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.
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 …Auburn preview: Tigers will be tough, but upset chances are low
November 21, 2018 Comments Off on Auburn preview: Tigers will be tough, but upset chances are low
Auburn has a solid quarterback, but not one that would threaten to take over a game against a secondary many believe to be elite. The game isn’t in Auburn, where weirdness is born, fertilized and cultivated into something so bizarre it begins to appear as if it should have been scripted by William S. Burroughs. And Alabama, most certainly, doesn’t have an explosiveness problem. The Tide has been as combustible as a sack of nitroglycerin in 2018.
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 …LSU preview: Are Tigers that tough, or is the drama being invented?
October 31, 2018 Comments Off on LSU preview: Are Tigers that tough, or is the drama being invented?
Is this matchup for real? Is LSU capable of slowing Tagovailoa down? What is reality for the LSU offense – is it the 36 points scored against Georgia, or is it the 19 put up against Mississippi State and Florida? LSU’s best output of the season – 45 points against defense-illiterate Ole Miss – ties for Alabama’s second-lowest of the season, a win over Texas A&M that left some people wondering what was wrong with Bama football.
Continue reading …Tennessee wrap-up: Vols fought hard, but resistance is futile
October 21, 2018 Comments Off on Tennessee wrap-up: Vols fought hard, but resistance is futile
One of the most illogical developments in the Southeastern Conference in recent years has been the ascension of Phil Fulmer to Tennessee athletic director, roughly a decade after he was forced to vacate the position of Tennessee head coach.
Continue reading …Missouri preview: Banged-up Tide could get a test from high-flying Tigers
October 11, 2018 Comments Off on Missouri preview: Banged-up Tide could get a test from high-flying Tigers
Although the Missouri Tigers come to Tuscaloosa riding a two-game losing streak, there is an uneasiness about this matchup that has its roots both in the history of the Alabama-Missouri series and also the high-wire act Alabama Crimson Tide has put on through the season’s first month and a half.
Continue reading …Spring preview: For once, identity will be determined by who wins certain jobs
March 19, 2018 Comments Off on Spring preview: For once, identity will be determined by who wins certain jobs
Alabama has multiple dichotomies in play. There is the quarterback battle between Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, a contrast of styles between a quarterback ideally suited for a pro spread passing game and one suited for a spread-option style attack. There is new offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, whose background promises more success the more misdirection and spread elements are inplay, but then there’s new QB coach Dan Enos, who made his bones largely on the back of more traditional sets with play-action and a quarterback under center.
Continue reading …