Bowl Game Preview

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This Thursday my column in The Williamson Herald will contain my picks on all of the bowl games in which SEC teams are participating, other than the BCS CG. I'm saving that game for my column the following week.

But as I worked on the portion of my column focusing on the Capital One Bowl, it occurred to me that I should expand it a little bit and make it a new post for the blog.  I realize this is a departure from my typical format, which offers observations and grades on games after they have been played. Look for Bowl Game Grades about this time next week.

For now, here's how I see things shaping up for Alabama vs. Michigan State:

Although these two programs have never played each other, the Alabama coaching staff ought to know a great deal about Michigan State. Nick Saban was the Spartans head coach for five seasons. Offensive coordinator, Jim McElwain spent three seasons on the MSU staff, offensive line coach, Joe Pendry was an MSU assistant for two seasons and linebackers coach Sal Sunseri coached one season in East Lansing. Moreover, tight ends coach and special teams coordinator, Bobby Williams, spent five years as an assistant coach and two years as the Spartans head coach.

Adding to this reunion atmosphere, is the fact that MSU's head coach, Mark Dantonio, was an assistant on Nick Saban's staff when he was the Spartans' boss.

At 11-1, Michigan State is enjoying the best record in school history, and a share of the Big 10 championship for the first time since 1990. The 2010 Spartans have scored 30 or more points in a school-record nine games. They have also won 7 home games for the first time in school history. In spite of the fact that, due to a practice injury, the Spartans will be without their leading receiver, B. J. Cunningham, this will prove to be a tough match-up for Alabama.

The Tide has averaged 34.6 points and 435 yards of total offense per game, while allowing only 14 points and 296 total yards. Bama's quarterbacks threw only 5 interceptions in 2010 while the Tide defense picked off opposing quarterbacks 21 times. The Bama offense converted 43% of their third-downs while the defense held opposing offenses to a conversion percentage of only 34%. Heisman Trophy winner, Cam Newton, came into this year's Iron Bowl averaging 117 yards rushing per game, and was held to a mere 39 yards rushing by the Bama defense. So, what accounts for the Tide's 3 losses?

Lots of explanations have been offered: inconsistency, immaturity, inability to finish, lack of toughness. All of these comments accurately describe why Alabama is 9-3, but "lack of toughness" describes it best. Tough teams can run the ball inside and score in the red zone; Alabama struggled in this area. Tough teams do not squander 24 point leads against their most bitter rival; Alabama did. Tough teams pressure opposing quarterbacks and protect their own; Tide defenders sacked opposing quarterbacks 22 times. but the Bama offensive line allowed opposing defenses 32 sacks for a combined loss of 165 yards. This lack of toughness could be the Tide's undoing against the Spartans.

 It will require a great deal of toughness to put the Auburn loss aside and prepare adequately to compete against a good football team like Michigan State. Can Alabama bounce back? Can the players find in themselves the toughness to improve, to finish and to overcome adversity? Two seasons ago, Alabama followed a disappointing loss to Florida in the SEC Championship by being blown out by Utah in the Sugar Bowl. But while that loss may be fresh in the minds of Bama fans, it is ancient history to the vast majority of the players in 2010. Coach Saban teaches that every play has a life of its own, and once that play is over, the only thing that matters is the next play; so a bowl game played two years ago, at a time when most of the members of this team were still in high school, is simply irrelevant.

What is relevant, however, like it or not, is that the 2010 Crimson Tide has not substantially improved as the season has progressed. Coach Saban talks about a lack of consistency, but I think he's describing the same thing. There have been opportunities for substantial improvement; the come-from-behind win over Arkansas was perhaps the most notable. And the blow-out win over Florida left most observers thinking that the opportunity had been seized and that Alabama's march to a repeat BCS Championship was unstoppable. Sports writer, Mike Lupica, on ESPN the morning after the Florida game, even said that Alabama resided all alone somewhere between the NFL and the rest of college football. 

But that was before everyone realized just how poor a team Florida actually was this year. And it was before South Carolina out-played the Tide in every phase of the game. That loss was yet another opportunity for substantial improvement, and dominating performances against Ole Miss and Tennessee had some of us thinking the Tide had turned a major corner. Winning out, with a break here and there, could put Bama in the number 2 spot in the BCS with a chance to claim a consecutive national championship by beating Oregon. Then the LSU game happened; a second loss, but unlike the South Carolina game, this was one where the Tide was not out-played by a better prepared team. 

Following the loss in Baton Rouge, I was genuinely concerned about the team's ability to put the LSU loss aside and play well against over-achieving Mississippi State. But the team responded with a dominating performance. The Bulldogs were never in the game and Alabama could have named the final score.

The final tune up against Georgia State set the stage perfectly for a take-down of the Rent-A-Team from Lee County.

All Subscribers to The Grades know what happened next, so I won't go into further detail on the Iron Bowl. There is a point here, however, that deserves to be mentioned: After South Carolina and LSU, the Tide bounced back. The Team didn't crawl into a hole and roll over. It thrashed Ole Miss after the South Carolina game and pounded Mississippi State following LSU.

Michigan State is a tougher test than either of the two Mississippi teams, but the more important question is not how good the opponent is, but how intense Alabama will be. An aspect of toughness is responding well to adversity. In that respect, Alabama has twice this season shown that it can be tough. 

If the past is prologue, the Tide will play the Spartans with the intensity previously dished out to the Rebs and Bulldogs. Beating a good Michigan State team on New Years Day will be an excellent way to start the 2011 campaign. I am optimistic.

The Commissioner

           

The Commissioner's MVPs

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Long-term readers will recall that at the end of every season, The Commissioner proposes special player recognition for Most Valuable Players on offense, defense and special teams, as well as Freshman Player of the Year.

This is a particularly enjoyable exercise for me. It's an opportunity to think back over the season and offer some words of encouragement to players who have been difference makers; "Game Changers" to borrow a phrase.

I think the consensus opinion of Subscribers and Correspondents to this blog is that the results of 2010 were less than the talent pool promised at the beginning of the season. Coach Saban was telling anyone who would listen, that this was going to be a challenging year, that as hard as it is to climb to the top, it is even harder to stay there. We heard Coach Saban say that if each player would play to a standard, then results would take care of themselves. Many fans and pundits wrote those comments off as so-much "coach speak" but if you reverse engineer the results of the season, you can see the standards of performance that were unmet. The players on my MVP list, however, not only met, but exceeded the those expected standards.

So here are The Commissioner's MVPs for 2010:

Offense:  There are several candidates for the Offensive MVP recognition.  Due to a pre-season injury that required surgery, Mark Ingram was only available for 10 games, yet he compiled 1087 yards of total offense [816 rushing, 252 receiving and 19 on kick returns]. Trent Richardson, also limited to only 10 games due to a mid-season injury led all players in total offense with 1528 yards [658 rushing, 254 receiving and 616 returning kicks]. Julio Jones, in my mind the best all-around football player on the team, accounted for 1356 yards of total offense [99 rushing, 1024 receiving, 129 returning kicks and 44 returning punts]. He is a fericious blocker, and in all 12 games in which he played, he never took a play off.

Between these top three all-purpose offensive contributors, I would name Number 8, Julio Jones as the MVP. But there award is for "Most Valuable Player." The key adjective is "valuable." Is there an offensive player that the 2010 Crimson Tide could not have done without?

The answer is "yes" and in my opinion that player is: Greg McElroy.  This young man epitomizes the finest qualities of character, skill, leadership and performance that Alabama fans expect in their players. He is a great ambassadore for not only the Univeristy of Alabama, but for the game of college football. His off-the-field accomplishments are well documented; while playing varsity football he earned his under graduate degree and started graduate school. His academic accomplishments have made him a Rhodes Scholarhsip finalist. GMac's play on the field, is just as stellar as his performance off of it. 

He completed 70.6% of his pass attempts [209-296] for 2767 yards and 19 TDs against only 5 interceptions for an efficiency rating of 166.9

The Commissioner's Offensive MVP for 2010 is Greg McElroy.

Defense:  The 2010 defense was very young and the challenge of replacing the many great contributors lost to graduation and the NFL was daunting. Perhaps the greatest hole to fill-literally and figuratively-was the space in the middle of the 3-4 vacated by the human heavy cruiser, Terrence Cody. Was the pass rush not as effective this year? Cody always occupied the attention of two offensive linemen. Since you only get to play 11 men on each side of the ball, having one defender account for two blockers creates opportunities for others to cause mischief in the offensive backfield. Cody's absence was also noticed on offense. Can you imagine Alabama not scoring a TD on Auburn with first and goal at the 3, and big Terrence leading the charge into the end zone? I would have paid extra to see Cody at full speed take on Nick Fairly.

The defense in 2010 was not as dominant as last year's group. Cecil Hurt wrote that the team as a whole was not as "tough" as the 2009 national champions. That does not mean, however, that the defense was without its Game Changers. I think there were three worthy of consideration.

Mark Barron  led the team in tackles with 75 [54 solo] including 3 for 19 yards of loss and he snagged 3 interceptions. He probably would have made it 4 picks in the third quarter of the Iron Bowl but for the fact that he was unable to raise his right arm in the second half due to an injury sustained before intermission.

Robert Lester also had an outstanding year with 47 tackles [25 solo] a team-high 7 interceptions, 3 break ups and 10 pass deflections. But my pick for defensive MVP is:

Courtney Upshaw.  Although limited all year with nagging injuries, Upshaw recorded 47 tackles [27 solo], 11.5 tackles for loss including 5 sacks, 2 breakups, 2 deflections 2 hurries and 2 forced fumbles. He seemed to have his best games in the biggest games. Who can forget him coming around the defensive right end to chase down the Florida quarterback for a loss at the far side line? Or his excellent play in the Auburn game that directly contributed to hold Cam Newton to only 39 yards rushing? Here's wishing Upshaw a speedy recovery from his injuries, and a stellar senior year in 2011.

Special Teams: At the inaugural "Nick at Noon" luncheon prior to the San Jose State game, Coach Saban told the assembled crowd that Alabama's best special teams player was Trent Richardson. It should surpirse no one that Coach Saban was proved right. A big question going into this season was how the Tide would replace Javier Arenas in the return game. Richardson was the answer. Trent is not Arenas. But he was incredibly reliable and productive returning kicks. In 10 games, Richardson accounted for 616 return yards. And this includes several games where the opposing team didn't have many opportunities to kick off. More importantly, Richardson never fumbled a kick return; 616 yards and no fumbles-that's a standard worthy of recognition.

Freshman of the Year:  My selection for the most valuable true freshman is: C. J. Mosley.  This 6-2, 225 lb freshman from Theodore made 66 tackles [30 solo], intercepted 2 passes, broke up 8, defelcted 10 and hurried opposing quarterbacks twice. He also scored 2 TDs on take-aways. That is an impressive performance by a new-comer and sets a standard for his teammates, and for himself as he takes his place in 2011 as a returning letterman.

A special shout-out is also due for rock-steady defensive back, Will Lowery. Number 29 is Alabama's nominee for the "Rudy Award," a recognition that takes into account character, work ethic, and leadership in addition to contributions on the field. Fan voting is a component of the award, and voting is going on now, so go to www.collegerudyawards.com and let your vote count.

Roll Tide

The Commissioner

Auburn Grades - From Our Correspondent at The Tire Store

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After a particularly horrific Houston Oilers’ loss, Bum Phillips was purported to have said, "The film looked suspiciously like the game itself". So it was with Friday’s game against Auburn. For the second time in three weeks Alabama lost a game it should have won, and in this case, it shouldn’t have been particularly close. Thanks for bearing down to the miserable chore of grading this effort, Commish.

But at your invitation, I’ll disagree with the grade for the coaching staff. I understand wanting to "shorten" a game against an offense like Auburn’s. I understand not taking unnecessary risks. I do not understand leaving an aggressive, successful game plan in the locker room and reverting to type for the second half of the biggest game of the year. Coach McIlwain is taking the blame for this all over the internet and in newspapers. I expect it was not, at least solely, his decision. The general plan for how the team will play rests at the feet of the boss. To his credit, he took some blame for this loss. Because it is upsetting my digestion, I’ll not dwell too much on what everyone could see on TV and focus on some things you may not have seen if you weren’t at the game.

1. The Alabama student section showered the Auburn players with Monopoly money as they left the locker room.

2. The inmates are running the asylum at Alabama Polytechnic. The head guy may be the one most in need of an orange and blue hug me jacket. After the game he ran and pumped his fists at the Alabama student section. Apparently it is true that you can’t buy class. Can you imagine Coach Saban making gestures at another school’s student section? Coach Stallings? Coach Bryant? Please.

3. Auburn (like Oregon and a couple of others) are exploiting rule loopholes that I expect will be closed soon. They very effectively snapped the football while the official who marked the ball was still running to his position. On at least two occasions he literally ran into Alabama defensive players making shifts. On several other occasions he was in the way of defensive players’ view of the backfield. Alabama was penalized for not being set before a QB sneak. That was the ultimate irony of the game. Auburn tries to never be set before snapping the ball. Even so, the defense reacted well even at the last minute and holding Auburn to 28 points is nothing to brag about, but should have been sufficient to win the ball game.

4. Speaking of rules, they do NOT apply equally. Coach Cochran spends his Saturday afternoons and evenings grabbing coach Smart by the belt loops and pulling him off the field to the sideline. Auburn has two coaches, you can name one, who regularly runs on the field as far as the numbers to cut the fool with the players. Apparently he is permitted to do this by the officials.

5. Speaking of being above the rules, I know nothing about Cam Newton except what I read in the papers. I.e. he is a liar, a thief, a cheat, and a scofflaw. Watching him Saturday none of that is particularly hard to believe. His performance was strictly pedestrian, but you would never know it from the way he handled himself. One example, before the game when the "team" ran out of the locker room, he sprinted to the front, past the team, past the cheerleaders, past Aubie the Tiger mascot, and past the two overweight guys who carry the flags. He skipped and hopped, and danced his way past the point the rest of the "team" heads for the bench and went to wave to the band and visitor’s section. Cam is all about Cam.

6. BDS was as loud as I have ever heard it, or any football stadium. I expect it is rapidly earning a reputation as a very difficult place to play.

7. I’m not sure how Alabama will handle a bowl game. Even against Auburn there was a missing element of excitement. Greg McElroy may play in the next game, but would not if he was my son. I have said it before, there is too much talent on this team to end up with four losses on the season, and three of the last four. Before the next season the coaches need to find a way to instill some desire into the Crimson Tide.

I’ll look forward to your analysis of what needs to change.

The Correspondent From The Tire Store

Auburn Grades

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Eighteen Points ... or was it twenty two ... or was it only six?

One of those numbers is the answer to the question that has plagued me since Friday night. The question is: How many points did Alabama leave on the field in the 2010 Iron Bowl? It will probably not make the cut for inclusion in a sports trivia contest, but it is the relevant question to ask the day after Alabama blows a 24 point lead and loses to Auburn by a single point in the fourth quarter.

Readers of The Grades can probably tick off the missed opportunities without prompting. (i) First and 10 from the Alabama 40, GMac completes a pass over the middle to Mark Ingram who runs 41 yards to the Auburn 19 and loses a fumble at the end of the run; the ball scoots out of the back of the end zone for a touch back-minimum of 3 points lost. (ii) First and goal from the Auburn 3; Trent Richardson drops a pass on a well blocked duplicate of last year's game-winner; Richardson gains one yard on second down from the Wildcat and we settle for a FG after GMac misses Hanks on 3rd down-4 points left begging. (iii) Second and goal from the Auburn 8, the ninth play of a 67 yard drive late in the second quarter, GMac is sacked by an unblocked Nick Fairley who forces a fumble he then recovers-at least 3, possibly 7 points lost. (iv) Third quarter; Aub punt returner, Quidarius Carr, is deboned by Courtney Upshaw who forces a fumble recovered by Dre Kirkpatrick at the Barn 12 yard line; a false start penalty followed by a sack, cause the Tide to settle for a 32 yard FG-4 points lost.

Two things have been repeatedly written and said about the 2010 Tide: (i) this is a team in search of an identity, and (ii) this team has yet to play a complete game. Well, we are at the end of a 9-3 season and I think it is safe to say: "This is a team whose identity is to not play complete games."  One of our Correspondents made the observation that the members of Nick Saban's first No. 1 recruiting class, who are juniors this year, need to forget about the 2011 NFL draft, and focus their senior year on the unfinished work from 2010.  For the most part, that's hard to argue against.

Has Marcell Dareus played to his full potential? Has Marquis Maze? Mark Barron? What about Josh Chapman? Courtney Upshaw? William Vlachos? And don't forget Brad Smelley, and while you're at it-what about, yes, Mark Ingram?

In my opinion, there is one member of this junior class who has come to play in every game, who, from my perspective never takes a play off, and is the best football player on the Crimson Tide: Julio Jones. He has more than earned whatever opportunities await players selected in the 2011 NFL draft.  The remainder of his classmates have work left to do; much like those points that were left on the field instead of notched on the scoreboard against Auburn.

I will address what I see as work to be done, but first, here's how I grade the game:

Offense:     D-     What other grade is there to give? Yes, the first quarter was spectacular. The offense didn't have a single negative play in the first 15 minutes of the game and scored three TDs in its first three possessions. Then the wheels fell off. In the second quarter, the offense managed 3 points from a first and goal inside the Auburn 5. For the remainder of the game, Alabama answered Auburn's 4 TDs with a single field goal.

GMac had one of his best statistical games on Senior Day, as he completed 27 of 37 pass attempts for 377 yards and 2 TDs. Julio Jones led all receivers with 10 catches for 199 yards. Darius Hanks caught 5 passes for 39 yards, and Mark Ingram added 91 yards on 4 receptions; Mark's longest reception [41 yards] was marred by a forced fumble at the end of a determined catch and run. Maze had 2 receptions for 13 yards, including one on the left sideline for a first down, that would make the highlights in the NFL. He appeared to be open but as the pressure picked up on GMac, there were fewer balls thrown his way.

The running game was statistically pathetic [69 net yards], but 5 sacks totaling 23 yards of losses, are a drag on a performance that would otherwise have been merely weak [93 gross rushing yards]. Ingram had 36 yards on 10 carries and Trent Richardson had 24 yards on 10 rushing attempts. It is certainly worth noting that the offense attempted to take advantage of what Auburn was giving, and the Auburn secondary is not all that good. After the first quarter, the Tigers' pass rush improved-or the Tide O Line had a harder time protecting.

Julio accounted for 273 all purpose yards [199 receiving; 12 rushing, 62 kick returns].

Alabama had 6 drives for 40 or more yards-all consecutive, all in the first half-[71, 81, 61, 83, 48, 65] that resulted in 3 TDs, 2 fumbles and a FG. In the second half, the Tide's longest drive was 29 yards. It could have been the game winner, however, after reaching the Auburn 34 yard line with a first and 10 the next three plays were a loss of 2 running, an incomplete pass and a loss of 4 on a sack. GMac suffered a concussion on the tackle and was finished for the game.

Defense:     C+      Cam Newton came into the game averaging 117 yards rushing per game. He managed only 39.  As a team, Auburn averages 291 yards rushing and 41.6 points per game. Against Alabama, the Barners managed only 108 yards rushing and scored only 28.

Auburn's first 4 possessions of the game consumed all of 15 plays, gained only 35 yards and resulted in four punts. Newton was obviously unaccustomed to being tackled by a single player who was strong and quick enough to bring him down. Consequently, on option plays, Newton consistently dished the ball too early and Alabama had that play well defensed all night. Marcel Dareus made a picture perfect open field tackle of Auburn's soon to be Heisman Trophy winner [and eventually to be determined ineligible player] that set the tone for a solid defensive effort.

There was no way that the defense was going to keep Auburn from scoring, but giving up a 70 yard TD on the second play of the second half, was a bust that allowed the Aubs to close the score to a difference of 10 points and shifted the momentum for the remainder of the game.

Each of Auburn's TDs came on long drives [8 plays 80 yards; 2 plays 69 yards; 8 plays 75 yards; 11 plays 67 yards].

Courtney Upshaw had his best game of the season, recording 10 tackles [7 solo; 8 for loss (-19), 3 sacks] 2 forced fumbles and a QB hurry.

Demarcus Milliner was credited with 9 tackles [8 solo] and C. J. Mosley had 6 [5 solo]. Barron, Luther Davis, Dont'a Hightower, Dequan Menzie and Robert Lester each had 4 tackles, while Will Lowery, Dareus, Damion Square and Dre Kirkpatrick each had 3.

All total, Alabama defenders recorded 9 tackles [4 sacks] for loss of 37 yards.

Special Teams:

Punting:    B      Forcing a fumble in punt coverage, like blocking an opponent's punt, almost guarantees an A+. However, shanking a punt for only 13 yards, like getting a punt blocked, almost guarantees an F. Alabama punted 4 times, all in the second half, for an average of 33.8 yards per kick. Marquis Maze returned 2 Auburn punts for zero yards.

Place Kicking:     A     Jeremy Shelley was good from 20 and 32 yards and was perfect on all three PATs. The only problem with place kicking was that the offense didn't provide more PAT opportunities.

Kick Offs:       C+      Cade Foster only averaged 60 yards gross per kick. The coverage team allowed an average of 17.8 yards per return, thereby producing a net average per kick of only 42.2 yards. The return game was reasonably effective: 3 returns for 62 yards.

Coaching:      C-   I may be accused of being charitable with this grade, and I can understand that criticism. Immediately after the game I would have assigned an F to the coaches. There is plenty of justification for a failing grade: (i) 7 penalties, including 2 substitution infractions on defense; (ii) asking Cody Mandell to execute a play-punting to the corner-that he has struggled with all year; (iii) being 12 games into the season and not having an offensive line that can produce a credible inside running game; and (iv) losing to Auburn. After a night's reflection, however, I have to give the coaching staff credit for devising a game plan the held Auburn's offense in check, and allowed the offense the opportunity to put the game out of reach before intermission.

But this was Auburn. And this was a loss, unlike the loss at South Carolina, that was self-inflicted. This one hurts.

Coach Saban told the media after the game: "To succeed you have to finish things." Alabama didn't finish this game, and it didn't finish its season. Nobody knows that more viscerally and intensely than Saban.  So what are some of the unfinished items in the business of Alabama football?  For what it's worth, here are my five contributions to the suggestion box:

1.  The offensive line needs to get stronger, tougher and more dominant. There is no good reason why Alabama cannot score a running touchdown from the 3 yard line with 4 plays to do it.  Likewise, there is no good reason why a guy like Nick Fairly should ever get an unblocked shot at our quarterback.

2.  The defensive front 7 needs to pick up where it ended this season and improve. The D-Line and linebackers generated good pressure against an outstanding Auburn offensive line. This sort of effort, plus a little more, needs to be the standard.

3.  The secondary has to keep working on recognizing what the opposing offense is doing, and adjusting within the framework of the defensive play.

4.  Overall conditioning has to be addressed as well. In 2009, Alabama was clearly the better conditioned team in all of its games. That differential was not present this year against LSU and Auburn.

5.  Recruiting is the life-blood of every college football program. I'm excited about the existing 2001  commitments. We need to get them in the door, and continue to apply The Process to the players already aboard.

I had convinced myself that  writing The Grades would ease the frustration I feel. I was wrong. The fans at BDS were outstanding yesterday; nobody left until the clock was all zeros and the Bama faithful were in it to the bitter end.  Coach Saban acknowledged that fact in his post-game remarks and he took responsibility for the fact that the team did not play up to the standards set by the program. As the players headed to their respective locker rooms, and the fans began to leave their seats, the Auburn band played the "Rammer Jammer" their fans mocked Alabama with a twisted version of that iconic cheer. My abiding hope is that twelve months from now, Coach Saba and the players-especially next year's seniors-make them pay for that disrespect.

With no Alabama game to grade next week, my next Blog post will be end of year recognition for MVPs and others.

The Commissioner

Georgia State Grades

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I always thought that Bill Curry was an odd choice to be Alabama's head football coach.
It wasn't just that he was a Georgia Tech guy, with all the baggage that comes with that particular affiliation. It certainly wasn't his football pedigree; three trips to the Super Bowl, two championship rings, played for Vince Lombardi, etc. It had more to do with his approach to things. With Bill Curry, I always got the feeling that he was impressed with his own superior moral sense-even when he didn't live up to his moral posturing.

Remember when he was the coach at Kentucky, and answered a reporter's question about whether he would start then freshman Tim Couch at quarterback? He said something along the lines of: "Anybody who would do such an unfair thing to such a fine young man has no business coaching college football." Well it turns out Curry was right. He started Couch about two weeks later. By the end of the season, the bosses at Kentucky decided that Curry had no business coaching football any longer for the Wildcats.

I also recall when he was a commentator with ESPN. Somehow, the producers at the Four Letter Network would assign Curry to be the color guy for broadcasts of Alabama games. He always took an uncomplimentary jab or two at Alabama, its fans, or, most often in Curry-speak, the "culture" of Alabama football. Like when he was covering the Mississippi State game when Sylvester Croom made his first journey to Tuscaloosa to coach a game against Alabama under the leadership of Mike Shula. Curry yammered incessantly about how tough it was to grow up black in Tuscaloosa. I'm sure it was; but how would he know? I was a charter member of the Hire Sly Croom Club when Dennis Fran-phony bolted from Tuscaloosa to Texas A&M, but I could not abide Bill Curry's preening self-righteousness at Alabama's expense as he tut-tutted about how shabbily Alabama had treated one of its own.

And, of course, who can forget the infamous "rock-through-the-window" business? I suppose there are folks reading The Grades who were not alive at the time, so maybe a little history is in order. During Curry's tenure as the Tide head coach, Ole Miss came to Tuscaloosa for Homecoming. The Rebs left town that day a winner, and Alabama played so poorly, that the offense failed to complete a single pass. The next day, Curry claimed he discovered that his office had been vandalized by a rock thrown through the window. The police were summoned, and Curry gave several interviews where he lamented the darkness at the heart of Alabama fans. Assuming the rock story was true-a subject that has never been free of debate-Curry could have been a hero with fans if he had only said: "I would like to find the person who threw that rock through my window, because we obviously need to find somebody who can hit what they are throwing at, and it's my job as coach to go recruit them."

There was a time, twenty one years ago, when Bill Curry said that Lexington, Kentucky was a better place to coach college football than Tuscaloosa. For him, I suppose that must have been true. Nothing else can explain why this paragon of virtue would breach his contract with the University, quit his job with a year left to work, and an offer of a two-year extension on the table.

Well, I must have mellowed with time, because as I watched Curry on the Georgia State sidelines Thursday night, I actually found myself sympathetic to him. His pre-game remarks to Erin Andrews were complimentary of the Alabama program, and he had somewhat of the air of an elder statesman about him; like an emeritus professor.

His team played with admirable heart, and got crushed by better athletes, who are better coached, better conditioned, and better prepared. Georgia State has nothing to be ashamed of losing to Alabama 63-7. So, enough about Bill Curry.

Alabama scored 63 points on a team that it ought to have scored 63 points on. The Tide played everybody in a red jersey. GMac became a spectator with one third of the second quarter left to play. It was a good tune-up for Alabama with Auburn coming to town the day after Thanksgiving.

Readers of this space know that I typically apply a one letter grade reduction to take into account the quality of opposition. Considering how deep Alabama went into its roster, I think the playing field was ultimately leveled to the point that no reduction is required. Here's how I grade the game:

Offense:     A      Alabama gained 478 yards of total offense [262 rushing], earned 24 first downs, and did not punt the ball until the 8:00 mark in the 4th quarter. GMac completed 12 of 13 pass attempts for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns. A.J. completed 7 of 9 for 57 and a TD.

Julio Jones was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 86 yards and two TDs. Marquis Maze, Darius Hanks and Kevin Norwood each had 2 receptions. In all, 10 players caught passes.

Mark Ingram carried the ball 12 times for 86 yards and a TD. Eddie Lacy, Jalston Fowler and Demetrius Goode each scored rushing touchdowns. It was fun to watch these backs run the ball. Lacy gained 81 net yards on 13 rushes. Fowler gained 42 yards on 2 carries, his longest being a 36 yard TD. It was troubling that on Alabama's second possession of the game, we were not able to score by running between the tackles. Mark had to run over left end to score from 1 yard out.

Mark was the leader in all purpose yards with 102 [86 rush; 16 receiving].

Bama had five drives of 40 or more yards [67, 71, 72, 60 and 50] resulting in 4 TDs and a missed FG.

Defense:      A      Here's a stat for you: the three leading tacklers in Thursday night's game were Neighbors [6], Jerrell Harris [5] and Chris Jordan [5]; you have to drill four deep before you find a familiar name [Demarcus Milliner-4 tackles]. Milliner is followed by Will Lowery, Tana Patrick, Michael DeJohn [not exactly a household name] and Dont'a Hightower all with 3 tackles each.

The Stop-Troops accounted for 6 tackles for 17 lost yards, 4 interceptions returned for a total of 66 yards, 3 broken up pass attempts, and 10 QB hurries. Robert Lester, Chris Jordan, Mark Barron and C. J. Mosley each had an interception. Mosley returned his pick in the second quarter 41 yards for a TD.

Special Teams:


Punting:     A+     Chavis Williams blocked a second quarter punt attempt. Brandon Gibson recovered the block and returned it 22 yards for a TD.

Kickoffs:   F        I'm sorry, but despite the 63.3 gross average per kick on 10 kicks, the coverage team allowed a 97 yard return for a TD. That sort of play earns an automatic F.

Place Kicking:  F Again, it doesn't matter that Bama's snap-hold-kick effort was perfect on PATs, Jeremy Shelley missed from 27 yards; banging the ball off the right-side upright. Cade Foster was initially good from 49 yards, but the FG unit was unable to beat the play clock and he had to try again from 54 yards. He missed it the second time.

Coaching:  A      The special teams play notwithstanding, the coaches did exactly what needed to be done in this game. In addition to the 22 starters, 57 players off the bench participated in the game. And if you have any doubt about the commitment and intensity of this coaching staff, especially at the top, you should consider the fact that, with seconds to play in the game, Coach Saban was still coaching up the number 3 quarterback and the number 7 running back. We played two-deep at every position on the offensive and defensive lines as well as the defensive secondary. At some line and DB positions Bama played 3 deep.

I mentioned earlier, how Bill Curry found Kentucky to be a better place for him than Alabama. In the longer view of things, had he not done so, Bama would not have had Gene Stallings in 1990 and would certainly not have earned a national championship in '92. At his introductory press conference, Coach Stallings was asked by a reporter how badly he wanted to beat Auburn, since his predecessor was winless against the Tigers.

Stallings gave a two word answer: "Real bad."

When Coach Stallings arrived in Tuscaloosa, Auburn was engaged in a pay-for-play scandal that eventually would make Eric Ramsey temporarily famous, and cost Pat Dye his job. I suppose this would be an excellent trivia question: What college football program would fire a coach for paying players and still put his name on their stadium? Fast forward two decades, and scandal once again is swirling around the Auburn program like flies on a carcass. I will have much more to say on the Newton Affair in The Williamson Herald. For readers of The Grades, I will only say this: Alabama can beat Auburn this year. It will be extremely hard to do, but it is possible. More likely than not, Auburn will leave Tuscaloosa with more points on the score board. But when all the shoes have dropped, the official record books will not reflect that Auburn beat Alabama in 2010.

The Commissioner

Mississippi State Grades

Amid all the Cam Newton speculation and rumor; amid all the anonymous sources, and unconfirmed reports, there was only one question, the answer to which really mattered: How would Alabama react to the loss at LSU?

Would Alabama bounce back? With Trent Richardson likely unavailable, could Alabama bounce back? With only pride to play for, was there enough at stake for this young team to find a motivation, and an identity, that nine games into the season is still missing?

The sports staff at The Tuscaloosa News all predicted theTide to win, but only Cecil Hurt had the margin of victory greater than a field goal, and he predicted only a five point win. Some commentators were saying that this team was teetering on the brink of a late season melt down on the order of 2007. Which way would the 2010 Tide go, with no championship even as a  hypothetical destination?

Well, the players answered all of those questions Saturday night in Bryant Denny Stadium by beating Alabama's oldest rival by twenty points, in a game that was over before the end of the third quarter.

Doubts about the players' effort and intensity were put to rest early. The offense took the opening kick off and crisply moved 59 yards for a field goal on 9 plays in a no-huddle drive that featured a variety of formations. The defense played the whole game with an intensity that was AWOL in the second half of the LSU game. The pass rush generated good pressure on the MSU quarterbacks and produced a season-high 5 sacks. In three consecutive possessions, spanning less than three minutes of game time, Alabama ran seven plays, and scored 21 points. After the first play of the final stanza, GMac trotted to the sidelines and took a well deserved bow for what might have been his best performance of the season.

There remains much room for improvement with this team. Its greatest challenge is waiting on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Explosive plays aside, the offense still lacks the sort of line play that produces success in the inside run game, and gives the quarterback time to throw. The defense must build on a good effort against a Mississippi State team that runs Auburn's offense without Auburn's hired-hand quarterback. For now, though, we know the choices this team and these players have made. They chose pride over sell-pity. They chose effort over ease. They chose intensity over indifference. Hardware and titles may be out of reach, but those choices, and many more, are what can make the 2010 Crimson Tide, a team of winners.

Here's how I grade the game:

Offense:        A        The Tide gained 452 yards of total offense [175 rushing] on merely 59 plays for an average of 7.7 yards per play. Julio Jones was the leading rusher with 56 yards and a touchdown on one carry. Mark Ingram found precious little running room inside but was able to gain 53 net yards on 18 carries. Eddie Lacy added 35 yards on 8 plays and GMac ran the ball 3 times for 20 yards. Freshman Jalston Fowler [6-1, 236, Mobile, Vigor HS] added 15 yards on 3 carries and would have scored his first collegiate touchdown, but his fumble into the end zone was recovered by MSU for a touchback. The fumble aside, Fowler is an impressive player who runs hard and is going to be hard for opposing defenses to stop. The running game was hampered by 7 tackles for loss of which only 2 were sacks.

GMac completed 12 of 18 pass attempts for 227 yards and 2 TDs. He threw an interception in the third quarter, the first second-half pick of his college career. AJ took most of the snaps in the fourth quarter and completed 2 of 5 pass attempts for 50 yards. His longest, a 39 yard thing of beauty to Darius Hanks, nearly scored. A bad choice that fortunately went incomplete earned him a swat on the backside from Coach Saban.

Marquis Maze had a great night. He led all receivers with 5 receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown. Hanks had 3 receptions for 55 yards, and Julio added 41 yards on 3 catches. Mark Ingram caught 2 passes for 77 yards. Mark's longest reception was a 78 yard swing pass that he took the distance for a score. Julio threw a key block to spring Mark into the secondary and Ingram took it from there.

Maze was the leader in all-purpose yardage with 166 [88 receiving, 41 in kick returns and 36 in punt returns].

Bama had 6 drives that gained 40 or more yards [59, 45, 75, 78, 56 and 84] each resulting in points.

Defense:        A        The stop troops really got after MSU from the start of the game. Bama defenders recorded 6 tackles for loss of which 5 were sacks. C.J. Mosley was the leading tackler with 12 [1 solo] followed by Mark Barron who recorded 11 [4 solo]. Demarcus Millinor, Courtney Upshaw and Dont'a Hightower each recorded 8 tackles and Josh Chapman and Dequan Minzie were each credited with 6.

Robert Lester continued his intercepting ways, picking off 2 pass, one of which he returned for 12 yards.

Special Teams:

Punting:        C-      Cody Mandell only averaged 38.2 yards on 4 punts. Coverage was excellent, however, because MSU only returned 1 punt for 3 yards. Marquis Maze returned 3 of MSU's punts for 36 yards. Marquis would have returned a punt for an 86 yard touchdown but the score was nullified by a blocking penalty on the return.

Kickoffs:       A       Cade Foster averaged 68.7 yards gross per kickoff. Two kicks found the end zone and one was a touchback. Coverage was excellent, resulting in an average of 51.6 yards per kick. Alabama's return game averaged 20 yards per kick.

Place Kicking:  A+      Jeremy Shelley was good from 36 and 28 while Cade Foster was good from 45 yards. All three PATs were good.

Coaching:          A       The team was ready to play and came closer to playing a complete game than at any time this season. Phelon Jones started at corner in place of Dre Kirkpatrick. According to published reports, this was a disciplinary matter. Coach Saban told reporters after the game that if players do not do the right thing they will not play. [Yes, there is a message in that statement for the folks at the Barn.] There is speculation that the coaching staff is reading The Grades, because the participation report reflects that 33 players from the bench participated in the game along with the 22 starters.

After a short week, the Tide will welcome Bill Curry back to Tuscaloosa on Thursday night. If all goes according to plan, many players will see action.

I will have more thoughts about Auburn at the appropriate time. The appropriate time is after the Tide has dispatched Georgia State. Coach Saban made it clear in his post game remarks that Alabama respects all of its opponents.

So for now, make sure to read the sports section of your local daily fish wrapper. The Newton story is evolving every day.

Our players should pay no attention to it, however. Their tasks will be focused on preparation  and improvement. If the preparation and improvement that took place between the LSU and MSU games can be replicated, then we will all have a very joyous start to the Advent Season.

Stay tuned.

The Commissioner

LSU Grades

Les Miles out coached Nick Saban.
That is the inescapable conclusion from the 24-21 loss the Tide suffered at the hands of LSU. One team made good use of the open week. One team played with more intensity. One team made effective adjustments at the half. One team made better use of its personnel. That one team was LSU.

Consider this: according to the participation report, Alabama played only 15 players in addition to its 22 starters, LSU played 37. Alabama is supposed to be the better conditioned team, the team that can bring guys off the bench with no discernible drop off in talent. Not yesterday. LSU had three starters leave the game with injuries who were replaced by freshmen who played like seniors.

What's up with all these top-ranked recruiting classes? We can't find more than 37 guys who are worthy of playing time? LSU had 59!

There will be no SEC Western Division championship this season. There will be no third-straight appearance in a BCS bowl game. If we continue to play like we did today, we won't win another SEC game this season.

Those are the hard realities.

Alabama is a team with a young defense that after nine games still has not matured to the point that it can consistently execute the complex schemes devised by the coaching staff. Prior to the San Jose State game, Coach Saban told a room full of Bama supporters that he was not concerned about the three defensive players who make the "calls" on defense; he was worried about the 8 players who didn't know how to answer the phone when the call was made. From what we saw on display Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium, he still has reason to be worried.

Can you explain this: LSU shredded the Alabama defense for 433 yards of  total offense, and more than 300 of those yards were gained in the second half!  This is LSU for Goodness sake, the only SEC team that couldn't outscore Tennessee over 60 minutes of football this season!

In the second half, the Alabama defense made Jordan Jefferson look like Joe Montana. The Tigers gained 208 yards through the air.  Either we have plays in the play book where opposing receivers are allowed to run free uncovered, or else there is a disconnection between the plays being called and at the plays being executed. With 2:30 to play, needing to get the ball back in good field position, Bama had LSU in a 3rd down and 13 to go from their own 20 yard line. So Jarrett Lee completes a 47 yard pass to Rueben Randle. He caught the ball in space and weaved his way through the Alabama secondary who played like they wanted to see whether Randle had the same number on the back of his jersey as he did on the front.

What about the run defense? LSU gained 225 yards on the ground and the Tide defense allowed runs of 49, 21, 23, 19, and 11 yards.

These are hard things to write. No doubt they are also hard to read. The fact of the matter is that Alabama in 2010 is not nearly as good as it was in 2009. I don't doubt that the talent level is better than the 7-2 record would suggest, but this team is not playing to its potential.

Is it injuries? Three of our marque defensive players are nicked up and the biggest road-grader on the offensive line has missed the last three games. Immaturity? Our best defensive players from 2009 are playing on Sunday this fall.  A combination of both? Whatever the reason, the coaching staff's job is to identify it and take action to fix it. My guess is that there is nothing that pundits and fans observe that has escaped the coaches, and this staff, from the head coach to the GAs, is not going to spare any effort. Coach Saban has described the state of Crimson Tide football: "we have not played a complete game."

Yesterday, LSU sure played one. And the Tigers beat Alabama the way that Alabama is supposed to beat its opponents; with physical dominance, higher intensity and better execution. Yes, Les Miles out-coached Nick Saban. Maybe now the LSU fans will find closure to their irrational bitterness over Saban choosing Alabama for his return to college football.

More later about the road ahead, for now, here's how I grade the game:

Offense:        D-      GMac completed 21 of 34 pass attempts, he threw 2 TDs and was intercepted once-a ball that could have been caught-for 223 yards. Alabama earned 19 first downs and converted 7 of 14 third downs.

Julio Jones was GMac's favorite target and no. 8 did not disappoint. He caught 10 passes for 89 yards including a 19 yard TD strike. Julio waged a day-long battle against LSU's star corner, Patrick Peterson, who was credited with 3 pass breakups. Julio won the fight; a fifteen round split-decision.

Marquis Maze caught 4 passes for 35 yards, Darius Hanks caught 2 for 40 and Preston Dial caught 2 passes for 35 yards. GMac completed passes to 7 different receivers.

Mark Ingram gained 97 yards on 21 carries and scored 1 TD rushing. His longest run from scrimmage was 13 yards. Trent Richardson gained 28 yards on 6 carries, and caught a 1 yard pass for Alabama's first score. GMac suffered 3 sacks for a loss of 28 yards.

Ball security was a big issue for Alabama. In addition to the first quarter interception, GMac lost a fumble when he was sacked in the fourth quarter. LSU converted this turnover into a field goal that proved to be the margin of victory. Bama fumbled the ball a total of 3 times, losing one.

The offensive line was inconsistent. Bama's three touchdowns came on drives of 81, 73 and 74 yards that combined for 14 minutes of game time. These three drives, however, were the only bright spots in a day that otherwise consisted of 6 drives with three or fewer plays, 6 punts and two turnovers. On Bama's first scoring drive, with the ball inside the one yard line, LSU stuffed two attempts to run between the tackles. The TD came on a play action pass to Trent Richardson, who managed to score only on individual effort.

Defense:        F       I have no explanation for the disappearance of the Alabama defense in the second half.

In the first 30 minutes, LSU had great field position due to a shamelessly poor punt and GMac's interception, but only netted 3 points. The rest of the Tigers' first half consisted of 4 punts, and a drive the ended when time expired. That last drive of the first half, however, was a harbinger of things to come.

After intermission, LSU had 6 possessions. The results, in this order, were: missed FG, TD, FG, TD, FG, punt. The length of LSU's scoring drives were: 94, 53, 77 and 6. The missed FG came on a drive of 52 yards that featured a first down conversion on a fake punt. See the grade for coaching.

Dont'a was the leading tackler with10 [2 solo], including 1 for loss yardage and a QB hurry. C.J. Mosley was credited with 9 tackles [2 solo, 1 TFL] and Josh Chapman made 8 [3 solo, 1 TFL]. Mark Barron and Demarcus Milliner each had 7 tackles, and Robert Lester and Courtney Upshaw each had 6.

LSU converted 6 of 17 third downs, and both of 2 fourth down attempts.

Special Teams:

Punting:        D       Cody Mandell averaged 41 yards, had one punt in excess of 50 yards and downed 2 inside the LSU 20. These respectable stats are marred, however, by the fact that his first punt, from poor field position, was only 23 yards. Marquis Maze was only able to return one punt for 3 yards. The Alabama coverage team limited LSU's Peterson to 22 yards on 2 returns.

Place Kicking:  A       Jeremy Shelly was 3 for 3 on PATs.

Kick offs:      B+      Cade Foster had a gross average of 64 yards per kick off, with one touchback. The coverage unit achieved a net average of 47.8 yards per kick. Bama's return effort resulted in LSU having a net kickoff average of only 41.5 yards per kick.

Coaching:        F      OK. You know that Les Miles has never faced a fourth down that he wouldn't consider going for. You know that he has faked more punts than any other coach in the SEC. In the first half, we played it safe. But the first punting situation in the second half, we give LSU the look that invites a fake, which the Tigers execute to perfection. In the fourth quarter, facing 4th and 1 we get burned on a reverse that nearly scores. There is no question about it, Les Miles won the play calling chess-match. Moreover, LSU was more reach to play than Alabama. This manifested itself particularly at the beginning of the game in poor ball security by the Tide.

Alabama fans are unfairly described as having unreasonable expectations. We are accused of being fickle and quick to call for changes in coaches, starters, and the guys who paint the field whenever Alabama fails to cover the betting line. I think those characterizations are wrong.

Tide fans are very passionate, knowledgeable and dedicated. They don't take losing very well and they expect the same attitude from the people who are entrusted with the Program.

So with all of that as prologue, let me say this: If Alabama plays the rest of its games the way it played LSU we will not win another SEC game this season. Mississippi State will beat Alabama next weekend if the Tide does not correct its mistakes and play better than it did in Baton Rouge. Forget about the rent-a-team from Lee County Industrial and Mechanical. Dan Mullen, who deserves to win Coach of the Year honors for the job he has done in Starkville, will have his team ready to play this coming Saturday night. Nobody associated with the Alabama program should be looking any further ahead.

The championship goals with which Alabama began this season are now unattainable. That we have come to this pass on the first weekend of November, is unacceptable. But there are goals, both individual and collective, that remain very much within the grasp of this team: Improve, Finish, Dominate, Execute. And these goals, if achieve, provide the foundation for everything else.

My thoughts about the Cam Newton situation will be in this week's column in the Williamson Herald.

The Commissioner

Tennessee Grades

Nothing says "humiliating defeat" quite like tens of thousands of empty seats in Neyland Stadium. With a minute to play in the game, there were more empty seats than fans. Actually, from the looks of this photo:

Those might be ServPro employees in the upper deck getting a head start on the post-game clean up. Tip of the hat to Trey Crabb for sharing the picture from his phone.

But, I have a confession to make:

I don't care.

That's right. I don't care.

I don't care that UT is a bad football team. I don't care that they are languishing at the bottom of the standings in the SEC East in a year where the division champion might end up being decided by drawing straws. I don't care that the Vols have lost over 30 players from their football team on account of coaching turmoil. I don't care if Tennessee has more players on scholarship to play volleyball than football. I don't care that the UT secondary was hampered by the fact that safety Janzen Jackson had to surrender his pellet gun at the metal detector. None of that matters, because last night the Crimson Tide beat the Volunteers by the widest margin ever recorded in a game played between the two schools in Neyland Stadium.

UT kept it close in the first half. Just like it did with Oregon earlier in the season. Part of the credit should go to Tennessee. The Vols played hard, especially on defense, and they put a lot of pressure on GMac. He was knocked around by so many untouched pass rushers, that I'm going to watch the replay this evening and count the orange jerseys just to make sure that UT isn't still trying to run that 6-4-3 defense they unveiled against LSU.

The second half was, as they say, another story entirely. Everything worked the way the coaches draw it up on the blackboard. We got away from the oh-so-predictable play calling of the first half and opened up the passing attack with on-target throws down the field. This opened up the running game, and the results were awesome to behold. After intermission, Alabama's offense converted 4 of 5 third downs, and had drives of 70, 65, 80 and 80 yards, each ending with a touchdown. The Tide defense in the second half allowed UT to convert only 3 of 8 third downs, and the Vols' five offensive possessions resulted in a missed field goal, two interceptions, a punt and a turnover on downs.

The peck-sniffs up in Indianapolis, banned Alabama's tradition of handing out cigars in the locker room to celebrate a win in the Tennessee game, but the readers of The Grades are not bound by the PC dictates of the NCAA. So smoke 'em if you've got 'em, because here's how I grade the game:
 

Offense: A- Reader of The Grades know that a reduction of one-letter grade is a convention that I use to take into account the quality of opposition, and just such a reduction was urged upon me by Our Correspondent From Regions Bank. But I will resist that temptation. Yes, Tennessee is not a good football team, but it is a traditional conference opponent and a full letter grade reduction would discount unfairly Alabama's performance in the second half.
 

Alabama earned 24 first downs, 9 by rushing and gained 536 yards of total offense [210 rushing]. Trent Richardson gained 119 yards on 12 carries and had no rushing attempt that failed to gain. His longest run from scrimmage was a 65 yard sprint for a TD in the third quarter. Mark Ingram gained 88 yards rushing on 14 carries and after looking tentative in the first half, ran the ball with much more authority after intermission.

GMac completed 21 of his 32 pass attempts for 264 yards and had no interceptions. He was sacked once. His longest pass was 42 yards and it wasn't a screen play. AJ McCarron played the better part of the fourth quarter and completed all 3 of his pass attempts for 62 yards.

Everyone's favorite target last night was Julio Jones who set a school record for receiving yards of 221 on 12 receptions. D.J. Hall recorded 13 receptions in the Tide's 2007 win over Tennessee, but Hall had fewer yards on his baker's dozen. Marquis Maze added 73 yards on 4 receptions and Darius Hanks caught 3 passes for 10 yards. Eight different receivers caught passes.

Bama had 8 drives that gained 40 or more yards [41, 59, 56, 68, 70, 65, 80 and 80], but while the Tide's long drives in the second half were ruthlessly efficient in scoring touchdowns, the first half saw four long drives yield a solitary TD, 2 FGs and one missed FG from chip-shot distance.

Defense: B+ The stop-troops shut out UT in the second half, but in the first 30 minutes of play, they yielded 10 points including a long drive for a FG late in the half. Moreover, UT's Tauren Poole gained 117 yards rushing; the first time in 41 games that Alabama's defense has allowed an opposing player to gain 100+ yards rushing. Poole gain 59 of those yards on a single play on Tennessee's second possession of the game.

Bama's pass defense was perhaps its best of the year in league play. UT's two quarterbacks completed only 17 of 36 pass attempts and surrendered 2 interceptions. Two other potential interceptions in the first half were dropped; 1 by Phelon Jones, the other by Dont'a Hightower.

C.J.Moseley led all defenders with 9 tackles [4 solo]. Milliner recorded 7 tackles, all solo. Hightower had 6 [3 solo] including 1.5 for loss. He also broke up one pass and is credited with 2 QB hurries. Will Lowery made 6 tackles [2 solo] and seemed to be always around the ball. He played a really splendid game.

Bama's defenders broke up 8 passes and snared 2 interceptions, both of which killed UT scoring opportunities. Robert Lester returned his pick 20 yards. The other takeaway was made by converted wide-receiver, red-shirt sophomore, B.J. Scott [5-11, 193] out of Prichard's, Vigor High School.

Special Teams:

Punting: B+ Bama averaged 47 yards per punt, downed 1 inside the 20 and had 1 punt of 50+ yards. UT failed to return any punts. Bama had a single punt return that lost 4 yards.

Placekicking: C+ Jeremy Shelley was good from 30 and 42 yards, but banged one off the left upright from 25].

Kickoffs: B+ Bama's kickoffs averaged 66.4 yards gross and 45.9 net of returns. We allowed 2 returns in excess of 20 yards [29, 33].

Coaching: A- The turn around between the first and second halves was impressive. According to coverage in The Tuscaloosa News, Coach Saban merely told the players that they would have more fun if they played with more intensity. Marcel Dareus, said that there were no fiery speeches at half-time. Rather, after receiving their adjustment instructions, the players spent some time reflecting on their situation and deciding what sort of team they really wanted to be. Hopefully, the performance in the second half will be what we see from here on. If we are going to win out and return to Atlanta nothing less will suffice.
 

A word or two about the officiating and the television coverage is appropriate.

The Zebras did not affect the outcome of the game, but there were moments of low buffoonery from the Men In Stripes. I lost track of how many times the officials had to convene an all-hands-confab in order to figure out whether an infraction had occurred, what down it was, how much time was left, and the other weighty issues committed to their care. It's one thing for a ref to consult with his colleagues to make sure the call is correct, but when the meetings last so long that the Ref orders in coffee and doughnuts, you know it's gotten out of hand. Plus, the off-setting personal foul call against Dre Kirkpatrick in the second quarter was totally bogus.

As far as the TV coverage goes, the play-by-play and color commentary was fine, except for the too frequent references to Cam Newton's performance earlier in the day against LSU. But the prize for Dumbest Question By A Sideline Reporter has to go to Holly Rowe, who was interviewing Julio after he just set an Alabama single-game record for receiving yards and asked him, "Have you ever had a game like this one before?" To his everlasting credit, Julio did not say anything close to (a) "Are you freaking kidding me?"; (b) "What the $%@# did you just ask me?"; or (c) "Say what?" Instead, he very politely replied: "No, Ma'am" and then trotted off to the locker room to have a conversation with people who had actually watched the game.

The players now get a much-needed bye week to rest, recover and recharge for the stretch run. The Auburn / LSU game proved that LSU has a terrible offense but a very good defense. It also proved that as long as Cam Newton stays healthy, Auburn is a dangerous team capable of scoring from anywhere on the field at any time during the game. Obviously, LSU is the most important game on the schedule.

The last five games have been a brutal stretch, but I believe that we saw Alabama turn a corner last night.   Play like we did in the second half last night, and we win. Play like we did in the first half and we don't. It's that simple.

The Commissioner 

 

Ole Miss Grades

In life, there is a difference between what we need and what we want.

We need food. We want steak. We need hydration. We want Coke products.  OK, for some of our Correspondents that might be a "need," but you get my point.

The Alabama football team entered last night's game against the Ole Miss Rebel Black Bears . . . .  I'm sorry. We will return to The Grades in just a minute, but I must take a detour to comment on the absurdity that is the University of Mississippi's effort to be what it isn't.

The new Ole Miss mascot, a beast whose natural habitat does not include the Magnolia State, is the latest effort of the school to disassociate itself from its past. It started years ago with changing the fight song from "Dixie" to whatever it is now. The "Hottie Tottie" maybe?. There was even a brief period of time when the Ole Miss band would play "Dixie" not as an up-tempo Scotch-Irish jig, but as a languid, mournful ballad; the way Elvis did it in his American Medley. The confederate battle flag was next to go. For a while the stars and bars was replaced by a big blue capital "M", piped in white on a red field, with eleven white stars inside the letter. Did they really think that would fool anyone?

Was it a reasonable idea to get away from "Colonel Reb?"  For me, that particular character was reminiscent of what Sam Watkins described as "a rich man's war and a poor man's fight." Not exactly the kind of thing that would inspire me to lay it all on the line for the old Alma Mater, but to each his own. In the end, Col. Reb just could not survive the pandemic of political correctness that has swept college athletics like swine flu. So, why not replace him with a mascot that would be a representation of the more noble aspects of being a rebel?

What about a private soldier, clad in course gray flannel with butternut pipping, a bed role slung over his shoulder, carrying a muzzle-loading rifle? You can find excellent models to choose from standing atop monuments in the town-squares of county seats all across the landscape of the rural South. No. That would not do for the folks at Ole Miss. The aristocracy from places like Hernando, Gautier, and Corinth that comprise the core of the Mississippi alumni base would evidently rather be represented by an ursine beast than a mere enlisted man. I guess that the Ole Miss fans decided that nothing says "rebel" quite like a bear, but with so many variations of bears available, why did they have to infringe on the trade-mark of Tuscaloosa High School? . . . Now back to The Grades.

The Tide came into last nights game with a list of "needs" and "wants." We needed a win. We needed the defense to play with intensity, to tackle, to pressure, to dominate. We wanted the offense to be more consistent. We wanted the running game to return to the lethal efficiency it knew earlier in the year.

The Tide left the game having gotten what it needed. But not what it wanted.

The defense played a much better game, in the first half, than it did in the three halves of football the preceded it. We held the team that had led the SEC in scoring, to only 10 points.

The offense, however, did not take a step forward. The Rebs borrowed a page from Ellis Johnson's game plan and walked the safeties up towards the line of scrimmage. They clogged the running lanes, and the passing game failed to stretch the field north and south.

Julio Jones did his level best to play with a left hand that was only four days post-operative. He's a great football player, but he's not bionic. With Julio unavailable, going forward we will need GMac and the remaining receivers to elevate their game. Opposing defenses must be forced to respect a deep threat. So long as our passing attack consists of medium routes, screens, and sacks, our running game will have no chance to achieve the levels it knew in September.

While we got what we needed from the defense, there is still a list of unfulfilled "wants" on that side of the ball. I want to see us get better on third down. I want the linebackers to start getting a higher number of tackles than the defensive backs. I want the defense to play a full game, just like I want the offense to do.

We have now faced two opponents coming off of a bye week, and we can see how one team took advantage of the open date and how one didn't. Steve Spurrier and his staff did an excellent job preparing for Alabama-they enjoyed their win over the Tide right up to the kick off of their game against Kentucky. Houston Nutt, on the other hand, evidently spent the open week exhorting his team to play more physical, without bothering to tell them that being more physical does not mean being dirtier. The Rebs were the least penalized team in the league prior to Saturday night, yet they were flagged 12 times against Alabama, mostly for late hits, piling on, and other assorted chippy shots. Even so, the refs missed some pretty blatant stuff. Just ask Darius Hanks, who had an Ole Miss player remove his helmet by the face-mask, while the official was auditioning for a gig as a guest referee on Monday Night Raw.

Yes, Alabama got what it needed, even if we didn't get everything we would want, and here's how I grade the game:

Offense:        C+      GMac's passing stats actually look pretty good on Sunday: 17 completions on 25 attempts for 219 yards and two TDs. But 8 of those completions were to running backs [Trent caught 5 passes for 101 yards including an 85 yard screen pass for a TD; Mark caught 3 for 7 yards.] Marquis Maze had 4 receptions for 42 yards and Earl Alexander had 2 for 32. Despite his broken hand, Julio caught one pass for 8 yards.

The rushing statistics tell you all you need to know: Mark ran the ball 15 times for 60 net yards. Trent added 45 yards on 11 carries. GMac was sacked 4 times for 16 yards; fewer sacks by nearly half from the previous week, but still far too many.

The drive chart shows that the offense just isn't performing consistently. Alabama had four drives of 40 or more yards [46, 52, 82 and 40] that resulted in 2 TDs, 1 FG and a punt. Our first six offensive possessions [I don't count the punt return as a possession] ended as follows: TD, Punt, FG, Punt, FG, FG. The opening drive of the second half was a three and out. We only converted 33% of our third-downs.

Defense:        B-      The defense tackled much better than last week, and the intensity of play by the front seven was much improved over last week. Rumor had it, that Coach Saban told the defense on Monday that nobody had a job on the defense unless they earned it in practice. Perhaps that's so, and perhaps it accounts for the clear step up in play by the Stop Troops.

Ole Miss' first six possessions all ended with a punt and all but one of those possessions was a 3 and out. The exception was a 5 play possession that consumed only 2:30 of game time.  In the third quarter, however, the D allowed Mississippi to convert 5 third-downs in a row all from long distance and permitted drives of 41 and 78 yards, yielding a TD.  A 10 play Rebel scoring drive was followed by a 9 play drive that resulted in a punt. For a good portion of the third and fourth quarters, the defense was simply unable to get off the field.

Jeremiah Masoli spend much of the night running for his life. The defensive stat sheet records 10 quarterback hurries, 6 tackles for loss [2 sacks], 6 passes broken up and an interception [Mark Barron].

Dre Kirkpatrick is credited with 7 tackles all solo. Barron also recorded 7 tackles [5 solo] and Dequan Menzie, Dont'a Hightower, C.J. Mosley, and Robert Lester each had 5. It was good to see Dont'a having a good game. This was perhaps his best game so far this year. His photo was on the cover of the game program; which is where it needs to be, rather than on milk cartons.

Will Lowery saw a great deal of action in the game and recorded 3 tackles and a pass break up.

Special Teams:

Punting:        B-      Cody Mandell averaged 38.2 yards per kick on 6 punts none of which were returnable, his longest was 50 yards and he nailed Ole Miss inside its 20 yard line 4 times. Marquis returned 6 Ole Miss punts for 125 yards [37 longest] but lost a fumble on one return. The hit of the game was the block thrown by Junior LB, Alex Watkins [6-3, 232], from Brownsville, Tennessee, on Maze's long punt return. The block decleated two Ole Miss players and left so much equipment scattered on the ground that you would think it was a yard sale.

Kickoffs:       B-      Bama averaged 63.6 yards gross and 44 yards net on kick offs. Trent Richardson returned all 3 Ole Miss kicks for 74 yards. His longest return was 28 yards.

Place kicking:  A+      Cade Foster was good from 44 and 49.
                         C       Jeremy Shelley was good from 19 but missed wide right from 42.
Why are we doing this? I know Shelley is the "short FG kicker" and Foster is the "long FG kicker." But don't you think that someone who can kick it good from 44 and 49 should be able to kick it from 42?

Coaching:        C+     We got what we needed. We didn't get all that we want. The Tide was penalized 8 times for 52 yards, including a delay of game penalty. What's up with that? This was the 7th game of the season, shouldn't we be able to get the play in on time?

For the 7th time this season, Trent Richardson was the leader in all purpose yardage with 220 [45 rushing, 101 receiving, and 74 returning].
 

Tennessee is next.

The Vols are a bad football team, but they are nevertheless very dangerous. They are dangerous because they are bad. They are dangerous because they have nothing to play for but to beat Alabama. They are dangerous because, just like last year going into the Tennessee game, Alabama is tired and beat up.

There were more Alabama players limping as they walked off the field than trotting. We have managed to avoid serious, season-threatening injuries, but we've got lots of guys dinged up. A lot has been written about our opponents having open dates, it's about time that we get one. We need one. But we need to go into the open date with a two-game win streak. That requires us to beat Tennessee.

Beating Tennessee is a "need" not a "want."

My closing comment is about the pre-game ceremony.

Those of you who watched the game on TV might not have seen that the honorary captain for the game was Tyrone Prothro. Few players have given more to the Crimson Tide football program than Tyrone. He was an electrifying, all-purpose player. He had speed, quickness, hands of glue, a head for the game, and a heart like a lion. Anyone who was fortunate enough to witness "The Catch" late in the second quarter of the 2005 Southern Miss game will ever forget it. Prothro astonished everyone with his athletic ability, just as he inspired everyone with his courage as he doggedly pursued returning to the team following the devastating injury he suffered in the Florida game just a few weeks later. The adverse fortunes of a violent game brought his athletic career to a premature end.

When he was introduced last night, 101,832 people roared their heartfelt respects, and lustily cheered as he stood on the script A at the center of the field and waved to every quadrant of the stadium. Legendary basketball coach, John Wooden, once said "things turn out best, for people who make the best of the way things turn out." Tyrone Prothro is a living example of the truth of that observation

The Commissioner

 

South Carolina Grades

This was a long time coming.

A record long time; as long a time as it takes to win 29 regular season games in a row. As long as it takes to beat 18 SEC opponents in a row. It was November, 2007 the last time that Alabama players walked off the field after a regular session game on the short end of the score.

Yes, it was a long time coming. But come it certainly did. And it came with a vengeance.

Alabama didn't just lose Saturday. It was dominated in all phases of the game. The Defense? The Defense allowed South Carolina to score three touchdowns, in three consecutive drives that gained 178 yards and consumed 7:20 of game time before ever forcing the Birds to punt.

The Offense? What was supposed to be the nation's best, most balanced and potent offense, saw its two stud running backs marginalized into being either spectators, or blockers vainly trying to keep Greg McElroy from getting pounded into the ground. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson combined for a paltry 64 net yards rushing on only 17 attempts. Compare that to the day South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore had; 23 rushes, 95 net yards

Special teams? Alabama's place kicking efforts included a missed field goal and a botched PAT while the punting game featured a shanked kick that sailed out of bounds a mere 15 yards down field.

If you want the Reader's Digest version of the game, here it is: The first 8 times the two teams mounted drives ended like this:

UA-FG,
SC-TD,
UA-Punt,
SC-TD,
UA-Fumble,
SC-TD,
UA-miss FG,
SC-Punt.

In the fourth quarter, after managing to claw back to within a touchdown and extra point of tying the score, the defense made its only quality stop, with Will Lowery intercepting a pass broken up by DeQuan Menzie and giving the offense excellent field position at the SC 35 yard line. A game that at one time looked like it was out of reach, was suddenly within a single score of being tied. And what did Alabama's experienced offense, with last year's Heisman Trophy winner in the backfield, do with this opportunity? We turned it over on downs.

As dispiriting as that missed opportunity was, for me, the most agonizing period of the game came in the third 

quarter. South Carolina gashed the Alabama defense on a 15 play, 82 yard touchdown drive that ground 7:55 off the clock. Along the way, the Birds earned 6 first downs, with three of them coming on 3rd and 8, 3rd and 10 and 3rd and 5. If all you did was read the play-by-play on the stat sheet, you would think that the scribe must have made a mistake. It must have been Alabama, with Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Julio Jones and Marquise Maze that sledgehammered an opponent and imposed its will. Right? 

Not yesterday!

We didn't wilt under the pressure of a tougher better conditioned team. We got beaten by a team that was better prepared to play intense physical football for 60 minutes.

Did the open week make a difference? I suppose it probably did. It gave the Chickens more time to put behind them the stink of their 4th quarter flop at Auburn. It gave Steve Spurrier time to do whatever it was he did that allowed Stephen Garcia to play the game of his life. It gave the SC defensive staff an extra week to scheme rushing packages that put GMac under pressure all day. But that's just the way it is. Every team gets an open date. Teams that wait later in the season run the risk of losing a game due to fatigue before they get a break to recuperate. Teams that take the bye week earlier run that same risk late in the season. Does it even out in the end? Probably not for Alabama this year which still must play the remainder of its conference schedule against teams coming off of a bye. But that fact will either be one of two things: a factor or a footnote.

It will be a factor in future defeats only if the coaching staff and players allow it to be. Otherwise, if the coaches, trainers, staff and players take the proper lessons away from yesterday's humbling experience, a footnote somewhere will record that Alabama lost a game at the mid-point of the season, then ran the table against teams that all came off of open dates.

Yes, this loss was a long time coming. Whether it will, like the song lyric says, be a long time gone, depends upon how the Process responds. My guess is that the response began at about the time Nick Saban entered the locker room after the game. We will get an indication whether my guess was correct this coming Saturday in Tuscaloosa.  But between now and then, here's how I grade the game:

Offense:        F       From a 30,000 foot view, the offensive statistics from yesterday don't look too bad.  Sure, the rushing numbers are off-way off-but GMac completed 27 of 34 pass attempts for 315 yards and 2 TDs. Julio Jones had one of his best days receiving with 8 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown. Preston Dial caught 5 passes for 29 yards, and Maze gained 41 yards on 4 receptions. Darius Hanks added 55 yards on 2 catches including a career best 51 yard reception for a touchdown to start the 4th quarter.

The Tide had four drives of more than 40 yards [54, 53, 41 and 85]. But what was missing from all that yardage? Those 351 yards of total offense failed to generate the most important statistic of all: points on the scoreboard. Bama's first 4 drives resulted in 3 points. After the opening drive stalled and we took the field goal, the offense delivered a punt, a lost fumble, and a missed field goal before scoring again right before the half.

What about the second half? Well, 2 points were a gift when, for a brief shining moment, Stephen Garcia reverted to his former self and threw an errant snap out of the end zone for a safety. So, what does the Tide offense get out of the ensuing free kick? Another field goal.

How's this for a statistic: In the second half, Alabama did not convert a single third down.

Looking at these key metrics: (i) net rushing yards [36] , (ii) third down conversions [5 of 13], (iii) QB hurries [4], (iv) tackles for loos [9] and (v) sacks allowed [7], I can only conclude that the offensive game was lost at the line of scrimmage.

I must make special mention of the 7 sacks. I haven't looked it up, but I think this is the highest number of sacks allowed since Auburn sacked Brodie Croyle 9 times. At least 3 or 4 of the sacks taken by GMac yesterday seem to me to have been avoidable if GMac just throws the ball downfield and out of bounds. Granted, on one play by trying to make something happen after protection collapsed, he did manage to find Michael Williams for a long completion. But I'm reasonably certain that part of GMac's post-game film study today will include a note about recognizing when there is nothing to be gained from further effort, and making the decision to avoid a loss.

Defense:        F       The official statisticians do not keep track of missed tackles. If they did, yesterday's performance by the Tide defense would have given them writers cramps.

Did anybody make a clean tackle on Marcus Lattimore? Heck, we couldn't even tackle the lumbering Stephen Garcia! [By the way, I could swear I saw Garcia's photo on the wall of the post office the last time I went to buy stamps!]

As far as coverage on Alshon Jeffery is concerned, I have to say that he made two of his 7 receptions under coverage that could not have been better. In the 4th quarter, Dre Kirkpatrick did everything but tie Jeffery's shoe laces together and he still managed to make a catch. On SC's second touchdown, Mark Barron could not have covered him any better. That was just a fantastic play by a talented athlete. The guy had two one-handed catches in a single game.

On that same TD play, Marcel Dareus had excellent pressure on Garcia who typically would have thrown a ruptured duck down the middle of the field; but not yesterday. Garcia did not throw an incomplete pass until the second half! Does anybody know how Garcia spent the open weekend? Check the mileage on his car. From the way he played yesterday, I think he took a trip to the Mississippi Delta and found that cross-roads where Robert Johnson sold his soul in order to become a great blues guitar player. OK; have you got a better explanation? Was this the same player who stunk up the Pizza Pie Bowl last December against U. Conn? Or who coughed up a hairball in the 4th quarter two weeks ago down in The Village?

When was the last time the Steve Spurrier went a complete game without yanking his starting quarterback for at least one series of downs?

Barron was the Tide leading tackler with 9 tickles, all solo. Marcel Dareus recorded 8 stops [6 solo] including 4 for lost yardage. Mosley, Chapman and Hightower each were credited with 5 tackles.

SC was forced to punt only twice in the entire game, but one of those came late in the 4th quarter, after the Birds shut down their offense in order to run the clock.

Special Teams: 

Punting:        D -     Cody Mandell averaged 34 yards on 2 punts. That average is the mathematical result of adding one punt of 53 yards, with one of 15 and dividing the sum by 2. The coverage unit allowed a 17 yard return on the 53 yard punt, and Maze returned one of SC's two punts for 28 yards.

Kick offs:      B+      The one bright spot in an otherwise dismal day, way our kick-off game. Cade Foster averaged 69.2 gross yards per kick and the coverage unit held SC's return game in reasonable check resulting in a net yards per kick of 47.2. Richardson and Maze each had long kick returns of 31 yards. And, on the strength of his return yardage, Trent, for the sixth straight game this season, led the team in all purpose yards [177; 23 rush, 12 receiving, 142 returns].

Place Kicking:  F       Jeremy Shelley was good from 32 and 39, but he missed from 31 and missed a PAT. In his defense, however, the missed PAT was a combination of a bad snap and hold.

Coaching:           F       Is there any other grade that can be awarded for this stinker of a road game? Alabama never had an answer for what South Carolina was doing. And what the Birds were doing was simply playing harder and tougher than Alabama. We suffered 5 penalties for 31 yards, but had at least 2 off-sides penalties declined because the result of the play was better for SC than the charity yards would have been. We were also flagged for a substitution penalty. Whose responsibility is that?

I want to make it clear: I think Nick Saban is the best coach in college football. In my book, it isn't even a close question. Only a great coach could have brought Alabama from its ragged state at the end of the 2006 season to winning the national championship three seasons later. Only a great coach could implement and oversee a process through which, in the age of artificial parity imposed through scholarship limits, a team could win 19 games in a row against quality opposition, and 29 regular season games in a row playing in the SEC. Only a great recruiter and developer of talent could keep a team at the top of its competitive class playing with 20 first-time starters.

That's right. Twenty first-time starters; 5 specialists and 15 positional, of whom 3 are on offense and 12 on defense.

Inside the Mal Moore Center, there is a hall way leading outside to the practice fields. On the wall is a pyramid constructed out of rectangles containing the logos of each team the Tide faces in the regular season. When each of those teams is defeated, the logo is removed from the pyramid, each player signs the block, and it is placed on another wall where the accumulated blocks are a graphic display of the progress of the season.

The blocks displaying the logos of teams that defeat Alabama remain in their spot on the pyramid. The players cannot avoid going past the pyramid at least twice each day. That means the garnet and black block capital "C" with the stylized gamecock superimposed in the middle, will remain on the wall. There is only one way for it to be removed; if we play the Chickens again in the SEC title game.

After yesterday's games, both SC and Florida control their own destiny on the road to the SEC East Championship. A Florida win over SC on Nov. 13 would give the Gators the tie breaker over the Birds. But if SC continues to play the way it did against Alabama, and if Florida plays the way it did yesterday against LSU, then this will be the year Steve Spurrier returns to the Georgia Dome on the first Saturday in December.

In the West, Alabama, Auburn and LSU each control their own destiny, except that both brands of Tigers have a Mulligan coming to them. They could each lose a conference game and still make it to the Big Show with a win over Alabama. For the Tide there is only one clear path to Atlanta: win out.

Indeed, winning out remains a path that could take Alabama back to the BCS Championship Game. It worked for Florida in 2008. The Gators lost to Ole Miss at just about this same point in the regular season, but by defeating a then-top-ranked Alabama, the Lizards earned the chance to play undefeated Ohio State. A similar scenario could unfold in 2010 for Alabama.

Yes, for the Tide to make a repeat appearance in the BCS CG there are several things that would have to fall into place. For instance, SC would have to win out and come into the SEC CG ranked in the top 5 nationally, and Alabama would have to play better in every phase of the game than it did yesterday.

But all that is speculation for fans. For the players and coaches there is only one game that matters, and it is this Saturday's game against Ole Miss. And this Saturday, if Bama does not not play better in every phase of the game than it did yesterday, all the fan speculation in the world will be less than meaningless.
 

Just ask yourself this: is there any other coaching staff and football organization in America that you would rather entrust with the responsibility of correcting yesterday's errors and getting the team back on track? Is there any other collection of players that you would rather depend on to absorb the coaching and benefit from The Process? Is there any other stadium in America that you would rather return to in order to start the next string of consecutive victories?

If your answer to any of these questions is a "yes," then you are subscribing to the wrong e-mail group.

The Commissioner