Bama Rolls over North Texas! 53-7
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Friday frivolity
Friday, September 18, 2009
Rumors are floating around that Colin Peek (our tight end that transferred from G Tech) competed on MTV's Yo Momma show when they did a segment in Atlanta. He goes by the alias of Holla McGhee from Midtown, and he's actually pretty funny. Now we know why the show is called "Yo momma". If MTV's player does not work, you can check it out here also.
RTR
We're Big and We're Physical
Thursday, September 17, 2009
"We're big and we're physical, and I think stopping the run is really important in controlling the line of scrimmage. We've done a pretty good job of that to this point and I think it's important that we do that so we can create the right down-and-distance situations"
-Coach Nick Saban
With five returning starters to the front seven, it looks like we will have another stingy year in the run defense category.The Tide ranks #5 in the Nation in run defense this year, yielding 32.5 yards per game and 1.14 yards per carry. With such a dominant performance against the Hokies, FIU barely tempted our front lineman with rushing attempts.
It's not clear yet, if Coach Saban plans on bringing back Julio Jones and Roy Upchurch for this weekend's game. Although it would a perfect opportunity to pad their individual stats (with all due respect to North Texas), I think it would be important to have them at 100 % for the Arkansas game. I guess we run a fine line in being too cocky for North Texas.
Al.com has done an excellent job in giving us a view from the opposing side. They have a wonderful Q&A segment with the "leading authority of UNT sports", Brett Vito ( a blogger for the Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle). He answers questions ranging from if the their coach is on the hot seat to the weaknesses and strengths of the current team. Read more...
Tennessee - Florida Preview
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I wonder how many point Florida will score? Or will Tennessee pull out the upset? Should be an interesting game. Enjoy.
The mistakes we need to correct in order to win a National Championship
Another week is half way over, and another opponent is getting increasingly nervous to play the Tide. It appears to me that we are a few mistakes away from having a championship team. North Texas is a perfect opportunity before we begin SEC play. Here is my list of items that we need to improve in order to win a National Championship:
1) Kickoff Team. I read a statistic that Bama had something like a 10yr span with only 3 kickoffs returned (against Bama) for a touchdown. We have already had 2 this year. Our special teams is a priority to Nick Saban. Check out this article. By the way, I thought we would be the team returning kickoffs and punts.
2) Too many penalties. Check out this breakdown of penalties versus FIU. I recently caught the replay of the 2006 Arkansas game. I've noticed that our Offensive penalties this year are similar to the Mike Shula era. During the 2006 Arkansas game, we had to many big plays called back because of bone-headed penalties. We are seeing those mistakes this year (And that is the only correlation to the Mike Shula era).
3) Need to be more consistent during the 1st half. Last year we knocked most teams out of the game during the first half. If we can't do it this year, I am for sure that most SEC teams are going to hang in the game through the 4th quarter. Luckily, we are finishing games a lot stronger, but we have yet to see Bama beat an opponent for 4 straight quarters.
4) Need to continue to see more development in other Wide Receivers. I was glad to see Mike McCoy step up during the FIU game. Check out this article here. I would like to see more throughout the season. Julio Jones is being double teamed, and we need to have more threats in the passing game. So far we have been OK, but we need to dominate.
Other links....
Julio Jones and Roy Upchurch are still questionable for this week. Read here.
Greg McElroy receives some love from ESPN's Chris Low. Read here.
Alabama is still receiving votes for #1. Read here.
Wanna read about Andre Smith? Click here.
And the video of the day.... A Glen Coffee Interview from this morning. Enjoy.
McClain and McElroy to the McTop
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Greg McElroy will be facing his former SouthLake Carroll High School football Coach, Todd Dodge this weekend when the Tide take on the University of North Texas. There is a high level respect and friendship between the two, but come Saturday, both will approach the game with a strong focus on winning. And for those of you just making the connection, Riley Dodge, the injured North Texas quarterback is the son of their Coach Todd Dodge. Riley also replaced McElroy after he graduated from Southlake Carroll.
Also some of you might be wondering why, JaWuan James, 6-foot-6 305 pound offensive lineman from North Gwinnett (Ga.) High School would change his mind about the Crimson Tide. The AJC is reporting that it has something to do with the recent brushes with the NCAA over the text book scandal that has the young man worried. Sounds inaccurate, but we need some closure on the subject.
Lastly, Rolando McClain is receiving major attention from Rivals.com as he soars to the top of their power rankings. Steve Megargee writes "As long as Alabama's Rolando McClain picks the right occasions to unleash his aggressiveness, there may be no better linebacker in college football." McClain leapfrogs Florida's Brandon Spikes after he recorded a dismal three tackles against Troy last weekend.
Square is out for the Season
Monday, September 14, 2009
Damion Square, a redshirt freshman, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury ( a torn ACL?) that he suffered in the fourth quarter against the Golden Panthers. Julio Jones will miss a couple of days with his bruised knee and Roy Upchurch could miss a couple of weeks with his high ankle sprain. Also, Saban says there has been no change in the status of Jerrell Harris.
If you were disappointed again in our kickoff coverage, check this article out about our kickoff woes. I guess Saban tried to warn us about T.Y. Hilton.
Terry Grant practiced with the running backs today, most likely the result of Roy Upchurch's injury and his performance on Saturday; however, Ingram and Richardson were the first two running backs in line drills today.
North Texas has suffered two serious blows to its lineup on Saturday. They will be without their starting quarterback and left tackle for the game.
Bama holds steady in the Polls
After a grinding and methodical game against the Golden Panthers, Alabama stayed put at the #4 spot in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll this weekend. The Ole Miss Rebels edged closer to the Tide at the #5 spot in the AP and #6 in the Coaches', making their October 10th showdown loom larger than in recent memory.
As expected, Trent Richardson was named SEC Freshman of the week after his performance in Saturday's game. He carried the ball 15 times for 118 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Ruminate over this weekend's game with the following youtube.com video. RTR