The Iron Bowl has come and gone, and with it comes 365 days of bliss for Bama fans across the world. It was not only a pure beatdown of the big rival, it was a statement to the nation that Alabama was better than any other 1 loss team. At least for this week......
DEFENSE/Special Teams
The Good....
Strangulation in Regulation
Ali had the Rumble in the Jungle, and the Thrilla in Manilla. Alabama has the Strangulation in Regulation. Like a UFC fighter, Bama slowly and methodically wore down Auburn and broke Auburn's will by the end of the first half. They had not moved the ball, and were not going to move any further than Alabama wanted them to. It was clear from the first play that the Defense had bought into "Never Again" and let nothing escape them. Even towards the end when Bama gave up 3 or 4 first downs, they quickly ended the "rally" and put Auburn out of its misery.
Santa drops an early present for Millner
Millner has had his ups and downs this year. Relegated to 3rd corner most of the year and overshadowed by Menzie and Kirkpatrick, he's only been noticed when something bad happens. Saturday was a reward for sweating it out. Auburn gave him a heck of a gift with the interception. It was a poorly thrown ball that missed by 10 yards and landed right in his lap. The rest was all him. Of course, defensive guys love the INT run back because it means they get fair game at any and all in front of them to hit and decleat. Especially QBs.....
Bama will miss several next year but it is great to enjoy them now...
Let's be honest. Next year's defense is pretty green and probably will have a lot of growing pains. This year's will make life hard for next because they have been so good. Guys like Chapman, Gentry, Upshaw, Hightower, Barron, Menzie, Kirkpatrick, Lowery, and others are all more than likely gone through graduation or NFL draft. The cupboard is pretty thin after this year as far as experience goes. Enjoy what you witnessed Saturday. It was the "Heisman Moment" for them and their legacy was sealed with it.
The Bad...
None
The Ugly...
I'd gladly sleep with a fat hooker if it meant Bama could play special teams...
It really is beyond sad and pathetic to the point that the play of the special teams is nearly numbing. They can't cover right, they still shank and muff kicks, and you are a liar if you don't tense up when they attempt any field goal now. Saturday was a life like time capsule of how pitiful the Bama special teams have been all year. I really don't know why Saban was all over DePriest the way he was. He did take the wrong angle, but he wouldn't have made that play even if he was in position. The issue was that Auburn put more men on the left than Bama did and that along with a wounded duck kick gave them all they needed. If the kick was to be a pooch kick, it needed about 5 or 10 more seconds of air on it. I doubt that was it. It looked like Foster is also Australian for Bench. The sad truth is that it isn't going to magically improve by the BCS Championship. We may be staring into the face of a repeat performance. If so, we may all wish to be Bill Murray in Groundhog Day
OFFENSE
The Good....
First Half Fireworks
I fully expected Bama to grind it out and make them suffer. However, I didn't expect Auburn to sit back in containment and dare Bama to throw at them. As it was, Bama was given every opportunity to shell Auburn's secondary because their 4 weren't going to beat Bama's 5 very often. The addition of McCullough to RG paid big dividends as they were throwing often and he excels in pass protection whereas Steen has moments where he can't pick his man up. They also had discovered that Smelley was a huge mismatch against the AU linebackers and safeties. They refused to cover him for whatever reason, perhaps they thought his name was a warning? Regardless, he had a huge senior effort. I was pleased also that they were able to keep it short for the most part and throw long on busts and other low risk situations to build AJ's confidence up. I thought he had gotten it back some against Southern, but this week was another step in the right direction short of 2 or 3 plays.
Trent Truckin....
What can I say that the video doesn't? Trent is half Shaft and half Raging Bull. He'll pimp slap and break it off on you and make you like it. This one isn't as good as the Ole Miss one because the Ole Miss one he just broke the kid down to the ground, but this one is more physical and more indicative of his style.
Offensive Line Play
Auburn didn't challenge them a lot, but when it got late in the game and they needed to grind, the line stepped up and drove Auburn back play after play. The sack for the TD wasn't on Jones despite some who want to pawn it off on him. Outside of that one play, there weren't many bad moments. They saw a lot of 10 in the box which was intended to confuse them but it didn't. Bama's lived on 8 and 9 in the box, what's one more?
Kenny Bell holds on to one!
Ok, I'm being mean because Kenny has to take a Zyrtec before the game to avoid pigskin allergies....I kid. He has had troubles holding on to the ball, but he knew he was the go to guy and he had to make that catch or else the offense was going to lose steam. He did make the play and the rout was on.
The Bad....
Never Again didn't apply to 2nd half playcalling
When the game was 24-14, Bama insisted on drawing up and trying to beat the clock out. Now, granted, the defense was going to do its part, but one mishap and the game is a field goal game and you are trying to warm your QB back up. Bama continues to have this issue where they overthink what they are doing and try to play the odds way too much. It caught them in the LSU game by not trying to win in regulation, and Saturday it made the game closer than it needed to be for 3 quarters. Auburn finally broke on defense and they got a few more scores, but the point is Never Again needs to apply to McElwain and Saban too.
AJ needs a timer for Christmas
The sack/strip/TD was a double fail really. One, he can't go back 3 steps, check 1, check 2, pump, check and throw inside his own five. The play has to be step 1, 2, 3, check fire. That's on him and he's played too many games now to make a rookie mistake like that. Good news is that he gets to hear it for a month. The second failure is that the play shouldn't have been called to begin with. You have all the momentum, you have Auburn on its heels already, there is no shame in taking 3 plays to dig out and punt. Later in the game they did just that, but it needed to have been then. I thought they got greedy trying to get another home run when the right thing to do was dig out and then go for it later. It is odd to me that they can be aggressive in those situations but spend the entire second half being conservative in spite of what Auburn is giving them.
Random Thoughts....
Quit wetting the bed everytime someone doesn't proclaim Bama's spot in the BCS
I really get tired of reading thread after thread when someone gets on ESPN or Finebaum or whatever newspaper it is and doesn't give all Crimson colored reviews and seeing the butt hurt. Look, Bama is in the BCS title game until they are not. Bama has done all they can do and now fate has to play out. Does OSU have a claim to it? Yes. They are potentially the Big 12 Champs and have 1 loss (albeit a bad one). Many folks, including myself, feel that in most circumstances that the BCS should be the top two champs- a mini-playoff if you will. However, it is clear that this year is that exception to the rule because when you look at Alabama's games and compare them to OSU's or Stanford's or Va Tech's, there is no comparison. Stanford has played nobody, that includes Notre Dame, and was pistol whipped on national TV by Oregon. Virginia Tech probably has the most to complain about, but their out of conference schedule is zilch and the ACC is not exactly a powerhouse. If you put Bama or LSU or Arkansas in the ACC, they would beat FSU's streak for most victories in a row.
So cool it out guys. They see you respond, they know that you are watching, mission accomplished. If Bama doesn't make it in, then they don't. Not much can be done except to blister someone in the Sugar Bowl for it. Will it be fair? Kinda. Will it be the best two teams matched up? No. Not unless OSU rips OU by 40.
The Heisman is a 2 man race finally
I will say that if I had a vote in the Heisman it would go:
1. Trent Richardson
2. Case Keenum
3. Andrew Luck
4. Robert Griffin III
5. Denard Robinson
However, I am the minority in that listing. It will be a Luck v. Richardson final. Luck is there for the lifetime achievement entry that Tebow and others have held over the years. Richardson has given the voters a highlight reel of unbelievable plays. To me, Keenum's number merit him being a top 2 selection here. Granted, he has not played a big time team, but his numbers are terrific regardless. Griffin rivals TR in the highligh reel moments, but his injury and the backup lacing a 40 spot afterwards hurt his odds. Robinson is the Michigan offense. Under Al Borges, he has matured and looked outstanding against Ohio State. If he was on a 1 loss Michigan team, he probably is in the top 3.
I think Richardson wins the Heisman and probably pulls away this week as more voters get to digest the 2 and their work now that both are done. I would guess a vote similar to Ingram's will be what it comes down to. I don't see this being the Jackson/Long battle.
Nothing sucks like Orange Pants....
The mark of Shula is already on Fancy Pants. Deep in the red is Derek Dooley. He has a losing record, a horrible showing against Kentucky....yes, the Kentucky that let every other team rip them to shreds, and he has not won his players. I have talked with a few folks close to the team and they are really in trouble. The Florida loss sent them on a spiral that they couldn't recover from. Their offense is just a mess and the players won't buy into something that won't work. There are several mulling over transfers and going pro to get out before the ship sinks. Their defense can only be on the field so long before it breaks week after week. Sound familiar??? Don't be surprised if Dooley is told to make drastic staff changes this week. He has to because Vanderbilt is beating them in state recruiting. Yes, Vandy.
rlb002 comes to you virus free every Monday during football season (despite what the sorrority chicks say) and makes random thoughts throughout the bowl season and off season.....
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