Tennessee preview: Vols could be a tougher foe than Bama expects
Every season, one or two teams seem to rise above their typical watermarks and give Alabama a tougher game than it would otherwise appear on paper.
Alabama is hoping Ole Miss filled the role in Week 3, but in 2009, that team was Tennessee, then led by a young head coach named Lane Kiffin. It took two blocked field goals by DT Terrence Cody, the second coming as time ran out, for Alabama to hold onto the win and eventually play for a national championship.
Wisconsin recap: Typical Bama opener offers promise, shows need for improvement
September 6, 2015 Comments Off on Wisconsin recap: Typical Bama opener offers promise, shows need for improvement
Alabama’s offense, retooled in the wake of Blake Sims’ departure, showed enough effectiveness to allay fears about the quarterback position. The defense stuffed the run, and the defensive line, as expected, dominated the line of scrimmage.
But Alabama didn’t show itself to be a flawless team. The pass defense was sketchy all night, particularly across the middle, and Alabama’s kicking game once again disappointed.
In other words, Nick Saban has his team right where he wants them.
Continue reading …MSU preview: For perhaps the first time ever, Bama is the hunter, not the hunted
November 13, 2014 Comments Off on 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.
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 …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 …FAU wrap-up: Game was short, but fans’ discussion won’t be
September 6, 2014 Comments Off on FAU wrap-up: Game was short, but fans’ discussion won’t be
Nick Saban is loved by Alabama fans for many things, not the least of which is his brusque treatment of the media.
But in his post-game press statements following Alabama’s rain-shortened 41-0 romp over Florida Atlantic, he had a message for fans who have a specific favorite in the ongoing battle for Alabama’s quarterback position: Basically, shut up.
Continue reading …WVU preview: Mountaineer team was in a valley in 2013
September 3, 2014 Comments Off on WVU preview: Mountaineer team was in a valley in 2013
Just about the time West Virginia head coach Dana Holgersen was being anointed as the next big thing in college coaches, the 2013 season happened.
West Virginia went 4-8 in 2013, and the problems were evident right off the bat, as West Virginia struggled to beat William & Mary in the opener, 24-17, then had losses to Oklahoma and Maryland by a combined score of 53-7, sandwiching a win over FBS pretender Georgia State. The offense than Holgorsen took such great pride in having developed suddenly didn’t work.
WVU preview: Mountaineer team was in a valley in 2013
August 28, 2014 Comments Off on WVU preview: Mountaineer team was in a valley in 2013Just about the time West Virginia head coach Dana Holgersen was being anointed as the next big thing in college coaches, the 2013 season happened.
West Virginia went 4-8 in 2013, and the problems were evident right off the bat, as West Virginia struggled to beat William & Mary in the opener, 24-17, then had losses to Oklahoma and Maryland by a combined score of 53-7, sandwiching a win over FBS pretender Georgia State. The offense than Holgorsen took such great pride in having developed suddenly didn’t work.
Continue reading …Kentucky wrap-up: Dominant Tide begins to put the pieces together
October 13, 2013 Comments Off on Kentucky wrap-up: Dominant Tide begins to put the pieces together
The middle of the season seems to mark a tipping point for Nick Saban-coached Alabama football teams.
If one doesn’t count the initial 2007 season, the following key games occurred at or near the midpoint of Saban’s other seasons: In 2008, Alabama’s fifth game of the year was the now-infamous “Blackout” game in Athens, Ga., where the Tide won 41-30 in a game that was made respectable only by a couple of late Georgia touchdowns well after the results had been decided. In 2009, Saban’s first championship season with the Crimson Tide, the seventh game of the year came against South Carolina in Tuscaloosa, otherwise known as the game that won Mark Ingram a Heisman Trophy.
Continue reading …A-Day: Alabama not partying like it’s 2010
April 15, 2012 Comments Off on A-Day: Alabama not partying like it’s 2010
Spring games always spur a unique set of questions each year, but Alabama fans in 2012 were probably most wanting to know if the 2012 team is in danger of pulling a repeat of 2010. The answer is, not likely.
Continue reading …