It's one of those old chestnuts that you've heard said a 'zillion times: Repeating the same behavior while expecting a different result is a sign of insanity.
The thing about trite old sayings is they become trite old sayings because they are true.
Last night's game between Alabama and Michigan provide several examples of just how true it is that it's crazy to keep doing the same thing while expecting a different result. Let's start with the whole idea of the Big Ten playing Alabama. Since the arrival of Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, the Tide is 4-0 against Big Ten teams, outscoring its opponents 138-35 [vs. Penn State: 21-3 and 27-11; vs. Michigan State 49-7 and vs. UM 41-14].
Here's another example of crazy repeat behavior: keep throwing the football in the direction of Dee Milliner. Last year, Penn State threw in number 28's direction [OK the alternative was to challenge Dre Kirkpatrick, but that's beside the point] so often that he recorded a career high 3 pass breakups in a single game. So what did Michigan do? The Wolverines threw so often in Milliner's direction that he broke up 3 passes and returned an interception 35 yards setting up a 9 yard Eddie Lacy touchdown-all in the first quarter. He broke up another pass later in the game, establishing a new personal record.
OK, one more example: Michigan tried to run the ball 29 times against the Alabama defense which started the game without last year's stars Don'ta HIghtower, Josh Chapman, Courtney Upshaw, Mark Barron and the aforenamed Mr. Kirkpatrick, and played the second half without the services of starting nose tackle, Jesse Williams [concussion] and linebacker, Trey DePriest [ankle sprain]. The result of this repetitive behavior? The Maze and Blue gained a paltry 69 net yards rushing.
Alabama engages in repeat behavior also. But it does so, not with the expectation that this will produce different results. Rather, the repeat behavior in the Alabama program is calculated to produce the opposite effect. Coach Saban expects the repeat behavior to produce the same result. Do you know anyone who talks more about trying to produce "consistency" than Coach Saban?
It's pretty obvious that the message has taken hold with the players. A.J. McCarron was asked by the ESPN on-field reporter at the end of the game what "message" Alabama was sending with its dominating performance. His answer was perfect: "We're just trying to do what Coach Saban tells us so that we can improve as a team."
Here's how I grade the game:
Offense: A- The Tide dominated Michigan and that dominance began with the play of the offensive line. The O-line has been touted as the best in the country, and last night's performance lends credence to the hype. Alabama gained 431 yards [232 rushing] earned 20 first downs [12 rushing] and held the ball for 10:43 of the 4th quarter. The offense had four possessions of only 3 plays, but those resulted in 2 punts and 2 TDs.
Bama's first half possessions began with a three-and-out. This was followed by three touchdowns, a field goal, one punt and a meaningless fumble on the last play of the half. The defense added a touchdown of its own on a pick-six, and the half-time score was 31-7.
Second half drives were not as spectacular as their first half counterparts. The Tide had six possessions in the second half and produced a missed field goal, two punts, a field goal [51 yards] and a touchdown [7 plays 57 yards].
On the night, Bama had six drives that gained 40 or more yards [61,67, 61, 45, 45, 57] and resulted in three TDs, a field goal, a missed field goal [52 yards] and a fumble.
T.J. Yeldon set a debut record for a true freshman running back, gaining 111 yards on 11 carries. He also scored his first collegiate touchdown and his 111 rushing yards made him the leading all-purpose player. Jalston Fowler gained 67 yards on 8 carries and was a punishing blocker running out of the newly installed I-Formation. Eddied Lacy also scored a rushing touchdown and gained 35 yards on 9 rushing attempts
AJ completed 11 of 21 pass attempts for 199 yards and 2 TDs. He connected with eight different receivers. Kevin Norwood was the leading receiver with 53 yards on 3 receptions. DeAndrew White and Michael Williams caught passes for touchdowns. White's came on a 51 yard reception, AJ's longest completion of the night.
Defense: A- Michigan was stymied all night with the exception of two big plays, both of which came on coverage busts. In their first six offensive possessions, the Michiganders gained only 36 yards, punted four times and suffered two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Although UM scored a touchdown late in the second stanza, the second half looked a lot like the first as the Michigan offense could only generate three punts, a turnover on downs, and an interception against a single TD.
C.J. Mosley led all tacklers with 7 tackles [5 solo] and a pick-six. Trey DePriest recorded 7 tackles [4 solo]. Miliner and Niko Johnson each had 5 tackles. The Stop Troops recorded six tackles for loss [including two sacks] 3 interceptions and 6 breakups [insert your own pop-culture reference for celebrities who can't seem to stay in a relationship].
Special Teams:
Punting: A+ Cody Mandell averaged 47 yards on 4 punts, with a long of 59. With the help of excellent coverage effort, he dropped two inside the Michigan 10. UM was only able to return one of Mandell's punts and that effort gained only 3 yards. The return game was also sterling. Christion Jones returned 4 UM punts for a total of 56 yards.
Place Kicking: A Shelley was good from 22. Foster was good from 51 and missed from 52 [the distance was fine, the windage was off]. All PATs were good.
Kickoffs: B+ Now that kickoffs are made from the 35 and touchbacks are placed at the 25, there is a premium on not kicking the ball into the end zone, provided you can stop the return short of the 25 yard line. The average Michigan line of scrimmage following kickoffs was the 24; so, I suppose that means the kickoff strategy worked.
Coaching: A- The participation report lists 64 players who saw action against Michigan. Bama was flagged for 7 penalties, including a couple of major distance infractions, although, in my opinion, one of the unnecessary roughness flags was a bad call.
In his post game remarks, Coach Saban said that it's great to look good and wear the jersey, but the important thing is the person inside the jersey. He's right, of course. But he's so self-evidently correct it makes you wonder why other coaches in other programs aren't trying to duplicate what Saban is doing at Alabama.
The media coverage of the Tide program is the most flattering I can recall since the death of Coach Bryant. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated and other publications of lesser note, have all recently published feature articles about the job Saban is doing in Tuscaloosa. Musberger and Herbstriet were both effusive in their praise for the job being done by the Alabama coaching staff, and they were quick to point out that it all starts with the job done by the head coach.
That is reflected in something else that AJ said to the ESPN reporter at the end of the game: "Coach Saban is always saying ..... and when Coach Saban talks we all pay attention .... that we have to all work to be our best on every play, and if we do then the results will take care of themselves. So, that's what we're going to do and try to get better."
Yes, repeating the same behavior and expecting a different outcome is crazy. There is no doubt, however, about the outcome of doing things Saban's way.
So we are off on the road to number 15. Will we get there? We will know in time. But we know right now that the surest way to achieve that outcome is to repeat the behavior that got Alabama back to the pinnacle of college football.
The Commissioner
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