Tide’s late score makes it 10-3 at the half

September 22, 2007

Ken Rogers

Georgia pitched a shutout for most of the first half, but Alabama marched 46 yards in seven plays in the final 39 seconds to get on the board with Leigh Tiffin’s 40-yard field goal as time expired.
Georgia took the fight to the Tide for most of the first 30 minutes. The Bulldogs were content to move the chains, gaining yards in small chunks. But quarterback Matthew Stafford was effective. Stafford is 10-for-17 for 112 yards. John Parker Wilson overcame a sluggish start and finished 10-for-20 for 80 yards. But the Bulldogs were much better on third down—converting 6-of-11 into first downs. Bama struggled with 1-of-7.
In short, Georgia is doing exactly what a road underdog must do: not beat itself. There are two well-coached teams on the field tonight.

Georgia starts fast

Ken Rogers

It didn’t take long for the Dawgs to show their intensity. Georgia marched 70 yards in 10 plays to score on the game’s first possession, and led after one quarter 7-0. Dawgs have been impressive on third down. They converted on two third downs to keep the drive alive, then scored on a third-and-8 pass from Matthew Stafford to Thomas Brown.
Alabama failed to take advantage of Georgia native Lionel Mitchell’s interception of Stafford later in the quarter.
Meanwhile, Bama offense looks a little out of sync. They need to move the chains and settle in.

What will it take?

September 15, 2007

Ken Rogers

Here come the Hogs. Starting the fourth quarter on the one-foot line, trying to pull within a score of Alabama.
Arkansas trails 31-17, but they’re harder to kill than Dracula.
Darren McFadden is really good, and Felix Jones would be that good if they’d just hand him the ball. Arkansas trailed 31-10, but has cut it to 31-24 just four seconds into the fourth quarter.
Don’t touch the remote.

Suddenly, it’s a game

Ken Rogers

Give Arkansas credit for hanging around.
They were hanging by a thread when the first quarter ended with Bama leading 21-0 and threatening after recovering a fumbled kickoff. But the Hogs kept their poise and didn’t go away. Casey Dick’s 40-yard touchdown pass to true freshman Crosby Tuck made it 21-7. They go to the half down 21-10 after Darren McFadden broke a 23-yard run and got them into Tide territory. Alex Tejada made a short field goal in the final minute. Razorbacks can feel good down just 11 points after a half largely dominated by Alabama.

Don’t turn the channel

Ken Rogers

Uh, Alabama looks ready to play.
DJ Hall enters the Tide record book with an exclamation point, catching four passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone as Alabama takes a 21-0 lead against No. 16 Arkansas.
Tide got a scare when Leigh Tiffin got hurt on the opening kickoff. He didn’t kick the PAT after the first touchdown, but has kicked off and kicked the two PATs. He was holding his arm or shoulder when he came off.
It’s OK to flip to USC-Nebraska, but you might miss something.