Jumbo Package: Alabama falls to AP #2 headed into bye week

Happy Monday, everyone. The Tide took care of business against the Hogs, and now everyone across the south waits for what will be the most hyped regular season game in years. Mac Jones impressed everyone.

“Mac did a really good job of executing the offense,” Saban said. “He was very efficient in the passing game.”

The efficiency Saban praised in his comments centered around a solid performance of 18 of 22 passing for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

Alabama scored on seven of its first eight possessions and had the Razorbacks reeling after the first quarter.

“I felt really prepared, and we were prepared,” Jones said. “It’s football, and I’ve been playing since I was five. Everybody around me has been playing since they were five, so no big deal.”

It was a good night all around. Trevon Diggs took one to the house for the second week in a row.

The Tide is now outscoring opponents 79-19 in points off turnovers this season while continuing the steady stream of takeaways. It has at least one in 62 of the last 67 games in a span that’s produced 111 turnovers (73 interceptions and 38 fumbles).

Isolating this season, the Tide has taken 18 possessions while losing just five. Interceptions total 10 with eight fumble recoveries.

By the way, the week I stopped doing the Wheel of TOTO Domination posts we got our first of the season, and have now scored one in every game since. You’re welcome.

Moving on to LSU...

That’s right, you are the underdogs, men. Disrespected on your home field. Your home field!

It’s interesting to see these two ranked in the 60s and 70s among rushing offenses while both cracking the top five in passing. A repeat of 2011 this is not.

Also worth noting, Tua Tagovailoa is still No. 3 in touchdown passes thrown despite having none in the past two games. His 27 fall behind LSU’s Joe Burrow’s 30 and Washington State’s Anthony Gordon who has 32.

We should definitely be expecting a shootout, and Alabama should have its primary trigger man.

The Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback will miss today’s game with Arkansas after undergoing surgery on his ankle, but Tagovailoa’s journey back to the field has been a smooth one.

“He’s absolutely doing even better than expected,” Saban told ESPN’s Tom Luginbill during an interview that aired on SEC Nation. “Didn’t have a lot of swelling this time around, so that sort of extenuates the ability to rehab. And he’s doing well.”

Great to hear. We need 400+ out of him in 12 days.

Mark Ingram got a special delivery in Tuscaloosa.

Mark Ingram was the star of the show of Saturday night’s celebration at Bryant-Denny Stadium of Alabama’s 2009 national championship team.

Ingram, though, will remember his trip to Tuscaloosa for a whole lot more.

Ingram’s wife, Chelsea, announced Sunday evening on Instagram that the couple unexpectedly welcomed a daughter, Mayla, earlier that day during their trip to Alabama.

That’s just how it’s supposed to be, folks.

The Dolphins are getting rid of everyone, and Kenyan Drake is the latest to move.

The Miami Dolphins have agreed in principle to a trade involving running back Kenyan Drake, according to a league source, and Drake did not accompany the team to Pittsburgh for Monday night’s game against the Steelers.

The identity of the team acquiring Drake was not immediately known, but an agreement was reached Saturday night.

Turns out that it was the Arizona Cardinals. He will be catching a lot of screens there.

Last, Arkansas has decided to stop paying Bret Bielema and dare him to sue.

It has become fairly common knowledge that the Razorback Foundation, with the blessing of the University of Arkansas, decided former head coach Bret Bielema was not living up to his end of the contract.

His contract called for him to actively pursue another job.

Instead, Bielema became a volunteer for the New England Patriots for more than a year. Then it was announced he would become the defensive line coach for the Patriots in 2019.

From the time he was fired at Arkansas in November 2017 until Dec. 31, 2018, the Foundation paid him $320,833.33 every month, but nothing since.

That could get ugly.

That’s about it for today. Have a great week.

Roll Tide.