In the end, the ending was so Lane Kiffin
The marriage between the management styles of Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin always seemed to be one of the shotgun variety, even if Saban himself had his hand on the trigger. Saban knew he needed to move on from traditional offensive methods – without getting so far away from them that his teams drifted into gimmick territory – and Kiffin was both attractive and available.
With Kiffin leaving, what happens to Bama’s identity?
December 13, 2016 Comments Off on With Kiffin leaving, what happens to Bama’s identity?
If you were shocked by Lane Kiffin leaving Alabama for the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic – which if initial reports are accurate, may have actually resulted in a pay cut – don’t be.
Continue reading …SECCG wrap-up: Bama keeps destroying one-dimensional teams
December 3, 2016 Comments Off on SECCG wrap-up: Bama keeps destroying one-dimensional teams
Alabama’s resounding victory over Florida on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game did several things: It extended Alabama’s win streak to 25 games, its SEC championship strength to 3 years and ended any speculation of what the College Football Playoff committee might do in the event the Crimson Tide lost this game.
Continue reading …Auburn wrap-up: 2016 becomes “Kick Five” game as AU is locked out of the end zone
November 27, 2016 Comments Off on Auburn wrap-up: 2016 becomes “Kick Five” game as AU is locked out of the end zone
Alabama made a barely competitive game close for a half thanks to its own mistakes, which included two interceptions and a rare horrid punt from J.K. Scott that put Auburn in business just outside the red zone. The halftime score of 13-9 served as an effective wake-up call for an Alabama team that mishandled the ball on six other first-half plays – in addition to the two interceptions – and Alabama didn’t wait long to put its foot down on the gas pedal in the second half.
Continue reading …SECCG Preview: Gators have the defense, but offense is offensive
December 3, 2015 Comments Off on SECCG Preview: Gators have the defense, but offense is offensive
When Will Grier failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs after Florida’s sixth game of the season, the Gators were forced to turn to former starter Treon Harris.
Few people could have expected the results.
Continue reading …Tennessee preview: Vols could be a tougher foe than Bama expects
October 21, 2015 Comments Off on 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.
Continue reading …Arkansas recap: Hogs too limited to capitalize on Bama mistakes
October 11, 2015 Comments Off on Arkansas recap: Hogs too limited to capitalize on Bama mistakes
Alabama football games are rarely defined by one quarter, but the Crimson Tide’s 27-14 win over Arkansas was almost entirely about the fourth quarter plus 1:39 of the third.
And it never should have come to that.
The Crimson Tide spun wheels for most of Saturday’s game against Arkansas, victimized by spotty offensive line play, inconsistent quarterback play and playcalling that often veered into the realm of the obtuse. But the best defensive line in college football – perhaps the best defensive front seven – and a secondary that continues to improve every week kept Arkansas from really doing anything about it.
Continue reading …Georgia wrap-up: Dawgs had the bark, Alabama had the bite
October 3, 2015 Comments Off on Georgia wrap-up: Dawgs had the bark, Alabama had the bite
When you’re a Dawg, you spend a lot of time woofing. That’s what you do.
When you’re the Alabama Crimson Tide, playing in Athens, Ga., you take care of business and rip the heart of the Georgia fan base in the process. That’s what you do.
Continue reading …Ole Miss wrap-up: Turnovers, QB play hurt, but poor defense finished off the Tide
September 20, 2015 Comments Off on Ole Miss wrap-up: Turnovers, QB play hurt, but poor defense finished off the Tide
One of college football’s greatest attractions is that anything can (and does) happen each week to teams, good and bad. Unfortunately for Alabama, this includes a 66-yard Three Stooges act of a touchdown pass to Quincy Adeboyejo that the Tide will be seeing on a loop on ESPN SportsCenter for the next ten years. Those kinds of plays (think “Kick Six,” Johnny Manziel’s fumble TD pass, etc.) have certainly affected Alabama more than others in recent years, but they are only anomalies.
Continue reading …MTSU wrap-up: Some things better, others worse than they looked
September 13, 2015 Comments Off on MTSU wrap-up: Some things better, others worse than they looked
For Alabama fans who made the trek to Tuscaloosa Saturday to watch the development of quarterback Jake Coker, Alabama’s young receivers and a defense trying to convince the college football universe that 2014 was a statistical outlier, the Crimson Tide’s 37-10 win over Middle Tennessee State was decidedly a mixed bag.
Alabama ran up 532 total yards, which is becoming somewhat a normal occurrence for the Lane Kiffin-directed attack, but whether the offense actually made any progress is up for debate. What wasn’t, however, was that Alabama’s defense shut down a high-speed spread offense, which gives some hope for the future against contenders like Ole Miss and Auburn.
Continue reading …