighting through a hamstring injury, while Trent Richardson ran 19 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive line was able to consistently block Texas, who had the top-ranked rushing defense in the country coming into the game and had not allowed a back to rush for 100 yards all season.
2. Nick Saban is the best college football coach in the country. You can make the case that Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll, Mack Brown or Jim Tressel deserve consideration for that title. But Saban has done something that no other coach in the modern era has ever done - win national titles at two different colleges. Building winning football programs at one school is difficult, and winning a national title is rare. Building winning football programs at multiple schools is the sign of a great coach, but catching lightning in a bottle in two totally different situations is virtually impossible. A majority of the nation believed when Alabama hired Saban from the Miami Dolphins that expectations of a national title among 'Bama fans were unrealistic. Saban was a liar and untrustworthy. He was overpaid. Alabama was living in the past. Rarely do so many people get proven wrong so thoroughly.
3. This may be the best TEAM in Alabama history. Alabama has a great history. The 1920 Crimson Tide paved the way for Southern football to be taken seriously with a 9-7 victory over Pennsylvania. The 1925 Tide defeated Washington in the first Rose Bowl ever for a team from the South. The 1961 Tide allowed only 25 points in ten games. In 1979 Alabama finished 12-0 and won Bear Bryant's sixth national title. The 1992 defense may have been the Tide's best.
But consider this: Alabama won 14 games this season - the most ever for a Tide team, and a feat matched only by three other teams (BYU 1996, Ohio State 2002, Boise State 2009). Alabama had six first-team All-Americans on this team, the most by any school ever. Alabama's Mark Ingram won the Heisman trophy, the first ever for the Tide. Rolando McClain won the Butkus Award, only the second in Alabama history. Leigh Tiffin led the country in field goals. Javier Arenas broke records for punt return yardage. Oh, and Greg McElroy has never lost a game as a starter. Top to bottom, this team is probably the most talented Crimson Tide squad, and the highest-achieving team in Alabama history.
4. The SEC is unquestionably the dominant football conference. Every year the college football world argues about which conference is the best. Every head-to-head matchup and bowl showdown is touted as "proof" that the ACC is terrible or the Mountain West is better than the Big Ten. But with Alabama's win tonight, the SEC has won four national championships in a row - the first time that has ever happened. Three in a row from one conference has happened twice before - 1940-1942 (Big Ten: Minnesota twice and Ohio State) and 1978-1980 (SEC: Alabama twice and Georgia), but the SEC has dominated since the BCS was implemented in 1998, winning six of the 12 titles, never having lost the game. (One might also argue that the 13-0 Auburn squad from 2004 should have been there as well.) Clearly, the level of competition at the top of the SEC is head and shoulders above the level of competition in any other conference. Throw in Florida, who finished third in the country and destroyed an unbeaten Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl, and even in what was termed a down year, the SEC's best still dominate.
5. Texas deserved to be in the title game. After Texas slipped by Nebraska in the Big 12 title game 13-12, many thought that the Longhorns weren't worthy of a title shot. The pundits said that TCU was stronger, or that Cincinnati deserved a shot. Clearly, now that the dust has cleared, Texas proved that they could go toe-to-toe with the Tide, while Cincinnati and TCU were both exposed in their bowl games. The Longhorns lost all-star quarterback Colt McCoy to a shoulder injury early in the first quarter, and had to throw an untested freshman - Garrett Gilbert - into the fire of a championship game. Texas adjusted, played defense, and cut a 24-6 lead to 24-21 and had the ball in the last three minutes with a chance to drive for the win. Injuries are a part of the game, and I'm sure that Texas fans will always wonder what might have been, but the 'Horns made a valiant effort to win the game when everyone thought that they had no chance without McCoy.
6. How long will it be before Nick Saban has a statue on the Walk of Champions? Four Alabama coaches have statues on the walkway to enter Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa - Paul 'Bear' Bryant, Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, and Gene Stallings - all of whom won national championships at Alabama. So now that Saban has the 2009 title, when will his statue be erected? Saban, predictably, doesn't care about the statue, and probably won't give it one thought on his own. But I suspect that Alabama will have a Nick Saban statue on the Walk by the time San Jose State visits the upgraded 101,000-seat stadium in September of 2010.
7. Can Alabama repeat? Even harder than winning a national title is winning repeat titles. Pundits predicted that Florida, who won the 2008 title and had Tim Tebow and their entire defense returning in 2009, would win the title this year. Of course the Gators fell short in the SEC Championship Game to Alabama. No team has repeated for the championship since Nebraska in 1994-95, although the AP broke ranks with the BCS and made USC its champion in 2003 (the Trojans won the BCS in 2004).
Alabama will lose a number of defensive starters to graduation and the NFL. However, the fact that McElroy, Ingram, Richardson, and Julio Jones, among others, will return in 2010 and that Alabama has recruited extremely well since Saban took over the reins probably means that the Tide will start 2010 at or near the top of the polls next year. Florida will lose a host of players to the NFL in February, and uncertainty at the head coaching position leave the Gators as a big question mark. No other SEC team appears poised to take the divisions away from the Tide and the Gators though. As we've seen, winning the SEC correlates pretty strongly to winning the national title. And of course, Alabama has already won repeat titles three times in its history - 1925-26, 1964-65 and 1978-79.
So, let's savor this one tonight. Tomorrow, "The Process" continues!
My Seven Points:
1. Alabama was able to win the game because they were able to run the ball. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram had 22 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns, fighting through a hamstring injury, while Trent Richardson ran 19 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive line was able to consistently block Texas, who had the top-ranked rushing defense in the country coming into the game and had not allowed a back to rush for 100 yards all season.
2. Nick Saban is the best college football coach in the country. You can make the case that Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll, Mack Brown or Jim Tressel deserve consideration for that title. But Saban has done something that no other coach in the modern era has ever done - win national titles at two different colleges. Building winning football programs at one school is difficult, and winning a national title is rare. Building winning football programs at multiple schools is the sign of a great coach, but catching lightning in a bottle in two totally different situations is virtually impossible. A majority of the nation believed when Alabama hired Saban from the Miami Dolphins that expectations of a national title among 'Bama fans were unrealistic. Saban was a liar and untrustworthy. He was overpaid. Alabama was living in the past. Rarely do so many people get proven wrong so thoroughly.
3. This may be the best TEAM in Alabama history. Alabama has a great history. The 1920 Crimson Tide paved the way for Southern football to be taken seriously with a 9-7 victory over Pennsylvania. The 1925 Tide defeated Washington in the first Rose Bowl ever for a team from the South. The 1961 Tide allowed only 25 points in ten games. In 1979 Alabama finished 12-0 and won Bear Bryant's sixth national title. The 1992 defense may have been the Tide's best.
But consider this: Alabama won 14 games this season - the most ever for a Tide team, and a feat matched only by three other teams (BYU 1996, Ohio State 2002, Boise State 2009). Alabama had six first-team All-Americans on this team, the most by any school ever. Alabama's Mark Ingram won the Heisman trophy, the first ever for the Tide. Rolando McClain won the Butkus Award, only the second in Alabama history. Leigh Tiffin led the country in field goals. Javier Arenas broke records for punt return yardage. Oh, and Greg McElroy has never lost a game as a starter. Top to bottom, this team is probably the most talented Crimson Tide squad, and the highest-achieving team in Alabama history.
4. The SEC is unquestionably the dominant football conference. Every year the college football world argues about which conference is the best. Every head-to-head matchup and bowl showdown is touted as "proof" that the ACC is terrible or the Mountain West is better than the Big Ten. But with Alabama's win tonight, the SEC has won four national championships in a row - the first time that has ever happened. Three in a row from one conference has happened twice before - 1940-1942 (Big Ten: Minnesota twice and Ohio State) and 1978-1980 (SEC: Alabama twice and Georgia), but the SEC has dominated since the BCS was implemented in 1998, winning six of the 12 titles, never having lost the game. (One might also argue that the 13-0 Auburn squad from 2004 should have been there as well.) Clearly, the level of competition at the top of the SEC is head and shoulders above the level of competition in any other conference. Throw in Florida, who finished third in the country and destroyed an unbeaten Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl, and even in what was termed a down year, the SEC's best still dominate.
5. Texas deserved to be in the title game. After Texas slipped by Nebraska in the Big 12 title game 13-12, many thought that the Longhorns weren't worthy of a title shot. The pundits said that TCU was stronger, or that Cincinnati deserved a shot. Clearly, now that the dust has cleared, Texas proved that they could go toe-to-toe with the Tide, while Cincinnati and TCU were both exposed in their bowl games. The Longhorns lost all-star quarterback Colt McCoy to a shoulder injury early in the first quarter, and had to throw an untested freshman - Garrett Gilbert - into the fire of a championship game. Texas adjusted, played defense, and cut a 24-6 lead to 24-21 and had the ball in the last three minutes with a chance to drive for the win. Injuries are a part of the game, and I'm sure that Texas fans will always wonder what might have been, but the 'Horns made a valiant effort to win the game when everyone thought that they had no chance without McCoy.
6. How long will it be before Nick Saban has a statue on the Walk of Champions? Four Alabama coaches have statues on the walkway to enter Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa - Paul 'Bear' Bryant, Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, and Gene Stallings - all of whom won national championships at Alabama. So now that Saban has the 2009 title, when will his statue be erected? Saban, predictably, doesn't care about the statue, and probably won't give it one thought on his own. But I suspect that Alabama will have a Nick Saban statue on the Walk by the time San Jose State visits the upgraded 101,000-seat stadium in September of 2010.
7. Can Alabama repeat? Even harder than winning a national title is winning repeat titles. Pundits predicted that Florida, who won the 2008 title and had Tim Tebow and their entire defense returning in 2009, would win the title this year. Of course the Gators fell short in the SEC Championship Game to Alabama. No team has repeated for the championship since Nebraska in 1994-95, although the AP broke ranks with the BCS and made USC its champion in 2003 (the Trojans won the BCS in 2004).
Alabama will lose a number of defensive starters to graduation and the NFL. However, the fact that McElroy, Ingram, Richardson, and Julio Jones, among others, will return in 2010 and that Alabama has recruited extremely well since Saban took over the reins probably means that the Tide will start 2010 at or near the top of the polls next year. Florida will lose a host of players to the NFL in February, and uncertainty at the head coaching position leave the Gators as a big question mark. No other SEC team appears poised to take the divisions away from the Tide and the Gators though. As we've seen, winning the SEC correlates pretty strongly to winning the national title. And of course, Alabama has already won repeat titles three times in its history - 1925-26, 1964-65 and 1978-79.
So, let's savor this one tonight. Tomorrow, "The Process" continues!
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
SEC in Review: Postseason
The SEC regular season is over. It's bowl season again, and it's time to review my predictions and the SEC season as a whole. First, my predictions:
1. Ole Miss will be good this year, and perhaps beat a team they shouldn't, but they will not go to the SEC Championship Game.
Ole Miss was good by Ole Miss standards (8-4 overall, 4-4 SEC) but finished third in the SEC West.
2. Vanderbilt will return to a bowl game.
No. Vanderbilt had a dismal season.
3. Of the three teams with a new coach (Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee), State will be the one that performs better than expected.
I think you could make a case that any of these teams was the best overall, but you could just as easily say that they failed to meet expectations. Auburn finished 7-5, which sounds good, unless you remember that they started off 5-0 - including losses to Kentucky and Georgia. Tennessee looked to have really righted the ship midseason, and they did finish 7-5 and second in the East. But then they tanked against Ole Miss, and second in the East was shared with four other teams. Mississippi State finished with a 5-7 record, which isn't great, but it is their second-best record since 2000, and given the fact that they wrapped the season with a blowout of hated rival Ole Miss, I will give the Bulldogs the nod.
4. Les Miles (LSU) will be on the coaching hot seat by the end of the year.
This didn't look likely to happen, until Miles shot both feet off in the Ole Miss game. After rectifying the clock management issues against Arkansas, Miles is safe for now, but the seat is definitely warmer than at mid-season.
5. Florida will beat Tennessee by at least 35 points.
Unfortunately, this didn't happen.
6. Alabama will win the SEC West.
Done.
7. Florida will win the SEC East.
Done.
8. Florida will win the SEC.
Wrong. Alabama crushed Florida 32-13 in the Championship Game.
9. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman Trophy.
Not likely. We'll find out Saturday. Expect the closest race we've seen in a while.
10. The national champion will come from outside the SEC this year.
We won't know this until January, obviously, but it will be either #1 Alabama or #2 Texas. Currently, I am picking the Tide.
Other observations:
Alabama (13-0, 8-0) - The Crimson Tide avenged last year's loss against the Gators in the SEC Championship game with a totally dominating performance. They have set themselves up to play for the team's 13th national championship against the Texas Longhorns as well as sweeping a number of postseason SEC accolades. My prediction: BCS Championship Game Result: BCS Championship Game vs. Texas
Arkansas (7-5, 3-5) - Arkansas has improved as a team over last year, but the overtime loss to LSU put a bit of a damper on things. The Hogs had an opportunity to tie for second in the West, but had to settle for fourth. My prediction: PapaJohns.com Bowl Result: Liberty Bowl vs. East Carolina
Auburn (7-5, 3-5) - Auburn started on a hot streak, winning five in a row, but finished the regular season with a 2-5 slide. Still, the Tigers' strong showing against Alabama has Auburn fans looking forward to the future under Gene Chizik. My prediction: Cotton Bowl Result: Outback Bowl vs. Northwestern
Florida (12-1, 8-0) - The Gators benefited from a weak schedule and honestly, a weak division. Florida is a good team, but missed an opportunity to be the greatest in school history. The only question remaining for the Gators is whether or not Tebow can bring them back from a devastating loss to the Tide. My prediction: Sugar Bowl Result: Sugar Bowl vs. Cincinnati
Georgia (7-5, 4-4) - The Bulldogs are an average team and finished with a disappointing record, but unlikely victories over Auburn and a top-10 Georgia Tech team helped ease the pain. Marc Richt has already cleaned house in an effort to keep himself off the hot seat, but next year may be make-or-break. My prediction: Chick-Fil-A Bowl Result: Independence Bowl vs. Texas A&M
Kentucky (7-5, 3-5) - Kentucky is a decent team, but missed an opportunity to make a good season a great one with an overtime loss to Tennessee. Still, historic victories over Auburn and Georgia, and the Wildcat's fourth consecutive bowl game, made 2009 a successful year for UK. My prediction: No bowl Result: Music City Bowl vs. Clemson
LSU (9-3, 5-3) - LSU's two losses to Alabama and Florida were not unexpected, but Les Miles' botching of the Ole Miss game was epic. Fortunately for Miles, he righted the ship against Arkansas. The Bayou Bengals still have an opportunity for a ten-win season, if they can take care of business against Penn State. My prediction: Capital One Bowl Result: Capital One Bowl vs. Penn State
Mississippi (8-4, 4-4)- Ole Miss is a split personality team, it seems. They tanked against South Carolina, Alabama, and Auburn, then seemed to be ready to turn things around by pummeling Tennessee and pulling out a miracle win over LSU. Then of course, they got dominated by MSU. Obviously, they did not win the West, and if anything, declined a bit compared to last year, although a big bowl win would help salvage the season somewhat. My prediction: Independence Bowl Result: Cotton Bowl vs. Oklahoma State
Mississippi State (5-7, 3-5) - State played a tough schedule out of conference (Houston, Georgia Tech) and in, and while they were unable to reach bowl eligibility, they go into the off-season feeling good about the program - especially the Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss. My prediction: Music City Bowl Result: No bowl
South Carolina (7-5, 3-5) - South Carolina didn't completely fall off the map at the end of the year, but close enough. Only a surprising victory over rival Clemson kept the season from a disastrous finish. Still, wrapping up 2009 in Birmingham is nothing to write home about. My prediction: Liberty Bowl Result: PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. Connecticut
Tennessee (7-5, 4-4) - Tennessee finished 2009 strong, despite laying an egg against Ole Miss (aka Dexter McCluster). The Vols got jobbed out of the Outback Bowl, but may have gotten a better game in the process. My prediction: Outback Bowl Result: Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. Virginia Tech
Vanderbilt (2-10, 0-8) - Just horrible, or in other words, back to normal. My prediction: No bowl Result: No bowl
1. Ole Miss will be good this year, and perhaps beat a team they shouldn't, but they will not go to the SEC Championship Game.
Ole Miss was good by Ole Miss standards (8-4 overall, 4-4 SEC) but finished third in the SEC West.
2. Vanderbilt will return to a bowl game.
No. Vanderbilt had a dismal season.
3. Of the three teams with a new coach (Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee), State will be the one that performs better than expected.
I think you could make a case that any of these teams was the best overall, but you could just as easily say that they failed to meet expectations. Auburn finished 7-5, which sounds good, unless you remember that they started off 5-0 - including losses to Kentucky and Georgia. Tennessee looked to have really righted the ship midseason, and they did finish 7-5 and second in the East. But then they tanked against Ole Miss, and second in the East was shared with four other teams. Mississippi State finished with a 5-7 record, which isn't great, but it is their second-best record since 2000, and given the fact that they wrapped the season with a blowout of hated rival Ole Miss, I will give the Bulldogs the nod.
4. Les Miles (LSU) will be on the coaching hot seat by the end of the year.
This didn't look likely to happen, until Miles shot both feet off in the Ole Miss game. After rectifying the clock management issues against Arkansas, Miles is safe for now, but the seat is definitely warmer than at mid-season.
5. Florida will beat Tennessee by at least 35 points.
Unfortunately, this didn't happen.
6. Alabama will win the SEC West.
Done.
7. Florida will win the SEC East.
Done.
8. Florida will win the SEC.
Wrong. Alabama crushed Florida 32-13 in the Championship Game.
9. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman Trophy.
Not likely. We'll find out Saturday. Expect the closest race we've seen in a while.
10. The national champion will come from outside the SEC this year.
We won't know this until January, obviously, but it will be either #1 Alabama or #2 Texas. Currently, I am picking the Tide.
Other observations:
Alabama (13-0, 8-0) - The Crimson Tide avenged last year's loss against the Gators in the SEC Championship game with a totally dominating performance. They have set themselves up to play for the team's 13th national championship against the Texas Longhorns as well as sweeping a number of postseason SEC accolades. My prediction: BCS Championship Game Result: BCS Championship Game vs. Texas
Arkansas (7-5, 3-5) - Arkansas has improved as a team over last year, but the overtime loss to LSU put a bit of a damper on things. The Hogs had an opportunity to tie for second in the West, but had to settle for fourth. My prediction: PapaJohns.com Bowl Result: Liberty Bowl vs. East Carolina
Auburn (7-5, 3-5) - Auburn started on a hot streak, winning five in a row, but finished the regular season with a 2-5 slide. Still, the Tigers' strong showing against Alabama has Auburn fans looking forward to the future under Gene Chizik. My prediction: Cotton Bowl Result: Outback Bowl vs. Northwestern
Florida (12-1, 8-0) - The Gators benefited from a weak schedule and honestly, a weak division. Florida is a good team, but missed an opportunity to be the greatest in school history. The only question remaining for the Gators is whether or not Tebow can bring them back from a devastating loss to the Tide. My prediction: Sugar Bowl Result: Sugar Bowl vs. Cincinnati
Georgia (7-5, 4-4) - The Bulldogs are an average team and finished with a disappointing record, but unlikely victories over Auburn and a top-10 Georgia Tech team helped ease the pain. Marc Richt has already cleaned house in an effort to keep himself off the hot seat, but next year may be make-or-break. My prediction: Chick-Fil-A Bowl Result: Independence Bowl vs. Texas A&M
Kentucky (7-5, 3-5) - Kentucky is a decent team, but missed an opportunity to make a good season a great one with an overtime loss to Tennessee. Still, historic victories over Auburn and Georgia, and the Wildcat's fourth consecutive bowl game, made 2009 a successful year for UK. My prediction: No bowl Result: Music City Bowl vs. Clemson
LSU (9-3, 5-3) - LSU's two losses to Alabama and Florida were not unexpected, but Les Miles' botching of the Ole Miss game was epic. Fortunately for Miles, he righted the ship against Arkansas. The Bayou Bengals still have an opportunity for a ten-win season, if they can take care of business against Penn State. My prediction: Capital One Bowl Result: Capital One Bowl vs. Penn State
Mississippi (8-4, 4-4)- Ole Miss is a split personality team, it seems. They tanked against South Carolina, Alabama, and Auburn, then seemed to be ready to turn things around by pummeling Tennessee and pulling out a miracle win over LSU. Then of course, they got dominated by MSU. Obviously, they did not win the West, and if anything, declined a bit compared to last year, although a big bowl win would help salvage the season somewhat. My prediction: Independence Bowl Result: Cotton Bowl vs. Oklahoma State
Mississippi State (5-7, 3-5) - State played a tough schedule out of conference (Houston, Georgia Tech) and in, and while they were unable to reach bowl eligibility, they go into the off-season feeling good about the program - especially the Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss. My prediction: Music City Bowl Result: No bowl
South Carolina (7-5, 3-5) - South Carolina didn't completely fall off the map at the end of the year, but close enough. Only a surprising victory over rival Clemson kept the season from a disastrous finish. Still, wrapping up 2009 in Birmingham is nothing to write home about. My prediction: Liberty Bowl Result: PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. Connecticut
Tennessee (7-5, 4-4) - Tennessee finished 2009 strong, despite laying an egg against Ole Miss (aka Dexter McCluster). The Vols got jobbed out of the Outback Bowl, but may have gotten a better game in the process. My prediction: Outback Bowl Result: Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. Virginia Tech
Vanderbilt (2-10, 0-8) - Just horrible, or in other words, back to normal. My prediction: No bowl Result: No bowl
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Review: No. 2 Alabama 32, No. 1 Florida 13
In what many billed as the biggest college football game of the 21st century (if not all-time), the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) dominated the number-1 Florida Gators (12-1) in all phases of the game. Alabama's defense was stifling, as expected, and Mark Ingram was back to his usual impressive self, but 'Bama quarterback Greg McElroy surprised and upstaged the former Heisman trophy winner and "greatest college football player of all time" Tim Tebow.
The Tide crushed the Gators in convincing fashion, shutting them out in the second half. Alabama will now head to Pasadena, CA for the BCS National Chmapionship game versus (likely) either Texas or TCU.
My Seven Points:
1. This game was won by the Alabama offensive and defensive lines. Alabama O-line pushed Florida back, opened holes, and protected Greg McElroy all day long, giving him time to find receivers. The D-line contained Tebow, disallowed Florida's running game, and contained the Gators' offense. Credit to all the big uglies for getting it done.
2. Mark Ingram may not win the Heisman, but he certainly deserves consideration for his performance in the championship. Ingram carried the ball 28 times for 113 yards. He scored three touchdowns, tying the SEC Championship Game record. He broke Alabama's single-season rushing record, gaining 1,542 yards on the season. His biggest play, though, may have been a 69-yard reception immediately following a second-quarter Florida touchdown that made the score 12-10. That run set up an Ingram touchdown run before the half, and Florida never got any closer.
3. Tim Tebow is a great player - a firey competitor, a talented runner, and a true leader. But Greg McElroy showed him up tonight. Every pregame analysis of this matchup was about how Alabama and Florida were very similar teams, with the main difference being Tebow's obvious superiority at quarterback. Tebow is a great player with a great record and has a lot of class. Everyone knows that. But McElroy consistently made great throws tonight. He didn't make any mistakes. And surprisingly, he made several key plays running the ball. Tebow didn't do any of these things tonight, and he had to for Florida to win.
4. The coaching staff put together a great game plan. It is rumored that Alabama has been preparing for Florida ever since last spring, and today it was obvious that it paid off. It's no secret that the 2008 SEC Championship left a bitter taste in the mouths of Coach Saban and the team, and they had no intention of repeating that today. Jim McElwain deserves a lot of credit for calling good plays, keeping Florida off balance from the very start.
5. Nick Saban - worth every penny. Many sportswriters made a huge stink about Saban leaving the Miami Dolphins to come to Alabama. Many accosted Alabama for paying Saban what seemed an exorbitant amount to do so. But Saban immediately righted the ship, bringing 92,000 fans to the A-Day spring game, bringing enthusiam and an iron will to the team, attracting fantastic recruiting classes, and now, an SEC championship, with a national title in reach. No one would argue now that Saban was worth it.
6. The Crimson Tide returns to the Rose Bowl. While it isn't the actual Rose Bowl game, Alabama has a history with the Rose Bowl that goes back to January 1, 1926. Alabama defeated the Washington Huskies 20-19 then, winning the 1925 national championship and putting Southern football on the map. Now, Southern football, especially SEC Football, is widely recognized as the best in the country and Alabama is at the pinnacle of that success. Alabama has played in the Rose Bowl more than any other team not in the Big Ten or Pac-10 (and more than many of those as well), and it even figures in the fight song. So it seems entirely appropriate for the Tide to return there to play for the title.
7. Alabama wins its 22nd SEC Championship. The most storied program in SEC history, Alabama has won more SEC titles than any other team (Tennessee is second with 13). The Tide also kept alive a streak with tonight's win - it has won at least one SEC title in every decade since the league came into existence. It is the only program in the league to have accomplished this. Tonight's game was the last opportunity to win a title in the decade of the 2000s. Alabama has now also reached 13-0 for the second season in its history (1992) and has an opportunity to finish 14-0 for the first time ever. Only BYU (1996) and Ohio State (2002) have won 14 games in a season, with only Ohio State finishing undefeated.
The Tide crushed the Gators in convincing fashion, shutting them out in the second half. Alabama will now head to Pasadena, CA for the BCS National Chmapionship game versus (likely) either Texas or TCU.
My Seven Points:
1. This game was won by the Alabama offensive and defensive lines. Alabama O-line pushed Florida back, opened holes, and protected Greg McElroy all day long, giving him time to find receivers. The D-line contained Tebow, disallowed Florida's running game, and contained the Gators' offense. Credit to all the big uglies for getting it done.
2. Mark Ingram may not win the Heisman, but he certainly deserves consideration for his performance in the championship. Ingram carried the ball 28 times for 113 yards. He scored three touchdowns, tying the SEC Championship Game record. He broke Alabama's single-season rushing record, gaining 1,542 yards on the season. His biggest play, though, may have been a 69-yard reception immediately following a second-quarter Florida touchdown that made the score 12-10. That run set up an Ingram touchdown run before the half, and Florida never got any closer.
3. Tim Tebow is a great player - a firey competitor, a talented runner, and a true leader. But Greg McElroy showed him up tonight. Every pregame analysis of this matchup was about how Alabama and Florida were very similar teams, with the main difference being Tebow's obvious superiority at quarterback. Tebow is a great player with a great record and has a lot of class. Everyone knows that. But McElroy consistently made great throws tonight. He didn't make any mistakes. And surprisingly, he made several key plays running the ball. Tebow didn't do any of these things tonight, and he had to for Florida to win.
4. The coaching staff put together a great game plan. It is rumored that Alabama has been preparing for Florida ever since last spring, and today it was obvious that it paid off. It's no secret that the 2008 SEC Championship left a bitter taste in the mouths of Coach Saban and the team, and they had no intention of repeating that today. Jim McElwain deserves a lot of credit for calling good plays, keeping Florida off balance from the very start.
5. Nick Saban - worth every penny. Many sportswriters made a huge stink about Saban leaving the Miami Dolphins to come to Alabama. Many accosted Alabama for paying Saban what seemed an exorbitant amount to do so. But Saban immediately righted the ship, bringing 92,000 fans to the A-Day spring game, bringing enthusiam and an iron will to the team, attracting fantastic recruiting classes, and now, an SEC championship, with a national title in reach. No one would argue now that Saban was worth it.
6. The Crimson Tide returns to the Rose Bowl. While it isn't the actual Rose Bowl game, Alabama has a history with the Rose Bowl that goes back to January 1, 1926. Alabama defeated the Washington Huskies 20-19 then, winning the 1925 national championship and putting Southern football on the map. Now, Southern football, especially SEC Football, is widely recognized as the best in the country and Alabama is at the pinnacle of that success. Alabama has played in the Rose Bowl more than any other team not in the Big Ten or Pac-10 (and more than many of those as well), and it even figures in the fight song. So it seems entirely appropriate for the Tide to return there to play for the title.
7. Alabama wins its 22nd SEC Championship. The most storied program in SEC history, Alabama has won more SEC titles than any other team (Tennessee is second with 13). The Tide also kept alive a streak with tonight's win - it has won at least one SEC title in every decade since the league came into existence. It is the only program in the league to have accomplished this. Tonight's game was the last opportunity to win a title in the decade of the 2000s. Alabama has now also reached 13-0 for the second season in its history (1992) and has an opportunity to finish 14-0 for the first time ever. Only BYU (1996) and Ohio State (2002) have won 14 games in a season, with only Ohio State finishing undefeated.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Review: No. 2 Alabama 26, Auburn 21
Auburn came in to the Iron Bowl throwing everything that they had at Alabama and landed two early touchdowns against the Tide. Facing a 14-0 deficit - the largest of the season, Alabama fought back to tie it up at the half. In the second half of the game, Auburn again struck early, and looked to be poised for the upset. But the Tide fought back, scoring two field goals and then driving 79 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 1:24 remaining.
The Tide can now look forward to next week's SEC Championship Game. Alabama has 21 SEC championships throughout its history, more than any other school. Alabama won the first SEC title in 1933 as well as the first SEC Championship Game in 1992. The Tide is also the only program to win a conference championship in every decade since the inception of the conference, although that record is in jeopardy. Alabama has to defeat Florida on Saturday to win a title in the 2000s. The Tide won its last title in 1999.
My Seven Points:
1. Greg McElroy came into his own as the Alabama quarterback today. McElroy took the ball down 21-20 with 8:32 remaining in the game at the Tide 21-yard line. On the 15-play drive he completed 7 of 8 passes for 62 yards, including the go-ahead score - a four-yard play action to Roy Upchurch. Throughout the drive, McElroy, who has still never lost a game as a starting quarterback, appeared to be poised and confident, and took control of the game. Auburn's plan was to hold Mark Ingram in check and force McElroy to beat them, and to their chagrin, he did.
2. Julio Jones had possibly the best performance of his Alabama career. While the yardage (9 receptions for 83 yards) wasn't his best, Jones made one clutch reception after another on the final drive, securing yardage and first downs to keep the drive alive. Jones also made several crucial blocks in the running game as well. He appears to be all the way back from his early season issues.
3. Javier Arenas probably made the difference in the game. Clutch returns from Arenas gave Alabama excellent field position in several key situations. Arenas returned one kickoff for 46 yards and two punts for a total of 67 yards., including a long of 56. Arenas now holds the SEC record for career punt return yardage (1,723) and is only 38 yards away for the all-time NCAA record. Not bad for a guy who nearly walked away from football three years ago.
4. Mark Ingram, on the other hand, was clearly not himself today. I'm not sure if Ingram is out of the Heisman race or not. It's certainly possible. But Ingram had 16 carries for 30 yards and appeared to be injured late in the game. He did not appear in the final drive.
5. In many ways, the Alabama defense struggled against Auburn's offense. Alabama held Auburn well below their season averages in total yardage and points, but did allow the Tigers 332 yards of offense, including 151 on the ground. Auburn achieved a lot of its yardage on big plays as well - a 67-yard TD run by Terrell Zachery and the 72-yard TD pass from Chris Todd to Darvin Adams. The key to the game, however, may have been the two turnovers that the defense forced, as well as the the last defensive stop before the Tide's final drive.
6. The Tide has completed something that had never been accomplished in SEC history. In 2008, Alabama became the first team in SEC history to complete an 12-0 undefeated regular season. Now the Tide has done it two years in a row. Not bad for only three years in to the Nick Saban era.
7. The Crimson Tide did its part to set up what may be the biggest SEC Championship game in conference history. Last year Alabama came into Atlanta ranked #1 and Florida came in #2. This year the roles are reversed, but the difference is that both teams have a chance to be undefeated as well. Alabama took care of business today, but Florida will need to knock off Florida State tomorrow to make it happen. Assuming that they do, one of the two teams will be in the BCS National Championship Game.
The Tide can now look forward to next week's SEC Championship Game. Alabama has 21 SEC championships throughout its history, more than any other school. Alabama won the first SEC title in 1933 as well as the first SEC Championship Game in 1992. The Tide is also the only program to win a conference championship in every decade since the inception of the conference, although that record is in jeopardy. Alabama has to defeat Florida on Saturday to win a title in the 2000s. The Tide won its last title in 1999.
My Seven Points:
1. Greg McElroy came into his own as the Alabama quarterback today. McElroy took the ball down 21-20 with 8:32 remaining in the game at the Tide 21-yard line. On the 15-play drive he completed 7 of 8 passes for 62 yards, including the go-ahead score - a four-yard play action to Roy Upchurch. Throughout the drive, McElroy, who has still never lost a game as a starting quarterback, appeared to be poised and confident, and took control of the game. Auburn's plan was to hold Mark Ingram in check and force McElroy to beat them, and to their chagrin, he did.
2. Julio Jones had possibly the best performance of his Alabama career. While the yardage (9 receptions for 83 yards) wasn't his best, Jones made one clutch reception after another on the final drive, securing yardage and first downs to keep the drive alive. Jones also made several crucial blocks in the running game as well. He appears to be all the way back from his early season issues.
3. Javier Arenas probably made the difference in the game. Clutch returns from Arenas gave Alabama excellent field position in several key situations. Arenas returned one kickoff for 46 yards and two punts for a total of 67 yards., including a long of 56. Arenas now holds the SEC record for career punt return yardage (1,723) and is only 38 yards away for the all-time NCAA record. Not bad for a guy who nearly walked away from football three years ago.
4. Mark Ingram, on the other hand, was clearly not himself today. I'm not sure if Ingram is out of the Heisman race or not. It's certainly possible. But Ingram had 16 carries for 30 yards and appeared to be injured late in the game. He did not appear in the final drive.
5. In many ways, the Alabama defense struggled against Auburn's offense. Alabama held Auburn well below their season averages in total yardage and points, but did allow the Tigers 332 yards of offense, including 151 on the ground. Auburn achieved a lot of its yardage on big plays as well - a 67-yard TD run by Terrell Zachery and the 72-yard TD pass from Chris Todd to Darvin Adams. The key to the game, however, may have been the two turnovers that the defense forced, as well as the the last defensive stop before the Tide's final drive.
6. The Tide has completed something that had never been accomplished in SEC history. In 2008, Alabama became the first team in SEC history to complete an 12-0 undefeated regular season. Now the Tide has done it two years in a row. Not bad for only three years in to the Nick Saban era.
7. The Crimson Tide did its part to set up what may be the biggest SEC Championship game in conference history. Last year Alabama came into Atlanta ranked #1 and Florida came in #2. This year the roles are reversed, but the difference is that both teams have a chance to be undefeated as well. Alabama took care of business today, but Florida will need to knock off Florida State tomorrow to make it happen. Assuming that they do, one of the two teams will be in the BCS National Championship Game.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Review: No. 2 Alabama 45, UT-Chattanooga 0
Well, the only unknowns for this week's game were 1) How long would Mark Ingram play? (a half), 2) would the Mocs score on Alabama? (an emphatic "No"), and 3) could the Tide escape without an significant injuries? (thankfully, "Yes"). Alabama was never seriously threatened by a Chattanooga team that finished with fewer than 100 yards of offense. The offense and special teams scored early and often and left ample time to get the second and third team players some time on the field in the last home game of the season. All-in-all, the best possible scenario for the second-ranked Tide.
My seven points:
1. Mark Ingram's day was perfect. Many wondered, and even asked Coach Saban, if Mark Ingram would play most of the game to pad his stats to impress Heisman voters. But Coach Saban's priorities are to do what's best for the team, and he explained that he wasn't going to play Ingram any longer than necessary. He finished with 102 yards, two big-play touchdowns, and a 9+ yard per carry average, all in the first half. Ingram's Heisman campaign will hinge on performances against Auburn and Florida. This game was relevant only in the sense that he looked good and didn't get hurt. Mission accomplished.
2. Javier Arenas set an SEC punt return record. Javier Arenas has already secured his position as the greatest Alabama punt returner of all time, but he is tantalizingly close to the best overall. Arenas returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown against UTC, setting the SEC record for career punt return touchdowns with seven. He is only 39 yards away from the all-time SEC record for punt return yards (held by Vanderbilt's Lee Nalley) and 105 yards away from Wes Welker's (Texas Tech) NCAA record of 1,761. Arenas has three more games to achieve that career milestone, and I believe he will get it. Congratulations to him.
3. Speaking of milestones, Mark Ingram is approaching another one. Ingram's 1,399 yards this season put him well within reach of Bobby Humphey's single season record of 1,471. Ingram, of course, will play 14 games in 2009, including the bowl game, which did not count in season stats until the 1990s. But longtime fans may remember that the 1986 season did feature 13 games for the Tide, including the Kickoff Classic against Ohio State. Regardless, Ingram currently trails Humphrey by less than 100 yards with three games to go, and eclipses single-season marks by former greats Shaun Alexander, Glen Coffee, and Shaud Williams.
4. Superlative defense is again the theme of the day. Even in the second half, the the starters safely ensconced on the sideline, the Tide defense continued to dominate. The Tide allowed just 48 yards rushing and 36 yards passing to the Mocs, a total of 84 yards of offense. The Mocs had only five first downs and three turnovers, all interceptions.
5. The Tide has a short week to prepare for Auburn. The other good part about being able to pull the starters early today is that Alabama has a limited amount of time to prepare for Auburn next Friday. The Tide will most likely travel on Thursday, which means basically three days of work before the game. Auburn, of course, has had almost two weeks to get ready for the Crimson Tide. On the other hand, Alabama will get to watch Florida play Florida State next Saturday, and will have an extra day of rest before the SEC Championship.
6. Speaking of off weeks, have you ever noticed that Alabama's opponents have a bye before playing the Tide an awful lot? I've commented on it many times in the past, but the contrast in bye weeks between Alabama and the other teams in the SEC is even more striking when it is examined statistically. RollBamaRoll has featured a couple of detailed articles on this phenomenon, but this is an eye opener:
Total SEC opponents coming off bye weeks, 2007-2010
Alabama - 17
LSU - 5
Tennessee - 4
Florida - 4
Vanderbilt - 3
Georgia - 3
Auburn - 3
Kentucky - 2
Mississippi State - 1
Mississippi - 1
South Carolina - 0
Arkansas - 0
This means that in the 32 SEC games that Alabama has during this four-year period, the opponent has a bye week before the game over 50% of the time! The most anyone else has is five. Part of this is controlled by the school, part by the SEC office, but it's a pretty amazing statistic. So when you hear someone say, "They may not be a great team, but they always play Alabama hard" you'll know why. Chances are that they had a week off.
7. Pause a moment in honor of 2009's senior class. The seniors of 2009 were the last full class recruited by Mike Shula, and had to endure the Tide's last losing season, in 2006. A few have been major contributors (especially on defense), a few have been relegated to the background, and one or two considered leaving altogether (including Arenas). But this senior class has accomplished something that has not been done at Alabama in decades, winning ten or more games in consecutive years, and still has every team goal in its sights.
My seven points:
1. Mark Ingram's day was perfect. Many wondered, and even asked Coach Saban, if Mark Ingram would play most of the game to pad his stats to impress Heisman voters. But Coach Saban's priorities are to do what's best for the team, and he explained that he wasn't going to play Ingram any longer than necessary. He finished with 102 yards, two big-play touchdowns, and a 9+ yard per carry average, all in the first half. Ingram's Heisman campaign will hinge on performances against Auburn and Florida. This game was relevant only in the sense that he looked good and didn't get hurt. Mission accomplished.
2. Javier Arenas set an SEC punt return record. Javier Arenas has already secured his position as the greatest Alabama punt returner of all time, but he is tantalizingly close to the best overall. Arenas returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown against UTC, setting the SEC record for career punt return touchdowns with seven. He is only 39 yards away from the all-time SEC record for punt return yards (held by Vanderbilt's Lee Nalley) and 105 yards away from Wes Welker's (Texas Tech) NCAA record of 1,761. Arenas has three more games to achieve that career milestone, and I believe he will get it. Congratulations to him.
3. Speaking of milestones, Mark Ingram is approaching another one. Ingram's 1,399 yards this season put him well within reach of Bobby Humphey's single season record of 1,471. Ingram, of course, will play 14 games in 2009, including the bowl game, which did not count in season stats until the 1990s. But longtime fans may remember that the 1986 season did feature 13 games for the Tide, including the Kickoff Classic against Ohio State. Regardless, Ingram currently trails Humphrey by less than 100 yards with three games to go, and eclipses single-season marks by former greats Shaun Alexander, Glen Coffee, and Shaud Williams.
4. Superlative defense is again the theme of the day. Even in the second half, the the starters safely ensconced on the sideline, the Tide defense continued to dominate. The Tide allowed just 48 yards rushing and 36 yards passing to the Mocs, a total of 84 yards of offense. The Mocs had only five first downs and three turnovers, all interceptions.
5. The Tide has a short week to prepare for Auburn. The other good part about being able to pull the starters early today is that Alabama has a limited amount of time to prepare for Auburn next Friday. The Tide will most likely travel on Thursday, which means basically three days of work before the game. Auburn, of course, has had almost two weeks to get ready for the Crimson Tide. On the other hand, Alabama will get to watch Florida play Florida State next Saturday, and will have an extra day of rest before the SEC Championship.
6. Speaking of off weeks, have you ever noticed that Alabama's opponents have a bye before playing the Tide an awful lot? I've commented on it many times in the past, but the contrast in bye weeks between Alabama and the other teams in the SEC is even more striking when it is examined statistically. RollBamaRoll has featured a couple of detailed articles on this phenomenon, but this is an eye opener:
Total SEC opponents coming off bye weeks, 2007-2010
Alabama - 17
LSU - 5
Tennessee - 4
Florida - 4
Vanderbilt - 3
Georgia - 3
Auburn - 3
Kentucky - 2
Mississippi State - 1
Mississippi - 1
South Carolina - 0
Arkansas - 0
This means that in the 32 SEC games that Alabama has during this four-year period, the opponent has a bye week before the game over 50% of the time! The most anyone else has is five. Part of this is controlled by the school, part by the SEC office, but it's a pretty amazing statistic. So when you hear someone say, "They may not be a great team, but they always play Alabama hard" you'll know why. Chances are that they had a week off.
7. Pause a moment in honor of 2009's senior class. The seniors of 2009 were the last full class recruited by Mike Shula, and had to endure the Tide's last losing season, in 2006. A few have been major contributors (especially on defense), a few have been relegated to the background, and one or two considered leaving altogether (including Arenas). But this senior class has accomplished something that has not been done at Alabama in decades, winning ten or more games in consecutive years, and still has every team goal in its sights.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Review: No. 2 Alabama 31, Mississippi State 3
Mississippi State used every possible morale builder in their arsenal - including black jerseys, a record-crowd boosted by extra seating and standing room only tickets, even a smoke machine-aided entrance - but it wasn't enough to lift the Bulldogs past the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday.
'Bama turned in a strong offensive performance, knocking the Bulldogs out with big plays, especially in the fourth quarter. State was able to move the ball on the Tide at times. The Bulldogs had 113 yards rushing as a team, just the second time this year that Alabama has given up more than 100, but missed opportunities and stingy defense kept MSU out of the end zone, and the Tide rolled to 10-0 (7-0 SEC) on the season.
My seven points:
1. The Tide took care of business in a difficult test tonight. Mississippi State has played one of the toughest schedules in the country this year, and their record (4-6, 2-4 SEC) shows it. But this team was down by three to Florida with ten minutes left in the game, led Houston going in the the fourth quarter of that game, and came within a yard of defeating LSU. After a physical, emotional game against LSU, Alabama figured to be vulnerable to an upset. Mississippi State did everything that they could to fire up the fans, and the team played hard, but Alabama's superior speed, talent and strength wore the Bulldogs down. The Tide did what they had to do and looked pretty good doing it. (By the way, can we all agree now that putting on black jerseys, or helmets, etc., doesn't make you a better team? I have never been more proud of Alabama's ultra-traditional uniforms.)
2. The offensive game plan showed much improvement over LSU. I was not a fan of the pass-first plan last week, and I think the win had more to do with committing to the run in the second half than it did with "loosening up" the corners by passing the ball. The offensive plan for Mississippi State on the other hand, was largely successful, mixing the run and pass within drives and getting the ball to the playmakers. Julio Jones, Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks all saw multiple receptions, and Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson continued to pound the rock. The only person I missed in the gameplan was tight end Colin Peek, who I assume is still feeling the effects of his knee sprain, although he did see more game action today.
3. The one player I expected us to miss this year in the defense was Rashad Johnson. The fact that we have not missed the All-American significantly is due in large part to Mark Barron, who should be SEC Defensive player of the week after tonight's game. Barron intercepted two passes, one of which was a spectacular diving catch, and would have caught another if Marquis Johnson has not taken it from his hands. Barron also broke up what appeared to be a sure touchdown with what looked like a 40-inch leap. The sophomore safety is getting better every week. I expect that we'll see him playing on Sunday in a year or two.
4. Speaking of Marquis Johnson, have you ever seen a player who improved on the field as much as he has over his four years at the University? Saban has helped turn this young man into an NFL-caliber cornerback. Proving that his performance against South Carolina (where he broke up one fade route after another to the corner of the end zone) was no fluke, Johnson again made several acrobatic plays to stop sure touchdown passes from the Bulldogs late in the game, without resorting to interfering with the receiver. Although Johnson did get burned on an interference call early on the first MSU drive, he recovered nicely, keeping the Bulldogs off the board on at least three different occasions, and picking off the last gasp throw just for good measure.
5. ESPN's primetime college team is good. Like most 'Bama fans, I don't care much for CBS's main play-by-play team of Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson (CBS's second team is much worse, by the way). It is always a breath of fresh air when we have a game that is called by Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge of ESPN. Not only do they do a better job with the human interest stuff (Taste of the Town is a always interesting and often good for a laugh), but they just don't get in the way of the game. They also made two really prescient calls tonight. First, Blackledge was talking about how Alabama HAD to get the ball to Julio Jones to win a national championship mere seconds before Greg McElroy dropped back and hit a wide-open Jones on a 48-yard touchdown. On the next possession, it was Nessler's turn, commenting that this was the time in the game that Alabama would just hand the ball to Mark Ingram a split second before McElroy handed him the ball for a 70-yard touchdown. It was like they knew what was coming before it happened, and it takes a lot of research to make things look that effortless.
6. Alabama and Florida really are two sides of the same coin. The similarities between the Tide and the Gators this year really are striking. From the defensive stats, to the points per game, to the red zone woes, to the fairly lackluster quarterback stats, there is not a whole lot of difference on paper between the two teams. Both will finish the season up with a tuneup game, and then a big rival, and meet in three weeks at the SEC Championship. Given the way that the two teams are playing right now, I'd give the edge to Alabama. The Tide is showing more consistency on offense the last couple of weeks, while Florida has continued to struggle. However, I don't expect anything but a hard-fought, closely-contested game between two of the best teams in the country. It doesn't get much better than that.
7. One more record in the books. Alabama reached the 10-0 mark for the 17th time in the program's 115-year history, an NCAA record. Alabama has had 30 ten-win seasons, which is second in the NCAA behind Oklahoma (31). It is the first time that Alabama has had consecutive 10-0 starts since the 1973-74 seasons, and the first time in Coach Nick Saban's career that he has had consecutive ten-win seasons.
'Bama turned in a strong offensive performance, knocking the Bulldogs out with big plays, especially in the fourth quarter. State was able to move the ball on the Tide at times. The Bulldogs had 113 yards rushing as a team, just the second time this year that Alabama has given up more than 100, but missed opportunities and stingy defense kept MSU out of the end zone, and the Tide rolled to 10-0 (7-0 SEC) on the season.
My seven points:
1. The Tide took care of business in a difficult test tonight. Mississippi State has played one of the toughest schedules in the country this year, and their record (4-6, 2-4 SEC) shows it. But this team was down by three to Florida with ten minutes left in the game, led Houston going in the the fourth quarter of that game, and came within a yard of defeating LSU. After a physical, emotional game against LSU, Alabama figured to be vulnerable to an upset. Mississippi State did everything that they could to fire up the fans, and the team played hard, but Alabama's superior speed, talent and strength wore the Bulldogs down. The Tide did what they had to do and looked pretty good doing it. (By the way, can we all agree now that putting on black jerseys, or helmets, etc., doesn't make you a better team? I have never been more proud of Alabama's ultra-traditional uniforms.)
2. The offensive game plan showed much improvement over LSU. I was not a fan of the pass-first plan last week, and I think the win had more to do with committing to the run in the second half than it did with "loosening up" the corners by passing the ball. The offensive plan for Mississippi State on the other hand, was largely successful, mixing the run and pass within drives and getting the ball to the playmakers. Julio Jones, Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks all saw multiple receptions, and Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson continued to pound the rock. The only person I missed in the gameplan was tight end Colin Peek, who I assume is still feeling the effects of his knee sprain, although he did see more game action today.
3. The one player I expected us to miss this year in the defense was Rashad Johnson. The fact that we have not missed the All-American significantly is due in large part to Mark Barron, who should be SEC Defensive player of the week after tonight's game. Barron intercepted two passes, one of which was a spectacular diving catch, and would have caught another if Marquis Johnson has not taken it from his hands. Barron also broke up what appeared to be a sure touchdown with what looked like a 40-inch leap. The sophomore safety is getting better every week. I expect that we'll see him playing on Sunday in a year or two.
4. Speaking of Marquis Johnson, have you ever seen a player who improved on the field as much as he has over his four years at the University? Saban has helped turn this young man into an NFL-caliber cornerback. Proving that his performance against South Carolina (where he broke up one fade route after another to the corner of the end zone) was no fluke, Johnson again made several acrobatic plays to stop sure touchdown passes from the Bulldogs late in the game, without resorting to interfering with the receiver. Although Johnson did get burned on an interference call early on the first MSU drive, he recovered nicely, keeping the Bulldogs off the board on at least three different occasions, and picking off the last gasp throw just for good measure.
5. ESPN's primetime college team is good. Like most 'Bama fans, I don't care much for CBS's main play-by-play team of Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson (CBS's second team is much worse, by the way). It is always a breath of fresh air when we have a game that is called by Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge of ESPN. Not only do they do a better job with the human interest stuff (Taste of the Town is a always interesting and often good for a laugh), but they just don't get in the way of the game. They also made two really prescient calls tonight. First, Blackledge was talking about how Alabama HAD to get the ball to Julio Jones to win a national championship mere seconds before Greg McElroy dropped back and hit a wide-open Jones on a 48-yard touchdown. On the next possession, it was Nessler's turn, commenting that this was the time in the game that Alabama would just hand the ball to Mark Ingram a split second before McElroy handed him the ball for a 70-yard touchdown. It was like they knew what was coming before it happened, and it takes a lot of research to make things look that effortless.
6. Alabama and Florida really are two sides of the same coin. The similarities between the Tide and the Gators this year really are striking. From the defensive stats, to the points per game, to the red zone woes, to the fairly lackluster quarterback stats, there is not a whole lot of difference on paper between the two teams. Both will finish the season up with a tuneup game, and then a big rival, and meet in three weeks at the SEC Championship. Given the way that the two teams are playing right now, I'd give the edge to Alabama. The Tide is showing more consistency on offense the last couple of weeks, while Florida has continued to struggle. However, I don't expect anything but a hard-fought, closely-contested game between two of the best teams in the country. It doesn't get much better than that.
7. One more record in the books. Alabama reached the 10-0 mark for the 17th time in the program's 115-year history, an NCAA record. Alabama has had 30 ten-win seasons, which is second in the NCAA behind Oklahoma (31). It is the first time that Alabama has had consecutive 10-0 starts since the 1973-74 seasons, and the first time in Coach Nick Saban's career that he has had consecutive ten-win seasons.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
SEC in Review: Week Nine
The SEC season is three-fourths over and winding down. The title game participants have already been decided. Let's review my preseason predictions, and where we stand in the best conference in college football.
1. Ole Miss will be good this year, and perhaps beat a team they shouldn't, but they will not go to the SEC Championship Game.
Ole Miss has turned out to be a pretty average team. They could still surprise me, by winning against Tennessee and/or LSU, but I honestly doubt it.
2. Vanderbilt will return to a bowl game.
No. Vanderbilt has regressed considerably.
3. Of the three teams with a new coach (Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee), State will be the one that performs better than expected.
Early on this looked like Auburn running away, but the Tigers (7-3) have fallen back to earth. Tennessee (4-4) has played well recently, but has dropped three winnable games. Mississippi State is 4-5 and has improved along the way while facing a brutal schedule. If State could pull out wins against Arkansas and Ole Miss and get a bowl bid, then i will be totally vindicated.
4. Les Miles (LSU) will be on the coaching hot seat by the end of the year.
Not likely. LSU has improved over last year, especially defensively. Their two losses have come to Florida and Alabama, and they could legitimately finish 11-2.
5. Florida will beat Tennessee by at least 35 points.
Unfortunately, this didn't happen.
6. Alabama will win the SEC West.
Done.
7. Florida will win the SEC East.
Done.
8. Florida will win the SEC.
This one is still undecided and will be until December 5. Florida hasn't looked incredibly impressive this year, but they do know how to win. If both teams make it to the game undefeated... wow, it's going to be a slugfest.
9. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman Trophy.
If he does it will be based on his body of work rather than this year. Surprisingly, the front-runner appears to be Mark Ingram.
10. The national champion will come from outside the SEC this year.
We won't know this until January, obviously, but with Florida at #1 and Alabama at #3, an SEC representative is relatively likely to make it to Pasadena. I just don't see anyone else knocking the SEC champ off at this point, although Texas is the odds-on favorite to face them.
Other observations:
Alabama - The Tide will play Florida again in the title game for all the marbles, assuming they take care of business the next three weeks. Winning 21 of the last 23 games has probably given the Tide more confidence this time around and Florida looks vulnerable. This could be one for the ages. My prediction: Alabama plays in the BCS National Championship Game
Arkansas - Arkansas has improved as a team over last year, but may have missed an opportunity to take the next step against Ole Miss. Still, the Hogs should make a bowl game. The missing piece for this team is defense. My prediction: PapaJohns.com Bowl
Auburn - Auburn has been streaky this year, winning five in a row, then losing three straight, now winning the last two. Now an 8-4 finish looks achievable, which is quite an accomplishment given the situation Chizik inherited. My prediction: Cotton Bowl
Florida - The Gators have benefited from a weak schedule and honestly, a weak division. Florida is a good team, but are they a great one? The only question remaining for the Gators is whether or not Tebow can will them to another championship. My prediction: Sugar Bowl
Georgia - The Bulldogs are an average team. They could salvage this season by winning out, but it won't be easy. Auburn, Kentucky and Georgia Tech are all capable of beating the 'Dawgs, and the difference between 5-7 and 8-4 is huge for Mark Richt. At the very least, look for defensive coordinator Willie Martinez to get the boot at the end of the season. My prediction: Chick-Fil-A Bowl
Kentucky - Kentucky is a decent team, but not a great one. Next weekend's game at Vandy is their best chance to get bowl-eligible, but a win over either Georgia or Tennessee would cement it. My prediction: Bowl eligible, but nowhere to go.
LSU - LSU has seemed to hit its stride over the last few weeks, despite the setback at Alabama. The offense has gotten steadily better and the defense has kept the Bayou Bengals in every game. After receiving a number of injuries during the 'Bama game, it remains to be seen how the Tigers will be affected. My prediction: Capital One Bowl
Mississippi - Ole Miss has played one good game this year (Arkansas) and three bad ones (South Carolina, Alabama, and Auburn). The Rebs are bowl eligible now at 6-3, but they could conceivably lose the last three on the schedule. Not what Colonel Reb was expecting with the SEC championship hype. I predict that Ole Miss will finish 7-5, and go to the Independence Bowl, which is where they should expect to hang out for a while. My prediction: Independence Bowl
Mississippi State - State has played a tough schedule out of conference (Houston, Georgia Tech) and in, but last week's win against Kentucky could have been a turning point. Expect them to give Alabama all they can handle next weekend. Still, the road to bowl eligibility will be difficult. State will have to pick up wins against both Arkansas and Ole Miss to get there. My prediction: Music City Bowl
South Carolina - South Carolina looked like a player at mid-season, but with two consecutive losses and Florida coming up next week, the Gamecocks look to be on another patented late-season slide. If the 'Cocks lose to the Gators and to Clemson in two weeks, finishing 6-6, don't be surprised to hear for calls for Spurrier to retire (or be fired). How the mighty have fallen. My prediction: Liberty Bowl
Tennessee - The Vols have looked mighty strong since losing to Auburn in early October, and they seem to have finally found out how to play offense in Knoxville. I wouldn't be surprised to see Tennessee finish 8-4. My prediction: Outback Bowl
Vanderbilt - Just horrible, or in other words, back to normal. My prediction: No bowl game
1. Ole Miss will be good this year, and perhaps beat a team they shouldn't, but they will not go to the SEC Championship Game.
Ole Miss has turned out to be a pretty average team. They could still surprise me, by winning against Tennessee and/or LSU, but I honestly doubt it.
2. Vanderbilt will return to a bowl game.
No. Vanderbilt has regressed considerably.
3. Of the three teams with a new coach (Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee), State will be the one that performs better than expected.
Early on this looked like Auburn running away, but the Tigers (7-3) have fallen back to earth. Tennessee (4-4) has played well recently, but has dropped three winnable games. Mississippi State is 4-5 and has improved along the way while facing a brutal schedule. If State could pull out wins against Arkansas and Ole Miss and get a bowl bid, then i will be totally vindicated.
4. Les Miles (LSU) will be on the coaching hot seat by the end of the year.
Not likely. LSU has improved over last year, especially defensively. Their two losses have come to Florida and Alabama, and they could legitimately finish 11-2.
5. Florida will beat Tennessee by at least 35 points.
Unfortunately, this didn't happen.
6. Alabama will win the SEC West.
Done.
7. Florida will win the SEC East.
Done.
8. Florida will win the SEC.
This one is still undecided and will be until December 5. Florida hasn't looked incredibly impressive this year, but they do know how to win. If both teams make it to the game undefeated... wow, it's going to be a slugfest.
9. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman Trophy.
If he does it will be based on his body of work rather than this year. Surprisingly, the front-runner appears to be Mark Ingram.
10. The national champion will come from outside the SEC this year.
We won't know this until January, obviously, but with Florida at #1 and Alabama at #3, an SEC representative is relatively likely to make it to Pasadena. I just don't see anyone else knocking the SEC champ off at this point, although Texas is the odds-on favorite to face them.
Other observations:
Alabama - The Tide will play Florida again in the title game for all the marbles, assuming they take care of business the next three weeks. Winning 21 of the last 23 games has probably given the Tide more confidence this time around and Florida looks vulnerable. This could be one for the ages. My prediction: Alabama plays in the BCS National Championship Game
Arkansas - Arkansas has improved as a team over last year, but may have missed an opportunity to take the next step against Ole Miss. Still, the Hogs should make a bowl game. The missing piece for this team is defense. My prediction: PapaJohns.com Bowl
Auburn - Auburn has been streaky this year, winning five in a row, then losing three straight, now winning the last two. Now an 8-4 finish looks achievable, which is quite an accomplishment given the situation Chizik inherited. My prediction: Cotton Bowl
Florida - The Gators have benefited from a weak schedule and honestly, a weak division. Florida is a good team, but are they a great one? The only question remaining for the Gators is whether or not Tebow can will them to another championship. My prediction: Sugar Bowl
Georgia - The Bulldogs are an average team. They could salvage this season by winning out, but it won't be easy. Auburn, Kentucky and Georgia Tech are all capable of beating the 'Dawgs, and the difference between 5-7 and 8-4 is huge for Mark Richt. At the very least, look for defensive coordinator Willie Martinez to get the boot at the end of the season. My prediction: Chick-Fil-A Bowl
Kentucky - Kentucky is a decent team, but not a great one. Next weekend's game at Vandy is their best chance to get bowl-eligible, but a win over either Georgia or Tennessee would cement it. My prediction: Bowl eligible, but nowhere to go.
LSU - LSU has seemed to hit its stride over the last few weeks, despite the setback at Alabama. The offense has gotten steadily better and the defense has kept the Bayou Bengals in every game. After receiving a number of injuries during the 'Bama game, it remains to be seen how the Tigers will be affected. My prediction: Capital One Bowl
Mississippi - Ole Miss has played one good game this year (Arkansas) and three bad ones (South Carolina, Alabama, and Auburn). The Rebs are bowl eligible now at 6-3, but they could conceivably lose the last three on the schedule. Not what Colonel Reb was expecting with the SEC championship hype. I predict that Ole Miss will finish 7-5, and go to the Independence Bowl, which is where they should expect to hang out for a while. My prediction: Independence Bowl
Mississippi State - State has played a tough schedule out of conference (Houston, Georgia Tech) and in, but last week's win against Kentucky could have been a turning point. Expect them to give Alabama all they can handle next weekend. Still, the road to bowl eligibility will be difficult. State will have to pick up wins against both Arkansas and Ole Miss to get there. My prediction: Music City Bowl
South Carolina - South Carolina looked like a player at mid-season, but with two consecutive losses and Florida coming up next week, the Gamecocks look to be on another patented late-season slide. If the 'Cocks lose to the Gators and to Clemson in two weeks, finishing 6-6, don't be surprised to hear for calls for Spurrier to retire (or be fired). How the mighty have fallen. My prediction: Liberty Bowl
Tennessee - The Vols have looked mighty strong since losing to Auburn in early October, and they seem to have finally found out how to play offense in Knoxville. I wouldn't be surprised to see Tennessee finish 8-4. My prediction: Outback Bowl
Vanderbilt - Just horrible, or in other words, back to normal. My prediction: No bowl game
Review: No. 2 Alabama 24, No. 9 LSU 15
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.
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.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Review: No. 2 Alabama 12, Tennessee 10
Alabama snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in a classic matchup with rival Tennessee, blocking two field goals in a fourth quarter that saw almost everything else go wrong for the Tide.
Alabama nursed a 9-3 halftime lead through the third quarter while the Volunteers began to find success moving the ball on the Tide. But Tennessee's Daniel Lincoln, who had missed a 49-yard field goal earlier in the game, had a 47-yarder blocked by Terrence Cody, and Leigh Tiffin pushed the score to 12-3 with a field goal with 6:31 left. After a short Tennessee possession, Alabama's Mark Ingram, who had never lost a fumble in his career, had the ball stripped from his hands as he struggled for yardage at the Alabama 43. Tennessee quickly converted the turnover into points, scoring a touchdown with 1:19 remaining.
The Vols then converted an onside kick and drove the ball into scoring position, lining up for a 43-yard field goal on third down with 4 seconds left in the game. But Mount Cody broke through the line again and blocked Lincoln's kick to seal the victory and keep the national title hopes alive.
Now for my seven points:
1. In a championship season, you have to win the close games. Thinking back to 1992, Alabama played several close games, but the closest may have been the SEC Championship game against Florida, which the Tide won on a late interception by Antonio Langham. But few remember that the Tide also had to come from behind to beat Mississippi State that year as well. Regardless, Tennessee brought their "A" game today, and the Tide still pulled out the win.
2. Terrence Cody solidifed his position today as a Tide player for the ages. The gargantuan nose tackle, who made an immediate impact for Alabama from his first game (last year against Clemson), is already one of the most popular players on the team, but plays like the two blocked field goals he had today, especially against one of your biggest rivals, are what makes legends. 'Bama fans will remember Cody's game-saving block today long after his NFL playing days are over.
3. This is a team in need of an off week. It's become a cliche to say "this off week comes at a good time," but in all seriousness, the Tide looked tired versus a Tennessee team with an extra week to prepare. The defense has been especially tested the last three weeks, and should expect to be tested again when LSU comes to town. A week to rest the legs and heal the bruises will be welcome.
4. Alabama needs to continue to work on red zone offense. The offense's inability to punch the ball into the end zone nearly cost the Tide the game today, and the red zone should continue to be a point of emphasis in practice. In fairness, the offense seemed to be hampered by poor play calling, especially on the last scoring drive of the first half. Why lean on the beleagured passing game for points when Tennessee seemed unable to stop the run?
5. Leigh Tiffin has quietly become one of the best kickers in the country. In my opinion, Tiffin has always suffered from the burden of his father's name. After all, Van Tiffin made the best-known kick in Alabama football history. But Leigh Tiffin today moved into second place in scoring all time in the Alabama record books, and is leading the country in field goals made. The knock on Tiffin has been consistency, but keep in mind if he had missed one kick today, Alabama would have lost.
6. Greg McElroy needs to step it up another notch. McElroy was excoriated, and rightly so, for his performance in the last two games. The quarterback did improve his accruacy this week, but the undemanding game plan may have nearly cost 'Bama the game. McElroy's protection has improved since the breakdown at Ole Miss, and he needs to get his confidence back with the downfield pass. Two and three-yard dump passes are not going to fill the bill against LSU and (possibly) Florida.
7. All of Alabama's goals are still in sight. Even a one-point loss to the Vols today would not have eliminated the Tide from national title contention, but Alabama has to remember that every game from now on, with the possible exception of Chattanooga, is going to be difficult. That's not the say that 'Bama won't be favored against LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn, but they will get the best shot from each of those teams. Taking a week off will still get you beat.
Alabama nursed a 9-3 halftime lead through the third quarter while the Volunteers began to find success moving the ball on the Tide. But Tennessee's Daniel Lincoln, who had missed a 49-yard field goal earlier in the game, had a 47-yarder blocked by Terrence Cody, and Leigh Tiffin pushed the score to 12-3 with a field goal with 6:31 left. After a short Tennessee possession, Alabama's Mark Ingram, who had never lost a fumble in his career, had the ball stripped from his hands as he struggled for yardage at the Alabama 43. Tennessee quickly converted the turnover into points, scoring a touchdown with 1:19 remaining.
The Vols then converted an onside kick and drove the ball into scoring position, lining up for a 43-yard field goal on third down with 4 seconds left in the game. But Mount Cody broke through the line again and blocked Lincoln's kick to seal the victory and keep the national title hopes alive.
Now for my seven points:
1. In a championship season, you have to win the close games. Thinking back to 1992, Alabama played several close games, but the closest may have been the SEC Championship game against Florida, which the Tide won on a late interception by Antonio Langham. But few remember that the Tide also had to come from behind to beat Mississippi State that year as well. Regardless, Tennessee brought their "A" game today, and the Tide still pulled out the win.
2. Terrence Cody solidifed his position today as a Tide player for the ages. The gargantuan nose tackle, who made an immediate impact for Alabama from his first game (last year against Clemson), is already one of the most popular players on the team, but plays like the two blocked field goals he had today, especially against one of your biggest rivals, are what makes legends. 'Bama fans will remember Cody's game-saving block today long after his NFL playing days are over.
3. This is a team in need of an off week. It's become a cliche to say "this off week comes at a good time," but in all seriousness, the Tide looked tired versus a Tennessee team with an extra week to prepare. The defense has been especially tested the last three weeks, and should expect to be tested again when LSU comes to town. A week to rest the legs and heal the bruises will be welcome.
4. Alabama needs to continue to work on red zone offense. The offense's inability to punch the ball into the end zone nearly cost the Tide the game today, and the red zone should continue to be a point of emphasis in practice. In fairness, the offense seemed to be hampered by poor play calling, especially on the last scoring drive of the first half. Why lean on the beleagured passing game for points when Tennessee seemed unable to stop the run?
5. Leigh Tiffin has quietly become one of the best kickers in the country. In my opinion, Tiffin has always suffered from the burden of his father's name. After all, Van Tiffin made the best-known kick in Alabama football history. But Leigh Tiffin today moved into second place in scoring all time in the Alabama record books, and is leading the country in field goals made. The knock on Tiffin has been consistency, but keep in mind if he had missed one kick today, Alabama would have lost.
6. Greg McElroy needs to step it up another notch. McElroy was excoriated, and rightly so, for his performance in the last two games. The quarterback did improve his accruacy this week, but the undemanding game plan may have nearly cost 'Bama the game. McElroy's protection has improved since the breakdown at Ole Miss, and he needs to get his confidence back with the downfield pass. Two and three-yard dump passes are not going to fill the bill against LSU and (possibly) Florida.
7. All of Alabama's goals are still in sight. Even a one-point loss to the Vols today would not have eliminated the Tide from national title contention, but Alabama has to remember that every game from now on, with the possible exception of Chattanooga, is going to be difficult. That's not the say that 'Bama won't be favored against LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn, but they will get the best shot from each of those teams. Taking a week off will still get you beat.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Review: No. 2 Alabama 20, No. 22 South Carolina 6
In another weekend filled with upsets and near misses, Alabama continued to do what it does best - dominate with defense and a pounding running game. The Tide played sloppily, garnering 113 yards in penalties and turning the ball over four times, but for the second straight game, the defense kept a top 25 opponent from reaching the end zone. Alabama's Mark Ingram had his second consecutive career game, rushing for 246 yards on 24 carries - a whopping 10.3 yards per carry.
Now here are my seven points:
1. Ingram for Heisman? Chris Low, ESPN.com's SEC blogger, claims that Ingram ran into the frontrunner spot in the Heisman race Saturday, and the case can certainly be made. Ingram ran the ball for every one of the plays in the game-clinching final touchdown drive, gaining 68 yards in six carries, five of them from the direct-snap "Wildcat" formation. Ingram also seems to be getting better as the competition gets tougher, gaining 150 against Virginia Tech, 140 against Kentucky, 172 versus Ole Miss, and 246 Saturday. And the majority of Ingram's yardage this year has come after contact, a fact not lost on NFL scouts. However, the Heisman is a quarterback's award generally, and Ingram isn't even the leading rusher in the country (he's third). Ingram is helped by injuries and lackluster performances from the early season frontrunners, but he will have to continue to have high-yardage, game-winning performances to have a realistic shot.
2. McElroy needs to get his game back on track. Alabama QB Greg McElroy saw some fleeting Heisman hype earlier this season, but as Ingram's game has improved, McElroy's has seemed to regress. Following up on the abysmal performance at Ole Miss, McElroy may have actually improved slightly, although the game plan seemed to move away from passing the ball at an earlier point than last week. This last few weeks shouldn't have been totally unexpected for an inexperienced quarterback against SEC competition, but it has looked worse compared to McElory's early season performances. The offensive line did look better against South Carolina than Ole Miss, but Tennessee's defense is pretty good too, and boasts arguably the better defensive back in the country in Eric Berry. The time to get back to basics is now.
3. The defense is getting better. Despite injuries, Alabama's defense really has been stingy in the last two games, particularly in the red zone - giving up only three field goals. Alabama's Marquis Johnson, who was filling in for Javier Arenas (bruised ribs), must have successfully defended the same fade route to the corner of the end zone six times. Performances like that boost a man's confidence and (hopefully) continue to drive improvement.
4. The weak point for this team is clearly special teams. Not every aspect of the special teams is bad - Leigh Tiffin has kicked well and consistently, although he did miss a field goal against South Carolina. P.J. Fitzgerald has punted fairly well. But kick/punt coverage is still an issue, and several lengthy returns by 'Bama players have been negated by penalties. So far, it hasn't cost us a game, but several scoring opportunities have likely been squandered by undisciplined return blocking.
5. South Carolina could give Florida problems. Florida and Alabama have very similar defenses. Florida, however, has been hampered by a lack of offensive firepower, especially since Tim Tebow's injury. Therefore, I expect South Carolina to challenge Florida similar to the way Arkansas did Saturday.
6. Get used to games like this one. Tennessee and LSU, Alabama's next two opponents, are teams with good defenses and weak offenses, you know, kind of like the last three opponents. Expect closely contested games that Alabama should be able to salt away in the fourth quarter.
7. 'Bama has made the best case to be Number One. It doesn't really matter whether Florida, Texas or Alabama are ranked number 1. As long as the three teams stay undefeated, they will all have a shot at the national championship. But Alabama has played the toughest competition of the three, and has looked the most consistent doing it.
Now here are my seven points:
1. Ingram for Heisman? Chris Low, ESPN.com's SEC blogger, claims that Ingram ran into the frontrunner spot in the Heisman race Saturday, and the case can certainly be made. Ingram ran the ball for every one of the plays in the game-clinching final touchdown drive, gaining 68 yards in six carries, five of them from the direct-snap "Wildcat" formation. Ingram also seems to be getting better as the competition gets tougher, gaining 150 against Virginia Tech, 140 against Kentucky, 172 versus Ole Miss, and 246 Saturday. And the majority of Ingram's yardage this year has come after contact, a fact not lost on NFL scouts. However, the Heisman is a quarterback's award generally, and Ingram isn't even the leading rusher in the country (he's third). Ingram is helped by injuries and lackluster performances from the early season frontrunners, but he will have to continue to have high-yardage, game-winning performances to have a realistic shot.
2. McElroy needs to get his game back on track. Alabama QB Greg McElroy saw some fleeting Heisman hype earlier this season, but as Ingram's game has improved, McElroy's has seemed to regress. Following up on the abysmal performance at Ole Miss, McElroy may have actually improved slightly, although the game plan seemed to move away from passing the ball at an earlier point than last week. This last few weeks shouldn't have been totally unexpected for an inexperienced quarterback against SEC competition, but it has looked worse compared to McElory's early season performances. The offensive line did look better against South Carolina than Ole Miss, but Tennessee's defense is pretty good too, and boasts arguably the better defensive back in the country in Eric Berry. The time to get back to basics is now.
3. The defense is getting better. Despite injuries, Alabama's defense really has been stingy in the last two games, particularly in the red zone - giving up only three field goals. Alabama's Marquis Johnson, who was filling in for Javier Arenas (bruised ribs), must have successfully defended the same fade route to the corner of the end zone six times. Performances like that boost a man's confidence and (hopefully) continue to drive improvement.
4. The weak point for this team is clearly special teams. Not every aspect of the special teams is bad - Leigh Tiffin has kicked well and consistently, although he did miss a field goal against South Carolina. P.J. Fitzgerald has punted fairly well. But kick/punt coverage is still an issue, and several lengthy returns by 'Bama players have been negated by penalties. So far, it hasn't cost us a game, but several scoring opportunities have likely been squandered by undisciplined return blocking.
5. South Carolina could give Florida problems. Florida and Alabama have very similar defenses. Florida, however, has been hampered by a lack of offensive firepower, especially since Tim Tebow's injury. Therefore, I expect South Carolina to challenge Florida similar to the way Arkansas did Saturday.
6. Get used to games like this one. Tennessee and LSU, Alabama's next two opponents, are teams with good defenses and weak offenses, you know, kind of like the last three opponents. Expect closely contested games that Alabama should be able to salt away in the fourth quarter.
7. 'Bama has made the best case to be Number One. It doesn't really matter whether Florida, Texas or Alabama are ranked number 1. As long as the three teams stay undefeated, they will all have a shot at the national championship. But Alabama has played the toughest competition of the three, and has looked the most consistent doing it.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Review: Kentucky/Ole Miss - Two for the price of one!
I missed last week's post due to a camping trip, so I decided to review the Kentucky and Ole Miss games together. This might seem odd, since Kentucky was an unranked opponent with low expectations and Ole Miss was a preseason favorite to win the West, but there were many parallels between the two games for Alabama. So to honor the two-game format, I will make fourteen points rather than my usual seven.
First, seven parallels:
First, seven parallels:
- Both opponents came into the game having suffered a devastating loss prior to the Alabama game. Kentucky's came the previous week against Florida 41-7. Ole Miss's was two weeks ago, on a Thursday night versus South Carolina 16-10.
- Both opponents featured stingy defenses and offenses that struggled to score against 'Bama.
- Both games were decided by Alabama's defense and the turnovers that it created. The Tide caused NINE turnovers in the two games, many of them spectacular plays.
- The Alabama passing game appeared ineffective at times. After a hot start of the season, Greg McElroy passed for only 148 yards against UK, and 147 against UM.
- On the other hand, Mark Ingram has had two consecutive career games. Ingram rushed for 140 yards on 22 carries with two TDs against the Wildcats, then followed up with 28 rushes for 172 yards and a TD versus the Rebels.
- Although more points were scored in the Kentucky game than against Ole Miss, the margin of victory was almost identical: 18 points against UK and 19 against UM.
- The killing blow in both games occurred just before the half. Against Kentucky, Alabama held a 7-6 lead before driving 97 yards to score a touchdown with 40 second left in the half. Nineteen seconds later, Courtney Upshaw returned a fumble 45 yards for a TD to take a 21-6 lead into halftime. Versus Ole Miss, the Tide led 9-0 after three trips to the red zone were blunted by the Rebels' defense, forcing field goals. Then, following another turnover, Alabama went for it on fourth and one, and Ingram ran for a 36-yard score with 55 seconds remaining.
- Alabama is starting to look more like the team everyone expected before the year began: great defense, somewhat inconsistent offense, although that is probably more a measure of the level of competition rather than deterioration. No one is seriously talking about a Heisman for McElroy now, although he is certainly not making mistakes that cost Alabama.
- Alabama now stands alone atop the SEC West. At the beginning of the day, there were three undefeated teams in the West, and Ole Miss was still conceivably in the race as well, with one loss and games to come against the top 3. Alabama's defeat of Ole Miss, coupled with Auburn's loss to Arkansas and LSU's to Florida puts the Tide in the driver's seat.
- The defense is just full of playmakers. Every starter and contributer on the defense seemed to make a big play today. Rolando McClain is clearly the star athlete (and future NFL pick), but it seems like from Woodall to Green to Cody to Dareus to Arenas to Upshaw and so on, everyone has stepped up their game since losing Hightower.
- The offseason work on defense has really paid off. The biggest strike against the Tide's defense in 2008 was inability to pressure the quarterback. This was especially borne out in the two season-ending losses. Coach Saban made it a point in the offseason to work on the pass rush. In 2009, Alabama is leading the league in sacks, and Jevan Snead was harrassed pretty consistently all day today.
- Can everybody get off Julio Jones' back now? Before the Arkansas game, the knock on Jones was that he hadn't gotten a touchdown in 12 games (he promptly caught one that week). This week, the talk was about how Jones hadn't been as productive as he was last year. It seemed to me that McElroy overcompensated, passing to Jones several times in double and triple coverage. Let's all keep in mind that passing to nine or ten different guys in a game you win by three scores is a good thing. Julio is a great player, but we've got a lot of really good receivers. If they're wide open, it's okay to throw to them!
- South Carolina is shaping up to be a much tougher game than it looked to be a few weeks ago. Alabama has struggled somewhat against stronger SEC defenses (relatively speaking), and South Carolina may have the best defense 'Bama has played so far. The Gamecocks came within a play of being undefeated, and has improved steadily since that game with Georgia. Let's hope that they aren't offended by playing us for Homecoming. You don't think that Spurrier will make a big deal about that do you?
- Could two SEC schools play for the national championship? CBS's Gary Danielson predicted before the season that two SEC teams (Florida and LSU) would play for the national championship in Pasadena. This prompted much scoffing from critics, but imagine this scenario: The AP top 5 Monday are likely to be Florida, Texas, Alabama, Virginia Tech and Boise State. If Texas loses at some point (next week at Oklahoma is a possibility), and Florida and Alabama continue undefeated, they will be ranked number 1 and 2. Assuming that either team lost a close game in the SEC championship, it seems pretty conceivable that the BCS would pair up Florida and Alabama again rather than a Virginia Tech team from a weak ACC (that Alabama already defeated by the way) or a non-BCS conference Boise State. We've got a long way to go yet, but would anything establish the SEC's dominance of college football more? I mean, other than winning the last three championships and four of the last six?
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