MSU preview: For perhaps the first time ever, Bama is the hunter, not the hunted
Alabama is coming off its annual exposure to trench warfare, otherwise known as the LSU game, and the results were almost too terrible to imagine. Alabama needed a last-minute, game-tying drive and an overtime period to defeat the Bayou Bengals, and the Tide’s reward is a date with a Bulldog team that is more dynamic offensively, has better speed at the quarterback position and who spent last week toying with UT-Martin.
If this game was being played in Starkville, it would be even more of a circus than it figures to be in Tuscaloosa. But with Alabama’s home-field performances being so strong in 2014, the top concern might not be Mississippi State, but the annual post-LSU hangover from which the Crimson Tide always seems to suffer.
LSU preview: Suddenly, Tigers are a major roadblock for Tide
November 3, 2014 Comments Off on LSU preview: Suddenly, Tigers are a major roadblock for Tide
About a month ago, LSU was 4-2, coming off a 41-7 pasting at the hands of Auburn, and a lot of college football fans and pundits alike were writing the Bayou Bengals’ obituary.
But things change in an instant in this game. LSU’s alleged slide into mediocrity continued the following week with a 30-27 near-loss at Florida, a game many people believe the Gators would have won had Florida not suspended QB Treon Harris over off-the-field allegations that eventually proved false.
Continue reading …Tennessee preview: Vols still struggling, but look to give Alabama a fight
October 19, 2014 Comments Off on Tennessee preview: Vols still struggling, but look to give Alabama a fight
During Alabama’s 2009 title run, the Crimson Tide hosted an outmanned, outgunned and thoroughly mediocre Tennessee Volunteer team for what most people expected to be a blowout win.
Four quarters later, Alabama had to rely on two blocked field goals from Terrence Cody in order to advance past Tennessee – a Tennessee team coached by current Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.
In the years since, Alabama has usually defeated Tennessee by a wide margin in the end. In very few of those cases, however, did Alabama dominate from start to finish. Establishing large, early leads and putting the game to bed early is a concept not often found in this series.
Continue reading …Texas A&M preview: Vegas may have this one wrong
October 15, 2014 Comments Off on Texas A&M preview: Vegas may have this one wrong
TideFans.com doesn’t often make reference to betting lines, as that’s not our thing. But when Alabama opened up as roughly a two-touchdown favorite over Texas A&M, it got everyone’s attention in the sports media world.
Alabama, a team that had just scraped to a 14-13 victory over Arkansas, the SEC West’s presumptive worst team, was being made a two-touchdown favorite over a team that beat Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2012, carried the Crimson Tide to the wire in College Station in 2013, and has many of the same pieces returning from those teams in 2014. On the face, it doesn’t make sense.
Continue reading …Arkansas Wrap-Up: Nice to get a win, but Bama has issues
October 11, 2014 Comments Off on Arkansas Wrap-Up: Nice to get a win, but Bama has issues
It is the height of irony that the principal reason for Alabama scoring more points than Arkansas Saturday came as a result of a special teams play on the part of the Crimson Tide.
A’Shawn Robinson and Jonathan Allen have been crushing opponents’ field goal and extra-point formations all season long. And, for the second consecutive week, one of those plays gave Alabama the opportunity to win.
Continue reading …Arkansas preview: Razorbacks smell blood in the water as Bama comes to town
October 6, 2014 Comments Off on Arkansas preview: Razorbacks smell blood in the water as Bama comes to town
Whether Arkansas actually follows through with doing the near-impossible this weekend, it won’t be for a lack of confidence that the impossible can be done.
In year two of Bret Bielema’s tenure in Fayetteville, Arkansas might not be one of the SEC’s best teams, but it’s not from a lack of believing. And with Alabama coming to town fresh off being made to look very mortal by Ole Miss, the Razorbacks will surely speak with a noticeably louder oink this week.
Continue reading …Ole Miss wrapup: If Alabama wants to be the best, it must play that way
October 4, 2014 Comments Off on Ole Miss wrapup: If Alabama wants to be the best, it must play that way
There is little mystery as to why Alabama finds itself tonight a one-loss football team: It’s not playing well enough to be better than that.
Even if there was no controversy over the Tide’s second-quarter strip-and-score touchdown by Cyrus Jones, Alabama was having problems in this game and the future schedule will present many similar problems unless Alabama figures out how to play like their National Signing Day pedigrees suggest it can be done.
Continue reading …Ole Miss preview: Bama will find out whether Rebels are for real
September 29, 2014 Comments Off on Ole Miss preview: Bama will find out whether Rebels are for real
A quick glance at defensive statistics this season would seem to suggest that no, Ole Miss’ 2013 defensive improvement was not a mirage. The Rebels have put up impressive numbers through the first third of the 2014 season, and the confidence gained from their performance have given Ole Miss’ players a great deal of confidence heading into this game.
For Alabama, though, it’s just another verse to a familiar song, one sung by Ole Miss players and fans insistent that the current season will be different from those of the last 50 years. And while Ole Miss has a stout defense in 2014, to be sure, the Rebels’ offensive capabilities – particularly in the running game – simply haven’t been good enough to merit discussion of the Rebels-as-contenders subject.
Continue reading …Florida preview: Struggles with Kentucky belie Gators’ true talents
September 16, 2014 Comments Off on Florida preview: Struggles with Kentucky belie Gators’ true talents
As the final few plays in Florida’s overtime win over Kentucky went by the boards, there were two schools of thought concerning the Gators. The first was that Will Muschamp needed to visit the nearest Laser Copy and start getting resumes ready; the second was that this Gators team, despite its struggles against Kentucky, still has enough talent to win any game on its schedule.
And, now that Florida refused to fold against Kentucky, you can add the adjective “resilient” to the mix.
Continue reading …USM preview: Woeful Golden Eagles can’t recapture past magic
September 10, 2014 Comments Off on USM preview: Woeful Golden Eagles can’t recapture past magic
There was a time when Southern Miss was a better yearly opponent for Alabama than some SEC teams.
A couple of Alabama-Southern Miss games are noteworthy, for all the wrong reasons. There was the Reggie Collier-led upset of one of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s last Alabama teams. And then there was the 21-0 loss to USM in 2000 that should have been the impetus for firing Mike DuBose.
This Southern Miss team, though, is nothing like those teams.
Continue reading …