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Alabama
UCLA coach Jim Mora points to Alabama mindset for building the Bruin program | AL.com
"I have a vision of what I want our program to be as we continue to build. We're still in the infancy stages. We want to be a team that's disciplined, tough, physical, that's hard, mentally tough. We're looking for big fast athletes that come from successful programs where they're used to winning and know what it takes to win."
"We want to be a team that can get in tight games and somehow pull it out at the end," Mora said. "I think if you look at a mindset, maybe, you point towards Alabama and what they do. They're big and physical and tough and they find a way to win when they have to win."
I could be mistaken, PAWL, but I thought I just heard Jim Mora say "Row Tahd". Immahangupanlissin.
Alabama sets specific goal for how many yards it can allow per carry | AL.com
It also sets a very specific goal. The nation's No. 7 ranked rushing defense breaks it down by the carry.
"3.3 yards per carry," senior linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "No more than that."
For the season, the Crimson Tide is ahead of the pace. Opponents have averaged exactly 3.0 yards per carry in 172 attempts.
Couple big failures on that front (Virginia Tech averaged 4.6 YPC, and ATM averaged 5.1), but the defense this year has done a fine job of stiffening against the cupcakes to keep the cumulative numbers down, thanks in large part to keeping Georgia State down below one yard per carry.
"I've been asked too many times already about last year's game, last week's game. Our game, their game; doesn't have anything to do with this game," Saban said during his Wednesday post-practice press conference. "Does not have any effect on the outcome of this game. It's going to be about how we play when we play on Saturday. That's what our players need to understand."
Respect the Process©, A'IGHT?
Arkansas
This is actually part of Arkansas' game notes. #BIELEMA pic.twitter.com/xLiFgAPIGn
— Marc Torrence (@marctorrence) October 16, 2013
This is fantastic. Marc Torrence sums up the fairy tale quite well, "Our coach met his wife at a blackjack table and proposed on a cruise ship."
What to watch in the SEC: Week 8 | ESPN
7. Can Hogs "snap out of it?" Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said this week that he doesn't want his players to be a bunch of "Debbie Downers" after Saturday's 52-7 loss to South Carolina. That was the Razorbacks' fourth straight loss, the most lopsided loss of Bielema's coaching career and matching his worst defeat as a head coach. Unfortunately for Arkansas, it visits No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, where it will be a four-touchdown underdog. It could be a long second half of the season for the Razorbacks.
Arkansas vs Alabama: Preview Q&A With Roll Bama Roll
I did our weekly Q&A for an upcoming opponent here. Check it out.
Arkansas' Darius Philon is ready to visit the stadium that was almost home | AL.com
The three-star defensive tackle planned to go to Alabama, had accepted a scholarship offer from the Crimson Tide months before. But he'd hurt his knee and had subsequently been asked by Alabama to accept a grayshirt and defer his enrollment.
It was an option that wasn't appealing to him, but he had taken no other visits after committing to Alabama. He had a full scholarship offer from Arkansas -- where his Vigor teammate, defensive end JaMichael Winston, was signing - but he'd never stepped foot in Fayetteville.
Couple of things here: 1) Yeah, big bad Saban and his vicious methods really screwed this kid. He was given the choice to wait or go elsewhere, and that has proved ruinous to his career. 2) I really wish things had worked out differently so we could have gotten Philon. He is developing into a heck of a player.
Videos
Jarrick Williams
For any bouncy hoop fans out there, here is Bama coach Anthony Grant speaking at SEC Media Days