Clemson wrap-up: How Bama recovers – or doesn’t – will determine much of program’s future
Whether you’re an optimist (“We still have Nick Saban!”) or a pessimist (“This was the beginning of the end!”) about Alabama football probably hinges on how many total points you thought swung about on two poor decisions and throws from QB Tua Tagovailoa, and Alabama’s response to it.
Clemson preview: Is this Tiger team more Clemson ’16 or Clemson ’17?
January 4, 2019 Comments Off on Clemson preview: Is this Tiger team more Clemson ’16 or Clemson ’17?
This year, Alabama gets a Clemson team that is somewhere in between the last two versions. The question is how much like Clemson ’17 can Alabama make Clemson ’18 look.
Continue reading …Oklahoma wrap-up: Bama put this one away ‘Sooner’ than expected
December 30, 2018 Comments Off on Oklahoma wrap-up: Bama put this one away ‘Sooner’ than expected
Statistically, a person who didn’t watch this game would look at the numbers and suggest Alabama and Oklahoma were evenly matched teams, which is understandable. Anyone who watched the game and still asserted such, however, are the same people who are likely to believe salmon ice cream with Brussels sprout gravy makes a good dessert.
Continue reading …Oklahoma preview: Sooner or later, it all comes down to defense
December 24, 2018 Comments Off on Oklahoma preview: Sooner or later, it all comes down to defense
Whether it’s fair to either player or not, Alabama’s playoff semifinal against Oklahoma is going to serve a second purpose: It will be a referendum on whether Heisman Trophy voters got it right when they picked Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray over Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
Continue reading …Georgia wrap-up: A story too preposterous for Hollywood, but still so very real
December 2, 2018 Comments Off on Georgia wrap-up: A story too preposterous for Hollywood, but still so very real
From now until the day that football ceases to be played, is Jalen Hurts’ legacy, and someone should carve it into the precast concrete of Mercedes-Benz Stadium for good measure: Here played a true teammate, unselfish and honorable, a good man and leader of men, a champion. Here was where Jalen Hurts was finally appreciated for the winner he always was.
Continue reading …Georgia preview: A rematch in name only, as so much has changed
November 29, 2018 Comments Off on Georgia preview: A rematch in name only, as so much has changed
The last time we saw the Georgia Bulldogs, they – like everyone else in the college football world – were staring, dumbfounded, at an Atlanta scoreboard trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed.
Continue reading …Auburn wrap-up: Necessary or not, Bama makes its statement
November 25, 2018 Comments Off on Auburn wrap-up: Necessary or not, Bama makes its statement
Auburn’s strategy was obviously to survive the Alabama first-half storm, keep the game close, then do something heroic in the second half. Such a strategy, though, oversamples early-season results and fails to account for the Alabama of the recent. Alabama may have started the year running up huge numbers and then sitting on the leads, which led to some artificial second-half statistics that implied the Tide couldn’t play after the half.
These days? Ask LSU. Ask The Citadel. And now, ask Auburn.
Continue reading …The Citadel wrap-up: Yeah, it’s a win, but …
November 19, 2018 Comments Off on The Citadel wrap-up: Yeah, it’s a win, but …
We’ve seen this movie before.
Alabama schedules a triple-option team in the Week 12 slot, gives up a bunch of rushing yards, gets the TV talking heads all atwitter about sudden vulnerability against the run, and then Nick Saban has what he needs to motivate his defense for the Auburn game the following week.
Continue reading …The Citadel preview: Tide’s goals are to limit injuries, exposure
November 15, 2018 Comments Off on The Citadel preview: Tide’s goals are to limit injuries, exposure
Games against teams like The Citadel have become a necessary evil in top-level college football. Top teams can’t play challenging games every week, because football is an emotional sport at the college level, the repercussions of a loss are too severe, and sometimes, the starters just need a break.
Continue reading …MSU wrap-up: Effect of injuries shows how tenuous Bama’s position could be
November 11, 2018 Comments Off on MSU wrap-up: Effect of injuries shows how tenuous Bama’s position could be
The Mississippi State game was always one to circle this year, thanks to a veteran Bulldog team with good lines, linebackers and a solid senior quarterback. The game came up on the schedule immediately following an LSU game that is always physical, no matter the outcome.
Continue reading …
Associate TideFans may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.