Matt Hayes
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Login or register to post comments Printer-friendly version Saturday, Sep. 26, 2009 - 7:41 p.m. ET
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Let's get the formalities out of the way, shall we? Here is Alabama, everyone.
You wouldn't know it listening to perfectionist coach Nick Saban, but Alabama is the most complete team in the country.Maybe you remember the Tide, last seen skulking off the field at the Superdome as the poster team for all that is wrong with the BCS while the entire free world – and a few blowhard congressmen – embraced the insanity that is overreacting to the moment.
How fitting that in this gotta-claim-it, gotta-name-it weekly BCS frenzy, one team now clearly stands alone among all the uncertainty. Not defending national champion Florida. Not Texas or Oklahoma or any other Big 12 wannabe. Not the latest flash from the Pac-10 or, for the love of God, the ACC.
It's Alabama. And frankly, it's not that close.
The Tide's latest seal clubbing, a 35-7 victory over Arkansas, underscored all that is right with the most complete team in the nation. And very little of what's wrong.
Unless, of course, you're perfectionist coach Nick Saban.
"We have a lot of things we can improve on," Saban said. "My message to the team was, 'If you haven't sold out for the team, what are you waiting for?'"
Sounds a lot like my message: if you're not sold on Alabama yet, what are you waiting for?
The defense lost one of its best players (linebacker Dont'a Hightower) to a knee injury, and still held Arkansas' point-a-minute offense 43 points and 212 yards under its season averages. Freshman tailback Trent Richardson, meanwhile, Tommie Frazier-ed the Hogs by breaking four sure tackles on a 55-yard touchdown run that opened the scoring and set the physical tone for the day.
That's the way it works here at Alabama. The game is about imposing your will on both sides of the ball; it's me against you and someone is going to submit. And anyone who knows anything about the meticulously fanatical Saban, knows the guys in crimson aren't giving in.
"It's our mentality," said Alabama tailback Mark Ingram. "We're taking it right at you and you better be ready. We're only going to get better."
Just don't tell the Nicktator. He's not happy about the offense, which wasn't consistent in the running game (134 yards, two TDs) and didn't throw enough deep balls to take advantage of mismatches the staff recognized earlier this week. Tide quarterback Greg McElroy, gaining confidence and momentum each week, threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns.
The defense didn't escape Saban's wrath, either. Despite overwhelming the Hogs and making white-hot quarterback Ryan Mallett look like Ryan Seacrest, the Nicktator wasn't happy that the secondary blew a basic coverage and gave up a lousy seven points in 60 minutes.
"He doesn't like us making mistakes," said Tide linebacker Cory Reamer. "Not one."
After that one mistake, after Arkansas closed to 14-7 early in the third quarter, Alabama peeled off 21 points in a span of 12 minutes that featured a little bit of everything -- special teams (blocked punt), defense (two three-and-outs) and offense (a 99-yard touchdown drive) -- plus a whole lot of Tide mentality.
This isn't Florida and its fancy-schmantzy spread option, or Penn State's Spread HD, or any other hokey, funky scheme that makes one coach look smarter than the other. This is what it is: pain. Line up, trade blows and the toughest, meanest guy wins.
It's not scoring a ton of points one week, and overreacting to the moment the next. It's not losing the last two games of last season – after sitting at No.1 in the BCS standings for five weeks -- and packing it in for 2009.
Losing to Florida in the best game of 2008 was hard enough for Alabama. Losing to Utah in the Sugar Bowl with zero intensity and effort was a mortal sin. That's not overreacting to the moment.
Related Links
Recap: Alabama 35, Arkansas 7
That's embracing reality.
"Last year is never out of our minds," said Alabama wideout Marquis Maze. "It's up to us to make up for it every day this year."
If you're not sold on Alabama yet, what are you waiting for
Archive Email Matt Hayes Comments (11) More
Login or register to post comments Printer-friendly version Saturday, Sep. 26, 2009 - 7:41 p.m. ET
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Let's get the formalities out of the way, shall we? Here is Alabama, everyone.
You wouldn't know it listening to perfectionist coach Nick Saban, but Alabama is the most complete team in the country.Maybe you remember the Tide, last seen skulking off the field at the Superdome as the poster team for all that is wrong with the BCS while the entire free world – and a few blowhard congressmen – embraced the insanity that is overreacting to the moment.
How fitting that in this gotta-claim-it, gotta-name-it weekly BCS frenzy, one team now clearly stands alone among all the uncertainty. Not defending national champion Florida. Not Texas or Oklahoma or any other Big 12 wannabe. Not the latest flash from the Pac-10 or, for the love of God, the ACC.
It's Alabama. And frankly, it's not that close.
The Tide's latest seal clubbing, a 35-7 victory over Arkansas, underscored all that is right with the most complete team in the nation. And very little of what's wrong.
Unless, of course, you're perfectionist coach Nick Saban.
"We have a lot of things we can improve on," Saban said. "My message to the team was, 'If you haven't sold out for the team, what are you waiting for?'"
Sounds a lot like my message: if you're not sold on Alabama yet, what are you waiting for?
The defense lost one of its best players (linebacker Dont'a Hightower) to a knee injury, and still held Arkansas' point-a-minute offense 43 points and 212 yards under its season averages. Freshman tailback Trent Richardson, meanwhile, Tommie Frazier-ed the Hogs by breaking four sure tackles on a 55-yard touchdown run that opened the scoring and set the physical tone for the day.
That's the way it works here at Alabama. The game is about imposing your will on both sides of the ball; it's me against you and someone is going to submit. And anyone who knows anything about the meticulously fanatical Saban, knows the guys in crimson aren't giving in.
"It's our mentality," said Alabama tailback Mark Ingram. "We're taking it right at you and you better be ready. We're only going to get better."
Just don't tell the Nicktator. He's not happy about the offense, which wasn't consistent in the running game (134 yards, two TDs) and didn't throw enough deep balls to take advantage of mismatches the staff recognized earlier this week. Tide quarterback Greg McElroy, gaining confidence and momentum each week, threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns.
The defense didn't escape Saban's wrath, either. Despite overwhelming the Hogs and making white-hot quarterback Ryan Mallett look like Ryan Seacrest, the Nicktator wasn't happy that the secondary blew a basic coverage and gave up a lousy seven points in 60 minutes.
"He doesn't like us making mistakes," said Tide linebacker Cory Reamer. "Not one."
After that one mistake, after Arkansas closed to 14-7 early in the third quarter, Alabama peeled off 21 points in a span of 12 minutes that featured a little bit of everything -- special teams (blocked punt), defense (two three-and-outs) and offense (a 99-yard touchdown drive) -- plus a whole lot of Tide mentality.
This isn't Florida and its fancy-schmantzy spread option, or Penn State's Spread HD, or any other hokey, funky scheme that makes one coach look smarter than the other. This is what it is: pain. Line up, trade blows and the toughest, meanest guy wins.
It's not scoring a ton of points one week, and overreacting to the moment the next. It's not losing the last two games of last season – after sitting at No.1 in the BCS standings for five weeks -- and packing it in for 2009.
Losing to Florida in the best game of 2008 was hard enough for Alabama. Losing to Utah in the Sugar Bowl with zero intensity and effort was a mortal sin. That's not overreacting to the moment.
Related Links
Recap: Alabama 35, Arkansas 7
That's embracing reality.
"Last year is never out of our minds," said Alabama wideout Marquis Maze. "It's up to us to make up for it every day this year."
If you're not sold on Alabama yet, what are you waiting for