Last week we found our hero confident, yet concerned about the Tide's chances against the visiting Georgia Bulldogs. His concerns were warranted, especially after UGA's first drive resulted in a TD after converting three third and longs, but the team still showed the attitude and effort that has us all so confident. Still, the game provided more questions for the Tide faithful, and the BACWI is need of a little updating. Until our offense proves it can go out and execute in all four quarters, everyone is a cause for concern.
| Bocephus Album Cover Worry Index |
vs Florida State
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vs Houston
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at Ole Miss
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vs Tennessee
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vs LSU
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at Mississippi State
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vs La. Monroe
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at Auburn
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9/29 - vs Florida State (Jacksonville, FL)
The Seminoles are at 2-1 coming off of a bye week, and their two wins came against a not very good UAB team that scored 24 points and took a 17-10 lead into the half, and a 16-6 victory at Colorado, despite an offensive performance that prompted Jimbo Fisher to proclaim it "The most ridiculous demonstration of football I've been around in my life." I'm not a big believer in the benefits of a bye week, especially this early in the season, but you have to know that the FSU staff has been drilling their players for two solid weeks in preperation for this game. Despite the offense's troubles, the Seminole defense is looking solid once again, but the Tide catches a break with the arrest of leading tackler Geno Hayes. Though Hayes isn't suspended for the game, he was demoted to second team, so he'll at least sit out a play or two. Unless the Tide offense can really get going, this is likely to be a close defensive struggle that will come down to which QB can manage the game better. My money is on Wilson, but this is a game that really worries me now. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound
10/06 - vs Houston
Houston is sitting at 2-1 right now, with the 1 being a 27-48 loss to fellow offensive chic powerhouse Oregon. While their wins over Tulane and Colorado State aren't exactly spectacular (the Rams have dropped ten straight but still rang up 27 against the Cougars), our pass coverage has me worried about their pass heavy offensive attack. Last year's team won ten games on the strength of Kevin Kolb's arm, and the Houston game plan doesn't look like it's changed. In last week's win over the Rams, Houston piled up an even 400 yards of offense with 247 of them coming through the air. QB Case Keenum (yep, that's a Texas name) completed 18 of 22 for 197 of those yards with 2 TDs, while backup Blake Joseph hit 4 of 8 for another 50. The UGA game would have been a lot uglier for us if their receivers and TEs had caught everything they should have, and that kind of poor coverage makes me exceptionally wary of the Houston offense. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound
10/13 - at Ole Miss
Ole Miss continued their disturbing trend of playing much better teams far too close with a 24-30 loss to Florida this weekend. They've given our own beloved Tide all they had the past two seasons, taking us to OT last year, and will try to finally get a big SEC win in Oxford. I'm not as concerned about the Rebels as I am of the two preceding opponents, but we still need to be wary. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound
10/20 - vs Tennessee
I'm tempted to leave the Vols at Family Tradition level concern, but they've got a good QB, and the aforementioned pass coverage problems and offensive struggles are what's upgrading everyone to Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound. The Vols can't stop the run, apparently, giving up 130 on the ground to Arkansas State, so that gives me a little comfort that we can set Grant, Coffee, and whoever else loose on them all day long, but this has all the makings of a shootout, so until the offense proves it can get going early, concern remains. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound
11/3 - vs LSU
Their win over SC was the best one so far, but injury issues for LSU let the 'Cocks hand around for longer than they should have. LSU is still the class of the conference, at least until Florida comes calling and we get to see what each team is really made of. The Pressure is On
11/10 - at Mississippi State
The Bulldogs will probably be riding a three game skid, with losses to Tennessee, at West Virginia, and at Kentucky, when Alabama comes to Starkville, and they're the one of two teams I feel confident enough to leave at...Family Tradition
11/17 - vs Lousiana-Monroe
This is the other one. They gave us a good fight for a half last year, but the talent and depth differentials will wear them out fast enough. Family Tradition
11/24 - at Auburn
The Teagles still look bad, struggling against the mighty Aggies of New Mexico State this past weekend, and really don't look like a team that can get to eight wins right now. But the Iron Bowl is still the kind of game where the record books can be thrown out the window, and the season is far from over, so there's always a chance they can pull it together and get on a hot streak before November 24th rolls around. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound