Suddenly, it’s a game

September 15, 2007

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.

Tide’s conditioning will be tested

September 14, 2007

Ken Rogers

Finally, Alabama is looking at a four-quarter game. The great leap forward from last year to this, players say, is their conditioning program. Progress is evident. They never let up against Western Carolina. Even while the offense spun its wheels against Vanderbilt, Alabama’s huge offensive line took the game by the throat and mounted a smashmouth drive, all on the ground, and ended any doubt about the outcome.
This week is a bigger challenge for a couple different reasons. First, preparing for Arkansas is very much like playing a doubleheader. There is the potent, traditional offense that features Darren McFadden at tailback. Then there is the WildHog formation, which stars McFadden, a Heisman candidate, as a run-pass threat out of a spread formation. Defensive lineman Bobby Greenwood from Prattville agreed it was like preparing for two opponents—both dangerous.
To that end, Alabama’s defensive staff has had to present so many looks and so many options in practice that I’m concerned the Tide may not have their legs completely under them. Most weeks offer a chance to taper off and get the legs fresh. Arkansas’ weaponry makes it difficult to taper off.
Still, a home crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium should help the revive the Tide when exhaustion in the fourth quarter sets in.

Saban not just a football man, also a football fan

September 10, 2007

Ken Rogers

Nick Saban is a football coach, and a football fan.
Alabama’s head coach sent notes to several Dolphins players who played for him in Miami before that team opened its NFL season this weekend.
The coach said he didn’t watch Miami’s 16-13 loss to the Washington Redskins. But Saban remains loyal to players who gave great effort while he was in Miami.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to watch the game. I was here all day preparing for our game. But I have a tremendous amount of respect, gratitude — whatever you want to call it — for the hard work that the guys that are still on the team there and on other teams did while I was there,” Saban said. “I just wanted to wish them the best of luck in this season out of respect for them and also wish their families well. That’s the reason I did it. It didn’t come about for any other reason than that, other than I would like to see them do well.”
The Miami Herald reported on the notes sent to players. Former Auburn star Ronnie Brown jokingly put an X through the Alabama logo and scratched out the “University of Alabama” on the stationery.
Saban also shared his thoughts about another football situation — the horrendous start that Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr will try to overcome.
“Lloyd Carr is a good coach, a good friend and a good man,” said Saban, a former Michigan State head coach and Ohio State assistant. “We’re hopeful that — and I have a lot of faith, trust and confidence that their team is going to get turned around and do well. I have a lot of respect for Michigan and you’re talking to a guy that coached at Michigan State — and that’s a tough rivalry — and at Ohio State for two years, where we weren’t even allowed to buy gas in Michigan. So I don’t know
if I’m the right guy to ask that, but it’s a great school, an outstanding program with great tradition.
“Bo Schembechler was always a big part of that tradition, just like Bear Bryant is a big part of the tradition that we have here. Bo was always a good friend to me. I remember his wife, Millie, died I think of cancer and he used to have a fund-raiser for years when I was at Michigan State and he invited me to play, when I was the head coach at Michigan State. There were a
lot of people there, but I was the only one from Michigan State. I always thought that was a class thing that he did and I always enjoyed doing it.
“It’s one of those things where you don’t have to be at odds with the other guy that you have to compete against, that you can’t do things to help people in this profession. I’ll always have a lot of respect for Bo, as a coach and also as a person.”

Tide rolls to halftime with lead

September 08, 2007

Ken Rogers

Two high-powered, experienced offenses have run into SEC defenses in Nashville. Alabama has harassed Chris Nickson throughout the first half. Nickson is just 5-of-17 for 67 yards. He was intercepted by Rashad Johnson late in the first quarter. His longest completion was 17 yards, once to star receiver Earl Bennett, once to former Charles Henderson receiver Justin Green, who is playing tight end for Vandy.
Tide QB John Parker Wilson is 10-for-21 with an interception. He floated a couple passes near the sideline and threw into double coverage a few times. Still, Alabama is controlling the line of scrimmage. It has 13 first downs to Vandy’s 4, and 200 yards in the first half to Vandy’s 111.
After Terry Grant’s 1-yard TD run, Leigh Tiffin has kicked field goals of 20, 40 and 29 yards.