‘78, ‘79 NC notable Jim Bob Harris talks November

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Former Safety (78-81) Jim Bob Harris joins us this week.  Jim Bob was part of the 1978, 1979 championship teams in which Harris will be part of the ‘78 National Championship reunion in Tuscaloosa this Saturday.  Harris talks about the importance of beating adversity as a team, the parallels between his ‘78 champ team and this years ‘08 team.  Harris also touches on the character of Coach Nick Saban & staff, and of course the upcoming game with Miss. State.

Pressure mounts as #1 Alabama clinches the SEC West and is staged for one of the most important SEC championship games in history, but it’s still payback time for a couple of old foes.  One down, two to go - Croom’s (I need more cowbell!) Bulldogs are up next for another “sweet revenge” November game on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. ESPN.

The opening song is brought to you by Jay Speight and former Bama 2004 Captain Todd bates! Check out the creative rap/country remix of “Ala-Freakin’ Bama” @ Alafreakinbama.com!

Have a great week!  ROLL FREAKIN’ TIDE!!!

Co-hosts - Ben & Larry

Tags: Alabama, Bama, Croom, Download, ESPN, jim bob, national championship, nick saban, SEC, sec west, speight, todd bates, Tuscaloosa

BCS Busters: How One Game Changed Everything For The BCS Computers

 

The computer that controls the fate of the top five teams in the country will be very busy this weekend. At this point, we know at least one conference championship game (SEC), we know that Oklahoma is the all that stands between Texas Tech and perfection and we also know that the Big Ten and Pac-10 is most likely out of the BCS Championship.

How does this affect us? Well take a look at these games that changed the foundation of the BCS Computers.

 

Texas Tech 56, Oklahoma State 20

The Red Raiders are still riding high from last week’s victory over Texas. Last night, they continued that dominance.

In a game that started as a shootout between the two teams, the dynamic duo of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree ensured that when Tech plays Oklahoma in two weeks, it will not only be for the right to play in the Big XII Championship, but also for the Raiders’ quest at perfection and a trip to the BCS Championship.

Let’s hope that the bye week doesn’t stop the momentum of the Raiders. Because even Oakland fans are chanting “Rai-Duhs! Rai-Duhs!” in respect of Texas Tech.

 

Alabama 27, LSU 21 OT

In his return to Baton Rouge, Nick Saban was determined to get the #### off his back once and for all. Thanks to Rashard Johnson’s interception in OT, Alabama survived their trip to Death Valley and earned a trip to Atlanta for the first time since 1999. But they might not have saved their No. 1 spot despite a stout defense that stepped up majorly in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The good news for ‘Bama is that they’re going back to the granddaddy of the SEC. The bad news is the team they’re playing for the SEC Championship has been a team possessed since the loss to Ole Miss…

 

Florida 42, Vanderbilt 14

Tim Tebow went from Dr. Doom to Superman in record time as he was the main reason that Florida’s offense got into the end zone on almost every possession. But the biggest thing that I noticed from last night’s game was the double shot of punt blocks from Big Bad Dunlap.

Since the loss to Ole Miss, Florida has played as if their season depended on it, but in all honesty, it’s all about the triple crown they hope to hoist at season’s end.

With the win, Florida wins the SEC East and will head back to the SEC Championship for the second time in three years.

After a dominating performance, and despite a controversial fumble at the goal line, Florida’s chances of going back to the BCS Championship just got better thanks to a team that no one saw coming…

 

Oklahoma 66, Texas A&M 28

So it comes down to this. Just how good are the Oklahoma Sooners? They get a measure of revenge against the Lone Star State with a devastating performance against the Aggies.

But is it enough for them to jump Florida for the No. 3 spot? Most likely, but the way that things are going these days, and when someone says that you and Florida are the two hottest teams in the country, you’re probably going to stay behind the Gators.

In any event, we find out in two weeks just how good they are when they have a chance to do what Texas and Oklahoma State couldn’t do: Beat Texas Tech and end their quest for perfection.

But if it makes them feel better, someone helped their cause out in a huge way…and they didn’t even know it.

 

Iowa 24, Penn State 23

So a funny thing happened in the Cedar Rapids/Des Moines area yesterday. A team that was just playing for respect came out and earned the respect of every team below Penn State going into last weekend.

We all knew that Penn State doesn’t play well on the road this season. We all knew about the quarterback with a little head problems.

But what we didn’t know is that when Florida started playing Vanderbilt and Alabama was surviving LSU, they would be playing for more than just keeping their spots in the Top 25.

Thanks to a last second field goal, Iowa became everyone’s best friend, including Michigan State. With the Lions’ loss and their victory, the Spartans now move atop the Big Ten Conference, therefore setting up a showdown for the Big Ten Championship at season’s end.

I guess that’s as close as they get to a Conference Championship. So on behalf of everyone in Gainesville and Lubbock, we say thank you.

-Ron Johnson

Photo reprinted from;

http://images.athlonsports.com/d/7433-2/GrahamHarrell_001.jpg

Tags: Alabama, Atlanta, Bama, Baton Rouge, country, Death Valley, dominance, Florida, goal line, Johnson, LSU, nick saban, Oklahoma, Ole, Saban, SEC, Stat, Texas, weekend

Alabama/Kentucky Q&A with A Sea of Blue- RollBamaRoll.com

Well, internet has been down all week, so no post-Dawgs/pre-Cats show this week - thank you Comcast!  So instead read this great Q&A by our friends over at RollBamaRoll.com

1. The only time I’ve gotten to see Kentucky play this season was the opener against Louisville, a defensive struggle that saw the Wildcats play solid defense but not do a whole lot on offense.  Has UK found an offensive identity since then?

   Somewhat.  Our offense has a fairly good line, but our skill positions have been almost completely replaced from last year with the exception of the running backs and Dicky Lyons Jr., our slot receiver.  Everyone knows that Woodson, Little, Burton, Johnson and Tamme are gone and they represented virtually 90% of our offensive production last year.  Replacing that many players is very tough.

   But Mike Hartline has been a very steady if unspectacular quarterback, so I think we are OK there.  What’s hurt us so far is our O-line run blocking, which has been pretty poor, and our receivers.  The receivers have been breaking off routes, running the wrong routes, and dropping the football — pretty much what you expect from freshmen and sophomores.  That now seems to be improving, and will be tested in the crucible of Bryant-Denny this weekend.

2. On that note, name us a couple of players on offense that we’ll be cursing on Saturday.

   Offensively, Derrick Locke could be the guy that elicits some harsh language from ‘Bama fans.  If the line can give him some holes against the ‘Bama defense, he is terriffic in the secondary.  He came to UK on a track scholarship, and can pretty much outrun everybody.

   Another guy that will give ‘Bama fans reason to swear will be Dicky Lyons Jr.  Lyons is one of those tough receivers, not that speedy, but a guy who runs a good route and will not drop passes.  T.C. Drake is developing into a threat at tight end, and we could see a lot of balls thrown his way if Alabama is able to bring pressure.

3. Kentucky is playing some stingy defense so far, leading the league in scoring defense and second in total defense while also staying in the top half of the conference in all the other categories.  What has been the secret of their success, and who are a few players the Tide offense needs to be wary of this week?

   Corey Peters and Travard Lindley.  Lindley is an all-SEC quality cover corner, and the battle between him and Julio Jones aught to be epic.  Corey Peters is our most talented defensive lineman, and he has been a terror this year.  Peters has set up a small condominium complex in the backfield of every team we have played so far.  It will be tougher for him to do that in Tuscaloosa, but if he and his bretheren on the D-line don’t get some penetration, it could get ugly for UK fast.

   Besides the two I mentioned above, Braxton Kelley and Myron Pryor are two stalwarts in our run defense.  Of course, we are missing our outstanding MLB Micah Johnson, but Kelley has been so good we haven’t noticed a drop off.  Our defensive secondary has given up very few big plays, also, but I think the big key against Alabama will be getting some pressure on JP Wilson, as well as keeping Alabama from running “3 yards and a cloud of dust” on us.  Our D-line must find a way to get some penetration against the Tide’s big uglies, and those two guys have been responsible for shutting down the run so far, along with Peters and Ventrell Jenkins.

4. When we talked before the season we talked a little bit about how the basketball rabid fanbase perceives Kentucky football, and you wrote an excellent post on the historic opportunity that this game presents for the Kentucky football team.  Has the 4-0 start and a clash of undefeated teams this weekend amped up the expectations that Wildcat football can become a contender in the SEC?
   

   Well, Kentucky fans in general are realistic about our football prospects.  We don’t recruit at the level of Alabama, and thus we don’t expect to be able to come into many top-tier SEC school’s (of which Alabama is most assuredly one) home stadium and beat them.  Those are simply the facts of life.  But UK fans are excited about the possibilities this game presents — defeating Alabama would propel UK to the top of the SEC East and in a position to contend for an SEC East title, as well as elevate the ‘Cats back into the national convesation, albeit not at a top 10 level or anything, for the second straight year.  So our hopes are up for this game, but not to the point that there will be finger-pointing and recriminations if we lose.

   With that said, Kentucky is fully capable of beating an Alabama team that does not bring it’s “A” game.  Alabama’s “B” game is not likely to be enough against a motivated Kentucky team.  That’s the difference between the Wildcats of 5 years ago and the Wildcats of today — you cannot take us for granted as many teams did in previous years, or we will send your fans home with a frown.

5. What has Kentucky been able to do on defense that has surprised you so far this season?  And on offense?

   We expected to have a good defense.  I don’t think we expected to be ranked as highly as we are.  Frankly, on defense, there have been no real surprises, except perhaps Mat Lentz and David Jones.  Lentz was a quarterback who decided to move to strong safety to get on the field, and he has now taken over the starting spot from a troubled Ashton Cobb.  Lentz is a very smart player, and unusually for a former quarterback, likes to hit people — hard.

   David Jones had to take over for the academically ineligible Paul Warford, who was our second most talented corner.  Jones so far has done a very good job, rather better than I expected.  Again, he will be tested against Alabama, who would do well to throw to his side of the field rather than Trevard Lindley’s.

6. What aspect of Alabama’s offense most concerns you?  And on defense?

   Heh.  Everything.  And everything.

   But if I must pick one thing in particular, I am concerned about how our run defense will perform.  Alabama has a truly great offensive line.   The way you beat a football team is to keep the defense on the field a long time, and if Alabama can make the time of possession lopsided, I think Kentucky will lose.

   Defensively, I worry a bit about Hartline under fire.  He has not been tested under fire so far this year, as our O-line has done a masterful job of protecting him.  But Alabama’s defense is in another league, and I would be shocked if they don’t get some pressure on Hartline.  Will he start throwing the ball at random to covered receivers like Woodson sometimes did, or will he handle it with poise?  We really don’t know.

7. Fill in the blank portion:  Kentucky can win on Saturday if they BLANK?

   …perform well against the run.  If UK can hold Alabama to under 130 yards total rushing and we don’t give up big plays in the passing game, we have a chance.

8. Kentucky will lose on Saturday if they don’t BLANK?

   …get the Alabama offense off the field.  If Alabama can grind down our defense, they will be able to outscore Kentucky.  Kentucky does not have the line depth that Alabama does, and if our D-line has to face 6 minute drives every possession, it’s going to put tremendous pressure on the secondary as they tire.

Tags: Alabama, Bama, Bryant-Denny, Cats, Dawgs, Derrick Locke, Dicky Lyons Jr., football, Johnson, Julio Jones, Kelley, Kentucky, Lindley, Louisville, Mike Hartline, Myron, RollBamaRoll, SEC, Tamme, Tuscaloosa, UK, Ventrell, Wildcats, Wilson, Woodson

Hognoxious, Benny Perrin talk Tide @ Arky!

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THE SEC STREAK IS FINALLY HERE! - Join us this week as Hognoxious and Benny Perrin chime in on the upcoming traditional “measuring stick” match-up with the Razorbacks.  Bobby Smittle (Hognoxious, host of The Pig Idea) takes us behind enemy lines to give his insight into Arkansas, along with a very obnoxious “Pig Suey”.  We’re happy to have  good ole Benny Perrin on the show again. The Former DB (1978-1981) & owner of BB Perrin’s Sports Bar & Grill speaks on his time a the Capstone and the importance of this Razorback/Tide match-up.

Enjoy, ROLL TIDE!

Ben

Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Benny Perrin, Hognoxious, SEC, Tide

Talking with Coach and Former WR: Joey Jones

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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

Tags: roll tide, SEC

Nordstroms’s Notes: Thoughts on Week 2

Tags: crimson tide, SEC

Saban-Tooth Tide Tames Toothless Tigers

My my… How good does it get?  Stay-tuned.  The Tide played smash mouth ball for 60 minutes Saturday night in Atlanta and mauled the Tigers in the process.  Pardon a ‘Saban’ pun. One Tiger team down and two to go.  But, first things first.

The Tide played the most complete football game, arguably, since the Tide manhandled the cross-state Tigers in 2001 with the tandem backfield of Galloway and Beard,34-7.  This was the most physical whoopin’  -as Tommy Bowden was quoted as saying- in the Tigers last three years.

No trickery either.  Didn’t need it. To neutralize Clemson’s defensive speed (8 starters returned), Alabama ran right smack up the middle all night. Mark Ingram, the 5′11” 215 lb. true freshman,  just refused to be tackled upon first hit. He repeatedly broke tackles and punished Clemson would-be tacklers all night. Ditto for junior Glen Coffee. Throw-in some Upchurch and Grant and we kicked some proverbial orange butt. Man, it felt good, too.

The culmination of this domination could be seen at the end of the game in terms of time of possession:Alabama 41plus minutes to Clemson’s 19 and a fraction.Tide faithful, that’s possessing a dominant gene.

The ‘game ball’ would have to be split with the defensive and offensive lines, IMO.They crushed Clemson at the point of attack on each and every play. Did you notice how many Clemson players were carted off the field with injuries?

Notwithstanding, individual heroics were found in the person of tight end Nick Walker,7 catches for 67 yards,1 TD.  Also,J PW was constantly put in a favorable position to make plays- and he did-going 22 of 30,2 touchdowns and more importantly, no turnovers.  Credit new OC Jim McElwain with a brilliant game plan.The mark of a good coach is to focus on fundamental football when building a champion.Ask anybody.A team must be able to run to win and run the Tide did-all night. Granted, not huge runs, no breakaways, but solid pounding to complement an effective, short passing game.

On the defensive side of the ball-fundamentally-you must stop the run.Terrence(Mount) Cody, the 6′5” 365 junior college transfer NT, overpowered Clemson’s center-the only returning starter. Facing double teams -and at least once- a triple team, Cody was literally and figuratively the anchor to a developing defense that consistently confounded the Tigers. Clemson QB Harper was forced to audible off running plays in the confusion that played into the hands of ILB McClain and the rest of the Tide linebacking corps and secondary.

Spiller and Davis, hyped by many pundits to be the best running back tandem in college football, struggled to 20 yards rushing between them. The dynamic duo, for one game, were reduced to also-rans.No apologies for this pun.

An epiphany to take away from this game-regardless of the outcome of future games is this: the Tide demonstrated, finally, that it has outlived the probation years. It enjoyed a level of depth and competition that was evident as shown by fanatical effort and inspired overall play.It made you proud to be sitting atop the Elephant’s back, riding a wave of enthusiasm the likes of- we have not seen for a while. Quite frankly,one would have to revisit the Stalling’s years to re-discover it.

Given all the superlatives and adjectives associated with winning, the Tide must take each game one at a time. It is not time to celebrate quite yet or even to compare with other successful Tide regimes. But, this team brings a smile to the face of any Tide fan and a true sense of optimism, that in the midst of the ‘process’, something mighty good is happening.  We can truly compete with the best,we think, on a week-in and week-out basis. And, we all get to go along for the ride.

Roll Tide!!!
TideCast Staff

Tags: roll tide, SEC

DOMINATION! Bama 34 - Clemson 10

Associated Press - ATLANTA, Ga. – Nick Saban may face his toughest task yet: Holding down runaway expectations for his inexperienced Alabama team.

Crimson Tide’s $4 million-per-year coach gave Alabama backers a reason to think big Saturday night, leading ‘Bama to a thorough 34-10 beating of No. 9 Clemson 34-10 at the Georgia Dome.

“Nobody can be satisfied with a one-game performance,” Saban said. “This will be a challenge for our team and it’ll be interesting to see how they respond.”

Still, as the Alabama band broke into Queen’s “We Are The Champions,” at the end, you had to wonder if they were honoring the Crimson Tide’s past, with 12 national titles and years of dominance in the Southeastern Conference under Bear Bryant, or gazing into the near future.

“It’s still early. We still got a long way to go,” cautioned quarterback John Parker Wilson, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third. “But we’ve got a good group of guys here who can do it.”

Especially if the Tide play like this.

[Read more]

Tags: bear bryant, crimson tide, nick saban, SEC

College Football’s Highest Paid Coaches - Are they worth it? You Decide

College football's finest are getting paid more and more every day. Here’s a list of the top paid coaches in college football… Are they worth the money? Do you agree?


Urban Meyer, Florida $3,200,000 – WORTH IT

There’s no doubt that Florida fans don’t mind footing the bill for Meyer. He’s only been with the Gators for 3 complete seasons, and he’s already brought them the SEC title and a National Championship. With the USA Today Coach’s Poll ranking Florida at #5, the folks in Gainesville have high expectations for the upcoming season, and there’s no doubt that Coach Meyer has the highest of them all.

 

 

Bobby Bowden, Florida State $2,500,000 – WORTH IT

            Coach Bowden may not have the wins behind him the past couple of years, but the $2.5M paycheck is a fine gesture and well deserved in recognition of the 12 conference titles and 2 National Championships he has brought Tallahassee since 1992. Not to mention he is playing leap-frog with Joe Pa for the winningest coach of all time. By the way, Bowden has been with the Seminoles since 1976 (31 years) and has had only one losing season… his first.

 

Philip Fulmer, Tennessee $3,000,000 –NOT WORTH IT

            Entering his 16^th season as the Volunteers head coach, Fulmer has brought 2 conference titles and one National Championship. His longevity and winning record are unmatched in the SEC. His biggest weakness, though, is that he can’t seem to win big games. Recurring losses against conference rivals are starting to bother Tennessee fans, and that doesn’t look like it will change this year either. Fulmer’s involvement with a case involving an Alabama booster that landed the Crimson Tide on probation several years ago is finally catching up to him. He will be in court testifying of his involvement in the case two days before the Vols play Auburn, which happens to be an away game. If Fulmer is going to gain support from the Tennessee fan-base, he’s going to have to win big games.

 

 

Tommy Tuberville, Auburn $2,600,000 – NOT WORTH IT

            Tuberville is 80-33 overall (50-24 in conference play). He’s brought in only 1 SEC Championship and has yet to bring a BCS title home. The only thing that is keeping Tuberville in Auburn is his streak against arch-rival Alabama.  He has plenty of division titles, but can’t seem to go beyond the SEC West. He’ll have to start shelling out some more conference wins (what he really needs are championships) if he wants to stay around. A couple of losses to Alabama, and he won’t have anything left to offer.

 

Jim Tressel, Ohio State $2,600,000 – WORTH IT

            In the past seven seasons, Tressel has taken the Buckeyes to 3 National Championship, winning the title once. He also has three Big 10 Championships to go with his 73-16 overall record. Did I mention he went undefeated in 2002? Not bad for a guy who wears sweater vests. He’s won four bowl games in seven years, and Ohio State has its eye on a few more.

 

Mack Brown, Texas $2,910,000 - WORTH IT

            Coach Brown has managed to keep the Longhorns in the Top 25 since he took over in 1998 (lowest ranking was 23). He’s brought home one National Championship, which was recent enough to keep hopes of another one fresh in the minds of the Longhorn faithful. His record of 103-25 at Texas is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, and he’s a world-renowned recruiter, but a couple more Big 12 South wins this season will keep him happy at Texas for a while longer.  

 

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa $2,700,000 – NOT WORTH IT

            I’m not going to pretend that I know a whole lot about Kirk Ferentz. But I can tell you this- he’s only won 2 conference titles in his eight years at Iowa. You’re probably thinking, “hey, two conference titles in eight years, that ain’t bad!” You’re right, it’s not that bad, but did I mention that he has had four losing seasons in that eight year time span? With the price tag he has, he needs to produce a few more wins. His conference record is a lousy 34-38 lifetime at Iowa, not hardly worth the almost 3 million bucks he’s paid to coach there.

 

Bob Stoops, Oklahoma $3,450,000 – WORTH IT

            Let’s cut to the chase, Bob Stoops is a winner. With five Big 12 Championships in nine years, and one BCS title, Bob Stoops has proven to be well worth the money. He is 97-22 overall, and has only lost 12 conference games going into his tenth year as the Sooner’s head coach,  the best overall record of any BCS school during that stretch. If Stoops can keep his team focused, and away from the off-field distractions that have been hanging over them for the past year, he’ll keep earning that hefty check.   

 

Pete Carroll, Southern Cal $3,800,000 – WORTH IT

            Say what you want about Pete Carroll, but one thing is for sure, he has earned his pay. Since taking over the SoCal head coaching job in 2001, Carroll has won six conference championships in the Pac 10, and back-to-back National Championships. Southern Cal fans seem to adore his unconventional (and often controversial) coaching style, but let the critics say what they wish, in the end, Carroll has the rings.

 

Charlie Weis, Notre Dame $3,300,000 – NOT WORTH IT        

            Before you get mad, allow me to explain. First of all, I like Weis. He’s one of my favorite coaches in college football. He has class, a coaching style that I admire, and fire for the game. But the fact of the matter is he has not proved himself at the college level. Last year the Fighting Irish were a complete disaster.  I wouldn’t fire him, but coming off a 3-9 record, I can’t say he’s worth three million dollars.

 

Nick Saban, Alabama 4,000,000 – WORTH IT

            With only one year under his belt, it’s hard to say. But we do know that from his days at LSU Saban has what it takes to win in the SEC. In 2007 he was playing with a probation-era recruiting class, and a leftover mess from Tide coaches before him. With a new day dawning in Tuscaloosa, the Bama Nation is so far pleased. He received a rock-star welcome upon his arrival, and as the highest paid coach in college football, he receives a rock star salary. Saban brought in the #1 recruiting class in February, his first full recruiting season spent at Alabama. It’s hard to find another coach in the league that other coaches respect more, but if Saban can keep his team in good behavior off the field, he should have no problems on the field.

Tags: crimson tide, nick saban, SEC

SEC’s two best O-lines may reside in Alabama

Many questions, such as ones centering on the quarterback and the linebackers, among others, currently surround the Alabama Crimson Tide as football season nears. However, there is one Tide unit -- the offensive line… Tags: crimson tide, SEC

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