Tire Store Report -- East Alabama Male College

Haha.  Haha.  Hahahaha.  Isn’t it a great day?

Maybe you have to grow up in it.  Maybe you get it passed on from your parents.  Maybe it’s the result of just one too many unfriendly playground encounters.  Maybe it’s in the water.  Whatever.  There’s something very special and very deep-seated about an in-state college football rivalry.  People who don’t have this life experience think they understand about “bragging rights”.  They have this idea that means that when your team wins, you get to walk up at any time to a fan of the other team and say things like “29-13” real quiet-like and then just go on with your day and you feel better and they feel worse.  Or that you get a new t shirt with a funny cartoon and the score on it that you wear every Saturday all winter no matter how cold it gets.  Or maybe you get a new bumper sticker for your car.  (Or maybe you get one and put it on someone else’s car, maybe late at night.  We’ve just heard about that.  A friend of ours knew someone who did that, ok?)  Or maybe it’s as simple as you get to say something like “nah nah nah nannnah our team beat your team so hahahahaha.”

Of course, all that’s true.  But if you grow up like we did, the real bragging rights are not what you say out loud, they are what you carry inside.  You can wake up on a crummy morning, the weather is cold and wet, somebody left the toaster setting too high and your last Pop Tart gets burnt to a crisp setting off the smoke detector, then the car won’t start….  And just as you are about to get really upset, frustrated at the world, you can take a deep breath, relax and say, yeah, well, today isn’t too good, but we at least we beat the stuffings out of [fill in name of your own mouth-breathing, slope-headed, Neanderthal rival].   Things just seem better.  Those are bragging rights.

Thanks, Commissioner, for documenting this win.  And thanks for your insight about the game that made it seem even sweeter than it seemed in real time.  We don’t know about you, but down here at the Tire Store we can get pretty enthusiastically upset, even when the team is actually doing fairly well.  One yard rushing in the second half?  Seriously?  We’d have guessed pretty wrong.  Those Grades are excellent and the reasons for them even better.

Regular readers know that we rarely pick out individual players to talk about, but I think we all owe a great big thank you to Adam Griffith, and the head coach who decided to stick with him as he struggled early in the season.  The Commissioner already did an excellent job of reporting on exactly what he did, but his kicks on Saturday covered 215 yards, not far off the 260 that the Auburn offense covered on Saturday.  As you might recall, we are big fans of kicking off the football into the dadgum end zone.  Check that box for young Mr. Griffith, too.  Who would have thought, two games into the season, that we’d have a deadly sharpshooter at place kicker by now?  Well done.

Auburn Being Auburn: You really wouldn’t put something on the playing surface to gain a footing advantage, would you?  That’s the sort of bush league, hicks-in-the-sticks foolishness that’s pulled by teams who try fake punt catches, or turn around to the line of scrimmage and snap it in two seconds, or play music and noise over the loudspeaker system while the other team’s offense is over the ball, or light up their gigantic Cattle-O-Tron in blazing colors in the opponent’s faces, or so lose control of themselves that their assistant coach’s mouth costs their team 15 yards, or they hide a little player behind a big offensive line so maybe the defense won’t see him….  Those aren't the tactics of a SEC contender; more like some cellar dweller with a high school-level coach.  It does make us wonder, though.  I’m pretty sure you can major in growing grass at Auburn, so you’d think their field would be one of the best in the conference.

Officiating:  As soon as we first saw Tom “Tex” Ritter’s pasty complexion on camera we knew it was going to be a long evening of peculiar, inexplicable calls.  His crew did not disappoint.  Ritter himself was giving the signal that means a passed ball has been touched by a defensive player and that pass interference rules do not apply.  Problem was, he was giving that signal on a kickoff, when in fact the replay showed the ball had not been touched.  We think it so confused Mullaney that he picked up the ball and ran it out of the endzone when if he had just touched it and taken a knee, Alabama would have had the ball at the 25.  Or that’s what the rules say, who knows with these guys? 

On a critical down we caught them in a substitution tangle.  They had 12 on the field on defense.  They did realize it and one of their players tried to get off the field, but didn't make it before we snapped the ball.  That foul is illegal substitution and carries a five-yard penalty.  In this, case however, I guess the guy figured, what the heck, in for a penny, and tried to help defense they play. That's different.  That's illegal participation and carries a 15-yard penalty.  It was a complete mess and Ritter's clue was running around like the Keystone Kops trying to figure it out. 

There were gaffes and miscues all evening long.  It’s reaching that time of year when we feel like we ought to send apology emails to schools who are going to bowl games excited about playing an extra game, end up with a SEC officiating crew, and spending the whole night wondering about the bizzaro stuff they have to deal with. 

Broadcasting:  CBS, are you guys really trying anymore? Gary and Verne are the face/voice of their programming, but our dissatisfaction goes far beyond these two.  Sure, they screw up the names even though they’ve done 6 or 7 of our games this season.  And sure, Gary talks waaaaayyyy too much.  They don’t make the production decisions, which are regularly awful.

Just a few “for instances”.  We very much agree with the point that Alabama’s offensive performance was hindered because Drake was not available.  But to illustrate the point, wouldn’t it be better to show a couple of highlight runs or catches from him rather than super slo mo repeats of him breaking his bones playing football?  Just a thought, unless you just like the agonizing stuff better.

We hate it when we have to “go up to the booth” meaning that we see Verne and Gary’s grinning mugs instead of the action on the field.  We don’t think they like it any better than we do.  Some producer/director sure does, though.

We are quite sure that Tim Cook’s teenage nephew is a “nice young man”.  Did we really need to see and hear about that on the sideline in the 4^th quarter, rather than action on the field or sideline?  If we recall correctly, Denzel Devall had been helped from the field at that point.  An injury report would have been nice.  Imagine, something related to football.

And if you were playing that drinking game where you take a drink for every time they referred to or showed video of the “Kick Six” you probably missed the entire fourth quarter and still have a headache.

As to a new and irritating line of coverage from V&G, begging the Auburn coaching staff to call a time out late in the game and then making some remark like “oh, thank heavens” when they finally did, sounded just a tiny bit biased, didn’t you think?  What’s the difference between that and saying “Lane, please give it to Henry here” and saying “great” when he got a first down?

Given the number of commercials they air and therefore the money they make unnecessarily turning college football games into 4+ hour marathons, you'd think they could do better.  Silly you.

We were excited after CBS picked up the Mississippi State game because we knew CBS had used up their allotment of times to show Alabama.  However, they paid off ESPN or someone so they could have an exception for this past weekend’s game.  And now we get them again this Saturday.  Wonder if Vegas is offering a prop bet on how many times we hear the name Tebow?  Deliver me.  Maybe we’ll send Pee Wee over to Verne and Gary’s houses next Friday and have him take out their valve core stems so they can’t make it to the airport.

That said, if you haven’t heard the Auburn Radio Network announcers’ discussion of the late hit/ out-of-bounds penalty and the succeeding Muschamp head explosion it’s worth listening to; well, if you are the kind of person who slows down to look at auto accidents it’s worth listening to.  At one point, one of them (don’t remember if it was Laurel or Hardy) “defies” you to name a year that Alabama was penalized more in the Iron Bowl game than Auburn was.  If you selected either “this Saturday” or the dim, hazy olden days of “2013” you’d be successful.  We are pretty sure towards the end you can hear the sound of a Kleenex being pulled from its box in the background. 

Enough of that.  A great victory, though in some ways it was just processing another opponent with a lousy conference record (2-6 this year, 4-4 last year, if you are counting) standing between this Alabama team and one of its very significant goals, namely an appearance in the SEC Championship Game.  (While we are at it, a special Thanksgiving thought to that fellow over at Arkansas who threw the ball backwards over his head in over time).

Let’s all turn our thoughts to trying to win back-to-back SEC Championships, a feat which hasn’t been achieved since 1997-98.  Otherwise, we know all about Coach Saban’s 24-hour rule, but in this case, he’ll just have to cut us some slack.  Because we’ll think about this last game at least all year long.  That’s just the way it is.

Roll Tide, everyone. 

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Iron Bowl Grades

There are lots of signs on the wall in the Alabama football complex. Some of them serve as reminders of the great Alabama players who have followed their college days with careers in the NFL. Others are reminders of opponents that await. Some are motivational thoughts attributed to great coaches or other famous persons. One of these, is a quote from Coach Saban on the nature of football; it goes something like this: The game of football is not a contact sport. It is a collision sport. A sport of focused, controlled and violent collisions between opposing players each attempting to impose his will on the other. The victor is the person who succeeds in this clash of wills. 

The truth of Coach Saban's description of football was on full display in Alabama's 29-13 victory in the 80th meeting between Alabama and Auburn. I may have seen harder hitting games......but for the life of me, I cannot tell you when or where. In the first half, Auburn fought Alabama toe to toe. The Tigers had success running the ball, and stymied the Alabama offense. Auburn denied Alabama the end zone, at one point forcing the Tide to settle for a field goal after having a 2d down and goal from about three inches. At the half, Alabama held a hard-won 12-6 lead, but the outcome of the game was very much in doubt.

In the second half, Alabama absolutely bludgeoned Auburn. The Tide defense smothered the Auburn rushing game and limited the passing attack on all but one flukey play, a one-man tip drill that resulted in a long touchdown; Auburn's only points of the second half.   A scrambling Jake Coker found Ardarius Stewart alone in the end zone for the first of two second half TDs. Then Alabama unleashed the wrath of Derrick Henry.

It is nearly impossible to describe what Derrick Henry did in the second half. He was an absolute beast. He netted 103 yards rushing in the first half, and in the second he ran for 168 more. Alabama held the ball for 21:38 of the second half; 10:29 in the 4th quarter. Alabama ran 23 of its 76 total plays in the 4th quarter. Twenty of those plays....twenty....were Derrick Henry runs. Fourteen of those were consecutive.....ten in a row for 60 yards resulting in a turnover on downs....followed by four in a row for 34 yards and Bama's final touchdown.

Henry carried the ball 46 times for 271 net yards. He scored a rushing touchdown for a record setting 17th consecutive game. He joined Bo Jackson and Hershel Walker to become only the third player in SEC history to rush for  200+ yards four times in the same season. 

The offensive line did an excellent job blocking, but the grunt work was Henry's. Auburn knew he was coming, and they could not stop him. By the time he broke his final carry around right end and raced 25 yards to the end zone, the Auburn defense was a shambles. Rumor has it that the Tiger defense is circulating a petition complaining that they ought to have been provided a trigger warning about the Alabama rushing game, and demanding that Gus Malzahn provide them with a "safe space" where they will be protected from Derrick Henry's macro-aggression. It may take Gus a while to address his players' concerns, however. It seems the Auburn head coach has his hands full with Will Muschamp breaking into a psychotic episode during the game. At this point it's even-money whether the league fines Muschamp or just sticks him in a straight-jacket and a padded room.

The 80th Iron Bowl is one I will remember for a long time.....I don't think I can say that for the deranged Muschamp; anti-psychotic medications can have an amnestic effect....but I do think there are dozens of Auburn players who, for years to come, will be seeing a white jersey with the crimson number 2 in their nightmares. What a splendid parting gift for the Auburn senior class! So, as part of that Senior Day send-off, here is how I grade the game:

Offense: A+

Alabama gained 465 yards of total offense [286 rushing], earned 24 first downs and controlled the clock of 35:23 of the game.

Jake completed 17 of 26 pass attempts for 179 yards and a touchdown [Ardarius Stewart]. Bama did not turn the ball over except once on downs late in the 4th quarter. Henry did practically all of the infantry work, although Jake did contribute 13 yards on 3 scrambles, and Damien Harris added 2 yards on his lone carry of the game. We ran a few sweeps with the wide receivers carrying the ball, but the statistician has classified those as pass plays.

Stewart caught 8 passes for 81 yards including a splendid, leaping grab of a 31 yard pass Coker threw while fleeing a determined Auburn rush. Jake broke one tackle, eluded another as he scrambled to his right, and heaved a perfect strike to the back of the end zone. Stewart had a bit of an up-and-down day. He dropped a couple of passes in clutch situations, and was penalized for offensive pass interference nullifying what would have been a key first down early in the game, but on the TD play he stepped up BIG. The offensive interference penalty was completely bogus.....more on officiating in due course....Calvin Ridley gained 90 yards on 6 catches. Richard Mullaney added 4 yards on 2 completions and Harris had one receptions for 4 yards.

 

The passing game supplied some fireworks, but this Iron Bowl was old-school trench warfare on both sides of the ball. The offensive line gave Henry gaps for runs, and surrendered only a single tackle for lost yardage. Jake was not sacked. The Tide offense put together 6 long drives [48, 67, 55, 85, 52, 51] that produced 4 FGs, the passing TD and a turnover on downs. That final sustained drive took 10 plays and consumed 5:03 of game time, leaving the Tigers only 2:46 to play. The defense held the Tigers on downs, setting up the Tide offense at the Auburn 34 yard line. From there it took Henry and the ground-pounders four plays to notch the final score.

Defense: A+

Auburn was held to fewer yards of total offense, 260, than Derrick Henry gained in rushing [271]. The Tigers had only 12 first downs, converted only 3 of its 15 possession downs, and only managed 3 sustained drives [68, 44, 75]. Their longest drive consisted of only 3 plays, and was the result of a tip-ball catch of a desperation heave on third down and long. Auburn punted twice after only three plays, surrendered a turnover on downs, and ended the game with a lost fumble. 

Geno Matias-Smith was the Tide's leading tackler with 8 [6 solo]. Marlon Humphrey and Reuben Foster each accounted for 6 tackles. Reggie Ragland and Jonathan Allen each were credited with 5 stops. Alabama defenders made 5 tackles for lost yardage, 3 of which were sacks. The secondary broke up 4 passes and the front seven hurried the AU quarterback 7 times. On Auburn's last play of the game, Geno Matias-Smith forced a fumble which Maurice Smith recovered. The Smith-Smith fumble combo provides a fitting counterpoint to the 75-yard Johnson to Jason Smith fluke-TD.

Special Teams:

 Punting: A JK Scott averaged 48.3 yards on his 3 punts. His longest was 50 yards and two went for touchbacks. Auburn managed 21 yards on a trick return play where one ostensible returner called for the ball to deceive the coverage team while a second return man grabbed the punt. It is noteworthy that Auburn has to rely on trickeration and lucky bounces for its biggest plays.

Place Kicking: A+ Griff was perfect on 5 field goal attempts [26, 40, 26, 50, 47] and both PATs. Who outside the program was confident that Griff would make the improvement he has achieved since the Wisconsin game? 

Kickoffs: A Griff averaged 65 yards on 8 kickoffs, all but one of which were touchbacks. The lone kick that was returned only gained 1 yard beyond the touchback line of scrimmage.

Coaching:       A+

Alabama gained 508 all-purpose yards against the Tigers. The Tide was penalized 7 times for 65 yards. The participation report lists 51 players who saw action in the game. 

The run/pass ratio on Alabama's 76 plays was 50/26. On first down, Alabama ran the ball 22 times and attempted 10 passes. In his post-game comments, Coach Saban remarked on Henry's record-setting day: "He wanted the ball, and he kept getting stronger as the game went along."

Compare the Alabama sideline to the other side of the field. How long do you think Coach Saban would have tolerated Kirby Smart going into a rage reaction and costing his team a 15 yard dead ball foul, added to an existing 15 yard personal foul for a hit out of bounds? There is something wrong with Will Muschamp. This is a man who has been a head coach in the SEC. Is the pressure of coaching in game situations too much for him? Are his unhinged rage-reactions confined to game days, when millions are watching on television? What is he like at practice? Does he experience these episodes in other settings? What does this spectacle say about Malzahn? Coaching a game is challenging enough when your staff is acting like the professionals they are supposed to be. If Malzahn has any sense, he will send Muschamp packing before something worse happens.

The officials did not call a perfect game. But they did not effect the outcome. Could they have ejected Muschamp? Certainly. Was it an abuse of discretion for Tom Ritter to give Malzahn a chance to muzzle Muschamp? In my opinion it was not. The Barners would have only used such a decision as an excuse to mitigate the humiliation of being beaten by Alabama they way they were. This way, there is nowhere for them to hide. This was a physical beating, pure-and-simple. 

In some ways, this defeat was worse for Auburn than the 49-0 loss in the 2012 Iron Bowl. Alabama crushed Auburn physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Alabama covered the betting line to defeat Auburn by 16 points. In contrast, the last time Auburn enjoyed a 16 point margin of victory in the Iron Bowl was the first year of the Nixon Administration. Auburn has now lost four of the five Iron Bowls played since the 2010 Cam Newton-fueled comeback game. 

The wheels have come off the Gus-Bus. In the SEC, the inability to beat Alabama can shorten a coach's tenure faster than an insufficient deference to political correctness. Firing Muschamp, no matter how smart that decision may be, will not hit the reset button for Gus, who hired Muschamp in the first place. Count me among the folks who hope the current dysfunctional Auburn staff stays in place.

So, it's now on to Atlanta for a show-down with Florida for the SEC Championship. Not since 1998 has a team won back-to-back SEC Championships. Coach Saban told reporters after the Iron Bowl how much he likes this season's team. He complimented their work-ethic and competitive character. "Ever since the Ole Miss game they've had their backs to the wall", Saban said, "and they have responded every possible way that you could ask them to." 

Last week's edition of The Grades was devoted to highlighting a special senior class, but this is a special team of players. And you don't need a sign on the wall to see that 2015 is shaping up to be a very special year.  

 

Roll Tide, y'all......

 

The Commissioner

Carthago Delenda Est

In today's Wall Street Journal is an article by Ben Cohen about college football rivalry games: "Do You Want Your Rival To Succeed?" It explores the question whether true fans cheer for the opposition in every game save one, and it prompted some introspection on this Iron Bowl Eve.

I think I owe it to the readers of this blog to admit that at one time in my life I actually pulled for Auburn except when the Tigers played the Tide. I know, I know. That was foolish. I was totally ignoring the lessons experience as an undergrad in the early '70's ought to have taught me. I was in the student section at Legion Field for the 1972 Iron Bowl and had to endure a year's worth of what passed for wit on the part of Auburn supporters, until the phrase "Score, Auburn, Score" supplied the antidote to "Punt, Bama,Punt." I also recall an encounter with an Auburn student who thought he was somehow impressing his date with a racist taunt about the composition of Alabama's homecoming court. 

Growing up an Army Brat, I really wasn't around a lot of Auburn Trash as a child. So, I gave API the benefit of being my second favorite team. That all changed the fall semester of my first year in law school. We had a classmate who was a Lee County Vocational grad. I was stunned to hear her actively pulling for her then-fellow students to lose to teams like Mississippi State, because she was "part of the Awburn Fambly."

The scales fell from my eyes, and I finally began to see clearly the difference between Alabama and Auburn. It is the difference between light and dark, truth and falsehood, culture and agriculture. Oh, sure, Auburn apologists like to trot out convicted tree-poisoner, Harvey Updyke, as emblematic of Alabama fans. But everyone knows that Updyke has no connection with The Capstone. By contrast, can you imagine the University of Alabama naming the football field after a coach fired for paying players?

Alabama holds the record for successive years winning the USA Today Academic All America prize. Auburn holds the record for New York Times articles detailing academic fraud. Alabama has five head coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. Auburn has that many it paid not to coach. Alabama has won 15 national championships. Auburn once declared itself "The People's Champion." 

Today's WSJ article provokes readers to decide what sort of fan they want to be. Do you want your rival to be good, or do you want your rival to lose every game by 50? Well, I think about The Loveliest Village on the Plains the way Cato The Elder thought about ancient Carthage: Carthago delenda est. Or, for the Auburn fans who might be trolling this blog: Rammer Jammer you Barners!

The Commissioner

     

             

The Tire Store Report Charleston Southern

That was a very excellent Report, Commissioner.  Thanks for sending it so promptly.

Games like these are sort of odd to watch.  This year, with the opponent also looking forward to a potential championship run, it was more odd than usual.  Another odd part of the game was that it was just really a lot of fun.  As you so correctly point out, it could have been a lot different -- ask Georgia, Florida or South Carolina.  After so many games in a row that were “must wins”, repeated predictions from the football experts that Alabama was ripe for an upset, concerns about the performance of this or that unit against a mobile quarterback or a talented running back or a set of future NFL defensive ends, blah, blah, blah,  it was nice just to take a minute to admire this edition of the Crimson Tide.

Did you notice that starting in the third quarter they just let the game clock run all the time?  Which is good and bad.  Less chance for injury and no use us scoring any more points.  It already looked pretty humiliating.  On the other hand, with so many players we have not seen too much of before, it was exciting for them to play and for us to watch.  It would have been ok for them to have a few more chances.

Every college team has its own identity.  By definition, a significant percentage of every college team turns over every season.  Even teams with long-established coaches, traditions, and yes, even a Process are different from year-to-year.  And while small organizations tend to take on the personality of their leadership, there still are variations from one to the next.

Saban-led teams have been described as business-like, ruthless, determined, entitled, disciplined, fractured, tough, old school, etc.  Interestingly enough, the term we would use to describe this year’s team is, well, a Team.  That is not always the case in college football and harder to pull off in reality than it might seem.  (Looking at you OSU/Zeke Elliott).  Even two years ago there questions raised about the unity of the Alabama team.

These guys genuinely seems to support each other.  They look like they have fun playing together.  They regularly praise one another.  Former walk Michael Nyeswander, who goes by the nickname Highway 46, was mobbed when he scored a touchdown this year.  When Adam Griffith hit a 55-yard field goal in the LSU game, defensive leader Reggie Ragland was one of the first to congratulate him.  Plenty of fans were worried about Griffith early in the season with good cause, but we never heard a peep of doubt from his teammates.  He was struggling, but they just supported him and, we expect, suffered along with him.

In the obligatory post-game interviews this year, we cannot recall a time where, no matter the question, the player being interviewed didn’t deflect praise on to his teammates.  Derrick Henry, in hot pursuit of the highest individual honor in the game, was the first one off the sideline to congratulate his backups for scoring Saturday.  Hard luck Kenyan Drake was walking around the sidelines, arm in a sling, congratulating and encouraging.  Richard Mullaney from Oregon was on a tour of five or six schools to see where to go to graduate school and spend his last year of football eligibility.  His first stop was at Alabama and he never visited anywhere else.  His leaping touchdown catch (a call almost blown by Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne) brought out the biggest smile we’ve seen in a long time.

This defense, so full of quality players that there may be a young man (or two) on the team who will be playing in the NFL next fall who didn’t start for Alabama this year, plays together as a team. The front seven is the consensus best defensive front in college football.  That issue has been settled for so long that the discussion now centers on their place in not just Alabama history, but all of college football. The young defensive backs have grown by leaps and bounds.  Cyrus Jones, the leader of that group, had a career day on Senior Day and loved every minute of it.  He knew he was a part of something special.  Players accepted moves to positions that they really didn’t prefer without grousing and gave their best.

Even Nick Lou Saban, who knows a thing or two about it, has said that this is a good team to coach -- a team that likes to play together.  Though none of us has really wanted to say this out loud, it would have been very easy for this team to give up after the debacle of the Mississippi game.  Alabama was facing the consensus toughest schedule in the country.  It gave away its first conference game, at home, and looked pretty terrible doing it.  The starting quarterback was still unsettled.  Jake Coker could have been sullen because Bateman started the game, instead, he led an epic comeback that fell just short.  Bateman, who also could have pouted, gave a good account of himself Saturday.  Many of Alabama’s opponents had off weeks or games against much lesser opponents scheduled the week before Alabama.  The four SEC schools whose records now place them at the bottom of the conference didn’t appear on Alabama’s schedule this year. You couldn’t turn on the tv or radio, log onto a sports website, or read a newspaper without being told that the season was over for Alabama, and maybe even its recent run of great achievement was also a relic of the past.  Four or five losses were predicted.  Questions were raised about whether the game itself was passing by Saban & Company.

This Alabama Team,  however, didn’t listen.  They did not pack it in.  The players didn’t hang their heads.  They believed in themselves whether anyone else did or not, righted the ship, lined up, and beat people. 

They look like they are enjoying themselves.  Thus, despite the level of competition, we enjoyed watching them on Saturday as much as any time this year.    

That’s enough with the pansies and daffodils, though.  It is a little hard to believe how quickly the season has reached its last regular season game.  Time to get back to business.  The Alabama Polytechnic Institute Plainsmen War Eagle Tigers of the Jungle await.  That team was supposed to have its own Heisman candidate and was the preseason sportswriters’ pick to go the SEC Championship game.  All of this Alabama Team’s very lofty goals go through Lee County.  A win there puts Alabama in the SEC Championship game against Florida, which is the key to making college football’s version of the final four.  They would like nothing better than to disrupt all of those plans and destroy Alabama’s dreams.  (Their defense isn’t very good, but they do have a very large television set at the stadium.)  Their coaches have been vocal, saying they should have scored 60 points last season, how close they were to beating Alabama, how they have special “packages” that will surprise the Tide, etc.  Their players have been only slightly less reticent.   In truth, however, there’s not really a need to use any of that for motivation.  We should want to whip them like Bill Monroe’s mandolin because they are Auburn and, therefore, they have it coming.

From everyone down here at the Tire Store, we wish you and your families a happy Thanksgiving.  We are thankful for all of you, the kind things you take the time to say, and your participation in this community.  Don’t know about you, but I hope we hang half a hundred on them.  And, as honesty is the best policy,  no we won’t actually be satisfied with a one-point win. 

Roll Tide, everyone.

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Charleston Southern Grades

Before you dismiss Alabama's 50 point victory over Charleston Southern as no big deal, just a predicable blowout of an over matched opponent, here are a few things to think about: The SEC East champion, Florida, was lucky to escape a defeat at the hands of Florida Atlantic. The Gators got a huge assist in overtime from an officiating crew that suspended enforcing the rule against pass interference. Between the Hedges, Georgia also needed an overtime period to beat Georgia Southern. In Columbia, the Fighting Chickens fell to The Citadel 23-22. 

Coach Stallings once said if you think a game against an opponent from a lower division is no big deal, just lose it and you will see what a big deal it was.

Alabama dominated Charleston Southern in every phase of the game. When the first quarter ended, Alabama led 28-0 and Derrick Henry traded in his helmet for a ball cap. At the half, the Tide had amassed 49 points, Cooper Bateman was leading the offense and Bo Scarbrough had scored his first collegiate touchdown. In the second half, Coach Saban went so deep in the roster that we had players in the game who are not to be found in the media guide.

It was Senior Day, and one senior in particular played the game of his career. Cy Jones returned two punts for touchdowns, made 3 tackles for 13 lost yards, forced a fumble-well actually, he intercepted a pitch on the option play-recovered the ball and returned it 18 yards. Cy had a career day, but he and his classmates have had careers that have been matched by very few. I have more to say about the 2015 Senior Class, but first, here is how I grade the game:

Offense: B+ Yes, friends, a whole letter grade deduction is appropriate because of the quality of the opponent. The offense gained 403 total yards [208 rushing] which accounted for 23 first downs. Jake completed 11 of 13 pass attempts for 155 yards and two touchdowns [Richard Mullaney; Calvin Ridley]. 

Cooper Bateman completed 7 of 11 pass attempts for 47 yards and Alec Morris completed his only pass attempt for 6 yards. 

Ridley gained 49 yards on 4 receptions and scored a touchdown. Ardarius Stewart also made 4 catches for 45 yards. Cam Sims added 25 yards on 3 receptions, and true freshman Xavian Marks [5-8, 160; RB; Rosenberg, Tx.], playing in his first game of the year, made 2 catches for 19 yards. Ten different players caught passes. 

Derrick Henry gained 68 yards on 9 carries and added 28 yards on his lone reception of the game. Bo Scarbrough carried the ball 10 times for 69 yards. Damian Harris added 44 net yards on 10 rushing plays. Ronnie Clark, Derrick Gore and the aforementioned Xavian Marks also carried the ball on running plays.

The Tide had 5 offensive possessions that gained 40 or more yards [64, 55, 86, 53, 60] accounting for 4 TDs and a turnover on downs. Alabama scored a TD on each of its five drives of the first half. Alabama faced 9 third downs in the game and converted 5 of them.

Defense: B+ Again, the one full grade deduction is applicable. 

CSU had 11 meaningful offensive possessions in the game. It scored a TD in the 4th quarter. The other 10 possessions resulted in 8 punts, a lost fumble and an interception. CSU only gained 134 yards of total offense [85 rushing]. Six of CSU's drives consisted of 3 plays or less.

Bradley Sylve and Dalvin Tomlinson each had 4 tackles. Shaun Dion Hamilton Tony Bown, Cy Jones, Reggie Ragland, and Jarran Reed each made 3 tackles. 

All total, the defense made 9 tackles for lost yardage, forced 3 fumbles [1 recovered] and made an interception [Jabriel Washington] that was returned 34 yards.

Special Teams:

Punting A+ JK Scott did not punt the ball at all. Some speculated that he was working on a term paper, but he did make an appearance in the second half attempting a FG and a kickoff. The top mark was earned by Cy Jones' two punt returns for touchdowns. Jones deserves lots of individual credit, but the returns were well blocked, and there were no penalties. 

Place Kicking: A- Griff made all 8 of his PAT attempts. Scott missed a 38 yard field goal attempt.       

Kickoffs: A- Griff's 8 kickoffs averaged 64 yards and resulted in 6 touchbacks. Scott's lone attempt went out of bounds.

Coaching A+ Coach Saban got the attention of the college football world with his channeling of George Patton during the Wednesday presser. The players were not taking CSU lightly. 

Alabama gained 581 all-purpose yards and was only penalized twice. The participation report lists 73 players who saw action in the game. 

The Tide ran 60 total plays. The run / pass ratio was 34:26. Alabama faced 2d down and long 11 times. Lane Kiffen called a running play 9 times in that down/distance situation.

The 2015 Seniors have accumulated a record of 46-6 through the CSU game and they have the potential to play 4 more games. They earned a BCS Championship following the 2012 season, and captured two SEC titles [2012, 2014]. They will play for another conference championship with a win over Auburn. A victory over Florida in the SEC CG will mark the first time that  a team has won back-to-back SEC championships since 1998. This is a special group of young men. They include players like Reggie Ragland and Cy Jones, who could have left for the NFL at the end of their junior year, but chose to return to Tuscaloosa for their senior season. Among this class are stellar players who are on national watch lists for individual honors, like Ryan Kelly and Reggie Ragland. But the class also includes journeymen players, like former walk-on Michael Nysewander [TE; 6-1, 237; Hoover] who labored in obscurity, only to become a solid contributor and leader, and D.J. Pettway, a  highly touted recruit, dismissed after 2012 for off-the-field issues, who earned his way back on the team after spending the 2013 season at East Mississippi Community College. 

The class also includes players like Jake Coker, Jarran Reed and Richard Mullaney who chose to play out their eligibility at Alabama after starting their career somewhere else. 

Every player in this class has a story, and each has contributed to the fabric and personality of this team. Now, as a class, and a team, they stand at the threshold of truly remarkable success. The first stop across that threshold is the Loveliest Village on the Plains. The most important game of the season so far will be played the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Coach Saban says the fans are a part of the program......so let's all go be champions!

Roll Tide, Y'all....

The Commissioner     

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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Mississippi State Grades

They said it was a trap game. And they were right!

For the better part of the first half, the Alabama offense must have been trapped in the locker room. Through the entire first quarter and the first five minutes of the second, Alabama had five possessions. The Tide gained a grand total of 55 yards, punted four times and threw an interception. 

For most of the game, MSU's all-purpose quarterback, Dak Prescott, was trapped in his own backfield. Prescott was sacked eight times. Eight is a big number when you are tracking the times your quarterback is tackled for loss while attempting to pass. To put it in perspective, Auburn is still crowing about the seven sacks the Tigers made on Brodie Croyle when Mike Shula was coaching.  Throw in four more tackles for lost yardage on running plays, and the MSU offense suffered twelve tackles behind their line of scrimmage for 58 lost yards. At one point, MSU had a first and goal, at the Alabama 7 and ended up having to kick a 39 yard field goal.

And for the life of me, I cannot help feeling trapped in some weird alternative universe when I have to endure listening to Vern Lundquist call a play-by-play.  Here's a suggestion, CBS: why don't you just have the home team radio broadcast crew call your televised games. At least the other team's home crew would get the names of the players right.

The Tide offense did not play its best game, but Derrick Henry (Verne: it's H-E-N-R-Y, not "Harry") ought to have impressed Heisman voters with his performance. The defense surrendered nearly 400 yards to the Puppies, but only allowed 6 points, marking the first time in his 29 game career at MSU that Dak Prescott has been held without scoring at least one touchdown. Special teams allowed a blocked field goal attempt, but also returned a punt for a touchdown to get Alabama on the scoreboard. 

The final score of 31-6 was surely a team effort, so here is how I grade the game:

Offense: C+ The Tide gained 379 yards of total offense [235 rushing] that earned 13 first downs. The offense only converted 5 of 14 third down opportunities and controlled the ball for a mere 26:30. However, nearly half of its total time of possession [10:00] came in the 4th quarter. 

Jake completed 15 of his 25 pass attempts. He threw one pass for a touchdown [Calvin Ridley] and was intercepted once. Ridley led all receivers with 5 catches for 76 yards. His longest reception was a 60 yard catch and run for a touchdown. Ardarius Stewart added 32 yards on 4 receptions. Kenyan Drake caught 2 passes for 13 yards before suffering a broken arm making a tackle on a kick return. Damian Harris, Richard Mullaney and Derrick Henry each caught  one pass. 

Henry gained 204 net yards rushing and scored two touchdowns, on runs of 74 and 65 yards. His first TD with 8:36 to play in the first half marked the 14th consecutive game in which he has scored a rushing touchdown and set a new SEC record. His second score came in the 4th quarter on a play designed for him to run inside the left tackle. MSU had the play well defended, so Henry cut outside, broke a tackle in the backfield, turned the corner and raced down the left sideline. The State safety, Kivon Coman, had what appeared to be the right angle to intercept the Big Man and at least force him out of bounds, but Mr. Coman didn't account for two things; (i) Henry's speed, and (ii) his stiff-arm. The former changed the angle to the would-be tackler's disadvantage, and the latter face-planted him at about the State 20 yard line. Half of Henry's net yards were earned on his 8 carries in the 4th quarter. 

With Drake's injury, Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris saw action in the Tide backfield. Each carried the ball three times.  Both will have to use the next two weeks, and this coming Saturday's game against Charleston Southern, to maximum advantage. Drake's season, and his Alabama career, are most likely over. It's a shame. Drake is a talented and exciting football player. Here's wishing the young man a full and speedy recovery.

The Tide had five offensive possessions that gained 40 or more yards [65, 75, 41, 59, 74]. These drives accounted for 3 TDs one FG and a missed FG. But they only consumed 31 plays. Three of those drives were achieved in drives of 3 plays or less. The missed FG drive ground 6:57 off of the clock from the end of the 3rd quarter well into the start of the 4th. 

Defense: A Although State gained 393 yards of total offense, only 89 yards came by rushing and the Stop Troops kept the Dogs out of the end zone. MSU converted only 7 of 19 third down opportunities. 

Reuben Foster was the leading tackler with 10 [6 solo] followed by Reggie Ragland with 8 [2 solo]. Jonathan Allen and Eddie Jackson each are credited with 7 tackles. Allen made 3 tackles for lost yardage, each a sack, and forced a fumble. To a total of 12 tackles for loss, the Tide defense added 3 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception [Marlon Humphrey; 29 yard return] 7 pass breakups and 4 hurries. 

Special Teams:

Place Kicking: F A blocked FG attempt requires and automatic failing grade. Otherwise, Griff was good from 42 yards and made each of his 4 PAT attempts. 

Kickoffs: A Griff averaged 62.8 yards per kick on 6 kicks. Two kicks resulted in touchbacks. The coverage team did not allow any return longer than 15 yards and averaged allowing less than 11 yards per return. The return team never had an opportunity.

Punting: A+ Cy Jones earns the top grade with his touchdown scored on a 69 yard punt return. JK Scott punted 5 times for an average of 40 yards per punt. 

Coaching B+ The Tide accumulated 477 all purpose yards and surrendered 453. Alabama was penalized only 4 times for 40 yards. The participation report lists only 44 players who saw action against the Bulldogs. That report is incorrect, however, because it does not list players, such as Damien Harris, Cooper Bateman and others who played after the starting two-deep rotation was pulled. 

Alabama ran only 55 plays, with a run/pass split of 30/25. On first down, Lane Kiffin called 12 passes to only 9 runs. MSU snapped the ball 87 times. It is a tribute to the strength and conditioning program and the Tide defense was physically better than the  MSU offense late in the game. Also, the Tide's long, run-heavy drive at the end of the 3rd quarter and start of the 4th, gave the defense a much-needed opportunity to be off the field. 

Alabama vs. Mississippi State was indeed a trap game. But those who expected Alabama to still be hung over from LSU and to get trapped by its closest and oldest rival in the SEC do not know the 2015 edition of the Crimson Tide. About 15 minutes after the Alabama players dispatched State, the team hung over from last week kicked off its game in Baton Rouge. The Tigers hardly went through the motions against Arkansas, and posted a bad 31-14 loss. They also hung an "Out Of Business" sign on the door of the Fournette For Heisman campaign.

Auburn and Georgia played a trap game as well. But then again, playing any football game in a cow pasture, on a field named in honor of a coach dismissed for paying players, is to be trapped in a morally perverse environment. The less bad team won the contest, and perhaps guaranteed an extension of Mark Richt's tenure at Georgia.      

The most important game of the season, however, is this coming Saturday against Charleston Southern. It will be Senior Day in Tuscaloosa. If you go to the game, give a loud cheer for the 2015 senior class: Parker Barrineau, Jake Coker, Denzel Devall, Ty Flournoy-Smith, Dominick Jackson, Cy Jones, Ryan Kelly, Dillon Lee, Isaac Luatua, Michael Nyswander, D. J. Pettway, Reggie Ragland, Jarran Reed, Geno Mattias-Smith, Bradley Sylve, Jabriel Washington, and an extra loud cheer for Kenyan Drake.

While it is never too early to hate on Auburn, players, coaches and fans still have other work to do.....don't fall into any traps between now and the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Roll Tide, Y'all

The Commissioner 

Tire Store Report -- LSU

Wow.

In fact, it is difficult to think of other appropriate words and phrases.  We spent a decent amount of time on a cloudy Sunday afternoon reading reviews, professional and otherwise, of the LSU vs. Alabama game on Saturday night.  Apparently the press box was filled with not only the local Alabama and Louisiana media, but also representatives from the New York Times, USA Today, Fox, CBS, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, etc.  All of their excellent analysis more or less boiled down to: “Wow. Alabama beat the etouffee out of LSU.”

The Commissioner has done an even more excellent job than usual of summing up the statistics that tell the story of this game.  Several are telling.  That Derrick Henry had more carries than Leonard Fournette had rushing yards is one.  That the much-maligned Adam Griffith has hit eight straight field goals and now shares the record for the longest field goal in Alabama history without a kicking tee is another (not to mention making such a kick in the rain off a sodden field).  That Kenyan Drake had over 150 yards of all-purpose yardage and looked like himself for the first time since he was seen being carted off the nasty surface that the University of Mississippi calls a “football field” is another.  Perhaps the most revealing is that LSU possessed the football for less than three minutes of the fourth quarter.  Doing that to your opponent is going to win lots of football games, y’all.  It also sends a message to the rest of Alabama’s opponents -- if you are down two scores with 10 minutes left, you might ought to consider that on-side kick, because you may not get the ball back.

We think the turning point Saturday was a series of four plays, two before the half and two right after, featuring unlikely stars.  LSU seemed to have grabbed the momentum heading to the locker room.  Then Griff hit the 55-yarder.  On the ensuing kickoff Tony Brown delivered a devastating hit on LSU’s returner, Derrius Guice, who probably wished he’d gotten a nice case of flu before Saturday night and stayed in Baton Rouge.  After the kickoff, Dillon Lee intercepted an LSU pass.  You could just feel the game change.  However, this was, no mistaking it, a team win.  A learned friend and regular reader said it best: “Alabama’s offense kept Fournette on the bench, the defense made him wish he had stayed there”.

Offense:  Yes, an Excellent plus.  Sure, we made some dumb mistakes again.  Coker’s spin move when he feels pressure has been analyzed now to the point that defensive ends are expecting it.  Going to have to trust it and step up in the pocket a few times.  We failed to finish a couple of drives.  On the whole, though, it is to be remembered that this wasn’t exactly the Little Sisters of Perpetual Sorrow out there.  LSU has a very good defense.  VERY good.  They practice weekly against what is generally conceded to be the premier running back in college football.  And though the Commissioner has already done him justice, we can’t miss a chance to compliment Derrick Henry (and his grandmother who raised him and did a heck of a job).  After the game, they asked Coker if Henry was the best running back in football.  He said, “Coming from me … you’re damn right he is.”  I may disagree with some of Jake’s decisions during the action, but there’s no questioning his judgment on football talent.  Want to know how good Henry was?  Nick Saban actually smiled, not once but twice, when asked about him in the post-game interview. 

Defense:  I’m not just sure this isn’t the best defense of Saban’s Alabama tenure.  That’s saying a lot.  We will wait to see when the season is all over.  Saturday night was an awe-inspiring performance.  The defense was disciplined.  It is not a one-man show.  No player reached double digits in tackles.  Reggie Ragland did not get his name called a lot in this game.  As the defensive signal caller, he was magnificent.  LSU’s two best plays of the night were on the coaches -- one, a questionable blitz call (though we understand a safety may have misunderstood his assignment) and one overthinking a personnel package on a third and 12 out of the LSU end zone.  Those are quibbles.  It seemed like everyone on the defense got turn tackling Leonard Fournette.

Special Teams:  Hurrah for Adam Griffen-Grif-fon’-Griffith.  It took a lot of grit given this season and the fact that the coaches clearly distrusted him early in the game (though we agree with the decision to go for both of the fourth-and-ones) to go out there and even try a 55-yarder in the rainy slop.  He had five more in it.  The special teams play of the night was highlighted by the Commissioner.  If you haven’t seen the clip of a 312- pounder executing a triple jump PAT block, use Google to find it.  Ask yourself, seriously, if you could do that in street clothes.  If you weigh 155 pounds, ask yourself if you could do it carrying yourself on your back.

Coaching:  The team was ready to go.  A week off undoubtedly helped.  He says to the contrary, but I think Coach Saban takes a special pleasure in coaching against LSU.  This team, especially the defense, was perfectly prepared.  They stopped Fournette, which is something no other team has done and we were told all week was and in the pregame was impossible.  How about another example?  Re-watching the game, we saw Cyrus Jones defense a double move route by the LSU wide receiver.  It’s not just that he resisted the fake, he knew it was coming.  The receiver turned slightly inside and as soon as he did, Jones swiveled his hips and started up field.  Within 10 yards he looked more like the receiver than the receiver did.  Maybe that’s why LSU’s quarterback decided to start chucking it to his offensive guards.

Broadcast.  Hoo boy.  Where do we begin?  Perhaps the beginning is an appropriate spot.  I don’t know how ESPN goes about deciding who will be the “Guest Picker” each week for the morning Game Day show.  We thought that it was usually someone with a tie to the host university -- alumnus, former player, former coach, etc.  At least that is what it seems like at other schools.  Last time they were in Tuscaloosa for LSU, it was an LSU alumnus, which just felt wrong.  At least there was some connection to the colleges whose teams were playing the game.

This Saturday, it was a “rap” star whose apparent tie to the University was that he was willing to pick Alabama to win. Otherwise, we are somewhat at a loss as to why ESPN chose to let him have a 15-minute commercial for his career.  Maybe it’s a new policy.  Why we couldn’t have Lee Roy Jordan, Gene Stallings, Joe Namath, Bill Battle, any former player now in the pros (from Roman Harper to A.J. -- some NFL player was probably off this weekend)?  We honored Snake before the game, maybe someone associated with him?  Or maybe Condi Rice, maybe one of the many captains of industry, finance, the mayor, the governor, doctors, lawyers (ok, I don’t think we have any Indian Chiefs) or similar noteworthy graduates, Dean Karr from the Engineering School -- shoot, how about the guy who empties wastebaskets at ten Hoor in the evening -- someone, anyone, with a connection to the University that makes us proud to make football predictions?  Instead, we get a rap star with a criminal record whose connection appears to be that he roots for Alabama.  Sheesh.  At least he made a more accurate prediction of the evening’s outcome than any of the professional commentators.

And then for ESPN to pout about whether the signs in the crowed were funny or properly analyzed the Star Wars franchise (which would be a big deal, since Disney owns it, and coincidentally owns ABC, which owns ESPN), or whether enough people showed up in the rain and mud to pay proper homage to the ESPN luminaries….   Maybe it’s time to face up to an unpleasant fact Worldwide Leader in  Sports -- maybe your show isn’t as good and entertaining as it once was.

Fortunately for the Disney/ABC/ESPN/Star Wars conglomerate, the CBS crew made you look stellar by comparison.  We have lost interest in the game of listing how many names Verne gets wrong.  If you play that as a drinking game, you don’t get to see the second half.  CBS has done numerous games this year.  And yeah, a few of the players’ names are a challenge.  But you can’t get our place kicker or our quarterback right?  Really?  After how many stinking times you have replayed the luckiest play in college football history that he began?  I’m sure Adam Giffin-Griffith doesn’t care, but I’ll bet his mom does.  And Jake “Cooker”?  Maybe that one just slipped by.  He’s only been here a couple of years and you’ve only called his name a few hundred times.  So what’s the excuse with his hometown?  It’s “Mobile” -- ends like kneel, not fumble.  Been that way since about 1702, as far as we know.

And we aren’t really sure why it is important during live game action to go “up to the booth” to see Verne and Gary instead of what is happening on the field.  We are sure their ties are very nice, but there’s just not really a play in the game that I’d prefer to miss in favor of seeing them chat with each other -- bad enough to have to listen to it.  To their credit, they don’t seem all that happy about it either, even Gary looked back over his shoulder to see what was happening on the field.  We thought that there was some limit to how many times a team could be on CBS each year.  Maybe not, since next Saturday the CBS broadcast, commercials included, will run from 2:30 till past bed time.  To be brutally honest, I think Gary and Verne are tired of Alabama -- it’s mutual, boys.

On to Mississippi State in Starkville.  Vegas thinks the Tide is a six-point favorite.  We shall see.  We were a 6.5 point favorite over LSU.  Roll Tide, everyone.

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LSU Grades

They didn't see this coming.  

And by "they" I mean the prediction experts on ESPN's College Game Day broadcast. You know the guys....Desmond Howard, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreet.  They all picked LSU to beat Alabama  in the 2015 edition of The Game Of The Century.

Speaking of which, based on Tide vs. Tiger games, we have had so many centuries starting with the 9-6 game in Tuscaloosa in 2011 that mankind has finally gotten around to building a football stadium on Mars.  But I digress.....

Howard, Herbstreet and Corso all had LSU's Heisman-aspiring running back, Leonard Fournette, winning the head-to-head competition with Bama's Derrick Henry. They were certain that Tiger QB Brandon Harris-he without an interception all season-would prove himself better than Jake Coker. They just knew LSU's defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, would out-scheme Lane Kiffin. And they were confident that Les Miles would catch some lucky break, like lightning in a bottle, that would be a difference maker in a close game.

There was one fellow, however, the statistics geek nick-named "Bear"-who boldly picked the Tide to win and even predicted the score: Tide 28 - Tigers 17. He only got it wrong by three net points. 

The Commissioner also didn't see it coming. Asked by a friend in the South Zone for a pre-game prediction, all I could offer was that if we played like we did in the Georgia game, we could win by 10. It turned out, of course, that we played much better than we did against Georgia, and even though LSU is superior to UGA, the difference between the Tide and Tigers is greater than the 14 point margin of victory.

Weather conditions were comparable to the game in Athens. At times on Saturday, the rain came down in buckets. Close to kick off, however, the rain eased considerably, and for most of the game we only experienced intermittent drizzle. I give credit for the weather conditions to another of our South Zone companions. Having driven him from Nashville to Birmingham through the tornados of April 2011, I can assure you that bad weather is afraid of Larry Childs.    

Do you like your college football arena style? Do you love you some HUNH where defense is an after thought? Do you get a big kick out of plays from the Freedom Middle School playbook where the really short 7th grader hides behind the over-large kid who plays right guard and takes the hand off while the quarterback and everybody else runs in the opposite direction? You do? Well then, you probably had a good time watching the Barn play the Aggies last night while Alabama and LSU played grown-man football.

Make no mistake....this was the most physically dominate performance I have seen from an Alabama team since the beat down of Notre Dame in the BCS Championship Game. Consider some of these facts: Alabama controlled the ball on offense for 39:27 including the final 9:18 of the game; Derrick Henry had more carries (39) than Leonard Fournette had net yards rushing (31); Alabama ran the ball 55 times to LSU's 26 attempts and out-gained the Tigers rushing by 250 yards to 54; LSU earned only 8 first downs, Bama earned 14 first downs by rushing alone.

By every measure, this contest deserved the hype of a championship play-in. So here is how I grade the game:

Offense: A+ Alabama ran 79 offensive plays, gained 434 yards of total offense [250 rushing] achieved 28 first downs [14 rushing] and controlled the clock for 39:27.

Derrick Henry [39 rushes for 210  net yards] and Kenyan Drake [10 rushes 68 yards] carried the load for the ground game. Drake had his best game for the season and demonstrated his strength and elusiveness on a 24 yard run where he broke tackles, and put the shake-'n'-bake on LSU defenders before being pushed out of bounds. Henry was simply a beast running the football and scoring each of the Tide's 3 TDs. He now is tied with SEC record holder Tim Tebow for consecutive games scoring a rushing touchdown [14]. On the Tide's final possession of the game, which started at the Alabama 4 yard line, Henry ran the ball 12 times, including 6 plays in a row. Because of a holding penalty, he only gets official credit for 11 of those plays. The only blemish in his performance was a lost fumble following a 4 yard gain early in the 4th quarter setting LSU up in short field position.

Jake was efficient in the passing game, completing 18 of 24 pass attempts for 184 yards. He had no TDs, and was sacked 3 times, but he did not turn the ball over.

Calvin Ridley was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 51 yards. Ardarius Stewart added 47 yards on 3 receptions. Drake [40 yds] and Richard Mullaney [28 yds] each had 3 receptions. O.J. Howard added 2 catches for 18 yards. 

Alabama had 5 drives that gained 40 or more yards [41, 87, 57, 73, 78] that accounted for a turnover on downs, 3 TDs and the end of the game. Only once did the offense have a 3 and out. 

Defense: A+ LSU had been averaging over 300 yards per game rushing.  The Tide held the Tigers to only 54.  Alabama's offense kept Fournette on the bench. The Tide defense made him wish he was back on it.  LSU's offense only gained a total of 182 yards. The Tigers' longest play from scrimmage came on a 3rd and 12 from the LSU 2 yard line. The Defensive substitution was late getting set on the field and when the ball was snapped, we had several players looking around to make sure they were in the proper formation. 

LSU had 11 offensive possessions. Seven ended in a punt. Four of those 7 were three-and-out. The Tigers' first possession of the second half lasted all of one play, when Brandon Harris' sideline pass was intercepted by Dillon Lee [LB; 6-4; 242; Sr.; Buford, GA]. 

Geno Matias-Smith was the leading tackler with 6 tackles [4 solo]. Jarran Reed made 5 stops [1  solo] and Dalvin Tomlinson is credited with 4 tackles [1 solo]. Tide defenders made 7 tackles for lost yardage. A'Shawn Robinson accounted for 2 of those. 

Robinson also blocked a PAT attempt on a play demonstrating freakish athletic ability. The defensive lineman from Fort Worth, TX, is 6-4 and weighs 312 pounds. On LSU's second PAT attempt, he leaped over the long snapper as if executive a standing broad jump and landed like a cat three yards from the holder. The kick never had a chance. Robinson also played offense and blocked for Derrick Henry on short-yardage at the LSU goal line.

The Tide defense accounted for 3 pass breakups, and 5 QB hurries. 

Special Teams:

Place Kicking:  A+ Griff made each of his 3 FG attempts [22, 55, 29] and each of his 3 PATs. His 55 yarder at the end of the first half is Alabama's longest field goal kicked off of grass.

Punting: A+ JK Scott averaged 45 yards on 3 punts. His longest punt travelled 50 yards and he nailed LSU deep once. Cy Jones returned 2 LSU punts for 23 yards.

Kick offs: A+ Griff kicked off 7 times and averaged 64 gross yards per kick. Three of his kicks were touchbacks and the coverage team allowed only 43 yards on 4 returns. Kenyan Drake returned 3 LSU kicks for 55 yards. LSU's last kick of the game appeared to be headed out of bounds and Drake decided to let the ball go. When it took an odd bounce, Drake was fortunate to cover the ball at the Bama 4 yard line.

Coaching: A+ Alabama gained 516 all purpose yards. The participation report lists 50 players who saw action in the game. The Tide was penalized 9 times for 88 yards. That is an unacceptably high number, however, the number of penalty calls against Alabama seem to have increased after the Ole Miss game. Draw whatever conclusion from this observation that you wish.

      

The fact that Alabama dominated LSU in every phase of the game does not diminish LSU. The Tigers are a very fine football team. They are loaded with elite athletes. They are well coached. They play with heart and intensity. Of course that describes Alabama as well. What's more, and perhaps this is the important difference, since losing to Mississippi, Alabama has been on a mission to redeem the season and reclaim the program's perennial place at the apex of the sport. 

Coach Saban answered a reporter's question by saying something to the effect that it is hard to get players to pay attention to him when things are going well.....but when things are not going well, it is easier to get people focused. The Ole Miss loss is still a sore spot for this team and the improvement since then has been nothing short of dramatic.

Arkansas' one point win over Ole Miss in Oxford, puts Alabama in control of its destiny. By winning out, the Tide will face Florida in the SEC Championship Game. A victory over the Gators would assure Alabama a place in the College Football Playoff.  But all of that is in the distant future. The most important game of the season, so far, is coming up this Saturday in Starkville. 

CBS has announced the game will kickoff on national TV at 2:30 p.m. 

Get your game faces on!

Roll Tide, y'all.

The Commissioner