WJOX
Mark: “Trey is on line two, welcome to Tide Talk Back”
Trey: “Hey guys, how’s it going?”
Kevin: “We’re great, Trey, what’s on your mind?”
Trey: “Well, Alabama travels to Nashville this Saturday to play
Vanderbilt, and I’ve been studying my DVR recordings of Alabama’s first three
games…..
Mark: “Yeah, me to. Looks like there are some things that need to
be cleaned up, especially on defense.”
Trey: “Well, I’m more concerned about what I’ve noticed on
offense. You know we have a new coordinator”
Kevin: “Right, Brian Daboll”
Trey: “Daboll, yeah….so, I’ve noticed on short yardage
situations, especially near the goal line and on third down, we don’t really
have a jumbo formation, like we have had since Coach Saban has been our coach,
and I’m just wondering….you know, Coach Saban has opened a Mercedes dealership
up in Nashville….and, back during the Stanley Cup playoffs, he was seen
attending a Predators game….and, I’m just thinking…….maybe he’s spending too
much time with the car dealership and delegating too many things to Coach
Daboll?”
Mark: “Think about this for a second, Trey. Alabama is 3-0, with
a win over Florida State to begin the season. The coaches are having to work in
some guys on defense who have to step up because of injured starters. Jalen
Hurts has not had a turnover, and has rushed for over a hundred yards in each
of the last three games. I mean….yeah, the Tide could have played better on
defense against Colorado State, but all in all, wouldn’t you rather be where
Alabama is this morning than say….LSU?”
Trey: “I’m just trying not to be complacent, Mark, like Coach
Saban always says. YouknowwhatImean? I think Coach needs to give up his second
job at the car dealership until we get things straightened out, that’s all I’m
sayng.”
Mark: “Yeah……well…..we’re
up against a hard break…..traffic and weather when we come back.”
WAKM:
Tom: ‘Travis is on a cell phone…..hello, Travis….Welcome to
Swap-Shop, what are you looking for?”
Travis: “Just about anything, Tom.”
Tom: “Can you be a little more specific, Travis?
Travis: “Specific? A little more specific? How much more specific
do I have to be you [bleep]. I don’t have a single piece of [bleep] furniture,
not a [bleep] stitch of [bleep] clothes, not a [bleep] thing to my [bleep]
name. YOU FEEL ME? I just got here from Florida. I. NEED. EVERY. THING.”
Tom: “My word, Travis. I’m sorry for your loss. Please forgive
me. I was insensitive. We know thousands and thousands in Texas and Florida are
hurting as a result of the natural disasters, and we are here to help.”
Travis: “Yeah. It’s a disaster alright. But I don’t think there
is anything natural about it except Butch Jones is naturally an idiot.”
Tom: “I’m sorry….what?”
Travis: “We had Florida beat….we came back…..game tied….we always
win in overtime….and Butch [bleep] Jones lets them complete a hail Mary pass
for a touchdown with no time on the clock. [bleep] me.”
Tom: “Oh, you mean the
football game…..I thought maybe you lost everything to the hurricane.”
Travis: “Gators you [bleep]. We weren’t playing Miami What kind
of call-in show are you running?”
Tom: “This is Swap
Shop….people call in and buy, sell and trade household items and services…sort
of like a radio yard sale. So what do you need again?”
Travis: “Well, I set my couch on fire in the third quarter, and
it spread to the living room, but I put it out mostly by the time we tied it
up….but then after that touchdown pass…..I just….well….you know…..and now it’s
all gone…my apartment is completely ruined and my landlord has kicked me out.”
Tom: “So, if you could
have one thing to start with, what would I be, maybe one of our listeners could
help.”
Travis: “Is there any way
to swap Butch Jones for Nick Saban?”
Tiger Talk:
Claude: “Luc is on the
phone from Lake Charles. Bon jour, Luc. Comment allez-vous?”
Luc “Je suis un clown triste.”
Claude: “A sad clown? Pourquoi?”
Luc: “La vie est une farce
absurd. Coach Ed Orgeron was supposed to be le sauveteur du programme de
football LSU”
Claude: “C'est vrai, Luc.
But the loss to Mississippi State is a calamite. Once again it looks as if LSU
will become a coach’s cimetière.”
Luc: “Oui. juste comme
Jerry Stovall, Bill Arnsparger, Mike Archer, et Gerry DiNardo.”
Claude: “Qui est responsable, Luc? Le directeur d'athlétisme? Le
conseil d'administration?”
Luc: “Non. Only one
personne est responsable.”
Claude: “Qui?”
Luc: “Nick Saban.”
Claude: “Ah, oui. Nick
Saban. Le saboteur de notre programme.”
The
knock on Alabama fans is we don’t seem to appreciate how good we have it.
Perhaps the greatest program in the history of college football, sixteen
national championships,26 SEC championships, 64 bowl appearances. The Tide has
dominated the SEC West for the better part of the last decade and Alabama has
been ranked number one in the country for more weeks than any other team in
college football. So why are Alabama fans unhappy the morning after defeating
Colorado State 41-23?
Perhaps
they saw the same game against Colorado State Coach Saban did: “[W]e came out
and started fast in this game on both sides of the ball. … but we did not
sustain that and we didn’t finish the game like we needed to. We started to try
to play other players, but they didn’t do a very good job functionally, and we
let them back in the game….We didn’t execute very well defensively; not
stopping the run; not getting off the field on third down; didn’t play great in
the red zone; …The continuity and togetherness is not what it needs to be on
[defense].”
Coach
Saban does not talk about a future past the next opponent. I can, and I believe
every conference opponent on our schedule can beat us if we play defense the
way we played against Colorado State.
The
defensive line was unable to get pressure on the CSU quarterback when rushing
only four. The secondary was exposed as vulnerable to screens and fade routes
where our defensive backs were over-matched against tall, athletic receivers.
Notwithstanding two interceptions, the defense was unable to get off the field
with the result that CSU possessed the ball nearly 8 minutes more than the
Tide, converting 11 of 19 possession downs. Colorado State gained nearly 400
yards of total offense including 144 rushing. It was ugly.
Because the numbers tell the tale
better than I can, here is how I grade the game:
Offense: A- Alabama
gained 487 yards of total offense [239 rushing], earned 23 first downs,
converted 7 of 12 possession downs,
scored on seven of ten meaningful possessions, and converted both defensive
interceptions into touchdowns. The offense dominated time of possession in the
first and third quarters, during which it scored 31 of its 41 points.
Jalen
completed 12 of 17 pass attempts for 248 yards and 2 TDs without yielding an
interception. Calvin Ridley gained 92 yards and scored a TD on 3 receptions. Bo
Scarbrough was effective as a receiver, making 3 catches for 36 yards. Damien
Harris caught 2 passes. Robert Foster only caught one pass, but made the most
of it, with a slashing diagonal run through the CSU defense for 52 yards and a
TD. Eight different players caught passes.
Jalen
also led all runners with 103 yards and a TD on 11 carries. Through three
games, Jalen has not suffered a loss of yards on a rushing play. Scarbrough
gained 66 net yards rushing on 12 runs. Damien Harris gained 53 yards on 11
runs. Najee Harris gained 11 yards on for runs. Josh Jacobs carried the ball a
single time and gained 6 yards.
The
offense put together 5 sustained drives [75, 95, 76, 88, 65] resulting in 4 TDs
and a FG. The most glaring offensive miscue was a failure to pick up a first
down on a third and 1 in the second quarter, forcing Bama’s first punt of the
game.
Defense: D- CSU gained
395 total offensive yards while making five sustained drives [55, 85, 42, 75,
52] that resulted in three TDs, a FG and an interception. While Alabama’s
longest drive consumed 14 plays, CSU had four drives with a double digit play
count [12, 11, 11, 15]. The OSU coaching staff had done an excellent job of
film study preparing for this game; whenever they got a favorable matchup
against Anthony Averett, they took advantage.
Keith
Holcombe [R-Jr.; LB; 6-4, 236; Tuscaloosa] led all defenders with 9 tackles. De’Ron
Payne, S.D. Hamilton, and Minkah Fitzpatrick each were credited with 6 stops;
Christopher Allen [Fr.; LB; 6-4, 239; Baton Rouge], Levi Wallace, and Ronnie
Harrison each made 5 tackles.
All
total, the Tide defense made 5 tackles for 13 yards of lost yardage, broke up 9
passes, hurried the CSU QB twice and made two interceptions [Harrison; Hootie
Jones]. Hootie Jones made an excellent 65-yard return of his interception,
setting the Tide offense up at the CSU 11 yard line.
Special Teams:
Punting: A JK Scott averaged 50 yards per kick
on two punts, both of which were downed inside the CSU 20 yard line. Treyvon
Diggs returned a single CSU punt for 9 yards.
Place Kicking: A- Pappa. was
good on both of his field goal attempts [46, 43]. Scott missed his lone FG attempt from 52
yards.
Kickoffs: A Scott handled kickoff duties, making
8 kicks for an average of 64.6 yards. Five of his kicks were touchbacks. The
return coverage team limited CSU to an average of 23.3 yards per return. Henry
Ruggs, III returned two CSU kicks for 42 yards.
Coaching: B- Alabama was
penalized 4 times for 45 yards. The participation report lists only 54 players
who saw action in the game. Coach Saban clearly intended to get more players
into the game but less than optimum performance by the defense did not allow
the coaches to implement their substitution plan.
I
have already said that each of Alabama’s conference opponents is capable of
beating the Tide if Alabama plays as it did against CSU. Vanderbilt is the
first of those opponents. It has been a long time since Alabama and Vandy were
both 3-0 when they faced each other, and the 2017 Vanderbilt is not the sort of
mistake prone Commodore team that has customarily lived in the cellar of the
SEC East. If you did not stay up late enough to see Vanderbilt best a ranked
Kansas State team Saturday night, you should check out the highlights. The ‘Dores
have a salty defense, which won the game by holding K-State on downs inside the
red zone.
The
Tide offense will be tested. The O-Line needs to protect Jalen, because Alabama
will have to achieve balance against the Vandy defense. Vanderbilt does not
pose the kind of offensive threat Bama faced with Florida State to open the
season, but better, more consistent play by the Tide defense is an absolute
must.
Tide
fans may indeed be guilty of not appreciating how good we have it, but there is
something to be said for always looking for ways to improve. Coach Saban certainly does.
Roll Tide Y’all
The Commissioner
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