It is time for the Crimson Tide to turn it up a notch.
Alabama will walk into Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium/Hollingsworth field ready for the Rebels. It doesn't matter what Houston Nutt has up his sleeve, his athletes will not be able to pull off the win over this star-studded bunch.
In fact, one can honestly say that at this point in the season, no one is playing better. That includes Florida, with or without Tebow, Texas with McCoy, Bradford-less Oklahoma, Miami, LSU, Virginia Tech, USC, and all the other 4-1 teams.
They aren't flying under any one's radar, they are soaring over all the other teams with a class of football new to Alabama fans and taking other teams totally by surprise. No one has tested them this year and this weekend will be no different.
McElwain has installed an offense that is like no other in the SEC or elsewhere in the country, and we haven't even seen but a small sample of the installation. They are about to get revved up and the Rebels won't be ready.
Over the past three years, Saban and Company have built this team into their kind of team. They have developed play makers on both sides of the ball and at every position.
Let's get a look at what is happening on offense in 2009.
Multiple Sets
Two years ago, people were wondering why youthful sensation Major Applewhite (Opie) left coaching at Alabama as offensive coordinator to return to his alma mater for a downgraded position (QB coach). In retrospect, we couldn't have hoped for anything more significant to put us on track.
Enter the bright mind of Jim McElwain. From Michigan State, to Louisville, into the NFL, and back to college at Fresno State, McElwain has garnered a reputation as one of he best offensive minds in college or pro football ranks.
The pistol formation, wing T/wildcat, spread, shotgun, I-formation, ready, set, hutt, hutt—he has it all installed and ready for action. We still haven't seen the best of what this offense is set up to do, but we have reached the half way point of the season and the stretch run is here. It is time to roll.
Greg McElroy is just the guy to take the lead on this team, implement what they have installed, and put it on the field.
In addition to his fabulous skill set that allows him to ably set this offense into motion, the young Texan is a full-out class act from Southlake Carroll high school who was patient enough to wait his turn in high school and college.
Right now, he stands at 21-0 as a starter, has a 5-A Texas state championship notched on his belt, and is poised to take the SEC West and vie for the SEC title. Win that and the national championship is next.
Leadership at QB
McElroy has already passed for over 1,000 yards this season, is 78-of-119 attempts, and has thrown for nine TD against one INT. His passer rating is 165.5 at the writing of this treatise and will surely improve after this weekend.
The Alabama starting QB has the highest completion percentage in the league. He will scorch the Rebel secondary.
The Ole Miss defense has not seen an offense this good and they will not be able to hold back the Crimson Tsunami coming their way.
In addition, he knows how to motivate his line. After freshman RB Trent Richardson nearly got pinned for a safety in the contest against the Wildcats last weekend, while the play was being reviewed by the officials, McElroy could be seen chewing out the offensive line for poor protection and sloppy play. The result: a 97-yard march to the end zone.
Stellar Backfield
Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson have combined for 810 yards on 135 carries for an average of 5.9 yd/carry and account for 10 rushing touchdowns. Grant and Upchurch kick in another 52 carries, 301 yards, and four touchdowns. This is the deepest and best backfield in the nation. They deliver punishment for a full 60 minutes.
Balanced Passing Attack
Moreover, Ingram is tied with Colin Peek, who is leading the receivers with 14 catches, 147 yards and three TD. Peek has gained 160 yards on as many catches and scored once.
Julio Jones has yet to be a factor beyond the Virginia Tech game. He has missed two complete games (two plays in the North Texas game) and has yet to hit his stride.
Against Arkansas, Julio scored his first TD of the season. That was an intentional play designed to let the star receiver know that this offense wants him as a participant and will need him to be a play maker in this stretch run.
During Julio's recovery period, four receivers have stepped up and kept the passing game front and center of this offensive attack. Marquis Maze, Darius Hanks, Mike McCoy, and Earl Alexander have hauled in 29 receptions for a combined 544 yards.
Brandon Gibson and Michael Bowman have contributed as well. TEs Brad Smelley and Prestion Dial and RBs Richardson, Upchurch, and Grant have caught passes for positive yards as well. Kevin Norwood is waiting in the wings to make a contribution to the multiple set, high octane aerial attack.
Excellent Offensive Line Play
The offensive line play in 2009 has exceeded all expectations. McElroy took some hits in the Virginia Tech game—particularly the first half—but since then, the five men up front have owned the line of scrimmage.
Against VT, McElroy was sacked twice but pressured constantly in the first half. In the second half, pressures were fewer and he was not sacked.
In the four games that followed, he has been sacked only three times and pass protection has been very good.
On individual plays, the O-Line can look average, but when the game is over, their body of work shows them to be exceptional at pass blocking and getting downfield to clear a path for the rushing game.
James Carpenter (6'5", 300 lbs.), the junior college transfer, has stepped into the shoes of All-American Andre Smith and Alabama fans have seen him work just as hard at protection.
It is as if an All-American is still at left tackle, and that may yet prove to be the case at season's end, when the honors are collected.
Carpenter's speed and quickness allow for a more elegant offensive attack in the running game. He is frequently used to move from left to right and lead the rusher through the first line to the strong side linebacker, providing the block to get the runner untouched into the secondary. It's a beautiful thing to watch in motion.
Senior Mike Johnson has provided great leadership to this group. At 6'5", 303 lbs., this mass of humanity at offensive guard handles the opposition like yesterday's trash.
Fellow senior Drew Davis is a workman. Standing at 6'7" and weighing 306 lbs., the right tackle can move any defender in his path.
When the ball goes off right tackle, RS freshman Barrett Jones and TE Preston Dial move in sync with Davis to clear the path. These men, along with center William Vlachos, present 1,122 lbs. of mass to the opposition.
The men in Crimson are ready for the stretch.
The Defense
Man, there is no time to discuss the defense right now. They are the heart and soul of this team and are worthy of a separate treatment, soon to come.
What Can the Opposition Do?
There is nothing for the Rebels to do except get ready for a beating—you know, like the kind you hated in high school. You were caught dead, guilty of wrongdoing, and the assistant principal had your name. You were summoned to the office and presented with the facts. No disputing the facts; time to take your licks.
Rebels, you have been summoned. You have been found lacking against this bunch. Don't flinch and you will only have to take two licks. If you flinch, you will suffer more punishment.
It's on
Florida and LSU: We will see who rises to the top after your face-to-face meeting.
The west is hoping for an upset, LSU, but you might have Gator chomp marks on your backside by the end of the day. Live up to your chant and make the Gators tiger bait.
Your fans had better raise the decibel level and make that place rock for the home team. If you don't take care of Florida this weekend, they will likely roll into the SEC title game undefeated.
From the SEC to the Rose Bowl for a national championship bid, this weekend is big.
"Fight on, Fight on, Fight on, Men, remember the Rose Bowl, We'll win then. So Roll onto victory, hit your stride, you're Bama's football pride, Crimson Tide, Roll Tide, Roll Tide."
Read more Alabama Crimson Tide Football news on BleacherReport.com
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If you follow the talking heads of college football, all the experts believe that Alabama will be taking a step back this season. They say that a nine or 10 win season is to be expected barring a complete meltdown.
CFN even goes so far as to say that one of ‘Bama’s losses will be in the Iron Bowl (laughable).
Here is a list of Alabama’s supposed short-comings, the three key games for the Tide this season, and why they will once again run the table.
Yes, I am an Alabama fan. This article is filled with bias. Deal.
Alabama’s Short-Comings
Quarterback
Junior QB Greg McElroy takes over for three-year starter John Parker Wilson. McElroy is used to waiting his turn to shine. He backed up former Missouri QB Chase Daniel while at Southlake Carroll High School.
During Alabama spring camp, McElroy was the clear choice for the No. 1 signal caller and performed admirably in the A-Day game.
He picked right back up where he left off when fall camp started, prompting coach Nick Saban to say that McElroy is ahead of where they hoped he would be at this point in practice.
He has also continued to put up impressive numbers during team scrimmages this fall. And keep in mind that he practices every day against one of the best defenses in the nation.
Bottom line: McElroy will be a fine replacement for Wilson. He will be an improvement in the passing game with his arm, accuracy, touch, and decision-making abilities. However (knocking on wood), if McElroy goes down…
Running Back
This one is actually quite funny to me. I mean, are the “experts” serious? If nowhere else, the one position at which Alabama is stacked is tailback.
Three of the returning guys at this position have seen considerable time on the field (Ingram, Upchurch, and Grant) with two of them (Ingram and Grant) having been starters before.
Add to this list Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy (Rivals No. 2 and No. 13 RBs, respectively) and you have a deep, young, talented group.
Many of the pundits list this area as a weakness since Alabama doesn’t have a returning starter after having lost Glen Coffee to the NFL draft. I include Mark Ingram as a returning starter simply because he split time with Coffee in many of the games and even started a couple last season.
If Tyrod Taylor of VT can be considered a returning starter after sharing time with Sean Glennon, then Mark Ingram is also a returning starter.
Bottom Line: Alabama has a stable of talented running backs that is as deep as any in the country. Any team would be lucky to have these guys.
Offensive Line
This is the one area that concerns experts and fans alike, perhaps with good reason, after losing two All-Americans and another two-year starter. They do, however, return senior LG Mike Johnson and RT Drew Davis.
Once again, Nick Saban managed to pull in a slew of top recruits in 2009. One area of focus was the offensive line. Alabama took seven total linemen, including Rivals No. 1 DJ Fluker and Rivals No. 32 (No. 4 JUCO OL) James Carpenter, who is also a junior college All-American.
Both of these players have had an immediate impact in fall camp. It is reported that Carpenter has been dominant at the left tackle spot vacated by Andre Smith.
Fluker has not only been solid as an incoming freshman, but he has also shown his versatility by practicing both at tackle and guard.
William Vlachos, the strongest member of the Tide football team, looks to have locked down the center position. He practices every day against the best NT in the country in Terrance Cody.
Word out of fall camp is that he has been able to hold his own against Cody, so he should be just fine.
John Michael Boswell and Barrett Jones appear to also be doing very well in practice. Both have played sparingly in the past, but should be able to step in and contribute right away.
Bottom Line: According to Nick Saban, no position on the offensive line is set in stone. But the guys getting looks at each spot appear to be filling in quite nicely.
Practice is a far cry from real games, so we will see just how effective this line will be when they go up against the talented Hokie pass rush.
After having carefully watched spring and fall camps thus far, it is my opinion that the Alabama O-Line will be ready to go by the start of the season.
Three Key Games
Virginia Tech Hokies
I have done an article breaking down each team unit by unit already. In the end, I give Alabama the edge by a score of four units to one, with a couple washes mixed in.
While I believe both teams' defenses will be outstanding, I doubt Tech’s ability to move the football effectively either through the air or on the ground. Tyrod Taylor has never shown any indication that he can throw the ball. And with Darren Evans out, I am not sure how effective the Hokie rushing attack can be.
I do believe that because Alabama will be filling in their perceived holes, they will be able to move the football down the field consistently. As long as the Tide can establish the run—and I think they will—they will win this game.
Ole Miss Rebels
Get on the bandwagon while you can, folks. Everyone—and I mean everyone—is raving about the Rebels. Will they live up to the hype? We will have to wait and see.
Ole Miss has a very good QB in Jevan Snead; there is no denying that. What is being overlooked is that they, too, are replacing a couple of offensive linemen, including All-American LT Michael Oher.
If this is a weakness for Alabama, then it is a weakness for Ole Miss. The Rebels are, however, talented on the offensive side of the ball. They can run and they can pass.
Can Alabama’s defense slow them down enough to win? Well, they did last year. Expectations are that this year’s version of the Alabama defense will be much better.
As for the Rebel defense, they were good against the run. They are replacing a lineman here, too, and pass rush specialist Greg Hardy is going to be hobbled after having a rod inserted into his ankle to correct an injury from last year that was aggravated in a car accident in July.
Ole Miss had serious issues defending against the pass already—finishing dead last in the conference in 2008—so Hardy’s injury can’t help if his pass rush ability is affected.
In the end, I think the Tide matches up with talent level and experience all over the field.
The Alabama defense will be the deciding factor in this game. If the secondary does its job against Snead and company and doesn’t let him beat them with his arm, Alabama wins this game.
LSU Tigers
The Tigers will be an improved bunch this season. This game will boil down to whether or not the LSU defense has greatly improved over last year. With the addition of John Chavis as defensive coordinator, this may very well be the case.
LSU’s offense will once again feature tailback Charles Scott. He is a beast to bring down. Jordan Jefferson looks to have won the starting job at QB and will be an improvement over Jarrett Lee.
This offense is as talented as any in the SEC.
The Tiger defense of 2008 was not typical of past units. Enter Chavis.
He can flat out coach. LSU should be a much better team in 2009 and will once again be a force in the SEC. Nick Saban turned this team from an SEC also-ran into a national champion by making them a defensive juggernaut.
Les Miles didn’t really continue this trend but looks to have learned his lesson by bringing in Chavis.
Alabama matches up well on both sides of the ball with LSU. Since I believe that this is the game that will ultimately decide the SEC West, it will come down to which team wants it more.
I believe that Alabama has some unfinished business with Tim Tebow and the Gators, and that will be the motivation they need to get past the Tigers.
Why Alabama Runs the Table
The remaining nine games should be wins for the Tide. I’m not overlooking any of them but UT, MSU, and Auburn are breaking in new coaches, the Hogs have no defense, Kentucky and South Carolina have no offense, and the out of conference slate aside from VT is weak.
If Alabama wins the three key games on their schedule, an undefeated regular season is almost a sure thing.
Of course, all of this is contingent upon Alabama avoiding the injury bug to major players. This is a better-conditioned, better-prepared, and stronger team, so hopefully they will be just as injury free as last season. Once again, knocking on wood…
So that’s my take on the 2009 Alabama football season. I welcome all comments and look forward to the discussions. If there is one thing I enjoy, it is talking SEC football.
Good luck to all on the season—until you face Alabama, that is.
Roll Tide!
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This article will be pretty short and simple, but to the point. I will break down some of Alabama's 2009 season, starting with the Virginia Tech game.
Alabama vs. Virginia Tech
This will have the hype of the 2008 Alabama/Clemson game and will decide who will be a top five ranked team when week two rolls around, and maybe even who will be in the top 10.
Both teams will be in the top 10 to start the season, but who will be after this game is very unclear. IF Alabama can stop the explosive Hokies running game, they may be able to get out of the first half with a 14 point lead. IF our defense can't stop them, it will be a long game.
I say that our defense will shut down their passing game completely, but it will be much harder to stop their running game. IF we can, we may be able to win this game by double-digits. I think our offense is strong enough to fight back IF they get their running game going.
Alabama vs. Mississippi
This game will be a great one in many ways as both teams will have improved offenses, and defenses. It will be a better game than last season, which was a close game. Mississippi was the underdog, and are more than likely to be the underdogs this season as well.
This game, in my opinion, will decide whether Alabama or Mississippi will be in the SEC championship. If one team screws up in this game, and it could cost either team the title. It will be a very great game. And one to remember.
Alabama vs. LSU
This will be one of the most under rated teams of the season. Not only has the rivalry been great in recent years, but last season was the best in a long time. Nick Saban's return to Baton Rouge was a great one that took overtime to settle. Neither team wanted to quit, but one had to lose.
Alabama's Rashad Johnson picked off Jarrett Lee's pass in the back of the end zone on the third play of over time. Alabama then drove the ball down the field for a touchdown. After a one yard rush by John Parker Wilson the tide pulled off the win, and a very exciting one.
This will defiantly be a great game, and I'm ready to be sitting in Bryant-Denny Stadium watching it. Maybe this game will live up to the hype.
Alabama vs. Auburn
For the last 10 seasons, Auburn has dominated this great rivalry, winning seven of the last 10. Alabama still has the all time wins in a row record, when they won nine consecutive games against the hated Auburn Tigers.
Alabama has the all time record, but not by much.
Some call it the best rivalry in all of college football. Every year, the hype builds up more and more. Since the 2008 competition, Alabama had never beaten Auburn in Bryant-Denny stadium. A true feat for the Tigers considering Alabama's Bryant-Denny stadium is one of the loudest, and toughest venues in all of college sports.
Anyways, back to the future.
Auburn had a very unsuccessful, and surprising season in 2008, going 5-7 and not making a bowl game. No one saw it coming.
On the other side of the pig skin, Alabama also had a surprising season. They went 12-0 in the regular season, and 0-2 in the postseason.
If Auburn can get past Alabama's defense, they will definitely have a chance at glory. If Alabama can't defend Auburn's solid rushing game, and the O-line keeps the defenders off of the QB, they will have the win.
Both teams need to bring their A-game, but who wants it more? We will have to wait to see this great game.
I just want to thank all of you who read this, and all of my fans.
Rate***Comment***Be my Fan***Roll Tide
*Roll Tide
*BF
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Embedded with a small force behind enemy lines, we survive while surrounded by followers of charismatic leaders like Urban Myer, Bobby Bowden, and Randy Shannon. Believers in another way of life, we look to each other for strength and fellowship. Passing on the street or in daily duties, we greet each other with ROLL TIDE.
The non-believers turn and look with scorn or amusement.
OK, I’ll admit to a small amount of hyperbole, but only a small amount. If you don’t live within five hundred miles of your favorite college football team, you are surrounded by the enemy. Unless it’s Texas of course, because five hundred miles in any direction and you are still in Texas.
Living in Florida is not easy being an Alabama fan. Everywhere you look you see orange and blue. ORANGE and BLUE! Where do I know those colors from…mmm? Could it be the toilet papering, vulture flying cow college that hates my beloved Crimson Tide with the same passion that Paula Dean has for fried pickles.
And how many times can people say, “How bout that Tebow, huh?” So far, it’s at two billion four hundred and twenty seven and that’s just this week.
Don’t get me wrong, I respect what Tebow has accomplished. He has been the “decider” as our ex-President used to say. But he is not the second coming that the lizards proclaim (Spurrier was the first), at least not yet. With the schedule the lizards have in 2009, they should be in line to repeat as National Champions.
But they will be wearing that big bull’s-eye on their back all season and if they do repeat as National Champions and Tebow has a season that puts him in elite company as the best quarterback in the nation. Then he will be one and I repeat one of the greatest quarterbacks that have ever played the game.
What impresses me about the Lizards is their defense. Solid first team defense and the second team are almost as strong, some say the Lizards have the first and the fifth best defense in the SEC. As we all know, "Offense sells tickets; Defense wins championships." Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
Of course, Bama has a strong defense also. We will not give the “Best Defense” in the SEC to the Lizards just because some words are written on a PC (mine included). That will be settled on the field. Hopefully it will be at the SEC Championship Game.
At the Spring Game at Florida there were more marquee players injured than played in the game. This is the key to winning the NC, keeping players healthy. Not an easy thing to do in a Conference like the SEC, where each game is important and intensity consumes both teams.
The non-conference games are just as important because of the BCS rankings which may contribute to the first teamers playing more than they should to get the score up, which will add to the computer rankings.
There are other fans we deal with daily. The garnet and gold, who call themselves Seminoles, not as loud but just as proud, they always say, “Were you at the Stadium when Florida State played Alabama in 2007?”
“Yes, I was there,” I reply.
“That was a great game wasn’t it?”
“No, it was not! Alabama’s offense never got on track. Eighty nine yards on the ground and 14 points was not what I expected from the Tide.”
“How bout that Bobby Bowden, huh?”
The sad fact is when and if Bobby Bowden retires, it’s going to be hard to recruit five star athletes to play for Jimbo Fisher over Urban Meyer, Randy Shannon, Mark Richt, Les Miles, or Nick Saban.
Florida is known for the storms that come every summer. More so than the coeds who squeeze into their bikinis every summer, if I have a choice I’ll take the coeds. These storms are called Hurricanes and they are bad news.
At the University of Miami, their football team is called the Hurricanes; they used to be bad news. These are not your father’s Hurricanes, those majored in thuganomics.
Today’s Miami Hurricanes drive BMW’s or Mercedes and live in gated communities, the thugs have moved to the swamp. If you see a fan with a Hurricane hat or jersey on they are no longer the imposing figures they once were.
This will change soon as I believe they have one of the finest young coaches in the business today with Randy Shannon. I heard a Seminole fan say “them Hurricane’s are goin to be Marveless this year.” I don’t care who you are that’s funny.
Now I love living in Florida, but believe me when I say the sun has affected the fans here. They do not know their school’s history; they don’t even care about their school’s history. History is last night’s beer pong game.
But there is football history in Florida, look at this list of former players; Jack Youngblood, Wilber Marshall, Fred Taylor, Emmitt Smith, Danny Wuerffel, Cris Collinsworth, Fred Biletnikoff, Ron Sellers, Lee Corso, Warrick Dunn, Deion Sanders, Ron Simmons, Gino Torretta, Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, Mike Rozier, Vinny Testaverde, Michael Irvin, just to name a few.
Most of the so called fans could not tell you which team these former players played on.
Maybe its better they don’t know their schools history. Because then I’d have to listen to even more boasting. And I kind of like looking at their face when I ask, “Who was the Florida coach before Steve Spurrier?” or “Who was the coach before Bobby Bowden?” or “Who coached the Miami Hurricanes before Howard Schnellenberger?”
Answers: Galen Hall, Darrell Mudra and Lou Saban (just thought I’d throw that in because Nick and Lou may be cousins)
Just for fun, who was the Alabama coach before “Bear” Bryant?
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This weeks guest: Terry Pellman, RollTideBama.com - Be sure to check out Terry’s articles @ RollTideBama.com/blog
Get more on what the rabid LSU fans are saying down there on the Bayou, make sure to check out Larry’s interview with the guys from the Geaux Show podcast!
Coach Saban has been able to keep this Bama team focused all the way to the No. 1 spot in the BCS rankings. If the streak is to continue, the month of November will be the month of sweet revenge, and it must start with a win in Baton Rouge.
Of course all would agree, this is a totally different Alabama team than last year’s media acclaimed “Saban Bowl” that saw LSU’s come from behind victory (41-34). Even LSU fans this year are feeling a bit down about this match-up, being that the Tigers have given up more than 50 points against the Gators and Dawgs this season. Emotions and expectations will be at its proverbial height in “Death Valley” this Saturday in what will prove to be a down and dirty game. Will LSU fans go off in a drunk’n glee, slopping up gumbo left and right? Or, will Bama fans leave yelling “sweet revenge!” on the road to Atlanta? We’ll know by 6:00pm. - ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!
Hosts, Ben & Larry
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Join us this week as we talk it up with Stepfon Lewis of Bama’s Ball TV on Saturday’s match-up against the those Rebels from Mississippi. Be sure to check out Step and his brother Stevon M-F from 6-8pm chat online with the guys LIVE, or watch the recorded episodes (…and yes they are twins).
Ole Miss (and the “Wild Rebel”) will step into Bryant-Denny with all intentions of knocking down the Crimson Tide as they did just a few weeks prior with a one point win against the Gator’s in the swamp. The Tide looks to maintain it’s dominance and focus after a week off as they continue this season in what will prove to be another physical, down and dirty game on CBS, 2:30pm on Saturday.
“They have lost some tough games close,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “They have beaten Florida on the road. So this is a very challenging team for us and a very challenging game for us.” Check out RollTIdeBama’s pre-season capsule on Ole Miss at Alabama!
On last weeks match-up between the Sooners and the Longhorns, Alabama junior defensive end Lorenzo Washington had this to say: “I bet you a couple of people on (Oklahoma) were definitely looking past Texas, and look at what happened to them, you can’t look past anybody in any conference in college football today because you can be beat.”
Questions for Paul Finebaum. We’ll be talking with Paul this coming Monday the 20th for the Vols pre-game. If you have any questions or comments for Finebaum, send them to rolltide@tidecast.net.
Have a great weekend - ROLL TIDE!
Ben
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This past Sunday afternoon I was scrolling down RollTideBama.com football forums to see what the new topics of the day were - as I do every time I fire up this here compooter. As I was scrolling, there was a topic entitled “Sooo, it’s “official” UGA vs UA a *Blackout*”. Of course, being a media major, the first thought on my mind was, “oh okay, so Coach Richt must have had a “blacked-out” press conference”, meaning, no cameras allowed?
So after clicking on the enticing title posted by the one and only TerryP, the post opened up and only read as a link “<—rolling eyes“. As Terry does so well, I just HAD to click on it. Laughter immediately expelled from my mouth after hearkening back to the “blackout” win over Auburn last season followed by the slaying of Hawaii in a “blacked-out” bowl game. That last paragraph of the article got my imagination going, Coach Richt stats, “The seniors asked me if we could black out the game”.
All I could think of was a wide-eyed Knowshon Moreno, or Stafford just falling to their knees during the plane ride back from Arizona, placing palms together and begging Coach Richt, “please please Coach, can we please don our black jerseys for the big game this weekend against Alabama!?” Georgia is 2-0 with the black jerseys, taking down Auburn in a 45-20 victory, and routing Hawaii 41-10. Does this mean the Dawgs will dominate and win so decisively that this game won’t go into overtime this year?
Enjoy the show, have a great week - ROLL TIDE!
By the way, TRIVIA PRIZES will be back again next week and for the rest of the season, a big thanks to Phillip Casteel of the RedElepants store in Decatur, AL. If you live around Decatur make sure to stop by RedElephants, or go to RedElepants.com for your Bama merchandise.
Ben
rolltide@tidecast.net
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Former WR Joey Jones (1979-83). Joey is now back in his home town of Mobile to spearhead the building of Southern Alabama’s first football program since 1939. Jones accepted the South Alabama position after serving as the first head coach for Birmingham-Southern College. Before moving to Birmingham-Southern, Jones had complied a 125-38 (.767) record in 13 years as head coach at two Alabama high schools, Mountain Brook and Dora.
Coach Saban is’nt the only coach in Alabama with a “process”. Joey talks about whats it takes to build a football program from scratch. Coach Jones puts himself in Coach Saban’s shoes in terms of what he would do to get the Tide back on track to playing consistent, tough, physical football after week 2 and before diving into the SEC schedule.
Enjoy, ROLL TIDE!
Ben
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Just as last week the Tide dominated a number nine Clemson team with monumental effort, few mistakes and lots of enthusiasm, that same style of play was utilized by Tulane against us Saturday night in a 20-6 pedestrian win. Call it the curse of Gustav in reverse. Time possession of 35 minutes yet only 6 points for the Greewave was a testament to an improved Tide defense that save us from a ULM-style upset. The Tide has not allowed a touchdown in eight quarters of play.
It happens every Saturday each and every football season.A team wins big one week only to fall the next. Whether it’s reading your own press clippings, lack of enthusiasm, who knows? The Tide was lucky to come out a winner Saturday night. And, with another opponent like Tulane coming to town this week in Western Kentucky,Bama must pick it self up, dust off the negative waves and move forward.
Coach speaks of it often and most coaches do. The most successful teams are ones that play consistently good week end and week out. We’re just not there, yet.
Where is the Tide headed? One has to remember that this team is young and inexperienced in many areas. And, with key injuries to play-makers like Arenas and Tiffin to go with O-linemen Smith and Davis, we’re obviously very average when key first teamers are on the sidelines.
Better grow up in a hurry as down the road Hogs, Bulldogs and more Tigers await us. We need a Hilltopping experience first before taking them on. We’ll get it this week!
Roll Tide!!
TideCast Staff
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As the Green Wave traveled to Birmingham to commence gameday preparations at Samford University, the Crimson Tide rolled out with a big bang in the ATL. The test this weekend for the Tide is to show that they can play a consistent, high caliber ballgame after such a performance against a high profile team like Clemson. Alabama owns a 26-11-3 lead in the all-time series with Tulane, and the teams haven’t met since 1994. As we learned last year with the 21-14 loss against LA-Monroe, Bama has got to play smart, tough, physical ball on each down. Check out former QB Andrew Zow on the show this week. Andrew talks about his time at the Capstone, the tough times, the good times, and what the Crimson Tide needs to do going into the game this Saturday.
Trivia: What is Andrew Zow’s most yards passed during a single game?
Prize: Crimson Tide one size fits all cap. Crimson color, white “A” logo on front, velcro adjustable strap on back, “Roll Tide” on the back strap.
Get educated on Bama’s upcoming opponents! Check out Roll Tide Bama’s team capsules: Tulane Green Wave
Enjoy! Roll TIde!
