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Though it ranks seventh in the 14-team SEC in red-zone defense, but that only counts the percentage of scores inside the 20. The Tide allows points 81.1 percent of the time, but touchdowns came just 37.8 of red-zone trips. Only two teams have lower touchdown percentages as Mississippi State and Ole Miss checked in at 37.5 percent.
It'll face the SEC's best red-zone offense in the league title game at 3 p.m. Saturday. Missouri is scoring 92.1 percent of the time with touchdowns on 66 percent of those occasions.
Can I haz back the Bama defense that doesn't bend or break??
Forget about it | TuscaloosaNews.com
Overall, though, don't expect too must chest thumping over 456 passing yards allowed and the sheer amount of explosive plays Auburn made in the passing game. Seven different Tigers receivers hauled in passes, including seven receptions that covered at least 21 yards or more. The corrections for the lessons learned began Monday on the practice field and in film study, as the team began preparing for the SEC Championship Game.
"I just think that we try to correct the mistakes that we made and show a guy why things happened the way they did, whether it was eye control, not maintaining position on the receiver, not keeping a guy cut off, not playing the right leverage on the guy when you have help," UA coach Nick Saban said. "I think these things are technical in nature, and obviously we want to execute a little better than that. That's how we correct things in the film, and that's what we'll do."
Forget about it? Given that the most important game of the season is just five days away, I surely hope our defense has a short memory. What I hope happens is the secondary uses what transpired against Auburn as motivation. I hope they play with a chip on their shoulder the rest of the season. I hope beyond all hope, we never see a Bama defense give up that many yards in a single game, ever again.
Lane Kiffin a finalist for award honoring nation's top assistant coach | AL.com
Kiffin's Alabama offense is ranked second overall in the SEC gaining 489.3 yards a game. It's third in scoring offense with 36.7 points a game. "He's a great offensive mastermind," Alabama center Ryan Kelly said. "I think that's why he was so excited. He knew it was going to work. He's got all the confidence in all 11 guys he has out there on offense. To play for a guy like that, it's great. It builds momentum for the offense the entire game."
Real talk, without Kiffin calling plays, how many losses does Bama have this season? Three? Four? Amari and Blake are co-MVP's in my book but Kiffin deserves all the credit in the world for how he's managed this offense.
When Florida State does this, it's a negative, when Alabama does it ... - Tomahawk Nation
When Florida State does this, it's a negative, when Alabama does it ...
They mad. They real mad. And also bad at counting (see below)
Alabama practice report: Injured starter returns to full speed as Tide heads indoors | AL.com
Tight end Brian Vogler appeared to be practicing at full speed after stretching knee ligaments Nov. 22 against Western Carolina. He was making cuts on the braced knee. The fifth-year senior did not practice last week and played only the final snap Saturday against Auburn.
The receiving corps has been both immensely important and inconsistent this year. But be it Darius White's one-handed snare of a Mauk pass against Texas A&M, Hunt's two bombs against Tennessee and Arkansas, or Sasser's leaping one-on-one grab against South Carolina, Missouri's season has been defined by plays these guys make. Mizzou survived (mostly) with one to two of them battling injuries in the middle of the year; the Tigers have thrived with all three battling late. They don't always bring it, but they've brought it when it mattered the most. That's how you get remembered.
Mizzou doesn't have a Sammy Coates or Duke Williams but they have enough play makers on offense to give our secondary fits. As I said above, let's hope the defense uses the Iron Bowl as motivation and plays with a chip on their shoulder.
Mizzou Links: Tigers' defense will face toughest test against Alabama - Rock M Nation
With Chappell in the lineup, Missouri ran 40 plays for 130 yards (3.25 per) -- 16 rushes for 51 (3.19 per), 13-of-22 passing for 99 (4.50 per) and an interception and 2 sacks for 20 yards. With Chappell out, Missouri ran 43 plays for 293 yards (6.81 per) -- 23 rushes for 127 (5.52 average) and a score, 12-of-20 passing for 166 (8.30 per), a score and a lost fumble. A pretty impressive thing about the Tigers' second-half running success? They did it everywhere. They could basically just choose which side they wanted to run and they'd get 6 yards a pop. That's a pretty nice luxury
Hugh Freeze signs $4 million Ole Miss deal, Josh McDaniels a Florida contender - SBNation.com
The Rebels head coach has signed a new deal that will pay him $4 million annually for the next four years, plus a bonus consideration for his staff estimated between $400,000 and $600,000, according to multiple sources. Four years is the maximum allowable number of years under state law. An announcement from Ole Miss is expected Tuesday
I'm starting to honestly think Kiffin may end up in Gainesville as an under the radar hire.
Baylor hires PR firm to advocate for College Football Playoff spot | SI.com
Baylor has hired a PR firm to advocate for a College Football Playoff spot, according to Jake Trotter of ESPN. A representative from Kevin Sullivan Communications told Trotter the firm was hired last week. Baylor (10-1) was ranked No. 7 in last week's Playoff committee rankings. This week's will be released Tuesday night. TCU, which also finished 10-1 in the Big 12 but lost to Baylor 61-58 in October, is ranked two spots higher at No. 5.
I don't know if this is a common practice or not but...
The SEC can no longer claim to be the best conference in college football - ESPN
For the first time in four seasons, the SEC won't have four 11-win teams. It very easily could have only one. Alabama is 11-1. Missouri and Mississippi State are 10-2.
The best running backs in the FBS play in the Big Ten. The best quarterbacks are in the Pac-12. So are the best defensive linemen. The ACC skunked you 4-0 this past Saturday. The Big 12 is the only conference with a chance of putting two teams in the playoff.
This Alabama team may be No. 1, but as we said Saturday night, it is flawed.
This Alabama team would be what, a 10-point underdog to the team of five years ago? Yes, the Crimson Tide, as we stand on the cusp of season's end, is one of the four best teams in the nation. No one out there is without flaws, except perhaps Oregon, which discovered the art of defense as it raced down the homestretch.
Oh wow, ole Ivan went full derp here. I normally don't thump my SEC chest but I've never wanted to slap so many sports writers in the face as I have since this past Saturday. I get it, the SEC didn't have its finest day and Bama's struggles with Auburn didn't help any, but that 4-0 skunking came on the backs of three of the worst teams in the league.
FSU, the best team in the ACC, played one the worst UF teams in recent history. And needed two missed UF field goals to get the win.
Clemson beat a very bad USC team.
Louisville, one of the few ranked ACC teams, narrowly defeated Kentucky, a six loss team at the time, by only four points.
The best win of the day was GT's win over UGA. But even that Bulldog team lost to both USC and UF...
But the SEC can't claim it's the best conference....... ..... ...... ......
Fact: ACC delivers message to SEC - ESPN
This is where the double standards come into play. Florida State has won more than its fair share of close games in the fourth quarter this season, inside and outside ACC play. But the growing sentiment is the Seminoles are no match for Alabama, which gave up 630 yards against Auburn on Saturday but was praised for its plucky resilience and ability to … wait for it … come back and win in the fourth quarter.
WOOO BOY the ACC is eating up those huge wins over the worst of the SEC....I guess one man's fact is another man's spin...But hey ACC, don't let actual facts get in the way of a good narrative.
"Florida State has won more than its fair share of close games in the fourth quarter this season, inside and outside ACC play."
They sure did. To an unranked NC State, Miami, Virginia, Florida, Notre Dame, Boston College, and Oklahoma State.
Alabama had four close games to #13 Ole Miss, #10 Mississippi State, #20 Auburn and #23 LSU. See the difference?
"But the growing sentiment is the Seminoles are no match for Alabama."
Well that just isn't true. I think Alabama fans are confident Bama would be able to beat FSU but after watching our defense get smoked for 600+ yards, I think any level headed Bama fan wouldn't dismiss FSU so easily, especially considering the passing game FSU has at their disposal.