I don't think Mark Ingram is the best football player in the country. I don't even think he's the best football player on his own team. (That distinction, in my mind, goes to linebacker Rolando McClain; that's another post). But I do believe that he is a deserving winner of the Heisman trophy, which recognizes the country's most outstanding college football player.
It was the closest vote in Heisman history, narrower than the 1985 vote that gave the award to another running back from the state of Alabama. (Which, by the way, how did Bo Jackson not win unanimously?) Toby Gerhart finished 28 points behind Ingram, who garnered 227 first-place votes to Gerhart's 222. Gerhart had an incredible season for Stanford, and probably suffered from a lack of exposure to the majority of the country. His stats, on the surface, were better than Ingram's:
Gerhart: 1736 rushing yards, 26 TDs; 10 receptions, 149 yards receiving, 0 TDs
Ingram: 1542 rushing yards, 15 TD; 30 receptions, 322 yards receiving, 3 TDs
However, upon closer inspection, Ingram's stats stand out a bit more:
Gerhart: 311 carries, 5.6 yds/carry, 63% of Stanford's rushing attempts
Ingram: 249 carries, 6.2 yds/carry, 45% of Alabama's rushing attempts
Stanford ran the ball 497 times this season; Alabama did so 550 times, which includes one more game than Stanford. Even with one more game played, Ingram had fewer carries than Gerhart and a lower percentage of the load to carry. This can be viewed in many ways: Ingram was kept fresher because of other running backs; Gerhart's stats are more impressive because he was the focal point of his team's rushing attack (thus, meaning teams focused their game plans on him and he still piled up yards); Alabama could have plugged another back in there and he would have done just as good as Ingram.
However, I think this points to an even greater year by Ingram. If he had as many carries as Gerhart, by Ingram's yard per attempt, he'd have gained over 1900 yards rushing. Though Ingram was the starter, he wasn't as featured as Gerhart was. Stanford's second- and third-leading rushers carried the ball 61 and 55 times each, respectively, for 354 and 298 yards. (Their quarterback was their second-leading rusher). For Alabama, the second- and third-leading rushers were both running backs, carrying 126 and 46 times each, respectively, for 642 and 290 yards.
This would seem to imply that Alabama's offensive line and running backs were stronger, giving Ingram an advantage. However, looking at each team's yards per attempt, Stanford has the edge. They averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a team; Alabama averaged 5.1 yards per carry. This means that Ingram averaged more than a yard better than his team, while Gerhart was 0.2 yards above his team's rushing yards per carry.
This isn't to take away from Gerhart's season, ability, or talent. The man is a great running back and had a fabulous season. But for those thinking that Ingram rode the coattails of #1 ranked team as his sole claim to the Heisman race (and victory), think again. Mark Ingram is a fantastic football player and was a steadying and consistent force for the Crimson Tide as they navigated the defenses of the SEC. And yet he simply played his role, not only running the ball, but blocking and receiving as well. He cheered for and encouraged the running backs behind him, particularly Trent Richardson, someone who may have even more raw talent than Ingram.
In games that were decided by half or the third quarter, Ingram didn't get a chance to pad his stats. In the games that he started slowly (Virginia Tech) or didn't have it (Arkansas and Auburn), his coach went to the other running backs in order for the team to succeed. Ingram didn't complain; he didn't lash out. He responded.
In an outstanding way.
And though it's brought individual attention to him and his ability, it should not be overlooked that his team is what's most important to him. It's the people in his life, from family and friends to coaches, trainers, and teachers at the university, that he mentioned in his speech that allowed this to happen. The Crimson Tide fans are doubtlessly excited to finally have a Heisman winner. They should be just as excited that's it's someone like Mark Ingram. A selfless team player, playing his role and doing his best to bring to Alabama what it wants most: another national championship.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Top 10, Week 14
- Alabama (13-0) Unbelievably impressive win over Florida, like Saban had been stewing and preparing for the game since last year's championship game. They played their best game of the season so far. The hype is going to be in their favor heading to Pasadena; hopefully they've got one more dominating performance in them.
- Texas (13-0) The Longhorns didn't finish the season with anything close to flair, but they did win. Their defense held down a not-so-potent Nebraska offense; it's their own offense that left the question marks. But they pulled it out, which is a mark of a winner. Another good sign for the Horns: a 7-0-1 all-time record against Alabama.
- TCU (12-0) Great season, great team, unfortunate ending in the Big 12 Championship Game for them. What a match-up it would be to see them go against Texas. We'll have to settle for them against Boise State in the Fiesta, if the Fiesta knows what's good for them.
- Cincinnati (12-0) Wild, wild finish in Pittsburgh today. Pike showed resilience in coming back from a rough start. Another great season for the Bearcats; they'll be hungry for some gator meat in the Sugar Bowl.
- Boise State (13-0) Any chance of a letdown in their last game was quickly wiped out. Yet another team with a fantastic season; they too should go BCS bowling.
- Florida (12-1) Tough, tough loss to the Tide. They got hit in the face from the get-go and couldn't recover. Giving up a 69-yard reception immediately after making it a 12-10 game in the second quarter broke their spirit; the touchdown run on the next play practically sealed the outcome.
- Oregon (10-2) Pac-10 champions pull it out at home in the Civil War. They get a better-than-earlier-in-the-season Ohio State team in the Rose Bowl.
- Georgia Tech (11-2) They jump back into the Top 10 with their ACC Championship Game win, which is one reason their ahead of the Big Ten champ. They sit behind the Ducks because the ACC wasn't as strong as the Pac-10.
- BYU (10-2) Florida State? At home? Still mind-boggling. But at least it wasn't to a middle-of-the-pack Pac-10 team with a freshman quarterback.
- Ohio State (10-2) Get a championship game. Beat a decent out-of-conference opponent. Get ready for a fast, tough game against the Ducks.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
By the numbers
1 -- penalty called against the Tide, for 5 yards
3 -- touchdowns scored by Ingram
11 -- number of 3rd down conversions made by Alabama out of 15
20:23 -- amount of time Florida held the ball
22 -- number of SEC Championships Alabama has now won
39:37 -- amount of time Alabama held the ball
69 -- yards gained on a pass play to Ingram immediately after Florida cut the lead to 12-10, swinging the momentum back in Bama's favor
89 -- total rushing yards for the Gators
96 -- yards receiving for Maze on 5 receptions, double his season average
113 -- yards rushing for Ingram
239 -- yards passing for McElroy
251 -- total rushing yards for Alabama
490 -- total yards gained by Alabama, 250 more than Florida's defense averaged before this game
3 -- touchdowns scored by Ingram
11 -- number of 3rd down conversions made by Alabama out of 15
20:23 -- amount of time Florida held the ball
22 -- number of SEC Championships Alabama has now won
39:37 -- amount of time Alabama held the ball
69 -- yards gained on a pass play to Ingram immediately after Florida cut the lead to 12-10, swinging the momentum back in Bama's favor
89 -- total rushing yards for the Gators
96 -- yards receiving for Maze on 5 receptions, double his season average
113 -- yards rushing for Ingram
239 -- yards passing for McElroy
251 -- total rushing yards for Alabama
490 -- total yards gained by Alabama, 250 more than Florida's defense averaged before this game
SEC Champions
Initial thoughts from the SEC Championship Game:
- Greg McElroy played an incredible game. This was the type of poise and decision-making I was hoping for from him this season. Great job of hanging in the pocket and making precision passes.
- Mark Ingram had great TD runs and had a good bounce-back game from last week.
- What about the offensive line? These guys made all Tide fans forget about last year's group. What a performance. Vlachos' block of Spikes in the first quarter on a sweep or toss helped set the tone for evening. The O-line played their best game of the year.
- The defense was outstanding. The pressure was there from the D-line and linebackers and the secondary held strong. Good pick by Arenas; Woodall should've had one too. Erik Anders did a great job of shadowing Gonzalez and Ro was awesome watching Tebow.
- Cody's presence in the middle kept Florida from attempting to run. That Florida didn't have many rushing attempts was huge.
- The coaching staff had a great offensive and defensive game plan. The players executed it to near perfection.
- I thought Saban might get wet with a Gatorade bath, but the players may have decided to save that for Pasadena.
- My TV messed up right after Florida scored to make it 12-10 and I thought the game was going to start messing up as well. Neither the tide nor the Tide turned and I was able to get CBS back.
- Roll Tide!
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Conference Debate
As a fan and follower of the Southeastern Conference, I believe I watch the nation's best conference week after week. I've held this belief since my elementary school days, reflecting an obvious point in the debate for college football's best conference: where you live heavily influences your answer.
In college, the guys on my dorm hall were a mix of SEC and Big Ten/11 fans, with Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State, LSU, Kentucky, Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan, and Indiana represented in some way or another. We gladly agreed that the Pac-10 and Big 12 sucked and little else.
With this year's college football season winding down, I decided to spend Sunday afternoon compiling information about the BCS conferences, as well as the Mountain West Conference since they have three teams ranked in the Top 25, including #4 TCU.
Looking at out-of-conference games, here are the records for the seven conferences, in order by number of wins:
Since the Pac-10 requires each of its teams to play the other, giving them nine conference games instead of the seven or eight like the other conferences, they only have a total of 30 out of conference games. Also, the Big East only has eight members, limiting them to seven conference games. Here are the ranking of the conferences by winning percentages:
These percentages, though, do not include games against Notre Dame. Since Notre Dame has the possibility for a BCS tie-in in the BCS contract, I also worked out the percentages if Notre Dame games were included:
As far as scheduling goes, based merely on playing other BCS schools, the Pac-10, Big East, ACC, and MWC are on the right track. I'd love to see more SEC vs Pac-10 games (only three this season), SEC vs Big 12 (only three this season), SEC vs Big East (only two this year), and some regular season SEC vs Big Ten games as well (none this year).
But scheduling doesn't give the full picture, in the same way that non-conference wins or percentage of wins doesn't provide the whole shebang. I looked through the wins and losses against other BCS conferences and found that a lot of those wins were against the lesser competition from those conferences. For example, the SEC has 10 wins against other BCS schools. They've got wins against Georgia Tech and Clemson (the ACC's two division winners) and West Virginia (3rd in the Big East), but that total also includes some mediocre and lowly teams, like Florida State (6-6), Arizona State (4-8), and Louisville (4-8).
So, I looked at wins and losses against the current BCS Top 25 (Week 13, 2009). Here's what was found, by number of wins:
The last measurement that I'll list concerns wins against FCS schools (formerly Division 1-AA). In my assessment, the fewer FCS schools on the schedule, the better. The shame list reads as such:
Taking all of this into account, I still think the SEC is this year's top conference. They have some improvements to make as far as their scheduling goes, needing to reduce the number of games against FCS opponents and increasing the number of games against other BCS teams, especially beyond the ACC. However, they keep winning, whether it is against inferior, superior, or equal competition.
This is how I see the conferences stacking up, by strength from top to bottom. It includes information from above, as well as some input from the BCS rankings.
In college, the guys on my dorm hall were a mix of SEC and Big Ten/11 fans, with Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State, LSU, Kentucky, Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan, and Indiana represented in some way or another. We gladly agreed that the Pac-10 and Big 12 sucked and little else.
With this year's college football season winding down, I decided to spend Sunday afternoon compiling information about the BCS conferences, as well as the Mountain West Conference since they have three teams ranked in the Top 25, including #4 TCU.
Looking at out-of-conference games, here are the records for the seven conferences, in order by number of wins:
- SEC: 42-6
- Big 12: 35-13
- Big East: 32-8
- Big Ten: 31-11
- ACC: 30-18
- Pac-10: 21-9
- MWC: 21-15
Since the Pac-10 requires each of its teams to play the other, giving them nine conference games instead of the seven or eight like the other conferences, they only have a total of 30 out of conference games. Also, the Big East only has eight members, limiting them to seven conference games. Here are the ranking of the conferences by winning percentages:
- SEC: 0.875
- Big East: 0.800
- Big Ten: 0.738
- Big 12: 0.729
- Pac-10: 0.700
- ACC: 0.625
- MWC: 0.583
- SEC: 10-4
- Big East: 8-6
- ACC: 8-9
- Pac-10: 6-5
- MWC: 5-9
- Big 12: 4-7
- Big Ten: 3-7
- MWC: 38.89%
- Pac-10: 36.67%
- ACC: 35.42%
- Big East: 35.00%
- SEC: 29.17%
- Big Ten: 23.81%
- Big 12: 22.92%
These percentages, though, do not include games against Notre Dame. Since Notre Dame has the possibility for a BCS tie-in in the BCS contract, I also worked out the percentages if Notre Dame games were included:
- Pac-10: 50.00%
- Big East: 40.00%
- MWC: 38.89%
- ACC: 37.50%
- Big Ten: 30.95%
- SEC: 29.17%
- Big 12: 22.92%
As far as scheduling goes, based merely on playing other BCS schools, the Pac-10, Big East, ACC, and MWC are on the right track. I'd love to see more SEC vs Pac-10 games (only three this season), SEC vs Big 12 (only three this season), SEC vs Big East (only two this year), and some regular season SEC vs Big Ten games as well (none this year).
But scheduling doesn't give the full picture, in the same way that non-conference wins or percentage of wins doesn't provide the whole shebang. I looked through the wins and losses against other BCS conferences and found that a lot of those wins were against the lesser competition from those conferences. For example, the SEC has 10 wins against other BCS schools. They've got wins against Georgia Tech and Clemson (the ACC's two division winners) and West Virginia (3rd in the Big East), but that total also includes some mediocre and lowly teams, like Florida State (6-6), Arizona State (4-8), and Louisville (4-8).
So, I looked at wins and losses against the current BCS Top 25 (Week 13, 2009). Here's what was found, by number of wins:
- ACC: 4-5 (W: Pitt, BYU, Nebraska, Stanford; L: TCU (2), Alabama, Florida, California)
- SEC: 3-4 (W: Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, West Virginia; L: Ok St, Georgia Tech (2), Houston)
- Pac-10: 2-4 (W: Utah, Ohio State; L: Boise St, Cincinnati, LSU, Iowa)
- Big East: 1-3 (W: Oregon St; L: Miami, Penn State, Utah)
- Big 12: 0-6 (L: Virginia Tech, Iowa, Houston (2), BYU, Miami)
- Big Ten: 0-4 (L: USC, Oregon, California, Cincinnati)
- MWC: 0-3 (L: Oregon, Texas, Oregon State)
The last measurement that I'll list concerns wins against FCS schools (formerly Division 1-AA). In my assessment, the fewer FCS schools on the schedule, the better. The shame list reads as such:
- ACC: 12-2
- SEC: 11-0
- Big East: 10-0
- Big 12: 9-0
- Big Ten: 8-0
- MWC: 6-0
- Pac-10: 4-0
Taking all of this into account, I still think the SEC is this year's top conference. They have some improvements to make as far as their scheduling goes, needing to reduce the number of games against FCS opponents and increasing the number of games against other BCS teams, especially beyond the ACC. However, they keep winning, whether it is against inferior, superior, or equal competition.
This is how I see the conferences stacking up, by strength from top to bottom. It includes information from above, as well as some input from the BCS rankings.
- SEC
- Pac-10
- ACC
- Big East
- Big Ten
- Big 12
- MWC
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Top 10, Week 13
- Florida (12-0) Tebow went out in style on Saturday against the Seminoles. So did the rest of their senior class. I'm sure the game film from Alabama's Auburn game will provide plenty of ideas of how to attack and confuse the defense.
- Alabama (12-0) Two straight undefeated regular seasons; a comeback win against their in-state rival; a strong home stretch for their where-did-he-go-in-October quarterback; but coming up short against Florida again would leave the sourest of tastes for them and their fans.
- Texas (12-0) McCoy may have all but wrapped up the Heisman trophy this season. Another showing like this against Nebraska should seal it. Funny how a dropped interception in the Texas Tech game last year may have been what kept him from the trophy then.
- TCU (12-0) There will probably be a lot of red being worn in Ft. Worth this week. If Nebraska can't pull it out against the Horns, the Fiesta Bowl could do college football a great and beautiful favor by matching up the Horned Frogs and Boise State.
- Boise State (12-0) Good job avoiding possible upsets the past two weeks. With Oklahoma State's loss, a BCS bid should be theirs.
- Cincinnati (11-0) Their match-up with Pittsburgh becomes even tougher with Pitt's loss to West Virginia. For them to lose two in a row to finish the regular season seems a bit dicey. If they do win, look for the Sugar Bowl to end up with them, primarily because of their poor showing at the Orange Bowl last year.
- Oregon (9-2) This is the first time the Civil War will be played for the right to go to the Rose Bowl. Playing at home will be the advantage that pushes them over in this game.
- Ohio State (10-2) They're one defensive stop and one let-down game away from being undefeated and possibly in the championship game, where they'd once again get crushed by an SEC team again.
- Iowa (10-2) The best Gameday sign I saw all year was at Penn State when the Hawkeyes came to play. A PSU fan held up a sign that read "Ricky Stanzi listens to Hannah Montana." Not sure why it made me fall off my couch laughing, but it did. If Stanzi doesn't get hurt in the Northwestern game, they're ranked much higher.
- BYU (10-2) Only losses were to the #4 team and a home blow out by Florida State, which remains inexplicable. Nevertheless, if OSU and Iowa can be in the Top 10 with losses to Purdue and Northwestern, respectively, then BYU can finish the list this week.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Top 10, Week 11
- Florida (10-0) Just keep winning. Don't do it please anyone else. Good win against tough competition on the road, though South Carolina may have shown some small holes in the defense.
- Texas (10-0) McCoy and Shipley could start a boy band they've got so much rhythm right now. Ok, that's a bit much, but I'm sure the coeds (and cougars) in Austin would love to see them in that garb. As for football, Texas is hitting the home stretch with great stride.
- Alabama (10-0) Played great in what many thought would be a trap game. The offense hit some big plays and the defense held another back under 100 yard rushing, with the secondary providing some timely interceptions and pass break-ups.
- TCU (10-0) I haven't written a lot about this team, but have kept them at this spot for four weeks straight now. They made quite a statement last night with a big win over what's become a quick rival in Utah. The Big 12 would do itself a great favor by finding a spot for them in its conference.
- Cincinnati (10-0) Beat a pretty good West Virginia team on Friday night. They have Illinois at home and then Pittsburgh on the road, a de facto Big East championship game.
- Boise State (10-0) They're actually not number one in their league; Nevada has one more conference win then Boise, keeping them atop the standings. That gets settled on the field in a couple of weeks, but not before a trip to Utah State this Friday night.
- Georgia Tech (10-1) The ACC needs them to win the conference championship game. It also needs them to take care of business against Georgia this week. Losing to a struggling SEC team would not help this conference's image right now.
- LSU (8-2) Closer than expected game against Louisiana Tech, but good for them to schedule an in-state game like this (hint, hint, Alabama and Auburn, who should be scheduling UAB and Troy). With Ole Miss and Arkansas left on their schedule, there's no guarantee that they've got 3rd-best in the SEC sown up yet.
- Ohio State (9-2) An overtime win at home against a team without their starting QB, who's been their caped-crusader in games like yesterday's. I don't think their trip to Pasadena is going to go very well. But I'm sure they'd clobber Pittsburgh.
- Pittsburgh (9-1) Again, a weak, weak schedule. Holding off Notre Dame like they did is commendable, but the Irish haven't shown to be great. Fortunately, they get a chance to settle it on the field against Cinci in a couple of weeks.
Oregon: If I can't put Stanford up here, I can't find a place for Ducks either.
Oklahoma State: That loss to Houston has been very difficult to overcome, especially after their game on Saturday. Maybe next week.
Week 11 Thoughts
People keep talking about no one wanting to win the Heisman; apparently, no team wants to a non-BCS bowl game. Looking beyond the top eight teams in these rankings, things are fishy at best. Numbers 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17 all lost; the teams ranked between and below them have all hit some type of snag as well. It makes for a frustrating attempt at a top 15 or 25, thus re-emphasizing to me why I'm keeping a top 10 list.
Some quick bites:
Some quick bites:
- Gary Danielson said something very intriguing with five or so minutes left in the fourth quarter of the Florida-South Carolina game. He said that if there was a playoff system in place, Tebow wouldn't have been on the field as the Gators ran the clock out and may not have even played much of the second half, in order to rest him for the SEC Championship Game and the following playoff run. As much as I'd like to, it's hard to disagree with him on that point.
- Is there a firepetecarroll.com site up yet? I mean, the guy's lost to Stanford at home their past two trips and he can't win an eighth consecutive Pac 10 title? Sounds like wheels falling off the program to me.
- Though I didn't watch the game, the break-ins and updates last night from the TCU-Utah game told quite a story. Utah's coach was quoted as saying that the Horned Frogs were the best team he's faced in his five years as a head coach. Any way to leapfrog TCU into the Big 12 Championship Game to face Texas?
- It was great to see Bama more than just survive a game. They did catch a couple of breaks (an under-thrown pass on the first play of the game, a non-reviewed stepping-out-of-bounds-negating-a-kickoff-return-for-TD call), but created their own as well. Marquis Johnson had a couple of fantastic plays; Mark Barron's deflection in the endzone may have been even better than those; James Carpenter (and the rest of the offensive line) continue to create holes and lay down some great blocks; and how about P.J. Fitzgerald's punting -- he's done quite well.
- Though I'd love for Ingram to become the Tide's first Heisman winner, I agree with Mark about who on Alabama's team deserve the vote: Rolando McClain. If the Heisman is supposed to go to the nation's best football player, Ro is man. Ingram's got great stats and has been the offensive MVP for Alabama. But to say he's their best player or the nation's top player...I'm not comfortable with that. I think Ingram's deserving of many accolades and I'll be more than happy should he get in the top three or five or even win it. But McClain has quarterbacked and led this top ranked defense, playing without his right-hand man (Hightower) for most of the year.
- GameDay is going to Tuscon for the Oregon-Arizona match-up this Saturday. I guess the SEC and Big 12 got too much exposure last year, as it seemed each Saturday landed the crew at a game in one of those conferences. It's been spread around a lot more this year, though not always at the weekend's top game. But I'm mostly ok with that. Seeing the crowd at TCU yesterday was pretty overwhelming; definitely one of the loudest openings they've had; Fowler even asked if people at home could hear them talking because I don't think they could hear themselves.
- Enough with the black unis, especially if you're playing Alabama. Jerseys may bring an extra shot of excitement and bring in a bit more at the cash register, but they're not going to put you over the hump.
- I did, however, appreciate what South Carolina did in honoring the Wounded Warrior Project; it was a nice way to change things up, but not in an overwhelming fashion. Their jerseys were the same except for their sleeves were digital camouflage and instead of players' names on the back, they had words like "Honor," "Duty," "Courage," and "Service."
- The SEC only had three teams in the top 25 as of last week. Who's the fourth-best team in the conference?
- The Big 12 only had two teams in the top 25 as of last week. Who's the third-best team in the conference?
- Any chance that TCU jumps Texas in today's BCS rankings? Wouldn't that be interesting? They were ahead of them in the computers but lost ground in points from the polls. However, after yesterday's game, though they'll likely still remain in fourth in the polls, they could garner more points from the voters, closing the gap and possibly jumping them. Crazy system indeed.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Preview: Alabama vs. Mississippi State
Whenever I think about Mississippi State, my thoughts initially go to my friend Dean. Dean and I have known each other since elementary school and he was one of my best friends through high school and college. For reasons I don't remember (and may never have known), he latched on to the Bulldogs (as well as the New York Jets and whatever team Ron Gant was playing for) and they became his team and have been since. He's held season tickets even though he's never lived there; from Facebook, I can tell that he still goes down there about once a season, if not more often. He's a true fan. For the Crimson Tide, playing Mississippi State this weekend is quite similar to how guys on opposing intramural teams would often play him; for Alabama's sake, I hope the result isn't the same.
In college, my group of friends and I called ourselves Tres, taken from the song "Tres Deliquentes" (the song starts at the 26 second mark). We lived on the third floor of our dorm; we participated in what we thought of as delinquent behavior (at the time); we did have some legitimate delinquents among us, though they'll go nameless in this space; and we played all our intramural games with a chip on our collective shoulder, feeling looked down upon like the guys in the song (as best we could interpret). Our dorm wasn't considered cool (though we believe we changed that, at least during our years there) and we took on the identity of always having something to prove.
In our games, we typically felt overlooked and looked down upon, taking no greater joy than beating our opponents badly (when we could) and laughing to ourselves as we exited the field or court. We practiced football in one of our university's parking lots by night, using the lines as yard markers; most of the time it was touch, but some touches may have been closer to tackles. Though Gamma Bob seemed to have our number in our early days, we won more often than not. We played tough, we played smart, and we played hard. In a lot of ways, Dean may have embodied more than any us.
In football, he played on the line. It took almost two seasons for teams to pick up that he was actually playing as a tight end, often releasing automatically at the snap. I played quarterback my junior and senior years and he was my go-to target, seemingly always open or making the first block if I took off running. He probably led our team in receiving touchdowns. Thinking back, it seems like he never dropped a pass. And no one on the opposing team seemed to pick up on it until we were up by three scores.
In basketball, it was much the same way. Dean played the post and had a pretty good shot too. More than anything, he rebounded like a beast. He also made some crucial shots in games that have unfortunately escaped my memory. But we'd get to the end of the game, look at the scorebook and Dean would have led the team in scoring. He was a 12-10 guy that opponents seemingly let run wild. And if Alabama isn't ready, the Bulldogs could do the same.
The Tide needs to recognize that this is going to be just as tough a game as Tennessee and LSU were. State's home schedule has been quite imposing, already having played four teams currently ranked in the top 15 of the BCS (LSU, Georgia Tech, Houston, and Florida), which account for four of their five losses. Questionable calls abound in those games like cowbells in the stands. They play a tough brand of football and would love to make this three out of four years defeating the Tide. The Bulldogs have also had a week off, allowing them a freshness that could possibly tip the game in their favor.
The Bulldogs' spread attack features their running back, Anthony Dixon, the second-leading rusher in the SEC this season. Though a spread offense often opens up a lethal passing attack, along the lines of Texas Tech or Utah, Dan Mullen's version in Starkville takes the inherited parts and juices it up a bit, propelling this already talented back to the front of the pack of SEC rushers. Defensively, they can be opportunistic, as demonstrated in the effort against Florida. Though young, they're giving up less than 150 yards rushing each game; opposing teams average a bit over 200 yards passing, which might help build on what Alabama's passing attack was able to do against LSU.
The LSU game gave the Tide a taste of what it's like to be in a wire-to-wire, back-and-forth game, something the Bulldogs have frequented on their home turf. Though McElroy played much better last Saturday than most of October combined, he has yet to hear a crowd of 53,000 sound like more than 100,000, thanks to an ignored SEC ban on artificial noisemakers, made famous in Will Ferrell's now-signature SNL skit, which, should be noted, had nothing to do with Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. (Though, I would like to see said skit on that video board; when I was there last year for the Arkansas/MSU game, I spent more time watching it than the field which was only 15 rows away.) It's going to be a loud Saturday night for McElroy and his composure is going to be tested. The experience from the LSU game could prove quite helpful for him, especially coupled with a returned confidence to hit the deep routs and the return of his tight end, Colin Peek.
I don't think Alabama is going to look past Mississippi State. If the game is close, it's not going to be because the Bulldogs were overlooked; it's going to be because the Bulldogs played well. Saban's team seems to have learned its lesson on how to focus on one game a time, as demonstrated by the last two regular seasons. However, there could be a letdown in intensity that comes from playing in such a hyped-up like LSU. It is a Saturday night ESPN game, which typically involves a lot of action, scoring, and excitement.
However...
As far as I can see, or maybe it should be as much as I hope to see, Alabama's defense should contain Mississippi State's offense, adding Dixon to the group of top SEC performers who've suffered through disappointing games against McClain and company. Mark Ingram should continue going through defenders like McKinley High students went through cupcakes in last night's episode of Glee and look for Julio Jones to have another 100-yard receiving game. State's special teams give up an average of 15 yards per punt return, meaning that Javier Arenas is already lining up down field, ready to take one back; don't be surprised if he does.
If you're looking for a 45-38 shoot-out, turn over to ESPN2 for the Auburn-Georgia game. This one will probably be closer to 24-10.
In college, my group of friends and I called ourselves Tres, taken from the song "Tres Deliquentes" (the song starts at the 26 second mark). We lived on the third floor of our dorm; we participated in what we thought of as delinquent behavior (at the time); we did have some legitimate delinquents among us, though they'll go nameless in this space; and we played all our intramural games with a chip on our collective shoulder, feeling looked down upon like the guys in the song (as best we could interpret). Our dorm wasn't considered cool (though we believe we changed that, at least during our years there) and we took on the identity of always having something to prove.
In our games, we typically felt overlooked and looked down upon, taking no greater joy than beating our opponents badly (when we could) and laughing to ourselves as we exited the field or court. We practiced football in one of our university's parking lots by night, using the lines as yard markers; most of the time it was touch, but some touches may have been closer to tackles. Though Gamma Bob seemed to have our number in our early days, we won more often than not. We played tough, we played smart, and we played hard. In a lot of ways, Dean may have embodied more than any us.
In football, he played on the line. It took almost two seasons for teams to pick up that he was actually playing as a tight end, often releasing automatically at the snap. I played quarterback my junior and senior years and he was my go-to target, seemingly always open or making the first block if I took off running. He probably led our team in receiving touchdowns. Thinking back, it seems like he never dropped a pass. And no one on the opposing team seemed to pick up on it until we were up by three scores.
In basketball, it was much the same way. Dean played the post and had a pretty good shot too. More than anything, he rebounded like a beast. He also made some crucial shots in games that have unfortunately escaped my memory. But we'd get to the end of the game, look at the scorebook and Dean would have led the team in scoring. He was a 12-10 guy that opponents seemingly let run wild. And if Alabama isn't ready, the Bulldogs could do the same.
The Tide needs to recognize that this is going to be just as tough a game as Tennessee and LSU were. State's home schedule has been quite imposing, already having played four teams currently ranked in the top 15 of the BCS (LSU, Georgia Tech, Houston, and Florida), which account for four of their five losses. Questionable calls abound in those games like cowbells in the stands. They play a tough brand of football and would love to make this three out of four years defeating the Tide. The Bulldogs have also had a week off, allowing them a freshness that could possibly tip the game in their favor.
The Bulldogs' spread attack features their running back, Anthony Dixon, the second-leading rusher in the SEC this season. Though a spread offense often opens up a lethal passing attack, along the lines of Texas Tech or Utah, Dan Mullen's version in Starkville takes the inherited parts and juices it up a bit, propelling this already talented back to the front of the pack of SEC rushers. Defensively, they can be opportunistic, as demonstrated in the effort against Florida. Though young, they're giving up less than 150 yards rushing each game; opposing teams average a bit over 200 yards passing, which might help build on what Alabama's passing attack was able to do against LSU.
The LSU game gave the Tide a taste of what it's like to be in a wire-to-wire, back-and-forth game, something the Bulldogs have frequented on their home turf. Though McElroy played much better last Saturday than most of October combined, he has yet to hear a crowd of 53,000 sound like more than 100,000, thanks to an ignored SEC ban on artificial noisemakers, made famous in Will Ferrell's now-signature SNL skit, which, should be noted, had nothing to do with Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. (Though, I would like to see said skit on that video board; when I was there last year for the Arkansas/MSU game, I spent more time watching it than the field which was only 15 rows away.) It's going to be a loud Saturday night for McElroy and his composure is going to be tested. The experience from the LSU game could prove quite helpful for him, especially coupled with a returned confidence to hit the deep routs and the return of his tight end, Colin Peek.
I don't think Alabama is going to look past Mississippi State. If the game is close, it's not going to be because the Bulldogs were overlooked; it's going to be because the Bulldogs played well. Saban's team seems to have learned its lesson on how to focus on one game a time, as demonstrated by the last two regular seasons. However, there could be a letdown in intensity that comes from playing in such a hyped-up like LSU. It is a Saturday night ESPN game, which typically involves a lot of action, scoring, and excitement.
However...
As far as I can see, or maybe it should be as much as I hope to see, Alabama's defense should contain Mississippi State's offense, adding Dixon to the group of top SEC performers who've suffered through disappointing games against McClain and company. Mark Ingram should continue going through defenders like McKinley High students went through cupcakes in last night's episode of Glee and look for Julio Jones to have another 100-yard receiving game. State's special teams give up an average of 15 yards per punt return, meaning that Javier Arenas is already lining up down field, ready to take one back; don't be surprised if he does.
If you're looking for a 45-38 shoot-out, turn over to ESPN2 for the Auburn-Georgia game. This one will probably be closer to 24-10.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Top 10, Week 10
I typed this Top 10 late Saturday night, but didn't get around to the comments and formatting until this evening. Enjoy!
Pittsburgh: Weak, weak schedule so far. Could push Charlie Weis out of his hot seat on Saturday, though.
Utah: Could spoil things for TCU this weekend.
Oregon: Why they're not ranked ahead of USC confounds me and bothers me.
USC: Why they're not ranked ahead of Ohio State confounds me and bothers me.
Ohio State: Why they're ranked so high after defeating a clearly overrated and overhyped Penn State team just irks me.
- Florida (9-0) Though without Brandon Spikes on Saturday, their defense still held strong, albeit against an offense that's averaging seven points per conference game. Still, a win's a win as the top three stay the same.
- Texas (9-0) Colt McCoy (470 passing yards) and Jordan Shipley (273 receiving yards) probably hadn't run and passed around with this much ease since high school. Good luck trying to match those numbers on a video game.
- Alabama (9-0) Greg McElroy was happy to see November or the end of October at least. Alabama fans were ecstatic to see a healthy Julio, especially back in the endzone. Possibly overshadowed by those two were Mark Ingram's 144 rushing yards and another dominating performance by the Tide's defense. This was the first game in a month I remember a team throwing to a receiver that Javier Arenas was covering; the incompletion spoke for itself.
- TCU (9-0) I keep hearing that they're the team no one wants to play right now, that their defense is punishing teams, and that they're looking very strong. We'll see how the lights of Gameday look in Ft. Worth this Saturday.
- Cincinnati (9-0) With Iowa and Oregon already going down in the day, it seemed like Cincinnati was going to be the next victim. Not so fast, said the Bearcats.
- Boise State (9-0) Though the loss at Stanford quiets the "Oregon is a better team now than early in the season" crowd, it still drops Boise's only marquee win another notch.
- Georgia Tech (9-1) Such fun to watch this offense go, even if it's through a bi-polar conference.
- LSU (7-2) If Jefferson doesn't injure his ankle. If Scott doesn't break his collarbone. If the interception that really was an interception got called an interception. Then the game might have been closer than the nine-point difference. But not much. The fourth quarter means something again in Tuscaloosa.
- Iowa (8-1) Tough loss, both on the scoreboard and to the quarterback, Ricky Stanzi. They still had a chance to win, though. Funny how the voters easily forgive a Matt Barkley-less-but-still-talently-loaded USC team at Washington but drop a Ricky Stanzi-less Iowa team like a sack of dirt. Not here.
- Houston (8-1) Chase Keenum is putting up numbers that defy gravity. They danced with the Big 12 and won. They battled the SEC and won. They stumbled in El Paso but only then. Tulsa tossled them a bit, but they eeked it out. Good for them. Props for scheduling and for winning.
Pittsburgh: Weak, weak schedule so far. Could push Charlie Weis out of his hot seat on Saturday, though.
Utah: Could spoil things for TCU this weekend.
Oregon: Why they're not ranked ahead of USC confounds me and bothers me.
USC: Why they're not ranked ahead of Ohio State confounds me and bothers me.
Ohio State: Why they're ranked so high after defeating a clearly overrated and overhyped Penn State team just irks me.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Top 10, Week 9
Due to an out-of-town engagement (literally), I was not able to watch college football this weekend. Not that I'm complaining. I've done some catching up the past couple of days on what happened and what didn't happen. A few thoughts before I get to the list:
First, I'll gladly accept congratulations for keeping USC out of the Top 10; I didn't watch the game, but I could still sense the beat down they received.
Next, there needs to be a rule change about the punishment a player receives for being thrown out of a game. Currently, that standard is set at half of the following game; this may have played into the decision making regarding the suspension of Brandon Spikes. If so, considering he wasn't even flagged for the play on the field, an argument can be made that the suspension is just; however, the replay of what happened calls out for at least a full game. Shame on Urban Meyer. Shame on Mike Slive for supporting the decision on behalf of the SEC. Shame on Tim Tebow for arguing that Georgia was doing just as much and that's how it goes; I expected Tebow to be better than that. Finally, Shame on Spikes for reacting like he did; apparently, his eye-gouging was due to a cheap shot he or teammate received on an earlier play.
Lastly, I'm pulling for BCS destruction (as long as Alabama still finishes on top). I'd love to see Texas, TCU, Iowa, Boise State, Cincinnati, and Penn State continue to win out; I'd like to see Florida win all their games up to the SEC Championship Game; I'd like to see Oregon take the Pac 10; I'd like to see Notre Dame win out, move up to the top 14 of the BCS and then get left out because there would be 13 better teams in front of them. Not that a scenario like that would change anything or even happen; if it did occur, maybe it would give us a nice slew of bowl games:
Sugar Bowl: Florida vs Penn State
Tostitos Bowl: TCU vs Boise State
Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs Georgia Tech
Rose Bowl: Iowa vs Oregon
BCS Championship: Alabama vs Texas
If those bowl match-ups occurred, there would be a guarantee of three undefeated teams, with a possibility of four. I know, I know -- the tie-ins would fall in place like that...that would be much too fun and competitive, which is not what the BCS is about.
On to the rankings.
First, I'll gladly accept congratulations for keeping USC out of the Top 10; I didn't watch the game, but I could still sense the beat down they received.
Next, there needs to be a rule change about the punishment a player receives for being thrown out of a game. Currently, that standard is set at half of the following game; this may have played into the decision making regarding the suspension of Brandon Spikes. If so, considering he wasn't even flagged for the play on the field, an argument can be made that the suspension is just; however, the replay of what happened calls out for at least a full game. Shame on Urban Meyer. Shame on Mike Slive for supporting the decision on behalf of the SEC. Shame on Tim Tebow for arguing that Georgia was doing just as much and that's how it goes; I expected Tebow to be better than that. Finally, Shame on Spikes for reacting like he did; apparently, his eye-gouging was due to a cheap shot he or teammate received on an earlier play.
Lastly, I'm pulling for BCS destruction (as long as Alabama still finishes on top). I'd love to see Texas, TCU, Iowa, Boise State, Cincinnati, and Penn State continue to win out; I'd like to see Florida win all their games up to the SEC Championship Game; I'd like to see Oregon take the Pac 10; I'd like to see Notre Dame win out, move up to the top 14 of the BCS and then get left out because there would be 13 better teams in front of them. Not that a scenario like that would change anything or even happen; if it did occur, maybe it would give us a nice slew of bowl games:
Sugar Bowl: Florida vs Penn State
Tostitos Bowl: TCU vs Boise State
Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs Georgia Tech
Rose Bowl: Iowa vs Oregon
BCS Championship: Alabama vs Texas
If those bowl match-ups occurred, there would be a guarantee of three undefeated teams, with a possibility of four. I know, I know -- the tie-ins would fall in place like that...that would be much too fun and competitive, which is not what the BCS is about.
On to the rankings.
- Florida (8-0) Finally a signature win for the season, albeit against a horrendous Georgia team, who for some reason can't seem to understand that changing uniforms does not transform talent.
- Texas (8-0) Two strong performances in a row, on the road at that. They seem to be gearing up right in time for the stretch run.
- Alabama (8-0) The Tide have had an extra week to rest and prepare for a big showdown with the Bengal Tigers from the Bayou. If the past two years are any indication, this game will be fought and won deep into the fourth quarter. Look for Greg McElroy to return to form and for Julio Jones to catch at least two touchdown passes.
- TCU (8-0) I'm going to stick with the same rankings 4-7 that appeared in the last poll. I really should have more to say about the Horned Frogs at #4 than this, but I don't. Deal.
- Iowa (9-0) Cardiac Kids. Houdinis. Whatever you choose to call these escape artists, call them good. To keep pulling bunnies out of your hat (and butt) is impressive.
- Cincinnati (8-0) One more time in case you haven't read it: they lost 10 defensive starters from last year and they've been playing without their starting quarterback for a few weeks. Quite impressive.
- Boise State (8-0) Poor Boise. TCU scores a big win on the road to a ranked team later in the season than you; the team you drilled in the season opener defeats the glorious Trojans and builds its own credibility; and you get no love. I blame this on the Pac 10; they should add Boise and Utah to make it the Pac 12, have a conference championship, and join the rest of the gang.
- Oregon (7-1) Great win over USC. In the driver's seat to the Rose Bowl, with a slight chance to play in the big one if teams start dropping off.
- LSU (7-1) Tulane was a nice appetizer for what the Tigers hope is a grand feast on Saturday. They've got the talent. They've got the rhythm. They've got The Hat. Should be an enthralling throwdown.
- Georgia Tech (8-1) The ACC's only hope of respectability for this season. The SEC should bring them back by trading Vandy to the ACC. What a battle that would be: Vandy and Duke for bottom of the barrel bragging rights.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
San Antonio Spurs 113, New Orleans Hornets 96
SAN ANTONIO -- The Spurs took a little bit of time to get going in their first game of the year, but once they got in gear (about halfway through the first quarter), they didn't slow down (save a Tony Parker scare in the third). On the back of a 20-1 run that stretched from mid-way through the 1st to the 2nd quarter, the Spurs pulled away from the Hornets and held a 15+ lead for most of the game. Six Spurs scored in double figures; Tim Duncan was not one of them.
Sparked by Parker's 17 and Manu Ginobili's 16, the Spurs rode a three-point early and a strong contribution from their bench. Michael Finley (10), Matt Bonner (11), and Roger Mason, Jr. (11) represented the returning players well in the home opener; newcomers Richard Jefferson (5) and Antonio McDyess (9) played well in their first regular season action. Jefferson also had five assists, making several sharp, precise passes to his new teammates. He seemed to force his first few shots in the first quarter, but settled down thereafter.
Ginobili, coming off two injury-shortened season, looked like his former, wily self. His comments leading up to the game were that his basketball game didn't match up yet with his conditioning; the Hornets, though, would disagree. He knifed and carved his way through their defense and knocked down a couple of threes to boot.
Duncan also played well, taking 5 rebounds quickly in the first quarter, finishing with 12 for the night. The production from arguably his most talented supporting cast allowed the offense to flow more freely and not necessarily through him, especially as he drew double teams. The Spurs threw out 29 assists for the night, with no player having more than 6 (Parker).
The Spurs' roster features one lone rookie, DeJuan Blair, who continued his exhilarating play from the summer and preseason. He contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds, with five of those coming on the offensive end. His play through camp and the preseason earned him the nickname "Beast" from his teammates and the moniker was on full display tonight. His energy is great to watch and should provide a great spark off the bench for the Spurs. What a fantastic fit for a young, talented player, to fall to the 2nd round to an organization and team like the Spurs -- both should consider themselves fortunate and a bit lucky.
For the Hornets, Chris Paul led them with 26 points and nine assists, while David West and Emeka Okafor both scored 18. The New Orleans defense left too many open too many three point attempts and did not pressure the ball, allowing the Spurs to make passes as if they were mindlessly going through drills.
Parker scored 11 of his points in the third quarter, continually getting to and near the rim. He took a fall late in the that quarter, having both feet caught up in another player's leg, landing him on his hip. Ultimately, he only had his breath knocked out from him; no further injury was reported during the telecast.
Overall, the Spurs looked like a team that enjoyed playing together; they made extra passes, found the open shots, and looked as if they'd been playing together for a couple of years. Giving up 96 points does not a happy Popovich make; they need improvement in closing down passing lanes and closing out shooters. The Hornets shot 50% from the floor, a percentage that will not allow the Spurs to contend as they hope. To dominate a game like this, with minimal offensive contributions from Duncan, gives promise that this new-blooded Spurs bunch is ready to give the Western Conference, namely, the Lakers, a run for their title.
Sparked by Parker's 17 and Manu Ginobili's 16, the Spurs rode a three-point early and a strong contribution from their bench. Michael Finley (10), Matt Bonner (11), and Roger Mason, Jr. (11) represented the returning players well in the home opener; newcomers Richard Jefferson (5) and Antonio McDyess (9) played well in their first regular season action. Jefferson also had five assists, making several sharp, precise passes to his new teammates. He seemed to force his first few shots in the first quarter, but settled down thereafter.
Ginobili, coming off two injury-shortened season, looked like his former, wily self. His comments leading up to the game were that his basketball game didn't match up yet with his conditioning; the Hornets, though, would disagree. He knifed and carved his way through their defense and knocked down a couple of threes to boot.
Duncan also played well, taking 5 rebounds quickly in the first quarter, finishing with 12 for the night. The production from arguably his most talented supporting cast allowed the offense to flow more freely and not necessarily through him, especially as he drew double teams. The Spurs threw out 29 assists for the night, with no player having more than 6 (Parker).
The Spurs' roster features one lone rookie, DeJuan Blair, who continued his exhilarating play from the summer and preseason. He contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds, with five of those coming on the offensive end. His play through camp and the preseason earned him the nickname "Beast" from his teammates and the moniker was on full display tonight. His energy is great to watch and should provide a great spark off the bench for the Spurs. What a fantastic fit for a young, talented player, to fall to the 2nd round to an organization and team like the Spurs -- both should consider themselves fortunate and a bit lucky.
For the Hornets, Chris Paul led them with 26 points and nine assists, while David West and Emeka Okafor both scored 18. The New Orleans defense left too many open too many three point attempts and did not pressure the ball, allowing the Spurs to make passes as if they were mindlessly going through drills.
Parker scored 11 of his points in the third quarter, continually getting to and near the rim. He took a fall late in the that quarter, having both feet caught up in another player's leg, landing him on his hip. Ultimately, he only had his breath knocked out from him; no further injury was reported during the telecast.
Overall, the Spurs looked like a team that enjoyed playing together; they made extra passes, found the open shots, and looked as if they'd been playing together for a couple of years. Giving up 96 points does not a happy Popovich make; they need improvement in closing down passing lanes and closing out shooters. The Hornets shot 50% from the floor, a percentage that will not allow the Spurs to contend as they hope. To dominate a game like this, with minimal offensive contributions from Duncan, gives promise that this new-blooded Spurs bunch is ready to give the Western Conference, namely, the Lakers, a run for their title.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Bend, Don't Break
For almost 12 quarters of football, the Alabama defense didn't allow their opponents to score a touchdown. For almost 200 minutes of game time, the defense kept opposing offenses in check, pushing back potential drives, whether by the sheer force of their defensive line, the ferocity of their linebackers, or the step-for-step man and scheme coverages of their secondary. Throw in a few penalties here and there by the offenses and close-to-the-goal-line became at-least-we-got-three. The defensive philosophy in Tuscaloosa is akin to the string of a hunter's bow: bend, don't break.
Instilling this philosophy and folding it into the ability and psychology of the Alabama defense has been a work in progress for Nick Saban, but one that's seen fruit early on. During last year's regular season, the team began to show signs that the philosophy was translating into the playing. Though the heralded offensive line of a year ago garnered the vast amount of attention for leading the hit-you-in-the-mouth attitude and performance, the defense wasn't that far behind. Actually, it was primed to hit even harder.
Key to its development was Rolando McClain's second year as signal caller for the defense; an amazing feat considering he was doing so in his actual second year with the team. His comfortability in that role allowed him to tutor true freshman Dont'a Hightower during the 2008 season. Entering 2009, McClain and Hightower had had a year together of playing in the system and it's no wonder that Alabama bullied its way to a No. 1 defensive ranking in the country. The loss of Hightower was feared to not fully show up until this past week's Tennessee game; it could be argued that his absence was most felt in the lack of pass rush provided by the acclaimed defense as they battled the Volunteers.
What was obvious, especially in Tennessee's first few drives, was their offense's ability to connect on quick slant routes and passes to their running back, whether in the flat or sneaking out of protection to streak down the sidelines. These were the passes that killed the Tide against Florida and Utah to finish last season; they were the passes that brought significant yardage for Tennessee; they are the passes that have the most potential to break the defense.
While the secondary does a (mostly) good job in man coverage, these slant routes can cause quite a bit of trouble, especially if the linebackers are rushing the quarterback. The secondary, though, is still quite stout, even in the face of those routes. Mark Barron has done a wonderful job stepping into Rashad Johnson's shoes in the safety role vacated by the now-NFL talent. Javier Arenas is a great lock-down corner and has emerged as a leading tackler; his blitzes from the edge have contributed greatly to the Tide's pressure on the quarterback. But when the secondary is in man coverage or in a zone scheme, slants are where this defense bends, trusting its linebackers and secondary to use its speed to contain those routes to four to seven yard gains.
On Saturday, after spending almost seventy percent of the second half on the field, the defense snapped. It was a crossing route over the middle; there was confusion on the coverage; the Vols did what two previous teams could not by getting in the end zone. It was a great run and, in the end, a lot to ask a defense. Playing smash-mouth football for all those minutes, carrying an offense over the last few games, and holding itself to such a high standard (McClain was quoted as being frustrated at giving up any yardage) wears out unit, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I fully expected the field goal to make it through the uprights. The kicker had already missed one and had another blocked. Tennessee hung in a game many thought they had no business being in; the matched Alabama's toughness and stinginess, with fewer studs in their stables at that. The famed football gods seemed to have been calling for the end of Bama's run through the regular season; they seemed to be calling for accountability for its lack of offensive output, its over-reliance on it defense; its at-times suspect special teams; and its confident-sometimes(ok, more often than not)-arrogant fans. It seemed too poetically correct not end with a Tennessee victory.
And yet it didn't. The football never made it past the line of scrimmage. It never rose higher than the extended arm of Terrence Cody, who was flanked behind by a ridiculously-high-flying Julio Jones in case Cody's paw missed. But it didn't. Cody had broken through the line again; he had blocked a field goal yet again.
On a day when the defense finally bent and broke, it also recovered. It dug deep within, looked itself in the mirror, and said, "Our season is not yet finished."
Marcel Dareus and Brandon Deaderick plowed through the line from the max block scheme. Jackson and Arenas sprinted around the edges, diving like cross-fired missiles in front of the attempt. Cody made his way through as well, swatting away the football and holding onto to destiny.
To battle with LSU. To the cowbells of Mississippi State. To a date with Chattanooga. To the plains of Auburn.
But first, and more importantly, to an off week for recovery. So the bow can be restrung.
Instilling this philosophy and folding it into the ability and psychology of the Alabama defense has been a work in progress for Nick Saban, but one that's seen fruit early on. During last year's regular season, the team began to show signs that the philosophy was translating into the playing. Though the heralded offensive line of a year ago garnered the vast amount of attention for leading the hit-you-in-the-mouth attitude and performance, the defense wasn't that far behind. Actually, it was primed to hit even harder.
Key to its development was Rolando McClain's second year as signal caller for the defense; an amazing feat considering he was doing so in his actual second year with the team. His comfortability in that role allowed him to tutor true freshman Dont'a Hightower during the 2008 season. Entering 2009, McClain and Hightower had had a year together of playing in the system and it's no wonder that Alabama bullied its way to a No. 1 defensive ranking in the country. The loss of Hightower was feared to not fully show up until this past week's Tennessee game; it could be argued that his absence was most felt in the lack of pass rush provided by the acclaimed defense as they battled the Volunteers.
What was obvious, especially in Tennessee's first few drives, was their offense's ability to connect on quick slant routes and passes to their running back, whether in the flat or sneaking out of protection to streak down the sidelines. These were the passes that killed the Tide against Florida and Utah to finish last season; they were the passes that brought significant yardage for Tennessee; they are the passes that have the most potential to break the defense.
While the secondary does a (mostly) good job in man coverage, these slant routes can cause quite a bit of trouble, especially if the linebackers are rushing the quarterback. The secondary, though, is still quite stout, even in the face of those routes. Mark Barron has done a wonderful job stepping into Rashad Johnson's shoes in the safety role vacated by the now-NFL talent. Javier Arenas is a great lock-down corner and has emerged as a leading tackler; his blitzes from the edge have contributed greatly to the Tide's pressure on the quarterback. But when the secondary is in man coverage or in a zone scheme, slants are where this defense bends, trusting its linebackers and secondary to use its speed to contain those routes to four to seven yard gains.
On Saturday, after spending almost seventy percent of the second half on the field, the defense snapped. It was a crossing route over the middle; there was confusion on the coverage; the Vols did what two previous teams could not by getting in the end zone. It was a great run and, in the end, a lot to ask a defense. Playing smash-mouth football for all those minutes, carrying an offense over the last few games, and holding itself to such a high standard (McClain was quoted as being frustrated at giving up any yardage) wears out unit, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I fully expected the field goal to make it through the uprights. The kicker had already missed one and had another blocked. Tennessee hung in a game many thought they had no business being in; the matched Alabama's toughness and stinginess, with fewer studs in their stables at that. The famed football gods seemed to have been calling for the end of Bama's run through the regular season; they seemed to be calling for accountability for its lack of offensive output, its over-reliance on it defense; its at-times suspect special teams; and its confident-sometimes(ok, more often than not)-arrogant fans. It seemed too poetically correct not end with a Tennessee victory.
And yet it didn't. The football never made it past the line of scrimmage. It never rose higher than the extended arm of Terrence Cody, who was flanked behind by a ridiculously-high-flying Julio Jones in case Cody's paw missed. But it didn't. Cody had broken through the line again; he had blocked a field goal yet again.
On a day when the defense finally bent and broke, it also recovered. It dug deep within, looked itself in the mirror, and said, "Our season is not yet finished."
Marcel Dareus and Brandon Deaderick plowed through the line from the max block scheme. Jackson and Arenas sprinted around the edges, diving like cross-fired missiles in front of the attempt. Cody made his way through as well, swatting away the football and holding onto to destiny.
To battle with LSU. To the cowbells of Mississippi State. To a date with Chattanooga. To the plains of Auburn.
But first, and more importantly, to an off week for recovery. So the bow can be restrung.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The Titans, USFL, and London
Last Sunday, the Tennessee Titans laid one of the biggest eggs this side of Easter; ostriches would have gawked at its size. Their 59-0 shellacking at the hands of the Patriots instigated questions not only about their quarterback, their coach, and their defense, but questioned the existence of any desire, pride, and attitude.
Two days later, ESPN showed the third film in its 30 for 30 series, "Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?", which documented the three year run of a professional football league played in the U.S. to quite a bit of success in the early 1980s.
Today, the same New England Patriots who demolished the Titans are playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London, England. This is the third year in a row that the NFL has played a regular season game in London. Last year also saw a home game for the Buffalo Bills in Toronto. The first regular season game played outside of the U.S. was in 2005 when the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers played at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
I believe the NFL should seriously consider the convergence of these three happenings if they are interested in further branding and controlling their stranglehold on professional football in the U.S. and the world.
After almost a decade of league-wide parity, the 2009 season has produced vast chasms of separation between teams that have a chance at the Super Bowl and teams vying for tastiest entree for the others. Though this perceived disparity may be but an aberration in the parity era, it should prompt a serious look into an international, relegated spring football league.
Being but a toddler during the years of the USFL, I was not aware of the excitement, competitiveness, and potential that existed with that spring league. I had heard of it, especially having grown up in Alabama, where the Birmingham Stallions had succeeded on the field and in attendance. I also knew of NFL players who had played in this USFL, such as Steve Young, Hershel Walker, Reggie White, and Phil Simms.
But I didn't know why it folded and went away. According to "Small Potatoes", it was a combination of overexpansion (from 12 teams in year one to 18 in year two) and Donald Trump. It is widely believed that Trump since Trump couldn't buy into the NFL as an owner, he bought in to the USFL in hopes of a merger, so that he could get what he wanted. He was the voice and personality pushing for a move to the fall from the spring, believing it was the only way to survive financially. The USFL actually won an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL, but was only awarded $3 in compensation, meaning that there wasn't money for them to actually field a league in the fall of 1986 as had been planned.
The players were released and the league was no more. A league that inspired great innovations, memories, and fun was swept away in part because of its desired move to compete head-to-head with the NFL in the fall. Other leagues have attempted to do lead spring leagues as well; the XFL, backed by Jim McMahon of the WWE, most notably went down this road, ending in failure. There are many reasons for the failures of these other leagues, all attempting to replicate the success found in the USFL, but no one's been able to do so.
I think the NFL could succeed. I think if any organization is going to succeed in the spring with professional football its going to be them. It's not as simple as starting a league with new cities and franchises, though there will be a need for those. Two other factors would have to be involved.
First, the NFL would need to institute league-wide relegation similar to that in soccer leagues, namely the English Premier League. Each year, a certain number of teams change divisions based on their performances; bottom teams from the top league move down while the top teams from a lower league move up. The Titans game from last Sunday demonstrates the awfulness of a game that is uncompetitive; after that performance, as much of a Titans fan as I am, they deserved to be relegated somewhere. Maybe Conference USA would work. This would serve as fuel for owners and teams during the season, even at the end when games between teams with poor records seem meaningless except for draft purposes.
Second, the NFL is trying to market its brand worldwide and this seems like a good step in that direction. Put a team in London, Mexico City, Toronto, and maybe even Tokyo. Let the spring league play a shorter season and possibly a more relaxed schedule, due to the travel. Add U.S. cities without NFL franchises that could potentially support one (Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Antonio), plus the four or five worst NFL teams.
What you would get is a professional league not competing against the NFL, but with NFL ties to ensure quality. The league would allow the NFL to have a minor league and work on rule innovations and improve its product while further dominating the sports market. They could also throw in the caveat of allowing a team to refuse relegation moving up; if a team decided it was more profitable to play in the spring in its market (especially if there is a strong college football presence in the area), they would be allowed to stay in the spring league. Teams wouldn't be allowed to refuse relegation in moving down. Of course, a lot of things would need to get worked out, but I would think the NFL would jump at the opportunity to tackle a market before another league tried to.
Though this Starbucks model (if we're going to compete it might as well be against ourselves) might overextend the league, if it was done on a small scale (no more than eight or ten teams to begin with), progressed in a slow and deliberate manner, it might have a chance.
And if they really wanted to get crazy, they'd recruit college football programs to compete in preseason games. Bowl winners would get to be potential fodder or upset specialists in a pro game. Or imagine A-Day turning into a preseason spring league game, getting to see the team go all out in preview for the upcoming season. Can USC really compete with NFL-talent? Could a Boise State or TCU battle on a stage like that? Why not? Why not find out?
NFL, if you're listening, spring football should be your next frontier.
Two days later, ESPN showed the third film in its 30 for 30 series, "Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?", which documented the three year run of a professional football league played in the U.S. to quite a bit of success in the early 1980s.
Today, the same New England Patriots who demolished the Titans are playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London, England. This is the third year in a row that the NFL has played a regular season game in London. Last year also saw a home game for the Buffalo Bills in Toronto. The first regular season game played outside of the U.S. was in 2005 when the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers played at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
I believe the NFL should seriously consider the convergence of these three happenings if they are interested in further branding and controlling their stranglehold on professional football in the U.S. and the world.
After almost a decade of league-wide parity, the 2009 season has produced vast chasms of separation between teams that have a chance at the Super Bowl and teams vying for tastiest entree for the others. Though this perceived disparity may be but an aberration in the parity era, it should prompt a serious look into an international, relegated spring football league.
Being but a toddler during the years of the USFL, I was not aware of the excitement, competitiveness, and potential that existed with that spring league. I had heard of it, especially having grown up in Alabama, where the Birmingham Stallions had succeeded on the field and in attendance. I also knew of NFL players who had played in this USFL, such as Steve Young, Hershel Walker, Reggie White, and Phil Simms.
But I didn't know why it folded and went away. According to "Small Potatoes", it was a combination of overexpansion (from 12 teams in year one to 18 in year two) and Donald Trump. It is widely believed that Trump since Trump couldn't buy into the NFL as an owner, he bought in to the USFL in hopes of a merger, so that he could get what he wanted. He was the voice and personality pushing for a move to the fall from the spring, believing it was the only way to survive financially. The USFL actually won an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL, but was only awarded $3 in compensation, meaning that there wasn't money for them to actually field a league in the fall of 1986 as had been planned.
The players were released and the league was no more. A league that inspired great innovations, memories, and fun was swept away in part because of its desired move to compete head-to-head with the NFL in the fall. Other leagues have attempted to do lead spring leagues as well; the XFL, backed by Jim McMahon of the WWE, most notably went down this road, ending in failure. There are many reasons for the failures of these other leagues, all attempting to replicate the success found in the USFL, but no one's been able to do so.
I think the NFL could succeed. I think if any organization is going to succeed in the spring with professional football its going to be them. It's not as simple as starting a league with new cities and franchises, though there will be a need for those. Two other factors would have to be involved.
First, the NFL would need to institute league-wide relegation similar to that in soccer leagues, namely the English Premier League. Each year, a certain number of teams change divisions based on their performances; bottom teams from the top league move down while the top teams from a lower league move up. The Titans game from last Sunday demonstrates the awfulness of a game that is uncompetitive; after that performance, as much of a Titans fan as I am, they deserved to be relegated somewhere. Maybe Conference USA would work. This would serve as fuel for owners and teams during the season, even at the end when games between teams with poor records seem meaningless except for draft purposes.
Second, the NFL is trying to market its brand worldwide and this seems like a good step in that direction. Put a team in London, Mexico City, Toronto, and maybe even Tokyo. Let the spring league play a shorter season and possibly a more relaxed schedule, due to the travel. Add U.S. cities without NFL franchises that could potentially support one (Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Antonio), plus the four or five worst NFL teams.
What you would get is a professional league not competing against the NFL, but with NFL ties to ensure quality. The league would allow the NFL to have a minor league and work on rule innovations and improve its product while further dominating the sports market. They could also throw in the caveat of allowing a team to refuse relegation moving up; if a team decided it was more profitable to play in the spring in its market (especially if there is a strong college football presence in the area), they would be allowed to stay in the spring league. Teams wouldn't be allowed to refuse relegation in moving down. Of course, a lot of things would need to get worked out, but I would think the NFL would jump at the opportunity to tackle a market before another league tried to.
Though this Starbucks model (if we're going to compete it might as well be against ourselves) might overextend the league, if it was done on a small scale (no more than eight or ten teams to begin with), progressed in a slow and deliberate manner, it might have a chance.
And if they really wanted to get crazy, they'd recruit college football programs to compete in preseason games. Bowl winners would get to be potential fodder or upset specialists in a pro game. Or imagine A-Day turning into a preseason spring league game, getting to see the team go all out in preview for the upcoming season. Can USC really compete with NFL-talent? Could a Boise State or TCU battle on a stage like that? Why not? Why not find out?
NFL, if you're listening, spring football should be your next frontier.
Blocked FG and Rammer Jammer
I can't tell which is louder: the shrieks of delight, relief, and excitement when the kick is blocked or Rammer Jammer (which starts around 1:25).
Top 10, Week 8
- Florida (7-0) Tough win against Mississippi State. Lots of frustration with the offense, which produced two interceptions. Looks like Tebow and Meyer may not be getting along as well as in the past; I think their putting a lot of pressure on themselves. Their offense did get them in the end zone, jumping them this week to the top spot.
- Texas (7-0) Strong showing in the first half for the first time this year. This was a road game and a homecoming at that; why Mizzou scheduled the Longhorns for homecoming is anybody's guess. They're starting to click.
- Alabama (8-0) Yes, it was a win in a rivalry game. Yes, winning is ultimately the most important thing. However, they're not showing the offensive balance from earlier in the season; playing eight straight games with a large target on them each week has probably worn them down. We'll see how they look coming off a bye week against an improving LSU team.
- TCU (7-0) Granted, Florida State also looked impressive playing in Provo, though not with a defense like this. I'll stay away from the obvious leap-frogging joke that they just pulled off from my Top 10 last week.
- Iowa (8-0) Another survivor. Pulling out a win on a last-second touchdown pass on the road fits the bill for a magical season.
- Cincinnati (7-0) Beat up on an outmatched Louisville team.
- Boise State (7-0) How nice would it be to take a midseason trip to Hawaii, especially since Hawaii isn't what it was a couple of years ago? Scheduling, which may not fully be the Broncos' fault (who's lining up to play them?), hints at being their doom.
- LSU (6-1) Uh oh. Their week off may have been the break they needed for the parts to start coming together. Tulane offers itself as an appetizer next week for the Nov. 7 showdown in T-town.
- Oregon (6-1) Losing to Boise State the first week of the season is much more forgivable than a loss to Washington, especially after Oregon showed up big on the same field USC failed to show up on. USC pays a visit on Halloween this Saturday; who walks away with the candy?
- Georgia Tech (7-1) They've emerged as the team to beat in the ACC after Miami's overtime loss. Anyone wanting to steep up and deal with their option can take it.
USC: The defense was a bit shaky against Oregon State and that was a home game. Can they pull together and take it to the Ducks? Losses matter (although I'll admit my forgiveness of them may be a bit more comprehensive depending on the team).
Apologies to:
Penn State: The loss to Iowa hurt, but with the way the Hawkeyes continue to play, doesn't look as bad.
Oklahoma State: Yes, that loss to Houston was quite an embarrassment, but they still control their destiny to the Big 12 championship game. Texas may be faced with the 2009 version of the Tech game on Saturday.
Houston: El Paso? Really? Being consistent with lack of forgiveness with losses keeps you out of the discussion.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Initial Thoughts from Tennessee game
Sheesh.
-- I thought McElroy was going to get back in the groove this game and early on it looked like the passes to Julio were giving him that confidence. A few dropped passes, some great plays from the Tennessee secondary, and interesting/questionable play-calling kept the momentum from building.
-- Not getting a touchdown near the end of the second quarter hurt a lot. I'm ok with throwing to Julio in that area; he's got the advantage by far. But the drive was made on the back of Ingram and he didn't get the ball on second or third down.
-- The lack of a pass interference call was tough. I understand not making it due to Julio appearing to turn and not continue on his route. At the same time, a player is not allowed to hit another like that before contact with the ball is made. It's a moot point if Ingram gets the ball.
-- Lundquist and Danielson mentioned Saban's comments about this being the game that Hightower's absence might be seen the most. I'm sure that contributed; it seemed like the Vols had a lot more than 76 yards rushing.
-- Why is Dareus covering a tight end on that last pass play? Why does a lineman pick up a tight end in coverage? Where were the linebackers? What kind of coverage scheme was that?
-- It looked like one of the refs said something to McClain and Julio after the block about the ball still being alive, at which point McClain jumped on it. The ref may not of verbally said anything, but he definitely pointed in the direction of the ball and looked at a couple of players. How is that none of the Tennessee or Alabama players knew that a blocked field goal is still a live ball until somebody falls on it? I saw a YouTube clip this week of a high school team blocking a last second kick, only to have the other team pick up the ball and run it in for a touchdown, claiming the win. I was quite worried as the ball sat there untouched for what seemed like several seconds.
-- Bama needs this bye week. They're tired. The announcers mentioned McClain telling them that he didn't get his legs back until Thursday. A positive to take away is that eight games are finished and there are only four to go in the regular season. This break may be exquisitely timed, giving the team the rest needed to finish strong.
-- Crompton's passes were right on target and his pass protection was very good. Outside of Dareus' sack in the fourth quarter, the defensive line didn't get back to him as I thought they would. And when he had time, he placed the ball in some very tight windows for his receivers.
-- As the SEC Championship Game, the Sugar Bowl, and today's game showed, quick slants and screens are the best way to attack our defense. Kareem Jackson looked pretty bad on several plays, getting beat off the line.
-- I like Verne. I think he does a good job. But his mistakes seem to be getting more and more frequent. When introducing Alabama's offense, he didn't attempt to pronounce Vlachos' (/vlay hos/) name at all, just skipped right over it. He referred to "this Auburn team" in the fourth quarter when talking about Alabama. Danielson does a pretty good job covering for him, and I know there are a lot of things going on in a live telecast, but it seems like it's more than simple mistakes. It's similar to Corso on Gameday; he's really struggling and their broadcast today wasn't as sharp or hitting because they had to pause for Corso almost every time, losing rhythm and momentum. At one point, Fowler asked Corso about Arkansas/Ole Miss and Corso kept talking about Auburn/LSU; Herbstreit followed up with Auburn/LSU talk, as did Desmond, but Des finished his comments referencing Fowler's original question. Maybe Fowler jumped something and it was his mistake, but it seemed to me Corso was struggling. And I think Verne is as well.
-- Bama's got LSU at home, Mississippi State on the road, Chattanooga at home, and Auburn on the road. Having two weeks to scheme for LSU will be nice; that's going to be another really tough game that may come down to the final minute like today. Mississippi State's going to be a tough game too; they'll be pumped. They're giving Florida all they can at the time of this writing. Chattanooga should be a good game to fine-tune things for Auburn, but might serve as a trap game. And you never know about Alabama-Auburn. Their weaknesses seem to be a perfect match for our strengths, but it's a rivalry game and the Tide has struggled at Jordan-Hare.
-- I thought McElroy was going to get back in the groove this game and early on it looked like the passes to Julio were giving him that confidence. A few dropped passes, some great plays from the Tennessee secondary, and interesting/questionable play-calling kept the momentum from building.
-- Not getting a touchdown near the end of the second quarter hurt a lot. I'm ok with throwing to Julio in that area; he's got the advantage by far. But the drive was made on the back of Ingram and he didn't get the ball on second or third down.
-- The lack of a pass interference call was tough. I understand not making it due to Julio appearing to turn and not continue on his route. At the same time, a player is not allowed to hit another like that before contact with the ball is made. It's a moot point if Ingram gets the ball.
-- Lundquist and Danielson mentioned Saban's comments about this being the game that Hightower's absence might be seen the most. I'm sure that contributed; it seemed like the Vols had a lot more than 76 yards rushing.
-- Why is Dareus covering a tight end on that last pass play? Why does a lineman pick up a tight end in coverage? Where were the linebackers? What kind of coverage scheme was that?
-- It looked like one of the refs said something to McClain and Julio after the block about the ball still being alive, at which point McClain jumped on it. The ref may not of verbally said anything, but he definitely pointed in the direction of the ball and looked at a couple of players. How is that none of the Tennessee or Alabama players knew that a blocked field goal is still a live ball until somebody falls on it? I saw a YouTube clip this week of a high school team blocking a last second kick, only to have the other team pick up the ball and run it in for a touchdown, claiming the win. I was quite worried as the ball sat there untouched for what seemed like several seconds.
-- Bama needs this bye week. They're tired. The announcers mentioned McClain telling them that he didn't get his legs back until Thursday. A positive to take away is that eight games are finished and there are only four to go in the regular season. This break may be exquisitely timed, giving the team the rest needed to finish strong.
-- Crompton's passes were right on target and his pass protection was very good. Outside of Dareus' sack in the fourth quarter, the defensive line didn't get back to him as I thought they would. And when he had time, he placed the ball in some very tight windows for his receivers.
-- As the SEC Championship Game, the Sugar Bowl, and today's game showed, quick slants and screens are the best way to attack our defense. Kareem Jackson looked pretty bad on several plays, getting beat off the line.
-- I like Verne. I think he does a good job. But his mistakes seem to be getting more and more frequent. When introducing Alabama's offense, he didn't attempt to pronounce Vlachos' (/vlay hos/) name at all, just skipped right over it. He referred to "this Auburn team" in the fourth quarter when talking about Alabama. Danielson does a pretty good job covering for him, and I know there are a lot of things going on in a live telecast, but it seems like it's more than simple mistakes. It's similar to Corso on Gameday; he's really struggling and their broadcast today wasn't as sharp or hitting because they had to pause for Corso almost every time, losing rhythm and momentum. At one point, Fowler asked Corso about Arkansas/Ole Miss and Corso kept talking about Auburn/LSU; Herbstreit followed up with Auburn/LSU talk, as did Desmond, but Des finished his comments referencing Fowler's original question. Maybe Fowler jumped something and it was his mistake, but it seemed to me Corso was struggling. And I think Verne is as well.
-- Bama's got LSU at home, Mississippi State on the road, Chattanooga at home, and Auburn on the road. Having two weeks to scheme for LSU will be nice; that's going to be another really tough game that may come down to the final minute like today. Mississippi State's going to be a tough game too; they'll be pumped. They're giving Florida all they can at the time of this writing. Chattanooga should be a good game to fine-tune things for Auburn, but might serve as a trap game. And you never know about Alabama-Auburn. Their weaknesses seem to be a perfect match for our strengths, but it's a rivalry game and the Tide has struggled at Jordan-Hare.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Find the Pattern
Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State, 11/22, 135 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Stephen Garcia, South Carolina: 31/53, 313 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas, 21/39, 408 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
Danny Sullivan, Arizona State, 10/32, 116 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Jordan Jefferson, LSU, 18/27, 212 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
***********, *********, 20/27, 310 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Vanderbilt quarterbacks, 17/34, 174 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
What's with this list? A few things. First, these statistics are a result of a not-so-great passing defense. Second, a lot of yards have been given up in both losses and wins; surprisingly, Garcia and Mallett both lost these games despite their strong numbers. Finally, our mystery quarterback did win his game with these statistics.
This mystery quarterback probably isn't too much of a surprise, especially when it's revealed that all these statistics were put up against Georgia and their porous defense. Garcia and Mallett both experienced slightly different results when playing in Tuscaloosa. For Jonathan Crompton to succeed where they failed, he's going to need to replicate his passing from that Georgia game. Theoretically, it's possible: if Javy can't go, if McClain gets injured, if the secondary doesn't show up, then Crompton could get close to those numbers and cause trouble for the Tide. However, the chances of all those factors manifesting themselves are not too high.
Playing Alabama is different. Trying to run against them is frustrating; trying to pass against them is a bit easier, but in the way that the CPA exam is easier than the bar exam. Their goal is for a team to gain negative yards for the game; they're mad when a team gains any yardage; and they believe they can hold a team to nothing. Tennessee's going to hit hard, they're going to block hard, they're going to show up; what they may not be ready for is a team that will do that for 60 minutes and still be hungry for more.
Stephen Garcia, South Carolina: 31/53, 313 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas, 21/39, 408 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
Danny Sullivan, Arizona State, 10/32, 116 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Jordan Jefferson, LSU, 18/27, 212 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
***********, *********, 20/27, 310 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Vanderbilt quarterbacks, 17/34, 174 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
What's with this list? A few things. First, these statistics are a result of a not-so-great passing defense. Second, a lot of yards have been given up in both losses and wins; surprisingly, Garcia and Mallett both lost these games despite their strong numbers. Finally, our mystery quarterback did win his game with these statistics.
This mystery quarterback probably isn't too much of a surprise, especially when it's revealed that all these statistics were put up against Georgia and their porous defense. Garcia and Mallett both experienced slightly different results when playing in Tuscaloosa. For Jonathan Crompton to succeed where they failed, he's going to need to replicate his passing from that Georgia game. Theoretically, it's possible: if Javy can't go, if McClain gets injured, if the secondary doesn't show up, then Crompton could get close to those numbers and cause trouble for the Tide. However, the chances of all those factors manifesting themselves are not too high.
Playing Alabama is different. Trying to run against them is frustrating; trying to pass against them is a bit easier, but in the way that the CPA exam is easier than the bar exam. Their goal is for a team to gain negative yards for the game; they're mad when a team gains any yardage; and they believe they can hold a team to nothing. Tennessee's going to hit hard, they're going to block hard, they're going to show up; what they may not be ready for is a team that will do that for 60 minutes and still be hungry for more.
Mt. Cody running it in?
From Gentry Estes of the Mobile-Press Register, found here.
RACING MOUNT CODY: If nose tackle Terrence Cody wants to be handed the football on the goal line, he needs to win a foot race against Saban.
Asked if Cody would get the ball near the goal line, Saban said he races Cody between fields for the final portion of practice every day.
"When he can beat me, we'll consider giving him the ball on the goal line," Saban said. "I figure the prerequisite for it is he needs to outrun me."
I don't know which I'd rather see: Cody getting a carry on the goal line to punch it in or watching him and Saban race after practice. The race would be very exciting to watch.
RACING MOUNT CODY: If nose tackle Terrence Cody wants to be handed the football on the goal line, he needs to win a foot race against Saban.
Asked if Cody would get the ball near the goal line, Saban said he races Cody between fields for the final portion of practice every day.
"When he can beat me, we'll consider giving him the ball on the goal line," Saban said. "I figure the prerequisite for it is he needs to outrun me."
I don't know which I'd rather see: Cody getting a carry on the goal line to punch it in or watching him and Saban race after practice. The race would be very exciting to watch.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
C'mon, Mal
Maybe he was asking to gain an advantage. Maybe he was trying to bring something back. Maybe he wanted to spark his team. Whatever the reason, Lane Kiffin went through the appropriate SEC channels to request that his football team could wear their orange jerseys on Saturday against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. For many years, the NCAA has had a rule that the visiting team wear white jerseys, unless the home team wanted to wear white, in which case the visiting team would wear their colored jerseys.
Up until last year, this rule seemed to be slightly innocuous outside of games in Baton Rouge, most home teams wore their colored jerseys on their home turf. Last season, USC and UCLA decided to go back to both teams wearing their home colors in their match-up. They asked the Pac-10 about this and found out that if a visiting team did not wear white, it would be penalized by the loss of a timeout. In a classy move, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel agreed to, and did, call a timeout immediately after USC was charged with one because they were not wearing white jerseys. After the season, the rule was changed so silly losses of timeouts wouldn't win out over common sense and sentiments towards tradition.
Unfortunately, Mal Moore doesn't share the same sense of nostalgia in the Alabama-Tennessee game that Neuheisel and Carroll had towards UCLA-USC. After clearing the SEC brass, word came to Alabama's athletic director about allowing Tennessee to wear orange and, in turn, grant Alabama permission to wear crimson next year in Knoxville. According to a statement released by Alabama, Moore called his counterpart on Rocky Top and "had a good conversation" and "told him that it is our desire to maintain the custom of the visiting team wearing their visiting jerseys."
Moore talked with Nick Saban about the issue, but Saban told reporters that he's never had anything to do with uniforms, emphasizing the point by revealing that his wife picks out his clothes. Saban also mentioned that as long as his guys wore their traditional unis, he didn't care what the other team wore; he told Moore it was his decision to make.
Now, in part thanks to Forbes magazine naming Saban the most powerful man in sports based on his control of the program he coaches, it's well-known that Saban holds the power in his hands to make this happen. As he told reporters, it seemed that he was indifferent and left the decision to Moore. The fact that Moore actually approached Saban confirms the amount of power held by the head coach. However, Moore is the Bama lifer; Moore was around when the Bear prowled; Moore has seen this program rise and fall and rise and fall and rise again; Moore should know better. At the same time, it is a bit disappointing that Saban didn't share the same sense of nostalgia that the Los Angeles coaches had last year.
Maybe this week wasn't a good time for this to come up. Saban is well aware of Alabama fans and their desperate love for their football team. He never wants to give any edge to an opponent or give them an advantage on purpose. This may turn out to be a lose-lose situation in that allowing the Vols to wear orange could have given them a bit of extra motivation, while denying it gives Kiffin a bit of fodder to sprinkle on his players' shoulders. As a spectator and as a fan, I think it would have been visually enjoyable to watch the game with both teams sporting their primary colors. I think it's going to take a lot more than extra orange material on the field to give Tennessee a better chance against the Tide. I guess I wish Saban (in this case) would have told Moore to go ahead and allow it, especially so that as Alabama rolled into Knoxville next year, the crimson on the field would bring out and highlight all the crimson in the stands.
There is still a chance that orange jerseys will show up on the field on Saturday. If a road team chooses to wear non-white uniforms as directed in the rules, they will be penalized 15 yards after each kick-off at the beginning of both halves. Maybe Kiffin decides to put his team in a bit of a hole and try it out. As poor as Alabama's special teams have played on kick-offs, this may be a good game for that. If so, good for him; it might be the first incident he's been a part of that I'd give him a little respect for.
Ultimately, Moore stands responsible. Saban gave him the power to make the choice and he decided against crimson versus white. Too bad for the fans.
Up until last year, this rule seemed to be slightly innocuous outside of games in Baton Rouge, most home teams wore their colored jerseys on their home turf. Last season, USC and UCLA decided to go back to both teams wearing their home colors in their match-up. They asked the Pac-10 about this and found out that if a visiting team did not wear white, it would be penalized by the loss of a timeout. In a classy move, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel agreed to, and did, call a timeout immediately after USC was charged with one because they were not wearing white jerseys. After the season, the rule was changed so silly losses of timeouts wouldn't win out over common sense and sentiments towards tradition.
Unfortunately, Mal Moore doesn't share the same sense of nostalgia in the Alabama-Tennessee game that Neuheisel and Carroll had towards UCLA-USC. After clearing the SEC brass, word came to Alabama's athletic director about allowing Tennessee to wear orange and, in turn, grant Alabama permission to wear crimson next year in Knoxville. According to a statement released by Alabama, Moore called his counterpart on Rocky Top and "had a good conversation" and "told him that it is our desire to maintain the custom of the visiting team wearing their visiting jerseys."
Moore talked with Nick Saban about the issue, but Saban told reporters that he's never had anything to do with uniforms, emphasizing the point by revealing that his wife picks out his clothes. Saban also mentioned that as long as his guys wore their traditional unis, he didn't care what the other team wore; he told Moore it was his decision to make.
Now, in part thanks to Forbes magazine naming Saban the most powerful man in sports based on his control of the program he coaches, it's well-known that Saban holds the power in his hands to make this happen. As he told reporters, it seemed that he was indifferent and left the decision to Moore. The fact that Moore actually approached Saban confirms the amount of power held by the head coach. However, Moore is the Bama lifer; Moore was around when the Bear prowled; Moore has seen this program rise and fall and rise and fall and rise again; Moore should know better. At the same time, it is a bit disappointing that Saban didn't share the same sense of nostalgia that the Los Angeles coaches had last year.
Maybe this week wasn't a good time for this to come up. Saban is well aware of Alabama fans and their desperate love for their football team. He never wants to give any edge to an opponent or give them an advantage on purpose. This may turn out to be a lose-lose situation in that allowing the Vols to wear orange could have given them a bit of extra motivation, while denying it gives Kiffin a bit of fodder to sprinkle on his players' shoulders. As a spectator and as a fan, I think it would have been visually enjoyable to watch the game with both teams sporting their primary colors. I think it's going to take a lot more than extra orange material on the field to give Tennessee a better chance against the Tide. I guess I wish Saban (in this case) would have told Moore to go ahead and allow it, especially so that as Alabama rolled into Knoxville next year, the crimson on the field would bring out and highlight all the crimson in the stands.
There is still a chance that orange jerseys will show up on the field on Saturday. If a road team chooses to wear non-white uniforms as directed in the rules, they will be penalized 15 yards after each kick-off at the beginning of both halves. Maybe Kiffin decides to put his team in a bit of a hole and try it out. As poor as Alabama's special teams have played on kick-offs, this may be a good game for that. If so, good for him; it might be the first incident he's been a part of that I'd give him a little respect for.
Ultimately, Moore stands responsible. Saban gave him the power to make the choice and he decided against crimson versus white. Too bad for the fans.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
30 for 30
If you haven't heard about ESPN Films' 30 for 30 series, check it out here. Tonight they aired the third of the thirty films; it's titled "Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?" I've never known much about the USFL, its history, or its demise; this was a great film about it, highlighting its feats and chronicling how (and why) it went under. Sad story, especially about the Tampa Bandits' owner; and I'm not too much a fan of Donald Trump right now.
"I'll Tell You at the End of this Year"
Chris Low is ESPN's SEC blogger and does a good job covering the conference, especially the Tide. Here's a good piece on Coach Saban.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tennessee Possibilities
In the realm of possibilities, an SEC football game covers the gamut. The history of the conference is littered with great teams losing to inferior competition on the one Saturday they did not show up as they did during the rest of the season. In the last two years, Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Arkansas have played that role on the national stage, contributing blemishes to otherwise-undefeated national champions Florida (2008, lost to the Rebels 31-30) and LSU (2007, lost to the Wildcats 43-37 and to the Hogs 50-48, both in overtime).
Forecasting a game obviously requires considering the possibility that a team may not play as well as it should. I read an article in a South Carolina newspaper last week predicting a 21-20 upset of the Tide, which haunted me a bit even as Ingram rammed over the goal line to make it 20-6 because two touchdowns, an extra point, and a two-point conversion would have brought that author's vision to fruition. Fortunately, his Kool-Aid did not fully factor in the punch of Alabama's defense; but the table had been set most of the evening for the Gamecocks to steal a win in Tuscaloosa. It is this table-setting that could possibly reappear on the Third Satarday in October (plus one).
Though the Vols do not possess the maybe-they'll-forget-about-us-in-their-schedule cover that South Carolina held, they do come off a bye week after their under-fire quarterback finally showed that he can hit a receiver in the numbers instead of the helmet. (To be fair, his receivers remembered they were supposed to be catching the ball and not avoiding it like it had H1N1.) Their defensive coordinator, who blueprinted the gameplan that kept his overmatched team in the game Florida, has had an extra week to scheme against Ingram and Co. Their head coach, though, decided to fly around in a helicopter with some of his free time; if Crompton hadn't finally played well, I would have followed that shenanigan with something about bringing the helicopter because that would be his only chance at an aerial attack...stupid Georgia game. Yet, even that stunt doesn't fully assuage the possibility of another game like the Vols-Gators wrestled through earlier this season.
The one thing Kiffin has done right as far as his verbal assaults on the league goes is stay away from Saban. He did mention taking coaches from other schools, but that's been but a blip compared the school yard flirting, I mean, taunting he's focused towards Urban Meyer. Maybe I'm giving Kiffin too much credit, but it seems he recognizes Saban is not someone to mess with. Saban won't jump in like Meyer, publicly anyway. Behind the closed doors of the locker room, there's no doubt that St. Nick offers more curses than blessings to Kiffin and his Rocky Top bunch. Surely Kiffin doesn't think that Lance Thompson is going to provide extra insight into how to stop the Tide. Or that niceties are going to keep Bama's coach from letting the real hounds loose.
When Alabama has played Saturday night ESPN games the past couple of seasons, they've been close and exciting. CBS telecasts have frequently been less dramatic, save the LSU heart-stopper from last year. With the Tide struggling offensively the past two weeks, it seems they're due to have a break-out game, especially since Tennessee's defense is so highly regarded. The obvious match-up this game is the Bama offense versus the Vols defense; sometimes the obvious gets turned on its head. Here's hoping Julio's knee gets to 100% this week; that McElroy's confidence returns to 2nd-half-Va-Tech levels; that Ingram introduces Eric Berry to his shoulder pads again and again; that McLain, Cody, and crew get to snack on Crompton Crunch; and that alternative lyrics to Rocky Top can be heard on CBS. RTR.
Forecasting a game obviously requires considering the possibility that a team may not play as well as it should. I read an article in a South Carolina newspaper last week predicting a 21-20 upset of the Tide, which haunted me a bit even as Ingram rammed over the goal line to make it 20-6 because two touchdowns, an extra point, and a two-point conversion would have brought that author's vision to fruition. Fortunately, his Kool-Aid did not fully factor in the punch of Alabama's defense; but the table had been set most of the evening for the Gamecocks to steal a win in Tuscaloosa. It is this table-setting that could possibly reappear on the Third Satarday in October (plus one).
Though the Vols do not possess the maybe-they'll-forget-about-us-in-their-schedule cover that South Carolina held, they do come off a bye week after their under-fire quarterback finally showed that he can hit a receiver in the numbers instead of the helmet. (To be fair, his receivers remembered they were supposed to be catching the ball and not avoiding it like it had H1N1.) Their defensive coordinator, who blueprinted the gameplan that kept his overmatched team in the game Florida, has had an extra week to scheme against Ingram and Co. Their head coach, though, decided to fly around in a helicopter with some of his free time; if Crompton hadn't finally played well, I would have followed that shenanigan with something about bringing the helicopter because that would be his only chance at an aerial attack...stupid Georgia game. Yet, even that stunt doesn't fully assuage the possibility of another game like the Vols-Gators wrestled through earlier this season.
The one thing Kiffin has done right as far as his verbal assaults on the league goes is stay away from Saban. He did mention taking coaches from other schools, but that's been but a blip compared the school yard flirting, I mean, taunting he's focused towards Urban Meyer. Maybe I'm giving Kiffin too much credit, but it seems he recognizes Saban is not someone to mess with. Saban won't jump in like Meyer, publicly anyway. Behind the closed doors of the locker room, there's no doubt that St. Nick offers more curses than blessings to Kiffin and his Rocky Top bunch. Surely Kiffin doesn't think that Lance Thompson is going to provide extra insight into how to stop the Tide. Or that niceties are going to keep Bama's coach from letting the real hounds loose.
When Alabama has played Saturday night ESPN games the past couple of seasons, they've been close and exciting. CBS telecasts have frequently been less dramatic, save the LSU heart-stopper from last year. With the Tide struggling offensively the past two weeks, it seems they're due to have a break-out game, especially since Tennessee's defense is so highly regarded. The obvious match-up this game is the Bama offense versus the Vols defense; sometimes the obvious gets turned on its head. Here's hoping Julio's knee gets to 100% this week; that McElroy's confidence returns to 2nd-half-Va-Tech levels; that Ingram introduces Eric Berry to his shoulder pads again and again; that McLain, Cody, and crew get to snack on Crompton Crunch; and that alternative lyrics to Rocky Top can be heard on CBS. RTR.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Alabama 20, South Carolina 6
Alabama's defense played an outstanding game last night. Rolando McLain continues to show that he is one of the top players in college football. His leadership, his play-making, his decisions, and his vicious hits should put him on Heisman lists around the country. This defense has lost its second-best linebacker already in Hightower and played last night without their top defensive back (Arenas) and still dominated, even as its offense couldn't stay on the field for extended drives. A lot of credit needs to go to McLain for being the leader and the glue for this unit.
Nationally, Mark Ingram will get the most publicity for his play against South Carolina last night and he is very much deserving of it. He gained over 100 yards after contact; he looked to hit the defenders even after what looked to be a painful knee-injury, one that added many creases to my furrowed brow. He just kept running and churning, doing so behind an offensive line and wide receivers who put some licks of their own on the Gamecocks' defense. Though the Crimson Tide's offensive line couldn't seem to keep the pocket intact consistently, they did open holes that Mt. Cody could have gotten through with a date. From the looks Spurrier was giving on the sidelines, I expected his Carolina cap to quickly become a visor. Ingram, always humble and acknowledging of his teammates, stood out like that visor of yore, making the SC defense feel like SEC defenses did when Spurrier's aerial assault stormed through the conference in the 90s. Ingram's performance on Homecoming night was typical of his play all season: get stronger as the game progresses. It culminated with a six-play, Ingram-focused touchdown drive that finally took some pressure off the defense and created a fog in the stadium from the collective exhale of the 92,000 plus in attendance on a chilly night.
This win places Alabama in the number two spot in the first BCS rankings of the 2009 season. Florida is number one, but the margin between one and two is closer than that of two and three. It might serve Alabama well to lurk behind Florida over the next few weeks; Saban seems to get more out of his players when he can load multiple chips on the shoulders of his men. Hopefully, as they prepare for Tennessee this week, their practice time will help the offense regain its rhythm in the passing game; they're going to need it for a rested and improving Volunteer bunch. As tough as Ole Miss and South Carolina played the Tide, Monte Kifffin presents a bigger challenge schematically. Tennessee may not have the depth or experience that Bama's face the past two weeks, but their schemes may allow that weakness to be balanced out. Saban impressed me in his first season with how seriously he faced the Tennessee rivalry, using an onside kick to open the game and take away any hope the Vols entered Tuscaloosa with in that 2007 match-up; I think he'll have a few schemes of his own and hopefully a trick or two up his sleeve. Tennessee is in a no-lose situation coming into this game, making them possibly even more dangerous than South Carolina was this week. Unfortunately for them, entering Bryant-Denny is hazardous to a team, especially one whose offense has struggled on the road like the Vols have. Just ask those Gamecocks.
Nationally, Mark Ingram will get the most publicity for his play against South Carolina last night and he is very much deserving of it. He gained over 100 yards after contact; he looked to hit the defenders even after what looked to be a painful knee-injury, one that added many creases to my furrowed brow. He just kept running and churning, doing so behind an offensive line and wide receivers who put some licks of their own on the Gamecocks' defense. Though the Crimson Tide's offensive line couldn't seem to keep the pocket intact consistently, they did open holes that Mt. Cody could have gotten through with a date. From the looks Spurrier was giving on the sidelines, I expected his Carolina cap to quickly become a visor. Ingram, always humble and acknowledging of his teammates, stood out like that visor of yore, making the SC defense feel like SEC defenses did when Spurrier's aerial assault stormed through the conference in the 90s. Ingram's performance on Homecoming night was typical of his play all season: get stronger as the game progresses. It culminated with a six-play, Ingram-focused touchdown drive that finally took some pressure off the defense and created a fog in the stadium from the collective exhale of the 92,000 plus in attendance on a chilly night.
This win places Alabama in the number two spot in the first BCS rankings of the 2009 season. Florida is number one, but the margin between one and two is closer than that of two and three. It might serve Alabama well to lurk behind Florida over the next few weeks; Saban seems to get more out of his players when he can load multiple chips on the shoulders of his men. Hopefully, as they prepare for Tennessee this week, their practice time will help the offense regain its rhythm in the passing game; they're going to need it for a rested and improving Volunteer bunch. As tough as Ole Miss and South Carolina played the Tide, Monte Kifffin presents a bigger challenge schematically. Tennessee may not have the depth or experience that Bama's face the past two weeks, but their schemes may allow that weakness to be balanced out. Saban impressed me in his first season with how seriously he faced the Tennessee rivalry, using an onside kick to open the game and take away any hope the Vols entered Tuscaloosa with in that 2007 match-up; I think he'll have a few schemes of his own and hopefully a trick or two up his sleeve. Tennessee is in a no-lose situation coming into this game, making them possibly even more dangerous than South Carolina was this week. Unfortunately for them, entering Bryant-Denny is hazardous to a team, especially one whose offense has struggled on the road like the Vols have. Just ask those Gamecocks.
Top 10, Week 7
A top ten based on record, a lack of losses, and difficulty finding something to say about fifteen other teams:
USC: Oregon's loss to Boise is a better loss than to Washington.
Georgia Tech: Still in good position to take the ACC
- Alabama (7-0) The defense continues to control games, even with its top DB (Arenas) out against South Carolina.
- Florida (6-0) Great teams win even when they don't play their best. Tebow continues to show that his heart and grit are almost unmatched.
- Texas (6-0) Like Florida, a three-point win, though theirs was against a ranked opponent at a neutral site. Play another few games against better competition and then you might deserve to be a bit higher.
- Iowa (7-0) They've come a long way since their opener squeaker-win that first week. Wins at Penn State and Wisconsin are stronger than the other undefeateds.
- Cincinnati (6-0) Big win on Thursday night at South Florida. Four wins on the road already.
- Boise State (6-0) They continue to win, which is all that can be asked for.
- TCU (6-0) Another just-keep-winning team.
- Miami (5-1) What would have happened if their game with Virginia Tech hadn't been played in a monsoon?
- LSU (5-1) With an extra week to lick their wounds from Florida, they may fire back with better play and focus.
- Oregon (5-1) Tops in the Pac-10 right now, controlling their own destiny.
USC: Oregon's loss to Boise is a better loss than to Washington.
Georgia Tech: Still in good position to take the ACC
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