Fight to the finish
November 30, 2008
Nick Saban and Urban Meyer likely aren't eager to advise their new coaching rival, Lane Kiffin, who will introduce himself as Tennessee's new head coach this afternoon.
Tags: alabama crimson tide newsNick Saban running up the score(?), Upchurch’s health … and other stuff!
November 30, 2008
Florida-Alabama: SEC Championship Rivalry Renewed?
November 30, 2008
I can remember it like it was yesterday.
I was sitting in my parents' game room, screaming at the TV as Shane Matthews and Errict Rhett were handling the No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
The shovel pass from Matthews to Rhett was igniting the offense from the Steve Spurrier led Florida Gators in the inaugural SEC Championship game, then played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
Then it happened. Like all good things, the thought that the Gators could knock off the Tide came to an end. Shane Matthews threw an interception to Antonio Langham, of which he returned for a touchdown.
Game Over. Alabama won 28-21.
I instantly hated anything to do with Alabama.
Little did I know that my Gators would see them again in 1993, this time ranked ninth in the country against a well coached No. 16 Gene Stallings led Tide. It didn't work so well for Big Al this time as the Gators cruised to a 28-13 victory; the thought started to emerge that you can't fool Spurrier twice.
Probably one of my favorite games occurred in the 1994 SEC Championship game. The game was moved to Atlanta and played in the Georgia Dome. Florida, No. 6 in the nation, played a very tough third ranked Alabama team.
Many people thought that this was going to be a revenge game; That Stallings was going to show Spurrier that this was Bama's SEC. The Gators won 24-23 and a true rivalry had begun.
The two teams didn't meet again until 1996. Florida, coming off of a tough loss the week before to Florida State, needed to get some momentum back.
They took out No. 11 Alabama 45-30, and went on to rout Florida State 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl, winning their first National Title.
In 1999, No. 5 Florida rolled into Atlanta looking to take care of No. 7 Alabama. This time, it didn't work out so well for Spurrier and the Gators. Alabama beat down Florida 34-7 in the championship game, and for the second time that year.
Since 1999, Florida has been to the SEC Championship game twice, while Alabama has not been at all.
The two teams have met up a couple of times in the past few years. In 2005, Urban Meyer took his spread offense into Tuscaloosa and got handed a 31-3 loss at the hands of a Mike Shula led Crimson Tide.
One year later, Bama got to come to the Swamp on a day that the Gators enshrined Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerrfel, among others, into the University of Florida Football Ring of Honor. Florida won convincingly.
Will the hiring of Nick Saban and the revitalization of the Alabama program renew a rivalry that birthed the SEC Championship game?
The game on December 6th will surely let us know. Here's a game that features a hell of an offense against a hell of a defense. Each side also has strong special teams and both head coaches have won National Titles while coaching in the SEC.
No matter who wins, the SEC is all but assured of a presence in the BCS National Title Game for a third straight year. Meyer and Saban know that the road to Miami runs though Atlanta.
Two great, proven coaches, two huge egos, and two great football teams: This might be enough to rekindle this storied SEC Championship Rivalry.
Tags: alabama crimson tide newsNick Saban: The “Road House” Analogy
November 30, 2008
Writer’s note: If you haven’t seen the 1989 classic Road House, starring Patrick Swayze, this will make absolutely no sense to you. It may not make sense to you anyway. What comes next are the ramblings of a truly giddy Alabama fan…
Imagine this. Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore looks over the sawdust-covered dance floor from the office of his rowdy honky-tonk called the Double Deuce. He is nervous. His bar has spiraled out of control. The evil Urban Meyer and his band of thugs have taken over again. Meyer has terrorized the once-peaceful townsfolk with his gangland beatings and extortionist tactics. Once again, the bar has broken out into an all-out melee.
However, Moore is hopeful. Tonight, the new "cooler" he has hired is on duty for the first time. This is the bouncer against which all others are judged. Rumor has it, he cleaned up messes like this in Lansing, Michigan and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Although slight in size, Nick Saban is an intimidating presence.
From his lofty perch, Moore sees Saban order his coffee (black) at the bar while bar stools fly all around him. Meyer has just finished beating up an old man in a Florida State sweatshirt with a pool cue. As the man’s crumpled, bloody body is carried from the dance floor, Meyer makes eye contact with Saban.
Meyer motions for Tommy Bowden to take the first shot. Saban smiles as Bowden throws a roundhouse right hand at his face. Saban catches his fist in mid-air, pins Bowden’s arm and smashes his face into the bar.
Bowden slumps to the floor, his face broken. From his right, Mark Richt smashes a chair over his back. Saban is dazed, but manages to come from underneath with an uppercut to the jaw. In a swift motion, Saban throws Richt over the bar and into a mirror.
Houston Nutt and Bobby Petrino then attack him together. Saban deftly evades two punches, and then cracks their heads together. Meyer than dispatches his dopey, large-headed henchman, Les Miles. Miles pulls a switchblade and slices Saban’s arm. Saban locks his arms, and smashes his knee repeatedly into Miles’ ribcage, and finally lands a knee into his face. Miles collapses to the floor.
The fight spills outside the bar. Tommy Tuberville is next. Saban issues a violent beating. Thinking better of ripping Tuberville’s throat out, Saban drags his lifeless body by the ears back onto the porch of the bar, screaming MEYER! MEYER! But Meyer has fled. Saban retreats to the bathroom and stitches his arm with no anesthetic. Moore sees Saban and says "Doesn’t that hurt?" Saban looks up, smiles, and says "Pain don’t hurt, aight?"
Moore knows that Saban is worth the money. In one night, he has turned the Double Deuce back into a reputable establishment. With the Deuce back under control, Saban is free to hunt down Meyer. He has tracked him to Atlanta, to a bar the called "The Dome." Most think that Saban can’t win a one-on-one fight with Meyer. The people who witnessed the bloodletting at the Deuce think differently.
If you’ve seen the movie, you know how it ends.
Tags: alabama crimson tide newsSaban, Johnson Honored by Little Rock Touchdown Club
November 30, 2008
Coach Nick Saban: SEC Championship Game Teleconference
November 30, 2008
Alabama tailback Roy Upchurch continues to struggle with neck spasms and is “questionable” for…
November 30, 2008
Tommy Tuberville Should Take the Money and Run
November 30, 2008
Walking off the field Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, Tommy Tuberville had the look of a man who knew his best days on the Plains were behind him. A 36-0 beat down at the hands of an in-state arch rival will etch a look of despair on the face of any coach.
Tuberville must have been pondering the quick turnaround in the fortunes of the two football powers in the Heart of Dixie.
In the 52 weeks since these teams met in 2007, Auburn saw its once promising 2008 season turn into a nightmare while Alabama snapped a six-game losing streak to Auburn, advanced to the SEC Championship game, and claimed the No. 1 ranking in college football.
After all, this time last year many of the Alabama faithful were complaining that the hire of Nick Saban was the biggest waste of money since Kevin Costner made "Waterworld."
My, how things change. The fans and alumni of Alabama have long ago abandoned any maddening notions of Saban's worth, but the Auburn faithful have come to resemble a frustrated child stuck with an unwanted gift that cannot be taken back.
The so-called Riverboat Gambler had the good fortune to be at Auburn while Alabama played musical chairs with head football coaches. He has compiled a tidy 85-40 record in 10 years at the helm, but unfortunately for Tuberville and Aubies everywhere, the arrival of Nick Saban has brought home the fact that the Crimson Tide own the state of Alabama and are the program on the upswing.
Tuberville oversees a solid football program. He is great with alumni, an asset to the school's fund-raising efforts, and a fairly good motivator and recruiter.
The cold hard truth for Auburn, however, is that he is not in the same league with Saban on game planning and the x's and o's of football. Saban can also recruit circles around Tuberville.
If Auburn is content to play for Chick-Fil-A Bowls and Music City Bowls, Tuberville is a safe bet.
And given the possibility that Saban will return to the NFL, Auburn might be wise to wait out Saint Nick and allow the Alabama administration to inflict damage on the football program. The Capstone crusaders certainly have an impressive track record when it comes to self-destruction.
Auburn cannot fire Tuberville. It would be a fiasco and would scare off any credible applicant who might be willing to replace Tuberville. After all, it is a pretty high standard when 8-4 (Tuberville's average the past four seasons) gets you fired. It gets you Coach of the Year at most schools.
To avoid this nightmare scenario, the Auburn power brokers may want to encourage Tuberville to look at openings at Clemson or any other schools that will be opening soon.
The Riverboat Gambler could get a job that doesn't involve being consumed with the ultra-successful Nick Saban and the Auburn administration would have no blood on its hands like it did with the "Jetgate" scandal.
The bottom line is that if Tuberville chooses to stick around, he is only buying himself a year or so. Auburn is unlikely to close the gap with Alabama anytime soon, let alone gain on Florida or Georgia. Taking the money and getting out now is best for all involved.
If not, Tuberville had better get used to calling out to Auburn-Opelika airport determine the whereabouts of "Lowder One."
Jet fuel is at its lowest price in four years.
Tags: alabama crimson tide newsFlorida-Alabama Football: SEC Championship Breakdown
November 30, 2008
On Saturday, the SEC championship game not only has conference pride on the line, it has national championship interest as well.
Simply put, if Florida beats Alabama, they will advance to the National Championship; if Alabama beats Florida, they will go to the big show.
The rankings could possibly change when the BCS comes out later today, but currently Alabama is ranked No. 1 and Florida is ranked No. 4. More than likely, the SEC champion will play either No. 2 Texas or No. 3 Oklahoma, but anything can happen from now until next Saturday.
So who will win the SEC championship? Well I don’t want to make any predictions, but if you look at the match up, Florida has this game won already.
Although Florida is 10-1 while Alabama is 11-0, the numbers speak for themselves. Florida has scored a total of 556 points, which is 181 more than Alabama’s 375.
On defense, Alabama has given up nine fewer points than Florida; the Crimson Tide has only allowed 138 while Florida has allowed 147. Based on the ratio, Florida wins this category.
Alabama’s fifth-year senior quarterback, John Parker Wilson, threw for nine touchdowns this year and five interceptions, which isn’t even close to the numbers Florida’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Tim Tebow, put up this year.
Tebow threw for 25 touchdowns and two interceptions. It should also be pointed out that Florida has a more experienced quarterback on the bench than Alabama so if John Parker Wilson and Tim Tebow both get hurt and the backups are forced to play, Florida will be in better shape.
On the ground, Florida also beats Bama as for as the numbers are concerned. Florida rushed the ball a total of 459 times and gained a total of 2,845 yards, while Bama rushed the ball 492 times gained 2,431 yards. Arguably, the Crimson Tide depends on the running game more than Florida does.
Also, someone can make the argument that Florida played a tougher schedule than Bama, but I don’t want to get into that topic at the moment.
Both teams are playing very well right now, and the obvious pick for this game would be Florida, but if it comes down to coaching and preparing his team for big games, I would have to give the advantage to Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Still, Urban Meyer doesn’t do that bad of a job getting his team up for big games either.
Is there anymore to say about this game? Do I need to go into further detail and look at it piece by piece? It will be difficult to make a prediction, because logic tells me the better team on paper is the lower-ranked team, so if I had to make a prediction based of the facts, it would be impossible.
Obviously, the only thing many readers want to read is articles in which the logical pick is picked.
Good luck to both teams and I will be pulling for whatever teams advances into the national championship. Thank you for reading, and if you have a few minutes, please view my blog at www.purplegrowl.com.
2008 SEC Championship Game: Alabama vs. Florida
November 30, 2008
