Initial Impressions from the Mississippi State Game

by outsidethesidelines on Nov 14, 2010 12:00 PM CST in Football

Rbrinitialimpressions2_medium

A few thoughts from the early aftermath of Alabama's 30-10 victory over Mississippi State:

From the outset I suppose it should be noted that yesterday was a bit of a bittersweet day because the Auburn victory over Georgia ended any chances of Alabama returning to Atlanta for the third year in a row, but having said that we can do nothing else but beat those teams that are ahead of us, and to that end securing a relatively easy victory over Mississippi State should not be overlooked. After playing poorly last weekend in Baton Rouge, I think quite a few people -- myself included -- were worried that this game could easily result in a loss, so to be coming off of that setback, to respond relatively well and secure a victory over a top twenty team while never being put in any legitimate fear of a defeat is no minor accomplishment. The overall performance was far from perfect, but no one can reasonably complain about the final result.
In the end, the 2010 Alabama v. Mississippi State game seemingly picked up right where the 2009 game left off. One year ago in Starkville, MSU played hard and played a relatively even game with us only to ultimately see that contest turn into a landslide thanks to a handful of key lapses that resulted in big plays for the Crimson Tide. The same basic story repeated itself last night, as the Bullies allowed two short throws to turn into long touchdown passes while also allowing a jet sweep to Julio Jones -- a play that we've tried four times earlier in the year with no real success -- to turn into a 56-yard touchdown run. Give Dan Mullen and company credit for showing up prepared to play, but for the second year in a row a handful of key lapses cost them an otherwise solid performance.
Twenty-two minutes into this game Alabama was clinging to a narrow 6-3 lead in a closely played contest, and the total yardage numbers were almost precisely even. Consider that temporary status to be the result of very poor play by the 'Bama lines on both sides of the football. Our offensive line was simply dominated in the trenches for much of the one-third of the game, and the defensive line fared little better. The line play improved in the second half as we seemingly wore down the Bullies over the course of four quarters, but the point remains that the early returns were very discouraging. Perhaps no other factor explains the drop-off from the 2009 Tide to the current version than the poor play at the point of attack on both sides of the football. I don't care what happens at the skill positions, no football team will ever play at a consistently high level when getting dominated in the trenches like we were for much of the first half last night.

The offensive line, in particular, had a very bad night, and arguably that could be considered the worst performance we've had up front since the 2009 Sugar Bowl. The running game largely never took off with the tailbacks, the quarterbacks were routinely harassed, and at one point in the game we had four consecutive carries that resulted in a tackle for a loss. When you have a Heisman Trophy winning tailback average 2.9 yards per carry on 18 carries, that alone probably says all that needs to be said about the poor play from the offensive line. The great mystery of the 2010 Crimson Tide must be why our offensive line seemingly forgot how to control opposing defenses in the trenches.

Barrett Jones went out early in the game with an ankle sprain, and later Nick Saban said in his postgame press conference that Jones was "very questionable" for the Georgia State game. I have no real doubt that he will not play in that contest, but he was on the sidelines in crutches and at this point it seems this injury is likely of the dreaded high ankle variety. The question becomes whether or not he can be healthy enough to play (and play well) against Auburn, especially given the issues that William Vlachos has had of late and the fact that we will need him to play very well to consistently block Nick Fairley. Anthony Steen came into the game in his place, and to put it nicely he had his fair share of struggles. Simply put, we need to get Barrett Jones back healthy and on the field in two weeks time.

Alfred McCullough got off to a rough start that was highlighted by the near safety that was almost given up when Pernell McPhee beat him badly with a speed rush to the outside. McCullough quickly found the bench after that, and D.J. Fluker -- out since the end of the South Carolina game -- returned to action. Obviously the coaching staff was hoping to see McCullough be able to endure, and that alone likely tells you that Fluker is still not 100%, but having said that Fluker did play well in his return. I've said since he missed the LSU game that the target date for his return was likely the Iron Bowl, and given his performance tonight you have to feel that not only should he play against Auburn, he should be able to play at a high level.

A.J. McCarron played the final quarter of last night's win, and in many ways he showcased both the positives and negatives of putting him under center. He showed off his strong arm and made a couple of nice throws, but he also threw an ugly pass off his back foot, took a key sack in the red zone, and narrowly avoided yet another sack. In other words, McCarron's performance showed you both why fans are so excited about him and why Greg McElroy is still the starting quarterback.

Greg McElroy generally played fairly well in the first half, but his third quarter was not one he'll want to remember after a bad interception and a fumble outside the pocket. Those mistakes had no bearing on the outcome of last night's game, but those are the kind of mistakes he will not be able to make against Auburn in two weeks if we are to pull off the upset.

Eddie Lacy looked impressive in the opportunities that he was given last night. He still probably needs to eliminate that spin move, or at least use it less frequently, but it's hard not to be excited about his future prospects when seeing him carry the ball. He's bigger than both Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, and if he is lacking any of their top-end speed it is not by much. His play on passing downs needs to improve, but even so this is clearly a player with a very bright future.

Dre Kirkpatrick did not start last night, a decision that Nick Saban later said was the result of some disciplinary issues with the Gadsden product. He didn't miss the entire game, however, and in fact played a good bit, so I doubt this punishment was the result of anything overly serious. Nevertheless, having said that, Saban has spoken throughout the year a handful of times about players needing to make the right choices, and it's possible that shortcomings regarding discipline and focus may be driving, at least in part, the issues that we have had on the defensive side of the ball. At the very least, hopefully Kirkpatrick will use this as a learning moment and as a step towards reaching his potential.

Alex Watkins has replaced Ed Stinson as the back-up Jack linebacker in recent weeks, and he played quite a bit last night against Mississippi State. Aside from Burton Scott and Jerrell Harris, perhaps few players have had a tougher season than Stinson, who went from being the starting Jack linebacker when Upshaw suffered the high ankle sprain against San Jose State to not even being able to get on the field. Nevertheless, hats off to Alex Watkins for continuing to develop as a linebacker and for playing up to his potential. The raw athleticism has always been there with him, so it's nice to see the light finally going on.

All in all, the defensive performance yesterday was pretty solid, even if not exactly outstanding. The real issue, I think, moving forward is that Mississippi State largely stopped itself on many occasions with a variety of timely mishaps (several dropped passes by the receivers, an interception off a wide receiver who fell down on a route, a terrible throw by Chris Relf, etc.). Hopefully the end result is a sign of the defense making progress, but even so I must admit that it's easy to be suspicious when I browse through the box scores today and realize that Louisiana-Monroe held Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee to a combined 8-22 for 95 yards with no touchdowns.

With all of the issues that we have had on both offense and defense, the much improved special teams units have largely gone unnoticed, and last night may have been their best performance to date. Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster successfully converted all three field goal opportunities, Cody Mandell netted 38 yards per punt, we held the MSU kick returners to an average of 16 yards per return, and we are finally starting to get some production in the punt return game with Marquis Maze. Clearly things have not gone as planned with either the offense or defense, but give a tip of the hat to the special teams units for making some improvement and playing at a much higher level than most expected.

I want to venture off topic for a moment and make one side note regarding the broadcast and ask a simple question: Is it humanly possible to have a more unprofessional broadcast than we had tonight? When showing the quote of Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen regarding the passing of Nick Bell, the ESPN graphic identified him as "Dan Miller." Later, while discussing a tailback at Pitt some thirty years ago, the broadcast cut to the announcers practically wrestling in the booth while missing the actual game taking place on the field. And, finally, when Tyler Russell came into the game, all we heard about was "Russell Tyler." Now look, I don't expect perfection, but at least a small bit of competence would be nice every now and again, and we didn't even see that last night. I will never understand why a company would spend billions of dollars for the legal rights to broadcast an event and then completely ignore any quality control process.

All in all, a win is a win is a win, and honestly now all eyes turn to Auburn. Beating Mississippi State was the end result we hoped for and overall the performance was the solid rebound that we had all wanted to see, but having said that the Bullies are basically Auburn Light. For everything that MSU does, Auburn does it and does it better with more talented players. The quarterback is a much better passer and a more athletic runner, the offensive line is significantly better, the backs are far more explosive, the receivers are more reliable, the defense has some legitimate stars, etc. We will face Cam Newton, and we must accept the spoiler role. And let me be frank, victory will not come easy, and we need to show a great deal of improvement in the next twelve days to pull off the upset. To be very blunt about the subject, if we come and play like we typically have this season and they play like they typically have this season, that's not a recipe for victory if you bleed crimson. There is no real purpose served by deluding ourselves into thinking that we will magically find a way to victory, we're going to have to improve and earn it on the field. No one ever said it would be easy, but nevertheless it is where we find ourselves now. Hope for the best.

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About the ESPN comentators...

Did you know Julio had a broken arm with a lot of screws in it? Or our new offense coordinator Jim McElroy?

by skycaster on Nov 14, 2010 12:25 PM CST reply actions

The broken arm comment

had me in stitches. As he finishes off a 50+ yd sweep, the announcers are practically screaming “AND HE DID IT WITH A BROKEN ARM”. Amateur hour. Made me happy to think about their salaries.

"Shave your head, get a wet sponge, and flip the switch, 'cause you're about to get a Truthocution!" -Stephen Colbert

by Slice of Life on Nov 15, 2010 10:10 AM CST up reply actions

Glad you mentioned the broadcasters

holy crap was that embarrasing, although i was laughing my ass off when they were wrestling and nearly touching faces in the booth. They almost made verne and gary look professional. I think the reason you never see much improvement in the booths is they have zero effect on the ratings, it’s not like you would ever say, oh man alabama is on but bob davie is the color guy so im not gonna watch. They see the ratings come in they look good and the suits say great, our guys must be doing a good job.

on another note, i thought it was telling, that the one possession, (although game was way out of hand) where they just decided to drop back and pass it, they had tons of success and got a td, if you drop back and pass this year against us, you will win, period.

by tyslothrop on Nov 14, 2010 12:26 PM CST reply actions

Yep, to the TD MSU made. It appeared to me that Menzie and Lester (I believe) were

trying for an interseption but Menz had a chance to have a knock away – that iis what he should have tried to do.

Bama's Pluck and Grit have Writ Her Name in Crimson Flame

by TideFanAtlanta on Nov 14, 2010 12:31 PM CST up reply actions

Broadcasters were a joke.

However, I was more upset with Verne and Gary D. basically calling Cam (1) a saint and (2) the shoe in Heisman winner all the while saying that ANYONE who doesn’t vote for him just because his dad tried to sell him for money is evil.

So, although our announcers were a joke, they were better than CBS. At least Bob Davie insinuated that Cecil may be guilty. Look for Davie to be strangley absent the rest of this football season. Not to get all politcal but I find the on air media’s treatment of Cam very similar to the mainstream news media’s treatment of Obama.

If Cam and Auburn don't go down for this there is no justice and the NCAA needs to apologize to Reggie Bush.

by 5026 on Nov 14, 2010 7:51 PM CST up reply actions

Wow, you have been watching some different mainstream media than I have

"You know, we had a lot of fun tonight. But there's nothing funny about vapor lock! It's the third most common cause of cars stalling. So please, take care of your car and get it checked!" -Joe Namath

by billycthulhu on Nov 14, 2010 8:13 PM CST up reply actions

Yep. But enough politics.

Cam = Tebow, almost, right now for the media love. They, like Julia Roberts’ whore character in Pretty Woman, want the fairytale.

Now, should the fairytale end, the love affair’s all over. Forgotten. Never happened. Saw a great writeup from TN on how Peyton Manning’s shoulda-been Heisman year fell victim to the fickle media affections. Cam may actually come out being the victimized good-guy, and the blame all gets heaped on Cecil… Crazy world.

by Jeff Jones on Nov 14, 2010 8:59 PM CST up reply actions

Dude

that was poetry. +1

by cowcollegekiller on Nov 14, 2010 10:10 PM CST up reply actions

Julio's broken arm has me all upset

and yet somehow I missed that Barrett Jones was on the sideline on crutches. CRAP!

OTS, not overlooking our weaknesses and mistakes, I felt this game was more “complete”. By that, I mean we did not take our foot off the gas like it appears we do sometimes, especially when we have a lead. Do you concur?

Bama's Pluck and Grit have Writ Her Name in Crimson Flame

by TideFanAtlanta on Nov 14, 2010 12:28 PM CST reply actions

somehow I missed that Barrett Jones was on the sideline on crutches

And Davey and Jones never reported it. If it hadn’t been for Twitter, I would never had known it.

Losing doesn't make me want to quit. It makes me want to fight that much harder. – Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

by BamaGirlinDallas on Nov 14, 2010 10:33 PM CST up reply actions

My reaction to McCarron's redzone sequence is thus:

For everyone clamoring for a rFr QB to get meaningful snaps, you got it. No amount of arm strength or precision can hide lack of experience and seasoning. The perfect drop to Julio over the bracketed zone was physically perfect. The foibles inside the 10 were perfect freshmen.

So: Let’s stop with the McElory sucks shit. It’s not age-ism, or loyalty that keeps him on the field; it’s experience and (usually) playing smart, coupled with enough arm to get the job done in our offense.

I do expect to see a more open offense next year though. McCarron has a beautiful deep throw that just drops out of the sky.

"Orators are most vehement when their cause is weak" Marcus Tullius Cicero

by Stuck in the Plains on Nov 14, 2010 12:30 PM CST reply actions

OMG, I have been saying that all year. Folks, watch what you wish for!

Bama's Pluck and Grit have Writ Her Name in Crimson Flame

by TideFanAtlanta on Nov 14, 2010 12:32 PM CST up reply actions

although with 2nd and a foot on the goal line

and we get cute and call a play action and the O-line resembles a saloon door and throws some look out blocks and he gets sacked. Give it to Ingram one more time and he punches it in and we would all be singing a different tune this morning about AJ. The only criticism I have for AJ on that series was not throwing the ball away on 3rd down. His arm strength was something I haven’t seen all year from a Bama qb not named AJ. Everyone is talking about AJ but Simms has a rocket for an arm as well. Not so sure AJ will even win the job in the spring.

Roll Tide!

by mobilematt12 on Nov 14, 2010 1:02 PM CST up reply actions

He's the one who apparently called for the PA

when a run was on.

"Orators are most vehement when their cause is weak" Marcus Tullius Cicero

by Stuck in the Plains on Nov 14, 2010 1:30 PM CST up reply actions

so he checked out to the PA. Didn't know that.

Just watched it again on espnu and it looks like Ingram didn’t pick up the blitz on that play either and he came in clean. On the next play someone blitzed up the middle to cause the problems on the next play. I believe in the staff and if they thought he was the best option we would see him in there. He is exciting though and I hope he can harness it and become a great qb.

Roll Tide!

by mobilematt12 on Nov 14, 2010 1:43 PM CST up reply actions

Hey now...

that’s not a fair comparison. You have to actually push a saloon door to get through it.

by TiderInTN on Nov 14, 2010 1:30 PM CST up reply actions

That may have been a message to AJ...

…don’t audible you fool, you can do that next year if you get the starting job. I think AJ was trying to show off and it got him bit. Saban was giving him an earful on the sidelines after that.

Auburn and Tennessee fans are a lot like Slinkys...neither are worth much but you do get a sense of satisfaction from pushing them down a flight of stairs

by bamachine on Nov 14, 2010 5:10 PM CST up reply actions

earful?

he ripped him a new one.

by nobodysmom on Nov 14, 2010 7:50 PM CST up reply actions

He lit him up good

by billycthulhu on Nov 14, 2010 8:15 PM CST up reply actions

I saw a spanking.

AJ didn’t cry.

#looksforwardtoTheNewNamathvsTheNewBryantstories

" I imagine it is safe to assume that the Newton family has retained the services of a lawyer."-OTS

by UtahBammer on Nov 14, 2010 9:05 PM CST up reply actions

Saban gave him an earful

because I think this audible is very much the way AJ operates..sort of wreckless and maybe even arrogant.

Now you have to have confidence to be qb. But the guy still lacks discipline and if he doesn’t improve the #2 qb in the nation form last years signing class may just well beat him out.

If Cam and Auburn don't go down for this there is no justice and the NCAA needs to apologize to Reggie Bush.

by 5026 on Nov 14, 2010 7:56 PM CST up reply actions

Well said, 5026.

He has that “gunslinger mentality” which has to be reigned in to an extent before these type qb’s really shine. And I think AJ has the right kind of coach to keep his feet on the ground…

by cowcollegekiller on Nov 14, 2010 10:16 PM CST up reply actions

Also, good to see Watkins earn some PT

He’s been a ST beast.

"Orators are most vehement when their cause is weak" Marcus Tullius Cicero

by Stuck in the Plains on Nov 14, 2010 12:32 PM CST reply actions

Watkins is also the player who had a hit in the back that brought back the Maze

kick return for a TD. He made up for it after that…..

Bama's Pluck and Grit have Writ Her Name in Crimson Flame

by TideFanAtlanta on Nov 14, 2010 12:33 PM CST reply actions

when you rewatch the block in the back

you see that the msu player threw himself into watkins and they both kinda fell over, i don’t blame the ref for calling it but i don’t really think there was much watkins could do.

by tyslothrop on Nov 14, 2010 12:52 PM CST up reply actions

You took my comment. I had to rewind and show everyone what I was talking about here. That was one that, from the ref’s angle, looked like a block in the back, but under further review, was clean.

Fortunately, MI from MI offered an instant replay of the touchdown for us :).

by squinky86 on Nov 14, 2010 1:18 PM CST up reply actions

Auburn has not exactly been road warriors this year

In fact, I can’t believe they have played so infrequently away from JHS. That said ,their big road kill this year was Miss State. Granted that was a different AU team and they are clicking offensively at the moment, they have not played well on the road. Kentucky had them on the ropes as well. A fumbled kick off with the score tied that AU recovered or Kentucky would have had the ball with a chance to take the lead deep in AU territory. AU was lucky they did not turn that over in that situation. This is only their 4th road game of the year and their first against a top 10 team. We have a very good chance to win this game and quite honestly I will be disappointed if the Tide doesn’t win. I don’t think our backs are against the wall as much as you say. Granted I agree that we will have to play great football to win, but it will not be a monumental upset. In fact, I will say that the game will basically be a pick em with Vegas.

Roll Tide!

by mobilematt12 on Nov 14, 2010 1:09 PM CST reply actions

If I wasn't an Alabama fan I'd take Auburn as a pick em for sure.

The problems are: 1. They are really getting better every game. If we had played them in week 1 I think we win easily. 2. Our D doesn’t match up against them very good. At linebacker you usually go for either big or fast. If you get lucky you have both- Ro. I think we are not really big enough to tackle a 260 lbs qb and not really fast enough to run him down. Meanwhile, except last night, we have not put that much pressure on the qb and Cam given some time will hit a lot of open receivers with that cannon he has. Furthermore, our D-backs are known to miss assignments. Just being objective I don’t think we can hold them under 40 unless we get turnovers and maybe try an onside kick or two of our own. 3. Our O-line is going to let that thug Fairley literally kill GMac if we are not careful. Of course that will get AJ in game for all those who want him, but I would keep Morgan Ogilvie warmed up on the sidelines as he may have to finish this one up (by the way we need to play him against GSU.) Granted we do have some explosive players on offense and although I don’t think we can run it consistently on Auburn we might be able to score on some big plays. But…I can’t see us scoring more than 32-33 pts. I mean this isn’t Duke our even UT.

So, to be honest I think we are definitely the dog in this one. We will need a lot of breaks, and we will need to play pretty near perfect. Oh yeah, it wouldn’t hurt if Cam got a consciene and fessed up but the odds of that astronomical.

At least the crowd should be into it unless it gets ugly.

If Cam and Auburn don't go down for this there is no justice and the NCAA needs to apologize to Reggie Bush.

by 5026 on Nov 14, 2010 8:14 PM CST up reply actions

What I want to see crowd-wise come Iron Bowl...

Is continual noise. Auburn is going to run their hurry-up against us in an effort to keep the crowd out of it. We just have to keep staying loud on them.

Seems like the past couple of home games, the crowd has been a bit dead. At the same time, the games have been a bit boring as well.

Roll Tide Roll

Look at that dude going all Dareus on that colt.

by CaliforniaTide on Nov 14, 2010 1:27 PM CST reply actions

Yes, that would be awesome....

Maybe we need Saban to say “Sh*t” again on his radio show….

Fumbles. It was always Fumbles

by DocFumbles on Nov 14, 2010 1:36 PM CST up reply actions

He needs to say all 7 of Carlin's words...

" I imagine it is safe to assume that the Newton family has retained the services of a lawyer."-OTS

by UtahBammer on Nov 14, 2010 1:45 PM CST up reply actions

The volume will be there

This is now our championship game. BDS will be rocking. And rest assured Cam will not be getting that warm fuzzy feeling has been getting from playing 8 home games this year.

Roll Tide!

by mobilematt12 on Nov 14, 2010 1:44 PM CST up reply actions

I think the hurry-up...

against their D is something we might see. We saw it some last night and I think it could help us catch them when they’re not set, especially given our O-line deficiencies.

by TiderInTN on Nov 14, 2010 1:45 PM CST up reply actions

Agreed

The crowd at BDS needs to be what it was for 2010 Florida or 2009 LSU, but quicker to start yelling. No sense in letting them get set before we start screaming.

by PNG1983 on Nov 15, 2010 9:09 AM CST up reply actions

Once again, OTS nails it.

The Tide are showing flashes of the type of team they are capable of being but those flashes are dampened by brain farts and simple mistakes that should have been polished off by now.

Can someone explain why we would not go to Atlanta if we beat the barn? Our only loss in the west was to LSU and if we beat AU aren’t we in a tie with the tie-breaker?

" I imagine it is safe to assume that the Newton family has retained the services of a lawyer."-OTS

by UtahBammer on Nov 14, 2010 1:44 PM CST reply actions

No the league record is what counts

We have 2 losses in the SEC. Record against the West is the first tie breaker but all league games count.

Roll Tide!

by mobilematt12 on Nov 14, 2010 1:46 PM CST up reply actions

Thanks.

" I imagine it is safe to assume that the Newton family has retained the services of a lawyer."-OTS

by UtahBammer on Nov 14, 2010 1:47 PM CST up reply actions

About Barrett Jones...

FWIW, I noticed him jogging at a decent pace back over to the sideline, by himself, when he came out of the locker room at some point in the 2nd quarter I believe. Unless he went back into the game and got hurt after that, then I wouldn’t read into those crutches he was on too heavily. Chances are that someone decided he just shouldn’t put any weight on it.

formerly 'ud2'

by Orlando McCain on Nov 14, 2010 1:53 PM CST reply actions

Hurry Up Offense

TinTn, I don’t have any statistical evidence to back me up but it certainly seems like McElroy is far more productive when we go hurry-up. Given that Auburn is going to make us throw the ball anyway I would like to see us come slinging it. RTR.

by MtnBama on Nov 14, 2010 2:32 PM CST reply actions

It does seem that way, doesn't it?

If that’s indeed the case then hopefully we can put it to good use. It’s been said many times, but remains true, that the best way to stop a good offense is to keep them off the field.

by TiderInTN on Nov 14, 2010 4:08 PM CST up reply actions

ESPN 2 as a whole was off last night

The chick doing the studio updates referred to marcus lattimore as “lattismore”, our offense coordinator is apparently GMACs dad “jim mcelroy”, and a potential first round draft pick in marcel dareus was “marcus dareus”.

I still think, all things considered, it was better produced than CBS. Verne and Gary are becoming broken records, and nothing really changes with them. ESPN had some pretty cool analysis, some nice informative bits, and generally were fairly nice to listen to most of last night.

by Mr. Abe Froman on Nov 14, 2010 3:11 PM CST reply actions

I think they also talke about Darren Square as well

by Bumpjon on Nov 14, 2010 3:26 PM CST up reply actions

also

jim or greg McIntyre…not sure who they were referring do….

by nobodysmom on Nov 14, 2010 3:57 PM CST up reply actions

I think they

were actually talking about GMac. I heard them say that too.

Losing doesn't make me want to quit. It makes me want to fight that much harder. – Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

by BamaGirlinDallas on Nov 14, 2010 10:47 PM CST up reply actions

They were calling

Damion Square Damon. One of the guys said Damon and the other one could actually read because he was saying Damion.

You would have thought the guy saying it wrong would have picked up his mistake, but of course he didn’t.

Losing doesn't make me want to quit. It makes me want to fight that much harder. – Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

by BamaGirlinDallas on Nov 14, 2010 10:45 PM CST up reply actions

It was pretty terrible...

in the name accuracy dept. However, I’d rather hear their gaffes than hear Verne and Gary get 1 name right – over and over and over ad nauseum.

by TiderInTN on Nov 14, 2010 4:15 PM CST up reply actions

I think my name here is proof enough

that Verne can get the same name wrong over and over and over again, too.

formerly 'ud2'

by Orlando McCain on Nov 14, 2010 5:03 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

i'm pretty sure that during the barn game

they even made reference to that. pretty sure it was gary danielson who mistakenly called ontario mccaleb “rolando mcclain”. verne pointed out the discrapancy and then said, “but its not like i never messed his name up before either” and they both laughed. and so did i…

In an industrial society which confuses work and productivity, the necessity of producing has always been an enemy of the desire to create. - Raoul Vaneigem

take this job and shove it - Johnny Paycheck

by tempebamafan on Nov 14, 2010 5:57 PM CST up reply actions

I noticed that too,

and it made me think of last year all those times gary was on finebaum and all they would talk about was gary messing up our players names game in and game out.

by Mr. Abe Froman on Nov 14, 2010 7:06 PM CST up reply actions

I think Danielson

called him Orlando McCaleb.

Losing doesn't make me want to quit. It makes me want to fight that much harder. – Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

by BamaGirlinDallas on Nov 14, 2010 10:48 PM CST up reply actions

Shout out to my boy Square. He finally put some finsh on his pressure in this game.

I’m hoping he can do the same to Cam. Lord knows we will need it.

Roll Tide.

by Destindune on Nov 14, 2010 5:34 PM CST reply actions

We got one more game to "get it right"

Hope for the best…

Tigers Hide and rooooll that TIDE!

by JiggaTide on Nov 14, 2010 6:38 PM CST reply actions

I'm impressed with Moseley... True freshman right? He's going to be a superstar.

"I'd rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt nothing and succeed."

by fund3rburk on Nov 14, 2010 7:14 PM CST reply actions

*Mosley (don't want to pull a verne)

"I'd rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt nothing and succeed."

by fund3rburk on Nov 14, 2010 7:15 PM CST up reply actions

Agreed.

He’s really heady on the field and seems like he’s always in the right place. If can add 10 to 15 pounds and keep his speed I think we might be looking at Rolando II.

by Bama philosophe on Nov 14, 2010 7:31 PM CST up reply actions

It's the line that bothers me.

Which line you ask? Both.

If Cam and Auburn don't go down for this there is no justice and the NCAA needs to apologize to Reggie Bush.

by 5026 on Nov 14, 2010 8:17 PM CST reply actions

^ This ^.

We’ll need 40+ minutes of possession and I’d say 42 points. 4 yards, cloud o’ dust, long drive, just move the sticks, TD.

That should mean AU gets 6-7 possessions and we only need about 1 stop to win 42-41 when we stop their 2-point conversion try.

Seriously, we need a couple pick sixes in this game, ‘cause we’re not gonna make them punt too many times. They’ll be going for just about every 4th down early, in addition to the usual onsides kick, their new Statute of Limitations™ play, and at some point I’m sure they’ll run Cam on a deep route again.

by Jeff Jones on Nov 14, 2010 9:11 PM CST up reply actions

Yeeah, "Statute of Limitations Play", excellent

Bama's Pluck and Grit have Writ Her Name in Crimson Flame

by TideFanAtlanta on Nov 14, 2010 9:31 PM CST up reply actions

+1 on the "trademark" lol

by cowcollegekiller on Nov 14, 2010 10:32 PM CST up reply actions

Seems we inched closer to a "complete" game

I’ll say this..when focused, we are good. I hope they can hang on to that focus through the IB. And Fairley is a total D-bag…much like his QBs dad.

"...because you've got your mind right, and that's the way we like it." Nick Saban

by SRGBama on Nov 14, 2010 9:05 PM CST reply actions

I hope Nacho knocks Fairley the eff out...

in a clean-hit kind of way, though.

by cowcollegekiller on Nov 14, 2010 10:35 PM CST up reply actions

I'd like to see...

TR step up and flip him when he comes in after McElroy. Show him that good players can whip somebody’s ass without using cheap shots.

by TiderInTN on Nov 14, 2010 10:50 PM CST up reply actions

Damn right

Face-plant his big ass then clear the freaking benches when he gets up ackin’ a fool lol.

by cowcollegekiller on Nov 15, 2010 1:13 AM CST via mobile up reply actions

Who said anything about him getting up?

by TiderInTN on Nov 15, 2010 8:36 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

+1 for ESP, my friend!

"...because you've got your mind right, and that's the way we like it." Nick Saban

by SRGBama on Nov 15, 2010 12:42 PM CST up reply actions

I knew you were going to say that.

by TiderInTN on Nov 15, 2010 2:46 PM CST up reply actions

17-14

Auburn v. Mississippi St.

Enough said?

by lbdasdog on Nov 14, 2010 10:26 PM CST reply actions

That was not the same team.

As the season has worn on Cam has become very accurate as a passer. Personally I would not be surprised if he was on the juice. He looks like Roger Clements throwing a fast ball.

If Cam and Auburn don't go down for this there is no justice and the NCAA needs to apologize to Reggie Bush.

by 5026 on Nov 14, 2010 11:04 PM CST up reply actions

Steroids are expensive

Where would he get that kind of…

by Bubdylan on Nov 14, 2010 11:37 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Happy as well...

with the performance. I thought the team responded well after the LSU loss and stayed focused on the task at hand. That shows some improvement in itself. I hope we continue to see improvement. I was most disappointed with not being to run the ball well. I had noted last week that we must run more to the ouside because teams are run blitzing and trying to clog the middle. I hope we will do more with jet sweeps. Also credit the coaches on getting Ingram the ball on the outside pass and he just made a play. I also think Maze was the player of the game and his run turned the momentum in our favor. On a non-related subject, Fairley is a thug, even vern and danielson pointed it. I knew he was doing that to quarterbacks.

Baptman

by baptman on Nov 14, 2010 10:41 PM CST reply actions