Initial Impressions from the LSU Game

by outsidethesidelines on Nov 8, 2009 3:03 PM CST in Football Comment 77 comments

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Almost 24 hours removed, a few initial impressions from the LSU game:

First and foremost, it was obviously a huge win for the Tide yesterday. We came in absolutely needing to get the job done, and with LSU giving us their best shot we answered the bell. We played the best we've played since late September, and truth be told there was absolutely what was required. Credit goes to LSU for playing well in their own right, and they made us take our game to the next level to get the win.
Mark Ingram logged another unreal performance yesterday. LSU was highly physical on the defensive side of the ball, and Ingram racked up 177 total yards. He averaged 6.5 yards per run and the way he powered the opening drive of the second half really changed the game. As I mentioned in a fanshot earlier, the Heisman is an "award" for tools... it's based more on glamor than anything else, and it's given by a collection of idiots. Ingram will probably never win it, but I wouldn't trade him for any other player in the country, and we just need to enjoy him while we have him. He's a three-year player, and someone will be paying him big bucks to do this come 2011.
Julio Jones had his best performance of the year, and it was very interesting how things were discussed in the post-game. Based on what everyone is saying, it's clear that only in the past week or so has Julio gotten back to near 100%, and he looked very different yesterday than he had the rest of the year. His explosiveness was back, and he was a difference-maker in this game. Even aside from the long touchdown run off the screen, he had a huge first down on the final drive, had a couple of other nice grabs, and the pass interference on Peterson was yet another big play. And, of course, that's not counting the throw in the first half that should have been a touchdown. Nice to have you back, Julio.
Greg McElroy played the best game in at least a month, and was clearly improved over the course of the past few weeks. We needed every bit of what he did, and we could not have won had he played anything like he had the past three weeks. Unfortunately, McElroy still has a long ways to go, and he left a lot of points on the board today. He did some good things, but he did a lot of bad things too. He missed Julio on an easy touchdown throw, costing us four points, and the dumb interception before halftime cost us at least a field goal. He held onto the football too long on the safety, and he missed an open Smelley on the trick pass out of the Wildcat that could have been a touchdown, and of course that is to say nothing of the terrible decision to try to force the ball to Julio late on the controversial incompletion. Bottom line, McElroy played pretty well and he clearly showed some progress, but he still did some things to cost us a lot of points and he clearly still needs to play better.
Speaking of passes out of the Wildcat, remember the first Wildcat snap we had that resulted in a fumble? Did you happen to notice who was coming in motion at the time of the snap? It was none other than Earl Alexander, and that was one of the few snaps he saw in the game. And if you will recall correctly, Alexander was a quarterback in high school, and Ingram was very upset after the fumble. I'd about bet the farm that we had a trick play called in that situation with Alexander getting the ball looking to throw a pass.
The offensive line played an incredible game today. Both James Carpenter and Drew Davis were nothing short of outstanding protecting the edge in pass protection, and we beat up LSU in the trenches in the running game. It was a complete effort by the big uglies, and I don't have any doubt that we played better along the offensive line yesterday than we have at any point in the year. Joe Pendry deserves a lot of credit for what he has done with this group. We don't have any real dominant players out there, but we consistently play good, solid technique and just get the job done.

Bamagrad had it right in the fanpost... we're throwing the football to set up the run. That was clearly the plan offensively, and it worked very well.

All in all, it was certainly nice to see us moving the football again. McElroy's mistakes and the illegal substitution penalty kept some points off the board, so it wasn't exactly a perfect day, but again it was clearly an improvement over the past month. LSU has a good defense, and any time you average almost 6.5 yards per play against a defense of that caliber, you're certainly doing something right. Hopefully we can just continue to build off of this effort.

Marcel Dareus, for all intents and purposes, is unstoppable when we move him inside in pass rushing situations. He consistently takes the manhood of every guard they line up over him, and he did the same thing on Saturday with senior right guard Lyle Hitt. I can guarantee you this much... come April of 2011, that young man will be getting a lot of money from an NFL team. Enjoy him while we have him.

Defensively, we really had some struggles at time stopping the option. We had things set up defensively pretty well most of the time, but the execution looked ugly a good bit of the time. In particular, Jefferson made Justin Woodall look pretty bad on one option play. That's something we're going to have to fix before we leave for Atlanta.

Jordan Jefferson played a fine game yesterday, and that young man has a great upside. He has all the physical tools you would ever want, and he is a legitimate dual threat to boot. He clearly still needs to progress, but if he ever puts it all together then he is going to be a legitimate superstar.

And speaking of Jefferson, what in the world was the deal with him not going back in the game? The CBS broadcast reported that word had came from the LSU sideline that he could have gone back in, and he looked okay on the sideline. I have no clue what the deal was there, but Lee was clearly a drop-off. And here's the thing on Lee... he has great physical tools, and he can throw the football down the field with the best of them. But in terms of having to hit receivers over the middle on crossing routes, he cannot hit the broad side of a barn. If he could ever gain some accuracy on crossing patterns, he'd be one hell of a quarterback.

LSU really does have some unreal talent at the skill positions. For whatever criticism you can make of Miles, this is certainly not one of them. Even with Florida, there is probably not another team in the country that has the kind of athleticism at the skill positions like LSU does.

Colin Peek misses the game for 'Bama, and Richard Dickson didn't play either. Pretty much a balancing effect, really.

The more I watch of the LSU offense, the more I think that it is really just too complicated for its own good. It can certainly create some issues for defenses, mind you, but it certainly does create a lot issues for the offense, too, and that was the big catalyst behind all of the false starts, the illegal formations, and the wasted timeouts. With all of the talent that those guys have, I really just cannot help but think that they would be better served just by simplifying the offense and letting all of the raw talent just go to work for them.

Chad Jones didn't have much of an impact yesterday, and his mobility wasn't particularly impressive. On both the long pass to Maze out of the end zone, and the drop by Julio out of the end zone in the third quarter, Jones was tracking the ball the entire way and at first sight I was almost convinced that he was going to snag an easy pick. In both cases, though, he never really got close enough to make the play. I don't know if he was hurt or perhaps just a tad bit overrated, but either way he didn't exactly blow me away yesterday.

The LSU linebacker corps is a very underrated group. Those guys played a fine game, and Kelvin Sheppard in particular really looked good. I tell you, he's probably not quite in the same league yet as Rolando McClain and Brandon Spikes, but he's not far behind. Outside of those two and Hightower, he might be the best linebacker I've seen in the SEC this year.

Patrick Peterson is an incredible player, and he played a great game yesterday. Unfortunately, he really shot himself in the foot by never being properly hydrated in the first place, always a tell-tale sign when you're cramping up by halftime in a game where the temperature never rises above 70 degrees. I know he had some flu-like symptoms earlier in the week, but that had cleared up by mid-week and at that point you just have to make sure you get plenty of fluids. Once the game started, of course, it was entirely too late and you simply lose entirely too much fluids to get them back to where they need to be. Peterson played great when he was in the game, but really he was his own worst enemy.

Charles Scott deserves a lot of credit for playing a fine game. His drop on the busted pass play was a big one, but he ran the ball really well and played a physical game. It was a shame to see his collegiate career likely ended on such a fine run, but such is life sometimes. Best wishes on the recovery, Mr. Scott, and we'll see you on Sunday next year.

DeAngelo Peterson was huge on LSU's first touchdown drive, and their coaching staff really got us there defensively. He's a wide receiver, regardless of what you call him, but when they lined him up at tight end we covered him with a safety (Barron) and then a linebacker (Reamer), and he ate our lunch both times.

Are any of you guys familar with ROBO-PUNTER, the theoretical punter whose punts are downed at the opposing team's one-yard line every time? Well, that was pretty much LSU yesterday. I swear, those guys did an unbelievable job punting the football. If they weren't pinning it against our goal line, they were kicking it a mile and eliminating any chance of return for Arenas. Ill be perfectly honest, it was the most impressive display of punting that I've seen in many years.

Look at it this way... LSU punted the football eight times yesterday, and Javier Arenas ended up with 11 return yards. And that is not counting the penalty on Smelley, and when you take that into consideration we ended up getting a grand total of one return yard on eight punts. And if that's not getting the job done, I don't know what is.

And speaking of punt returns, why in the hell is Brad Smelley in the game? He has to lead the conference in penalties committed in the return game, and his penalty yesterday was one of the dumbest I've seen in a while.

The punt that LSU rolled inside the one-yard line was touched at around the four. Refs missed that one, I believe. And it had a big impact on playcalling, too, no doubt about that.

All of this hoopla over the interception is ridiculous, and it's mainly just a bunch of homer fans looking for an excuse for a guy that they otherwise got their asses beat. It was a close play that could have legitimately gone either way, to be sure, but the ruling on the field was an incomplete pass and there was no indisputable evidence on the replay that would command the play be overturned. And I'll be frank, even if you give him the interception, it doesn't matter. LSU would have been 61 yards away from the end zone, and those guys ended up with 17 total yards on three possessions in the fourth quarter. The end result would have been the same regardless. The only difference would have been that 'Bama might not have covered the spread had it been called an interception.

Two huge plays in the fourth quarter have been overlooked in the wake of all of the talk of the incomplete pass, and they were the stop by our defense on 3rd and short early in the fourth quarter, and the running into the punter penalty. We scored on the screen to Julio immediately after the defensive stop, and the running into the penalty not only gave us three points but also took another three minutes or so off the clock. The incompletion is getting all of the attention, but those two plays are really the ones that broke LSU's back.

And speaking of the running into the punter penalty, that was one gutsy call on the fourth down after that. We're literally three inches from a first down and we decide to motion McElroy out wide and snap it five yards behind the line of scrimmage to Ingram in the shotgun, when we fumbled a snap in the Wildcat earlier in the game? Hell, that might be more than gutsy, it might even be stupid, but fortunately it worked out for us in the end.

Leigh Tiffin is a fine young man, a wonderful kicker, and we should all feel fortunate to have such a valuable asset on our team. And, again, I'm just going to shut up about him.

The way we dominated this game physically was nothing short of amazing. We were much more physical than LSU, and their players were dropping like flies. Moreover, we absolutely dominated this game in the fourth quarter, and that was ultimately the difference. In many ways, we didn't so much win this game yesterday afternoon as much as we won it last summer in the S&C program. We were clearly the more physical team and better conditioned to boot. If there is an unsung hero of this team, it's strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran. That man clearly deserves a raise.

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And speaking of the running into the punter penalty, that was one gutsy call on the fourth down after that. We’re literally three inches from a first down and we decide to motion McElroy out wide and snap it five yards behind the line of scrimmage to Ingram in the shotgun, when we fumbled a snap in the Wildcat earlier in the game? Hell, that might be more than gutsy, it might even be stupid, but fortunately it worked out for us in the end.

I was howling at the TV when I saw how we were lined up. Of course, since it worked, it was a genius call.

RollBamaRoll.com

by Nico2.0 on Nov 8, 2009 3:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I know...

….I made some comment like “I don’t like this” when they lined up and the Girl was like “don’t like what?” as they ran the play and I had to say “uh…nothing.” since it worked.

Roll Bama Roll - The Champagne of Bama Blogs.

by Todd on Nov 8, 2009 6:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Are any of you guys familar with ROBO-PUNTER, the theoretical punter whose punts are downed at the opposing team’s one-yard line every time? Well, that was pretty much LSU yesterday. I swear, those guys did an unbelievable job punting the football. If they weren’t pinning it against our goal line, they were kicking it a mile and eliminating any chance of return for Arenas. Ill be perfectly honest, it was the most impressive display of punting that I’ve seen in many years.

That guy had an amazing game yesterday.

RollBamaRoll.com

by Nico2.0 on Nov 8, 2009 3:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Agree

I don’t think you can overstate how well the Tide physically beat up LSU yesterday. That was one of the most impressive aspects of the game, to my mind.

by Go Hide in the V-berth on Nov 8, 2009 5:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Great write up

I agree with Cochran getting some credit. We have been solid in the fourth all year with the lone exception being the UT game when we clearly were tired and just trying to get to the bye week. Plus you have to love his comment prior to UGA last year.

I wouldn't piss off the boys from Alabama . . . DBT

by I hate UT on Nov 8, 2009 3:48 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Cochran

printed out this column and took it Mal demanding his raise.

I'm in no condition to drive...wait! I shouldn't listen to myself, I'm drunk.

by That Other Dave on Nov 8, 2009 3:52 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Just a semantic, really...

But is there an accidental “roughing the punter” penalty and an intentional? I couldn’t hear what the ref called that penalty when Fitzgerald got roughed up?

by CaliforniaTide on Nov 8, 2009 3:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

He called...

running into the kicker (five yard penalty, unintentional).

by crimsontsunami on Nov 8, 2009 4:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Difference between the two.

Running into the kicker is the 5 yard penalty and that’s usually when a player is going for a block and hits the kicker incidentally when his kicking leg is up and he’s on his plant leg.

Roughing the kicker is a 15 yard penalty that results when you deck the punter without going for the punt, or you hit a guy’s plant leg while he’s punting or in his follow-through. Hitting a punter’s plant leg when he’s in his motion is about as sure-fire a way to tear knee ligaments as you can find, hence the 15 yard penalty.

Both of the penalties we’ve benefited from this year have been running into the kicker plays where a guy on the other team was basically going really hard for the block and hit PJ’s kicking leg when it was in the air.

by Bama philosophe on Nov 8, 2009 4:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The ref blew that one..

He had a perfect chance to call a 15 yard penalty against lsu that was strickly a judgement call and he choked. I thought the refs were part of the conspiracy, but obviously this ref is not on board. Slive needs to get these guys back in line.

by yellowhammer on Nov 8, 2009 5:35 PM CST up reply actions 3 recs

S&C

“In many ways, we didn’t so much win this game yesterday afternoon as much as we won it last summer in the S&C program.”

Great point. This is the most tangible evidence of “The Process” yet. Shula was a terrific guy that stepped into an impossible situation at his alma mater when we needed him, but losing games in the fourth quarter and all those November games was shameful, and ultimately what cost him his job.

Alabama should always be about buckling chinstraps and playing smash-mouth football.

Shorty Price Lives

by StarStarr on Nov 8, 2009 4:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

completely agree...

watching the way the lsu players looked on the sideline as soon as the fourth quarter started i felt absolutely confident we were going to win.

Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.

by kleph on Nov 8, 2009 7:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I felt that way...

…before halftime, as we were moving them around on both sides of the ball, though we had yet to put it on the board. I love how physical we are.

"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban

by NiceLittleSaturday on Nov 8, 2009 9:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

that is so, totally, what she said.

by Queen of the Universe on Nov 8, 2009 9:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If I weren't married...

…I’d stalk you.

"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban

by NiceLittleSaturday on Nov 8, 2009 9:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not married...

and I AM stalking you.

by crimsontsunami on Nov 8, 2009 10:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I hope...

…that comment is intended for QotU….

"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban

by NiceLittleSaturday on Nov 8, 2009 10:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know...

You’re both pretty cute in comment form. I might need a double restraining order: No comments within ten comments of yours and hers in every thread.

by crimsontsunami on Nov 8, 2009 10:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Ummmm...

…that Julio sure is fast, ain’t he?

"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban

by NiceLittleSaturday on Nov 8, 2009 10:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Haha yeah

Real fast. Man is he fast. (No homo) Walks away awkwardly

by crimsontsunami on Nov 8, 2009 10:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

well, i wasn't as sure we were in control of the game at that point...

but we got into our groove in the third quarter, it was clear.

Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.

by kleph on Nov 8, 2009 9:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That's OK...

…CNS knew it….

"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban

by NiceLittleSaturday on Nov 8, 2009 9:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of Cochran, I was behind the Bama bench during the Tennessee game and he held up both of his hands signifying 4th quarter during the whole quarter. He would go up to every huddle and scream 4th quarter and jump around during every play screaming 4th quarter. I can hardly imagine the players not getting annoyed and they didn’t seem to respond but obviously they are responding in the weight room.

by robalo216 on Nov 8, 2009 4:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Julio's mistakes were . . .

. . . about as big as his achievements. The dropped ball cost us a safety (2 points) and not leaving the huddle probably cost us a TD (4 points). A superstar doesn’t make those kinds of mistakes. I think Saban has grounds for convincing him to stay another year.

by M. Johnson Defender on Nov 8, 2009 4:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Logic fail

I grant that those were huge mistakes and that they definitely cost us a good bit of points, but there’s no way you can say that because of those two mistakes Saban could have reason to get him to stay for his senior year. He’s a sophomore right now and most people believe he has the talent of a top-10 draft pick. If he produces well the rest of the year and next year and doesn’t have anymore injuries, there’s no way he’s not a top-half of the first round pick after his junior year.

by Bama philosophe on Nov 8, 2009 4:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree that he has the talent . . .

. . . and I didn’t mean to suggest that he couldn’t be a first round pick after his junior year but he has yet to have the production of a first rounder, and it’s not all due to injuries.

by M. Johnson Defender on Nov 8, 2009 4:55 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Production

isn’t as essential when you’ve have Julio’s kind of measurables. 6’4", 215 pounds, probably around 4% body fat, 4.45 speed, strength. He wouldn’t fall past the Raiders if Al Davis is still alive for that draft.

by Bama philosophe on Nov 8, 2009 8:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

And if Matt Millen gets another job...

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman

by outsidethesidelines on Nov 8, 2009 8:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know . . .

His disappointing sophomore year has not been all gmac’s fault. He’s dropped several passes this year. He has clearly not played as well as Green at UGA, or numerous other wr’s. I am not sure that he is a first round pick, yet.

by M. Johnson Defender on Nov 8, 2009 4:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of WRs

Maze seemed to be all over the place yesterday. 6 catches for 88 yards; he had less yards than Julio (thanks to Julio’s long run) but he seemed to be a reliable target for McElroy

by Go Hide in the V-berth on Nov 8, 2009 5:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Congrats

to all of you on winning the west. We’ll see you in Atlanta!

by skigator93 on Nov 8, 2009 8:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

go away troll

Scoring against Alabama will be like birthing a child: rare, painful, and messy. - The Ghost of Jay Cutler

by bammer on Nov 8, 2009 8:18 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

what bammer said...

jk. i’m looking forward to talking much shit to you over the next few weeks.

welcome to the SEC kiffykins...

by tempebamafan on Nov 9, 2009 8:35 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

So do you think

for the rest of the regular season, Bama and UF will spend half the week preparing for their next opponent and the other half preparing for the SECCG?

by skigator93 on Nov 9, 2009 10:48 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Not bama

We still have to play MSU and AU. Ones of those has me a little worried. Ill let you guess as to which one.

Scoring against Alabama will be like birthing a child: rare, painful, and messy. - The Ghost of Jay Cutler

by bammer on Nov 9, 2009 12:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Sort of similar to our Carolina and FSU games

I’m more worried about USC because we sometimes struggle to score points even against bad defenses, and USC’s is pretty good. FSU I’m not as worried about because I just can’t imagine Tebow & Spikes losing to the ’Noles in their last game at Florida Field on Senior Day….

Come to think of it, the remaining games for UF and Bama are eerily similar….grind it out, win and stay healthy.

by skigator93 on Nov 9, 2009 2:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Ponder is out.Automatic win right there...

Im only worried about MSU. Sure they have been losing but they have been close in every game and nearly took out yall. Auburn worries me just a little.

Both our games are on the road against ok but def not great teams. If we don’t come to play in both, we could easily lose one of them.

Scoring against Alabama will be like birthing a child: rare, painful, and messy. - The Ghost of Jay Cutler

by bammer on Nov 10, 2009 1:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Leigh Tiffin…When he kicked that 40+ FG to ice the game at the end, i turned to my wife and said “Where the hell did this kid come from?”…Last year (and the years before that) he was a total liability. Now he’s damn near automatic. Again, that last FG was about as perfect a kick as you can expect. Well done sir..

GMac played a fine game. He started out very well but that terrible miss to Julio really got to his head. That drive to start the 2nd half really made me a believer in him. True, he might not be a NFL caliber QB right now, but the fact he hung in there and led our team when we needed him. Just please son…with its the 4th quarter and we have the lead….throwing the ball into a tight place on 2nd down is NEVER A GOOD IDEA!

I was getting a little concerned about the fact that LSU was having success running the ball up the middle on us…Thats the first time in…god i don’t know when, that i saw a team consistently run up the gut on our D. Anyone else notice that?

Scoring against Alabama will be like birthing a child: rare, painful, and messy. - The Ghost of Jay Cutler

by bammer on Nov 8, 2009 8:16 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Forgive my ignorance and tardiness with this question:

How did LT miss an extra point ealier this year???

Lee Corso: How would you describe tailgating at Alabama?
Kirk Herbstreit: Barbecue and Ralph Lauren

by animalcracker on Nov 8, 2009 8:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

well, we knew he could hit field goals

what’s really awesome is his advancement in terms of kickoffs. since lsu was disguising which side of the field trindon holliday would be at, the best option would be boot it into the end zone and he did this twice yesterday – once almost OUT of the end zone.

Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.

by kleph on Nov 8, 2009 8:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

i forgot about that..

We had two touch backs last night…Im not sure before last night, he had two in the previous 8 games combined….

Scoring against Alabama will be like birthing a child: rare, painful, and messy. - The Ghost of Jay Cutler

by bammer on Nov 8, 2009 8:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

This just isn't true...

Last year (and the years before that) he was a total liability

…but I’m glad to see you’re finally on board….

"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban

by NiceLittleSaturday on Nov 8, 2009 9:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah i wouldn't say liability

but he did have a penchant for missing one when we really needed it. case in point, before half vs VT this year. i understand where a lot of his critics are coming from, at least prior to this year, but after the first 9 games this year, (knock on wood) tiffin has really stepped up to become less of “solid kicker with soem consistency issues” and more of an “elite, lou groza award finalist”. and after that horrible, horrible, indroduction to the starting kicking job @ akry way back in 06, it’s really cool to see how much he’s progressed. i said it that day and i’ll say til i forget who tiffin is, but those missed FG’s weren’t his fault. after he missed his 3rd in a row, shula should have never played for a FG in the first OT, that was such a huge boneheaded move on shula’s part. the kid was brand new, making his first appearance on the road, replacing “money” christiansen (for perspective, we called him “money” but still malign tiffin. wtf?) and shula should have gone for 2 once we scored a TD inthe second OT. i blame those last 2 misses entirely on shula. and i couldn’t be happier for tiffin because he seems like a good kid in his interviews and he had to eat a lot of shit because of that awful day. he’s really perservered and has earned the recognition he’s now getting.

welcome to the SEC kiffykins...

by tempebamafan on Nov 9, 2009 8:43 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

hmm

Well here are his stats from last year..im too lazy to copy and paste them here, so you’ll have to click the link.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=191503

Perhaps i was a little harsh on the liability tag but he was no where near as consistent.

Scoring against Alabama will be like birthing a child: rare, painful, and messy. - The Ghost of Jay Cutler

by bammer on Nov 9, 2009 10:16 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The run defense...

was really lacking in this game. It might be because LSU was such a threat passing that we were forced to back off a little. This was the first time in two years that we didn’t look that great against the run. But we did get that crucial stop on 3rd and 1 when we were down 15-13. We stepped up when it counted.

by crimsontsunami on Nov 8, 2009 10:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

last time we looked this poorly against the run

was the last time we played LSU and charles scott (they had 200 yards last year). they were the only ones to light us up last year, and so far they are the second ones to come close this year. (ryan williams was pretty damn unstopable for a minute there)

welcome to the SEC kiffykins...

by tempebamafan on Nov 9, 2009 8:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I was hoping

nobody (like UF) noticed that Alexander was the one in motion on the Wildcat. I think Ingram was going to hand it to him and that is why he fumbled. We clearly are willing to gamble when in that formation and I would not be surprised to see Alexander taking a hand off and throwing the ball.

My view of Leigh Tiffin and PJ Fitzgerald has totally changed this year. Wow these guys have really improved and become big players when the game is on the line. Whomever has worked with them deserves a lot of credit.

I hate the NCAA more than UT & AU combined. At least with UT & AU you got a fighting chance.

by 5026 on Nov 8, 2009 8:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately...

I was hoping nobody (like UF) noticed that Alexander was the one in motion on the Wildcat. I think Ingram was going to hand it to him and that is why he fumbled.

… I’m afraid that they did. I imagine if I noticed it, Urban Meyer sure as hell did. You know right now that staff has some GA’s and some volunteers pouring over every second of game film we have.

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman

by outsidethesidelines on Nov 8, 2009 8:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Quite unfortunate...

Oh well, we’ll think of something. We can always try it again anyway. After all, the McElroy wildcat pass worked again, except in execution.

by crimsontsunami on Nov 8, 2009 8:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yep...

… that was really a unique wrinkle. It was so similar, yet so different. They were looking for Julio on the frontside immediately once they saw McElroy go back, and then we slip Smelley out on the backside and beat ‘em with it. That was frustrating as hell to miss that one, that’s a touchdown with a decent throw.

We’ve got more wrinkles, though, rest assured. You can bet good money that we’ve got at least one Ingram pass in there somewhere, and there’s probably a pass option for the receiver coming down on the jet sweep too.

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman

by outsidethesidelines on Nov 8, 2009 8:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

in GMacs defense

He didn’t have enough time to throw a decent pass.

Scoring against Alabama will be like birthing a child: rare, painful, and messy. - The Ghost of Jay Cutler

by bammer on Nov 8, 2009 8:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Fair enough...

We had some sort of breakdown up front in protection, and I’m not sure exactly what happened there. It wasn’t the easiest throw for McElroy to make, to be sure, but you would still like for him to make it.

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman

by outsidethesidelines on Nov 8, 2009 8:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think he should've completed it for sure...

Smelley was wiiiiiidddeee open. But that’s okay. He moved on and had a very good game, and we have still yet to see him at his best. What’s great about this new offense is it creates so many opportunities that we don’t have to hit everything to win. Even when we were down 15-10 I was sure that, barring a turnover, we were going to pull it out. We were moving the ball down the field all day on LSU, but we didn’t finish our drives until the fourth quarter. This will change in the last five games of the season.

by crimsontsunami on Nov 8, 2009 8:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Looking back at it...

Nevis just beat Vlachos right up the middle, he just won the one-on-one battle. Mike Johnson tried to help Vlachos out, but really had a bad angle on it. Nevis got off the ball very quick and just made a play.

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman

by outsidethesidelines on Nov 8, 2009 10:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

which, weirdly enough...

is one of the reasons i was even more encouraged by mcelroy’s performance. he was under a lot of pressure and still was able to perform. i really found myself wishing we had last year’s OL for this game.

Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.

by kleph on Nov 9, 2009 7:32 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Fortunately...

Meyer will need to keep his DBacks out of the box whenever we send in Alexander on that package, and Ingram will run it up the middle for big gains.

Shorty Price Lives

by StarStarr on Nov 9, 2009 6:49 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

P.J....

…put three of four punts inside the 20 yesterday, and the one miss was a near miss. Though it lowered his average, I think he had his finest game yet for the Tide.

"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban

by NiceLittleSaturday on Nov 8, 2009 9:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

PJ

was awesome yesterday and it may have been his best game but the crazy thing was the two LSU punters were even better. Wow, have your best day while the other guy is out punting you.

I also think in the midst of the Leigh Tiffin for Groza Award talk we fail to realize that it is a special team effort, just ask UT. This is true especially between snapper (Selman) holder (PJ) and kicker. And, the last few games our FG unit has been flawless.

I hate the NCAA more than UT & AU combined. At least with UT & AU you got a fighting chance.

by 5026 on Nov 9, 2009 12:02 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

i agree...

they were constantly giving the defense as much yardage to work with as possible. even when those godawful big plays for the opposing offense came, we were able to have enough distance to work with and make the stop. i’ve noticed this a couple of games this year.

Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.

by kleph on Nov 9, 2009 7:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Would Alexander have had time to throw?

Ingram had to dive on the ball immediately because an LSU player was there really quick.

by zeke2029 on Nov 8, 2009 10:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Echo the OL point

Kudos to that O-line. Each of them and all of them put forth a great effort. I was hollering just to see Barrett Jones leading Mark down the field on one play (even though he really didn’t block anyone).

Lee Corso: How would you describe tailgating at Alabama?
Kirk Herbstreit: Barbecue and Ralph Lauren

by animalcracker on Nov 8, 2009 8:43 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

And regarding Smelley...

… as much as he probably ought not to be on special teams, he played a good game at wide receiver yesterday. He got open on the wildcat pass, had another first down catch, and he got screwed out of another catch on the first play of the game. He played a good game in Peek’s absence.

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman

by outsidethesidelines on Nov 8, 2009 8:54 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

And for all of the LSU fans bitching about the refs...

I suggest you go back and look at the highlights, specifically the touchdown run Stevan Ridley. Notice T-Bob Hebert with a form tackle on Terrence Cody, right as Ridley moves in to make the tackle.

In other words, the go ahead touchdown should have been an easy holding call, setting up a 2nd and 13 for LSU. Some conspiracy, eh?

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman

by outsidethesidelines on Nov 8, 2009 9:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I saw that one--could have easily been called

by M. Johnson Defender on Nov 9, 2009 10:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Did anyone else notice...

…the Bama fan with the missing pinky holding up three fingers and a thumb at the end of the third quarter on TV yesterday? That dude’s just too full of Bama….

"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban

by NiceLittleSaturday on Nov 8, 2009 10:21 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I believe you are referring to...

…this young man:

via Dr. Saturday

Roll Bama Roll - The Champagne of Bama Blogs.

by Todd on Nov 8, 2009 11:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

What is coming out of the

dude’s mouth and rolling down his shirt. It looks like blood!!

I hate the NCAA more than UT & AU combined. At least with UT & AU you got a fighting chance.

by 5026 on Nov 8, 2009 11:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think he was soooo excited...

he bit his pinky off in a new way to hold up four fingers to symbolize how we are going to dominate the 4th quarter. Thus the blood from the mouth..give that dude an A for dedication!

by String30 on Nov 9, 2009 12:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

well....

he’s certainly learned to use it as an effective pick-up line.

Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.

by kleph on Nov 9, 2009 7:37 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

chicks dig it heirarchy

motorcycles< scars< amputated digits < amputated limbs

welcome to the SEC kiffykins...

by tempebamafan on Nov 9, 2009 8:53 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Excellent post!

Thanks much for the insights. As for robo-punter, agreed. That kid was simply incredible. On the flipside, I don’t recall seeing an offensive unit routinely appear so unfazed by such bad field position. And not just in this game, but all year long.

You can't win. You can't break even. You can't get out of the game.

by StablerRaider on Nov 9, 2009 1:49 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

McElroy's interception should have been

a touchdown to Maze. Maze was wide open with no one within 5 yds of him. He was close enough to have been in the field of vision for McElroy. A good pass and he has the angle to get the TD. Instead Maze make the tackle on the interception. I think McElroy was locked onto Smelley the whole time. Watch the replay and you will see what I am talking about. McElroy played better, but on several occasions he either felt pressure that wasn’t there or just made some bad throws/decisions.

by grappler5 on Nov 9, 2009 8:12 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

yeah maze was wide open and gets to the 3 yard line if not a TD

and he was also pretty much directly in front of mcelroy’s facemask. GMAC must of have had tunnel vision on smelly to not see how open and right next to the TE maze was.

welcome to the SEC kiffykins...

by tempebamafan on Nov 9, 2009 8:56 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Bottom line...

McElroy is going to have to play better…yes he made some good throws in key situations, but he missed several open recievers that probably would have ended up in touchdowns. If McElroy is serious about leading UA to victories in the SECCG and NCG, those have got to be completions or it will cost us. I watched him stare down his recievers all night, thus missing Maze and a few others. We should have been leading at half time by a minimum of a touchdown. Fortunately he got better in the second half and the coaches remebered we have the best running game going. Still, we need GMac to start making those plays. That being said, I keep reminding myself he is a first year starter and those mistakes can be cured.

by String30 on Nov 9, 2009 12:23 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

This

was the heavy weight fight we all anticipated, at least in the first half. When you have two evenly matched teams talent-wise, its going to come down to who makes fewer mistakes, and who makes a few more plays than the other team. I’m just glad we were on the winning end of both of those categories.

In many ways, this game had the same “feel” to it that the VT game had. It was clear who the better team was. It was just a matter of putting it all together and stop shooting ourselves in the foot.

"A demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots." -H. L. Mencken

by Bens4vcobra on Nov 9, 2009 10:01 AM CST reply actions 0 recs