Although they all are in one
way or another, it was a beautiful day to be on campus for a ball game. Drizzling rain on Friday evening and cloudy
skies on Saturday morning vanished so that by game time the long-suffering
student section was once again broiling away in brilliant late afternoon
sunshine.
You are never to take an
opponent for granted. Coach Stallings’
pithy phrase about if you don’t think it’s a big game, try losing it (or words
to that effect) is as freighted with meaning as a 100-car CSX express. But consistent with the Commissioner’s
experience, things were just slightly off kilter yesterday. The Quad (and frankly, now at least the two
blocks or so surrounding the Quad) were full of tailgaters, the vendors of
officially licensed merchandise packed the sidewalks, and the Million Dollar
band was on the library steps doing its best to make the hair on your arms
stand up. Still, there just wasn’t quite
that something -- anticipation, excitement -- whatever. It was dangerously close to the feel of a
final NFL preseason game. Let’s be
frank, the USM teams of the 80s and 90s would have beaten this season’s edition
by three touchdowns. Their quarterback,
an Alabama product, is a respectable talent.
Alabama should have beaten this team pretty handily. Alabama did.
As The Commissioner correctly points out, three weeks in there are a
bunch of teams whose home record contains a blemish that by all rights
shouldn’t be there (Ohio State and Virginia Tech both come to mind, in a circular
sort of pattern).
The Tire Store Comptroller
was feeling ill, so she did not attend the game. Just after the National Anthem I got a text
message asking me to explain precisely what is “ESPN 3”. Let’s just say that I despaired of explaining
in time. And we do get the off brand NFL
package, which was showing Mississippi.
The in-game thread also made its way onto my phone, which was beeping
and buzzing and I don’t know what all.
Everyone knows that the Tire Store is still not all that electronically
socially connected -- no instagram, no pintrests, no face book, no
twitting. At one point my companion
asked, “what’s going on, did you get elected homecoming queen or something?”
The point was
well-taken. The problem was that the
relative level of excitement on the field was such that electronic distractions
did get in the way. We understand that
during the crucial plays of the USCe/UGA game there were more than 100 people
crowded around the television in the Zone watching that game instead of Alabama
taking it to the Golden Eagles. In his
post-game radio show, Coach Saban asked Eli for extra time to urge the fans to
come out next Saturday and give their best in support of the team, right from
the start. One is tempted to say, “Well,
you guys, too, Coach.” I’d be less
likely to head for the concession stand with two minutes to go before half time
if we were going to run the two minute drill and try to score rather than handing
off to the running back three times.
We expect that having the
Florida Gators in town will tend to ratchet things up a few notches on either
side of the wrought iron fencing around the field. Shoot, it’s even money that one of these days
lucky fans are going to get to see the top of Coach Will Muschamp’s head blow
skyward like Krakatoa.
Offense: We agree with the grade for the offense. It would be interesting to see what would
happen if we just stayed with our starting 11 (plus one or two) for a full
game. Did you notice that T.J. Yeldon
didn’t make an appearance after the first half?
The rushing stats don’t really miss a beat. We don’t know a fourth string running back in
America that is as exciting as Tyren Jones.
It is almost as if the coaches are checking boxes on a to do list. By yesterday, a pass to a tight end must have
looked like a trick play to anyone who has seen our prior game films. Also, did you see the formation where we
split out wide the unlikely trio of Vogler (6-7, 263), Drake (6-1, 202) and
Fowler (6-1, 248). What scheme to run
for that on defense? Also, we haven’t
seen the film of the game, but don’t remember a single one of the bubble
screens that we seemed to run every other play last week. And speaking of film, we presume that it is a
good thing that the game isn’t on film anymore, because Coach Saban’s language
probably would have melted it reviewing the Cooper
double-reverse-end-around-dipsy-doodle-fake-statue-of-liberty play. And speaking of that play, you probably
noticed a crushing block on the corner as Cooper reversed field, did you notice
the other very effective block? It was
from Blake Sims. Put his throwing
shoulder right into a guy. Blake, people
are divided on whether you are the man to carry us to the Final Four Battle for
the Beer Lever, but we all really do respect you for all you have done when
asked for our team and we love your pluck and grit. So don’t do that anymore, ok?
Defense: We are starting to wonder if the old, dead
and unlamented bend-don’t-break strategy is a part of the answer to the various
styles of hurry up offense. It seems a
bit counterintuitive, but perhaps effective.
Once teams reach our 20-yard line and have less room to work, things
suddenly seem to be very complicated for them.
We only had one sack, but got credit for 10 hurries and one ball batted
back at the quarterback like a volley ball kill shot. I liked the days when we didn’t let teams on
our side of the 50. I won’t give up hope
for seeing that again, but I may give up hope for this year.
Special Teams: We are just so much happier than we thought
we’d be with Special Teams. The kicking
is solid. From the end zone, it seemed
to us that the players were staying in their lanes better. We’d not give out an F for a player engaged
in a block that got hit by a sideways bouncing punt (though he should have been
trotting to the sidelines at that point).
If we had to do that to learn the lesson, this was a good game to do it.
Officiating: Sadly, last night is what we have become
accustomed to. It seemed like about
every third play two or three officials had to get together and talk about
something. At one point a flag flew for
“illegal participation” and players and coaches on both sides had their palms
up like “what now?” They still don’t
have the so-called “targeting rule” figured out. Once the players got the message that holding
by an offensive lineman was highly unlikely to be penalized it was very nearly
no-holds barred (and that’s by both sides).
We saw one offensive lineman grab his man by the jersey and pull him to
the ground like it was the state high school wrestling finals. No call.
On a personal note, we spent
some time on the Quad meeting in person for the first time the Correspondent
from the Land of Wine and Cheese, whom we have “known” for years, but only
through the channel of this, well, whatever this is. I do not think he’ll mind my telling you that
this week, bookended by two Alabama games, was his first trip back to
Tuscaloosa in 37 years. Although some of
us may take for granted Tuscaloosa on a game day, he was a refreshing reminder
that there are things in this life you shouldn’t take for granted. One of them is a chance to be on the
Quadrangle listening to Denny Chimes play the alma mater on the afternoon of an
Alabama game -- and in some very fundamental respects, it doesn’t really matter
the opponent or maybe even the outcome.
Merci, mon ami.
Roll Tide, everyone. Beat Florida.
The Correspondent from the Tire Store
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