Sticking with Todd Spells Auburn Defeat

Auburn backup quarterback Neil Caudle (pictured left) has spent all week saying all the right things about how he supports starter Chris Todd, about waiting his turn, about how there’s no
quarterback controvery on the Plains.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Head coach Gene Chizik defended Todd somewhat, saying he isn't solely responsible for the Tigers’ suddenly moribund offense. So, that’s why Chizik is sticking with the ineffective Todd (8-of-14 for 47 yards last week in a 31-10 loss at LSU).

“Let me tell you something, Chris Todd is a quarterback, that when it is third-and-7 and he has five guys in his lap, that's not Chris Todd, that's different people.” Chizik said in his weekly news conference. “It’s just like when in the first five games and we were throwing for this many yards, yeah he threw a nice ball, but last time we checked there were guys protecting for him or a receiver went up and caught a great ball.”

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

The fact of the matter is if Auburn (5-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) has any chance of snapping its three-game losing streak and upsetting Ole Miss (5-2, 2-2) Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, they should forget all the niceties and insert Caudle as the starting quarterback.

He could be the spark to jump-start Auburn’s offense that has scored only 47 points and averaged only 103.0 yards passing during its losing streak.

Yes, it was in mop-up duty against LSU reserves, but Caudle did lead Auburn to its only touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter against LSU. He completed 3-of-5 passes for 34 yards and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen.


So, why not let Caudle start? Is it because they are afraid to throw him out there against an Ole Miss defense that is ranked ninth in nation in total defense and is allowing only 13.6 points per game? Or are they just content to see another insufferable performance by Todd (pictured right)?

Of course, it might not make any difference who starts at quarterback for Auburn if the Tigers’ defense doesn’t keep the other team’s quarterback from looking like he’s All-SEC.

Last week, LSU sophomore Jordan Jefferson had a career game against Auburn, completing 21-of-31 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Two weeks before that, Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett torched the Tigers for 274 yards and two touchdowns.

Ole Miss’ suddenly rejuvenated quarterback Jevan Snead should continue to trend, especially with explosive wide receiver-running back Dexter McCluster roaming free. McCluster racked up a career-high 260 yards total offense and a touchdown in the Rebels’ 30-17 victory against Arkansas last week.

Quarterback controversy or not, look for the Tigers’ losing streak to reach four games … Ole Miss 31, Auburn 16.

Magic City Classic Takes Center Stage

Alabama A&M players celebrate their 2008 victory in the Magic City Classic (Photo by Joe Songer/Birmingham News)

Back in the day, the moniker “Football Capital of the South” was appropriate for Legion Field.

The stadium on the west side of Birmingham, just a few miles from downtown, was the site of the Iron Bowl, the annual in-state Civil War battle for braggin’ rights between Alabama and Auburn, for many years.

Alabama played all of its marquee home games, such as USC, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Tennessee at the Old Gray Lady on Graymont. Auburn and Tennessee regularly met each other there. In fact in 1968, there was a doubleheader featuring Auburn against Tennessee and Alabama against LSU that attracted more than 137,000 spectators to Legion Field.

In its infancy, the SEC Championship Game also was played at Legion Field.

As the stadium aged and Auburn and Alabama made modern renovations to their on-campus arenas, the Iron Bowl moved to Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium and Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium almost 20 years ago. Both schools wanted the recruiting advantage of bringing high school prospects to their campus.

After 1993, the SEC Championship Game bolted for the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The Alabama High School Athletic Association brought its Super 6 Football Championships to Legion Field in 1996, but beginning this year those games will be played at Alabama and Auburn on a rotating basis.

UAB began a football program to try to fill the void, but Blazers’ football has never really caught on in Birmingham and now is in serious decline.

But there is one game that is still happy to call Legion Field home: the annual Magic City Classic between the Alabama A&M Bulldogs and Alabama State Hornets, the state’s two largest historically black colleges and universities.

It has become a premier event, surpassing the Bayou Classic in Louisiana between Grambling State and Southern as the No. 1 black college classic in the nation. The Alabama Sports Foundation is in charge of running the Magic City Classic and State Farm has signed up this year as the game’s title sponsor through 2011.

The 68^th State Farm Magic City Classic presented by Coca-Cola will be played Saturday afternoon.

The A&M-State rivalry is as intense as the Alabama-Auburn rivalry, but it’s more than a game, it’s an event. The battle of the bands, the fashion show, the parade, the parties are all part of what make the Magic City Classic magical.

In 2008, a record crowd of 69,113 watched A&M edge Alabama State 17-16. There also were more than 40,000 individuals tailgating on the grounds of Legion Field who never stepped foot inside the stadium.

A&M coach Anthony Jones was stunned, not by the outcome, but the fan support.

"When I heard the crowd of 69,000 and some change, it blew me away," Jones told the Huntsville Times after the game. "Both teams are in down years (but) the people in Birmingham know, the people at Alabama State know (and) the people at Alabama A&M know. They know when you line up at the Magic City Classic something magical is going to happen. And, if you miss it ... somebody is going to do something they haven't done all year long and for someone to have to tell you about it isn't the same. You can't beat this. It's great to be a part of this. Next year, you're going to have people scaling the wall in Spider-Man suits on trying to get in."

According to the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, the 2008 game was projected to have a $12.8 million economic impact on the region, ranking it fourth behind only the Talladega Superspeedway's two NASCAR races and the Regions Charity Classic among the region's annual sporting events.

It should be interesting to see what kind of crowd shows up Saturday since the AMP Energy 500 Sprint Cup race events will held this weekend in Talladega.

I don’t think that will stop the A&M and State folks from making their annual journey to Birmingham. In fact, the recreational vehicles have been arriving at Legion Field since Tuesday.

A&M has dominated the rivalry in recent years, winning four consecutively and eight of the past 10. This year's game has added importance because A&M is trying to stay alive in the SWAC Eastern Division race. The Bulldogs (4-3 overall, 1-2 SWAC) trail Alcorn State (2-4, 2-2) and Jackson State (2-5, 2-2) by a half game and cannot afford another conference loss in their quest to return to the SWAC Championship game. Alabama State (4-3, 1-3) is fourth in the division.

Birmingham understands what a jewel it has in the Magic City Classic and what it means to the city. Earlier this year, it extended the city’s contract to host the game through 2014.

Slater Turns Tuskegee into Powerhouse

Willie Slater makes only a fraction of what Nick Saban makes ($4 million a year) to coach college football, but he’s proving Saban isn’t the only coach in the state of Alabama to turn a program into a national contender.

While Saban’s exploits in three seasons at the University of Alabama have been well chronicled since the Crimson Tide lured him away from the Miami Dolphins at the end of the 2006 season, Slater’s accomplishments at Tuskegee University have flown under the radar.

In his first three seasons at the helm of the Golden Tigers, Slater, 53, compiled a 32-3 record, captured the 2007 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) national championship with a 12-0 record, won three consecutive SIAC championships and twice was named SIAC Coach of the Year.

This season, Slater has guided Tuskegee to a 6-2 record overall – with both losses coming to in-state rivals Miles and Alabama A&M. The Golden Tigers are ranked fifth in this week’s Sheridan Broadcasting Network Black College Football Poll and 16th in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll.

Slater also has Tuskegee in line to win its fourth consecutive SIAC title and 25th conference crown overall. The Golden Tigers put themselves in that position when they rallied in the final minute to beat previously unbeaten Albany State 21-19 last week on the road. Tailback Tony Forney scored the winning touchdown on a 4-yard sweep around left end with 25 seconds remaining to cap an 85-yard drive. The outcome left both teams with 6-1 conference records, but Tuskegee holds the tie-breaker edge.

"This is by far the biggest win for me as head coach for a lot of reasons,'' said Slater, now 38-5. “It means we still have a chance to win the conference. It showed the kids we can come from behind. It has a lot of stuff with it. We've had to go through some things. We've gone through some growing pains. It showed we have grown; we have to keep it going.''

Tuskegee rallied while having to play backup quarterback Joshua Harris for most of the fourth quarter. Harris alternated with redshirt freshman starter Jeremy Williams early in the game, but took over when Williams went to the sidelines with a bruised shoulder early in the final quarter. During the winning drive, Harris completed four of six passes for 70 yards and ran 15 yards on a scramble.

If the Golden Tigers win their remaining conference games at Lane and against Stillman – the bottom two teams in the SIAC – they will win their fourth consecutive SIAC crown.

Tuskegee is Slater’s first head-coaching job. The Coffeeville, Ala., native has been an assistant throughout the state at Troy, West Alabama, North Alabama and Jacksonville State. He also spent two years as an assistant at Temple before coming to Tuskegee. Seventeen of his 30 years in coaching have been as an offensive coordinator.

He is surprised by the success at he has had at Tuskegee. “I’d be lying if I said I knew we’d win as much as have with this being my first head-coaching job,” Slater said. “I knew I could coach, but being a head coach is totally different. In the past, I could pass things on to the head coach, but now it stops with me.

“I didn’t know for sure we’d be this successful, but I was determined to do best I could. The key to all of it is lining up good help. We’ve been fortunate that we have had some good players and some good coaches.”

Legendary Hall of Fame coach Billy Joe, in his second season at Miles, likes the way Slater runs Tuskegee’s program. Before the schools played earlier this season, Joe said, “They play championship type of football every time they step on the field. They are fundamentally sound and they rarely make mistakes to hurt themselves. We’re still trying to get to that championship level.”

Slater, a former quarterback at West Alabama (then Livingston University), said there’s nothing special he’s doing. “My basic philosophy is to get young men to play hard and have good fundamentals,” Slater said. “If you can do that, you’ll have a chance to win.”

Going four-for-four as SIAC champions would mean a great deal to Slater, especially since the Golden Tigers do not compete in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

“We forfeit our eligibility for the playoffs because we play Alabama State on Thanksgiving Day and that’s the first weekend of the playoffs,” Slater said referring to the traditional Turkey Day Classic in Montgomery. “I’d love to compete for the Division II national championship, but the circumstances don’t allow us.

“It would be great to win the SIAC title again. That’s what we try to do. We try to win every game we play and be the best in conference, and the best in the country.”

Slater chuckled when I compared what he has done at Tuskegee to what Saban is doing at Alabama. For the record, Saban is 27-8 with the Tide, including 8-0 this year and ranked No. 2 in nation.

“That’s a different league,” Slater said. “I wouldn’t mind being at that level. When I was at Temple, we played some of those schools, Miami, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Navy when Paul Johnson was there. I think some of same stuff we’re doing works against those teams. I wouldn’t mind having the opportunity to do something against them.”

Who knows, if Slater continues to work his magic at Tuskegee, perhaps one day he’ll get an opportunity as a head coach at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

(Photos by Mark Almond/Birmingham News)

Observations on Tide, Tigers, Trojans and Blazers

With all four of Alabama’s Football Bowl Subdivision teams on television Saturday – plus some other games of interest – my remote got a workout. It was still smoking Sunday morning from all the channel surfing.

I want to share with you what I learned from my channel flipping.

* Alabama's massive nose tackle Terrence “Mount” Cody might not have great leaping ability, but when he gets penetration with a big push on a field goal attempt he doesn’t have to. That’s how he was able to block two field goal attempts in the fourth quarter to preserve the Crimson Tide’s narrow 12-10 victory against the Tennessee Volunteers and the Tide's perfect season.

* Vols place-kicker Daniel Lincoln made it easy for Cody by not getting any lift on either kick.

* Despite allowing a late fourth-quarter touchdown, Alabama’s defense is still the best in the land.

* Alabama sophomore running back Mark Ingram finally lost his first fumble in 322 career touches to set up Tennessee’s touchdown and he was held below 100 yards rushing (OK, he rushed for 99 yards), but he still deserves serious consideration for the Heisman Trophy.

* If Alabama is going to win the national championship, at some point quarterback Greg McElroy has to deliver in the passing game, something he hasn’t done the past three games. He threw for only 120 yards against the Vols and failed to throw a touchdown pass for the third consecutive game.

* Place-kicker Leigh Tiffin, who accounted for all of Alabama’s points against Tennessee with four field goals, might be the Tide’s most indispensable player right now. He has kicked 11 field goals in the past three games.

* Alabama’s open date is coming at a good time. The Tide is mentally and physically tired after five consecutive Southeastern Conference victories in as many weeks.

* Auburn could use an open date to regroup because the Tigers’ 2009 season is beginning to resemble their 2008 season when they started 4-1, but lost six of their final seven games to finish 5-7. They have lost three consecutive games since starting this season 5-0.

* Auburn’s offense, which was so explosive early in the season, has become a bust during their losing streak. The Tigers managed a grand total of 203 yards in their 31-10 loss at LSU Saturday night.

* Auburn should make a change at quarterback right now. Install Neil Caudle as the starter for the ineffective Chris Todd. Perhaps, that will rejuvenate the Tigers heading into their home game against Ole Miss on Saturday.

* The Sun Belt Conference should rename its offensive player of the week award the Levi Brown Award for the Troy Trojans’ senior quarterback. Brown has been named the conference’s offensive player of the week three of the past four weeks and undoubtedly will make it four of five after throwing for a school-record 469 yards and a touchdown in Troy’s 50-26 victory against North Texas. He completed 27-of-44 passes without an interception.

* UAB is an embarrassment to football. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to what Blazers head coach Neil Callaway said after UAB lost 27-7 at Marshall, while being penalized 15 times for 135 yards. “For us to have however many penalties we had is embarrassing,” Callaway said.

* UAB senior quarterback Joseph Webb should petition the NCAA for an immediate transfer to Auburn. The Tigers could use someone like Webb, who accounted for 329 yards total offense (129 rushing, 200 passing) and a touchdown in the loss to Marshall.

Tide Will Rise in Defensive Battle

The annual college football game between Alabama and Tennessee used to be dubbed “The Third Saturday in October” because from 1928 through 1994 the game was always played on that date, except for 1943 because of World War II. But when the Southeastern Conference expanded its schedule, the game started winding up on the fourth Saturday in October. This will be on the fourth Saturday in October for the ninth time in the last 14 years when the Tide and Volunteers meet in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite tradition being shoved aside, there’s still something special about the Alabama-Tennessee football rivalry. This year’s game has the added luster of Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC) being ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. So, the Vols (3-3, 1-2) can make their season by knocking off the Crimson Tide.

You would think that would get the usually talkative Lane Kiffin to say something provocative – OK, controversial – but the first-year Tennessee head coach has been on his best behavior this week. In other words, there’s no bulletin board material Alabama head coach Nick Saban can use to get his team motivated – as if they needed any.

Kiffin actually was quite complimentary of Alabama during his media conference earlier this week.

“We're going to have to do everything right to have a chance to make this matchup competitive again,” Kiffin said. “We are excited about the challenge. I think it fits our personality as a staff and as a team. These are the types of challenges that we like to have. We have to … practice extremely physical because this is a very physical team. This is a team that comes at you downhill on both sides of the ball and hits you in the mouth. I love the style, the way that they play and what they do. They are really a model for the direction we are going."

Saban sidestepped questions about the rivalry simply sounding his mantra about the game being important because of its significance on the outcome of the Tide’s season.

Alabama junior linebacker Rolando McClain echoed his coach’s sentiments. “It’s a big game, but like I said before, we’re not going to overhype the game,” McClain said “We’re just going to keep our composure and not get overwhelmed with who we’re playing and the circumstances behind it. We’re just going to try to go out and play our type of football.”

Pretty boring, bland stuff for a rivalry game such as Alabama-Tennessee.

Much of the talk this week has centered around what kind of defense 69-year-old Tennessee defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will throw at struggling Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy and whether Alabama’s defense will shut down Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton, coming off his impressive performance (310 yards passing, four TDs) against Georgia two weeks ago.

The other topic of conversation has been whether Alabama running back Mark Ingram, considered the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy in one poll, and Tennessee running back Montario Hardesty would be able to run the ball well enough to take some pressure off their respective quarterbacks.

So, what we’re looking at is a defensive tussle. Given that Alabama already has shut down quarterbacks such as Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor, Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett, Ole Miss’ Jevan Stead and South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia, I don’t any reason why the Tide won’t put a chokehold on Crompton.

Besides, Alabama has allowed only 36 points in four SEC games, so with the defenses expected to dominate, I give the edge to the Tide … Alabama 23, Tennessee 13.

Auburn's Dream Season Becoming Nightmare

Auburn quarterback Chris Todd (12) is sacked by Arkansas safety Jerico Nelson during the fourth quarter of their game on Oct. 10. (AP Photo/April L Brown)

A funny thing has happened to the Auburn Tigers on their way to a dream season in Gene Chizik’s first year as head coach.

It’s starting to resemble the nightmare of 2008 that led to Coach Tommy Tuberville’s departure.

Following a lopsided 44-23 loss at Arkansas, Auburn was upset at home by Kentucky 21-14 last week, their first loss to the Wildcats since 1966.

Suddenly, the Tigers (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) are at a crossroads. Will they fade down the stretch as they did in 2008 when they lost six of their final seven games to finish 5-7 after a 4-1 start or will they regroup from their first two losses this season and finish strong?

The schedule says Auburn will struggle to find victories in their final five games, beginning Saturday night at LSU. Auburn is an eight-point underdog and LSU is coming off a bye week following its loss to Florida two weeks ago.

LSU (5-1, 3-1) also is looking to kick-start its season for the homestretch as it tries to overtake Alabama for first place in the SEC West. With that in mind, I don’t see Auburn pulling off an upset at LSU, which would be the Tigers’ third consecutive loss.

Then comes the final four-game stretch against Ole Miss, Furman, Georgia and Alabama. The only road game in that span is at Georgia on Nov. 14 and there’s an open date before the Crimson Tide arrives on the Plains on Nov. 27, but if Kentucky can win at Auburn, then certainly Ole Miss and Alabama can.

Chizik understands what the Tigers are up against. In his weekly media conference, he discussed the LSU game and Auburn’s upcoming schedule.

"(The LSU game) will be huge, but every game is huge,” Chizik said. “October is a stretch for us where the schedule gets difficult, not only because of who we are playing, but when you look at games seven, eight and nine is when you see a lot of upsets occur. At this time of the year there are no more surprises, everyone knows what you are doing. There is no newness to anything. There is no first conference game or away game. At this point it becomes who can execute better, especially on the road. In my opinion this is the time when you see a lot of crazy things happen, because a team doesn't execute right. It is really hard to be good every week. So for us in particular, this game and the whole month itself is huge. If we want to be good throughout this month we will have to execute better."

If Auburn is going to right the ship, they have to regain their offensive magic. The Tigers scored only one offensive touchdown against Kentucky and was flagged for eight penalties in the fourth quarter, killing any kind of momentum they might have generated.

Quarterback Chris Todd also has to get back on track. He completed only 10-of-24 passes for 80 yards and threw an interception against Kentucky.

Chizik has not lost faith in Todd. "We think he's made really good decisions overall,” Chizik said on his weekly Tiger Talk call-in show Thursday night. “Everybody is looking at him, and they're going to see the ones he didn't hit. I can show a lot he has hit. He'll continue to get better.''

Perhaps, Todd will get better. Just don’t look for it to happen Saturday night in Death Valley at LSU, which has the best defense Auburn has faced this season.

The Tigers’ losing streak will reach three games … LSU 24, Auburn 10.

Ingram Destined for NFL Stardom

In the last 25 years only two running backs from the University of Alabama have made a dramatic impact in the National Football League.

One of those would be Bobby Humphrey, a former NFL Rookie of the Year and All-Pro with the Denver Broncos, and the other would be Shaun Alexander, a former MVP with the Seattle Seahawks.

Glen Coffee, a rookie with the San Francisco 49ers, could become the third. But if Coffee doesn’t fill the bill, then there’s another Crimson Tide back on the way.

In a few years, Mark Ingram will be giving NFL defenses fits.

Anyone who saw what Ingram did Saturday night against South Carolina can attest that he is a pro back in the making. The 5-foot-10, 212-pound sophomore from Flint, Mich., rushed for a career-high 246 yards, the most ever for an Alabama player at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and scored a touchdown in the Tide’s 20-6 victory.

Only Alexander and Humphrey have rushed for more yards in a game for the Tide. Alexander holds the single-game record with 291 yards at LSU in 1996. Humphrey ran for 284 yards at Mississippi State in 1986.

Now, the Tide’s workhorse is Ingram, the son of the former New York Giants receiver Mark Ingram, who was sentenced last year to more than seven years in prison for federal money-laundering and bank-fraud charges.

On a night when the Alabama’s passing attack was non-existent, Ingram carried the Tide on his back, shoulder and legs. He had eight carries of at least 10 yards (his 30 this season leads the nation) and was responsible for 269 of Alabama's 356 total yards. Understandably he was named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

What he did on the Tide’s only offensive scoring drive in the fourth quarter is the stuff of legends. Lining up the “Wildcat” formation for all but the final play, he carried the ball six times for 68 yards. He scored Alabama’s clinching touchdown on a 4-yard run after taking a pitch from quarterback Greg McElroy.

Ingram was exhausted as he went back to the sideline, but his extraordinary effort had ensured the Tide would remain unbeaten.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban was effusive in his praise for Ingram.

“Mark did as fine a job as anybody I’ve ever been around, and that includes Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown and some really good ones,” Saban said. “He was fantastic. The offensive line must’ve been doing a pretty good job too against a pretty good defense, but the guy ran with tremendous passion and heart.”

Ingram is the total package. He has toughness – most of his yards come after contact; he has great vision, reading blocks and finding daylight; he has that quick burst to get into the open field; and he catches the ball out of the backfield (he has 14 receptions for 147 yards and three touchdowns). He leads the SEC in rushing, averaging 129.3 yards per game, and has 11 total touchdowns.

If he continues to come up big as he did against a solid South Carolina defense, Ingram will become a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy.

Alabama has never had a Heisman Trophy winner. Ingram could become the first, if not this year, then perhaps 2010 or 2011 – unless he leaves early for the NFL, where he undoubtedly will become the next impact back from Alabama.

What trap? The Tide Will Roll Again

Alabama running back Mark Ingram

Even though No. 2 Alabama is at home Saturday night against No. 22 South Carolina, I have been wondering whether this a trap game for the Crimson Tide.

Coming off their 22-3 domination of Ole Miss last week and before Coach Lane Kiffin brings the hated Tennessee Vols to Tuscaloosa next week, the Gamecocks (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) could be catching the Tide (6-0, 3-0) at the right time.

On the other hand, Alabama appears to be a team on a mission and have too many marquee players who love playing football too much to have a letdown, such as quarterback Greg McElroy, running back Mark Ingram, linebacker Rolando McClain and cornerback Javier Arenas.

And then there’s the Saban Factor.

Head coach Nick Saban is consistently preaching consistency. Here’s what he had to say about his team’s identity after six games: “I think that at times, we’ve played physical, tough with great competitive character, but I also think at times we’ve lost our focus a little bit in games and not played and sustained that intensity like you would like. I think that is something we need to continue to work on. … There is just a small difference in having the focus and the intensity and playing extremely well and losing that small edge and not playing quite as well, and making a few mental errors that allows the other team to gain momentum. That’s something that we need to work on, so it would be more from a consistency standpoint than an inability to do it.”

The demanding Saban simply won't let the Tide have a letdown or overlook any opponent. I agree with Birmingham News columnist Kevin Scarbinsky that Saban is a better fit at Alabama than Steve Spurrier ever would have been, even though the South Carolina coach is 2-0 against Saban. Both victories came when Spurrier was at Florida and Saban was at LSU.

But that was then and this is now.

Furthermore, South Carolina will enter the game shorthanded. Freshman running back Jarvis Giles has been suspended and won't play. South Carolina athletic spokesman Steve Fink said Giles violated team and university policy. Giles was the Gamecocks' second-leading rusher this season with 245 yards.

Fink also said offensive line starter Heath Batchelor would not make the trip. Multiple media outlets reported the junior left the team this week. In addition, Fink said second-team receiver Dion Lecorn and backup defensive end Byron McKnight would miss the game because of injuries.

The Gamecocks needed to have their full complement of players to pull off an upset, but now I see another Tide blowout … Alabama 34, South Carolina 13.

(Top Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Writer Still Loves Football Despite Pain of Game

On the play in which Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower suffered a season-ending knee injury a few weeks ago against Arkansas, I cringed and felt his pain as I watched the game on television.

Hightower was hurt on a sweep play when Arkansas guard Mitch Petrus lowered his helmet near Hightower's left knee, sending the Tide linebacker airborne. According to NCAA rules, it was a legal block.

Hightower tried immediately to get up and could not, ultimately being helped off the field before being carted back to the locker room.

Two days before Hightower’s injury, I was working around the house, tripped over a piece of furniture and hurt my left knee. I tried to get up too, but couldn’t. Ultimately, I crawled across the floor into another room and hoisted myself into a recliner with assistance from my wife.

My injury was not as serious as Hightower’s. He suffered ligament damage and after surgery was expected to be out 3-4 months. I sustained a ruptured quad tendon and also tore some other muscles around the knee. I had surgery Oct. 2 and my expected recovery time is listed as eight weeks.

A friend of mine asked me what I was doing with a football injury at my age. I am 52.

It’s kind of funny actually. As a boy, I didn’t play on a football team because I was afraid to get hurt. The thought of broken bones scared the bejabbers out of me. And anyone knows you can’t play football scared of getting hurt because that’s what happens when you play scared. You have to play the game with reckless abandon, without fear.

I remember one time we were playing some sandlot tackle football and a guy picked me up and dumped me on my shoulder and neck. I got up and walked home without saying a word. I didn’t want any of my friends to know how much pain I was in.


The possibility of getting hurt playing football is the reason I gravitated to baseball in high school. (That's me in the photo to the right fielding a ground ball when I played for Carver High School in Montgomery, AL). You can get hurt playing baseball, but at least you don’t have somebody trying to take you out on every play.

With football players becoming bigger, faster and stronger and everybody on the field looking to make the big hit that winds up on video highlights, I understand why some parents don’t want their sons playing football.

They sign them up for soccer (or some other sport) instead. But soccer is not as violent as football. The only thoughts of serious injury soccer players have come from riotous spectators in certain parts of the world.

Perhaps, that’s why soccer has never quite caught on in the United States. We like the violent aspects of sports. That’s why ultimate fighting and mixed martial arts have replaced boxing as the brutal sports of choice in America.

I love football. As I recover from my knee surgery, I’m watching more games than ever to past the time. And every time there’s a violent collision, I flinch because some player could be seriously injured.

It’s the nature of the game.

(Top photo by Mark Almond/Birmingham News)

Dominating 'D' makes Bama best in SEC

The 2009 Southeastern Conference football season has reached the midpoint, so let’s assess the first half and take a brief look ahead to the second half.

Best team: Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC). Is there any doubt after the Crimson Tide’s dominating defensive performance against Ole Miss? The Rebels had only 19 yards and one first down on 22 plays in the first half as Alabama posted a 22-3 win.

Runner-up: Florida (5-0, 3-0). The Gators’ 13-3 victory at LSU Saturday night was impressive, but that’s been their only real test so far.

Worst team: Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-3). Losing to Army in overtime shows how low the Commodores have sunk.

Runner-up: Mississippi State (2-4, 1-2). The Bulldogs have shown signs of life under new coach Dan Mullen and they did beat Vanderbilt.

Biggest surprise: Auburn (5-1, 2-1). The Tigers were thrashed 44-23 by Arkansas on Saturday, but no one could have imagined they would start the season 5-0.

Runner-up: South Carolina (5-1, 2-1). A narrow 41-37 loss at Georgia is the only thing keeping the Gamecocks from being undefeated.

Biggest disappointment: Ole Miss (3-2, 1-2). This was supposed to be the season Ole Miss returned to national glory, but the Rebels are nothing more than pretenders again.

Runner-up: Georgia (3-3, 2-2). Giving up 45 points in a loss at Tennessee shows just how far the Bulldogs have fallen this season.

Best coaching job: Gene Chizik, Auburn. He has proven he was the right man to replace Tommy Tuberville, the debacle at Arkansas notwithstanding.

Runner-up: Nick Saban, Alabama. Week in and week out nobody in the nation does a better job of getting his team ready to play than Saban.

Worst coaching job: Houston Nutt, Ole Miss. Blame Nutt for the struggles of junior quarterback Jevan Snead and the Rebels’ demise.

Runner-up: Mark Richt, Georgia. Sure Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno are in the NFL, but he got blown out by Lane Kiffin and the Vols.

Best player: Tim Tebow, Florida quarterback. Just go ahead and give him his second Heisman Trophy.

Runner-up: Rolando McClain, Alabama linebacker (top photo). Since the loss of fellow linebacker Dont’a Hightower to a season-ending knee injury 2 ½ weeks ago, McClain has elevated his game even more and been the most dominant defensive player in the nation.

Best game: Georgia 52, Arkansas 41. The teams combined for more than 1,000 yards total offense in a classic shootout. Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett set school records for passing yards (408) and touchdowns (5), but Georgia prevailed behind quarterback Joe Cox’s 375-yard, five-touchdown passing performance.

Five games worth watching in the second half: South Carolina at Alabama, Saturday; Arkansas at Florida, Saturday; LSU at Alabama, Nov. 7; Florida at South Carolina, Nov. 14; Alabama at Auburn, Nov. 28.

Bold prediction: The SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Florida will decide the national championship because the winner will beat whoever it meets in the BCS title game.

Snead Is Next Up for Tide Beat Down

Jevan Snead, come on down. You’re the next highly regarded quarterback to take a crack at Alabama’s vaunted defense.

But first a word of warning: The other two took beat downs during their spin at the wheel.

Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor completed only 9-of-20 passes for 91 yards and was sacked five times as the Tide spanked the Hokies 34-24 to open the season.

Arkansas sophomore Ryan Mallett was coming off a record-setting performance against Georgia – 408 yards passing and five touchdowns – and was the nation’s top passer when he went up against the Tide two weeks ago. Alabama treated him rudely, holding Mallett to only 12 completions in 35 attempts for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked three times as the Tide rolled to a 35-7 victory.

Now, it’s Snead’s turn when he leads the No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels against the No. 3 Crimson Tide Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.

Although Ole Miss’ junior quarterback has thrown a touchdown pass in 13 consecutive games, Snead has had a so-so start to this season. He is completing only 51.4 percent of his passes (54-of-105) for 728 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. He was totally ineffective in the Rebels’ 16-10 loss at South Carolina two weeks ago, completing only 7-of-21 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Snead is going to need a career day for the Rebels to upset the Tide, whose defense is vastly superior to South Carolina’s. Consider the following:

* The Tide has 15 sacks in five games, led by defensive end Marcell Dareus with 3.5 sacks and surprisingly cornerback Javier Arenas with three. Middle linebacker Rolando McClain is next with two sacks.

* The Tide has held 16 teams under 100 yards rushing over the past 19 games and has not allowed a 100-yard rusher since Ole Miss’ BenJarvus Green-Ellis went for 131 on Oct. 13, 2007, a span of 24 games.

* The Tide defense has been strong on third down, ranking seventh nationally and allowing just a 27.14 conversion rate (19 for 70).

* The Tide forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, in its 38-20 victory at Kentucky last week. The Tide has forced eight turnovers this season and has forced 57 turnovers in the first 32 games under head coach Nick Saban, an average of 1.78 per game.

* The Tide is allowing only 222.2 total yards per game this season to rank second nationally.

"I believe they will be the best defense we’ve gone up against, and I look forward to having the opportunity to play against them.” -- Jevan Snead

Snead knows what he’s up against. In a press conference earlier this week, Snead said the Alabama defense was solid at every position. “You look at their defensive line and they’ve got some big guys up there who can make big plays. Also, their linebackers and their secondary are extremely fast and extremely physical – not to mention the fact that they’re well coached. I believe they will be the best defense we’ve gone up against, and I look forward to having the opportunity to play against them.”

Arenas expects Snead to pose a threat to the Tide.

“This will be my second year going against him,” Arenas said. “It was a good competition against him last year. He’s a great athlete, smart, a decision maker and he carries all those attributes into this year. So it will be the same type of environment, the same type of everything. It’s another test.”

Another test the Tide’s defense will pass with flying colors … Alabama 34, Ole Miss 16.

Auburn's luck about to change

Today’s lucky number as far as the Auburn Tigers are concerned is 5.

The Gene Chizik Era at Auburn has begun with five consecutive victories, which is as many victories as Chizik had in two seasons as head coach at Iowa State, where he was 5-19.

The five victories match the number of victories the Tigers had in 2008 when they finished 5-7, leading to Coach Tommy Tuberville’s departure and Chizik’s arrival.

The 5-0 start also has vaulted Auburn to a No. 17 ranking in the Associated Press poll.

Now, the question is whether their impressive start means the Tigers are suddenly contenders in the rugged Southeastern Conference West Division.

From this vantage point, the answer is not yet.

The Tigers are 2-0 in the SEC, but both of their victories came against non-contenders Mississippi State and Tennessee, although the latter was on the road in Knoxville.

I still don’t think the Tigers are in the same class with SEC West heavyweights Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss.

I might change my mind if the Tigers can win at Arkansas on Saturday, but I doubt if Auburn will.


The Tigers have plenty of offensive firepower to win another road game, although I thought quarterback Chris Todd was shaky at Tennessee last Saturday.

What concerns me is Auburn’s defense, particularly its pass defense going against Arkansas sophomore quarterback Ryan Mallett. Mallett is tied for eighth nationally with 11 touchdown passes and has led the Razorbacks to the top passing offense in the SEC.

Vols quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn and those numbers would have been better if Tennessee’s receivers didn’t have a sudden case of slippery fingers and dropped a bunch of passes.

In order for the Tigers keep Mallet from picking them apart, they had better come up a pass rush, something they didn’t do against Crompton. The Tigers had no sacks and didn’t have an interception though Crompton attempted 43 passes. Auburn's senior defensive end Antonio Coleman, the team's best pass rusher, has only 2.5 sacks in five games.

Auburn also has to adjust to playing in the daytime. Their first five games were at night, but the game at Arkansas kicks off at 11 a.m. CST.

"This is uncharted territory for us," Chizik said. "All of our games have been night games so far and it will be interesting. For early games we get up, eat, then play, but it shouldn't really affect us. This does create a new series of things that we will encounter, especially with such a young team. Not only is this an SEC road game, it is also an 11 o’clock game, but that shouldn't matter."
No, it shouldn’t matter, but it will. And I suspect by mid-afternoon Saturday, Auburn’s unlucky number will be 1 – as in the first loss of the Gene Chizik Era.

Let’s make it Arkansas 38, Auburn 31.