The Commissioner's Blog

Tire Store Report  --  Mississippi State

Trap indeed.  Baited with cowbells and a quarterback named after that Danish ham Momma used to try to get us to eat just because it was on special down at the Piggly Wiggly.

Fortunately, Commissioner, as you so accurately chronicle, the men in white and crimson not only escaped the trap, they got away with the cheese, too.  After about midway through the second quarter, we just got the idea that absent something really fluky, the Bulldogs were not going to score any touchdowns.  The way they were loading up on the line of scrimmage, trying run blitzes, stunts, and generally selling out to make sure Derrick Henry didn’t run them to death, you just knew that eventually Henry was going break through that first line of defense and there would be two or three defensive backs simultaneously amazed and pleased that they just weren’t fast enough to catch him.  Or perhaps one of our receivers would secure a catch and end up behind the entire defense.  And so it went.

By midway through the third quarter, Alabama’s offensive line started to assert itself and the Bulldogs’ interest in the game seemed to be waning.  When Birmingham’s De’Runnya Wilson hurt himself trying to tackle Marlon Humphrey after an interception and had to leave the game on a cart, the camera caught Coaches Saban and Mullen talking on the sideline.  With Kenyan Drake standing there in an inflatable cast, we wondered if they were talking about just calling it a day and letting everyone head home before something else bad happened in a contest that was long-since decided.

Alabama’s performance didn’t feel all that dominating in real time.  In fact, the teams gained about the same yardage for the game.  Where it counts, though, Alabama dominated by again scoring over 30 points and this time keeping a ranked conference opponent out of the end zone.  It is hard to ask for more than that.

As to the units:

Offense:  The offense seemed to suffer the dreaded hangover from the LSU game.  That applied to the play-calling and the execution.  To be sure, credit a Mississippi State defense that with a few extra days to prepare (where have you heard that before) following its game against the woeful Missouri offense, sold out to try to stop Alabama at the line of scrimmage.  It was successful for a while.  Soon enough, Alabama’s offense shook off its malaise.  This effort was enough to defeat Mississippi State and would certainly win next week.  However, it will not be sufficient for Alabama to reach its lofty season goals.  But they escaped the trap.  We usually don’t call out individual players, but ArDarius Stewart has had an uneven season.  He had four catches for 32 yards on Saturday.  More importantly, he twice ran down plays from behind to deliver blocks on Mississippi State players who were threatening to stop long gainers.  That kind of effort should be acknowledged.

Defense:  There is very little to add to what the Commissioner has had to say.  We are finally getting to the point where we just trust this defense to keep us in most any game.  Shut down the Wisconsin and Arkansas heavyweight offensive lines and running games?  Check.  Handle Heisman-hopeful Nick Chubb?  Check.  Handle the Texas A&M “Air Raid” offense?  Check.  Shut down Heisman-hopeful Leonard Fournette?  Check.  Stop one-man team Dak Prescott?  Check.  To be certain, there is more work to be done, particularly with regard to a certain high school-ish offense off to the east.  However, this defense is crushing it.  Don’t miss any chances to see it play.  After January, you may not see another one like it any time soon.

Special Teams:  Like the offense, this group did not give its best effort on Saturday afternoon.  With that said, however, it is worth noting that the Special Teams were not a liability and in fact scored enough points all by themselves to secure the victory.  Hard to criticize that result.

Coaching:  We hope that the sing song myth from ill-informed commentators that the Saban-Smart brain trust cannot handle mobile quarterbacks is finally well and truly dead.  It had to be extremely hard to get this team ready for the game after the emotion of last week.  Coach Saban himself suffered an injury in this game when a player collided with him while heading into the action.  Given that player accounted for three sacks, we think Coach Saban didn’t really mind.  The offensive play-calling was occasionally puzzling.  Again, though, it is hard to argue with results -- Alabama’s offense compiled four times the points managed by its opponent.

Officiating:  This was Ken Williamson’s crew.  For the most part they seemed to do a pretty good job.  The major exception is one we have mentioned before.  Apparently, the rules were changed while we weren’t looking and holding by an offensive lineman is no longer a foul, at least if the defensive linemen play for Alabama.  As result, the Alabama game program will have to be updated before Saturday’s contest.  We are confident that Denzel Devall is at least two inches taller today after the way the Bulldog offensive linemen wrapped their arms around his throat and pulled backwards as he ran by them down after down.  It would be funny, if it weren’t so sad.  Speaking of….

Broadcast:  Did you know that Damien Williams is now the backup running back at Alabama?  We would have thought playing for Oklahoma all those years and then seasons with the Miami Dolphins meant he couldn’t suit up for the Tide, but maybe he’s in grad school or something.  I’m sure Verne said he was out there several times.  Seriously, we’ve reached the point where we just laugh at Verne and Gary -- because basically at this point it’s laugh or cry.  Please, CBS, have mercy on us, show some reruns of Big Bang Theory or Two Broke Girls or something that is intended to be a comedy and let someone else have the rest of our games this year.  Please?

Lastly, about those cowbells.  Look, I’m all for tradition and each school having something that they think makes them unique and special.  Tennessee has checkerboard end zones.  LSU has digits on the five yard lines and that goofy-looking eyeball at midfield.  South Carolina has the cockabooses.  Vanderbilt has, well, never mind, bad example.  The point is that while most teams have some things that are unique and traditional, Mississippi State’s is the only one that gives their team a competitive advantage on the field and that is prohibited to all the other schools in the conference.  I mean, the SEC cut Alabama back to doing the Rammer Jammer only at the tail end of games presumably because the delicate ears at SEC HQ couldn’t bear hearing the phrase “beat the hell out of you” more than once or twice.  (Given some of what we’ve heard down in Baton Rouge that seems a little hypocritical….)

We’ve seen State fans manage to ring four of the darn things at once.  And the idea that they do not ring those bells in such a way as to disrupt the opponent’s huddles, signal calls, etc. would be laughable if it weren’t so naïve.  Proof of the point: how many cowbells do you hear ringing when Mississippi State lines up on offense?  Can you imagine if Vanderbilt suddenly decided that because of their nautical connections everyone was allowed to bring in air horns or boat whistles and blow them constantly throughout the game?  Maybe fans of other teams should get to use “artificial noisemakers” when Mississippi State comes to town?  Eventually a team is going to end up with a game-changing delay of game in a critical situation attributable to the racket.  My Mississippi State fan friends look at me oddly when I say that, because, they tell me, that is the idea.  The bells may be a lot of things, traditional, unique, etc.  One thing they aren’t is fair.

Come to think of it, what do cowbells have to do with bulldogs anyway?  Whatever.  I guess let them keep their cowbells so long as we get to keep our tradition of winning championships. 

Saturday is an appropriate day to honor this year’s senior class during their last game in the friendly confines of Bryant Denny Stadium.  Thanks for the memories, guys.  We are sure you’ll join us in thanking this group -- and asking them to make a few more pleasant memories for all of us between now and the start of Spring Practice.

Roll Tide, everyone.

The Correspondent from the Tire Store

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