Rue's Rant on College Sports in Alabama

Rue's Rant has moved

2009-11-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers:

Rue's Rant -- http://rues-rant-wsb.blogspot.com/2009/11/weve-moved.html -- has moved. Here's the link to the new blog site: http://www.realclearsports.com/blognetwork/rues_rant_on_college_sports_in_alabama/

I appreciate your continued readership.

Regards,
Rubin E. Grant

McElroy Holds Key to Tide's Title Hopes

2009-11-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

Greg McElroy throws pass against Tennessee

Before the 2009 college football season kicked off, I posed five questions concerning Alabama and Auburn, and I offered answers for my queries.

Now that we have reached the final month of the season, I want to revisit those questions and answers and see if I had a clue as to what I was talking about as well as give my updated thoughts.

Let’s begin with …

ALABAMA

1. How will Greg McElroy perform at QB?

Then: McElroy, a junior, replaces John Parker Wilson, a three-year starter. He has played in only eight games in his college career, but has completed 16-of-20 passes (80 percent) for 196 yards and two touchdowns in a reserve role the past two seasons. And he did star in his one season as a starter for national high school power Southlake Carroll High School in Texas after taking over for Chase Daniel, the 2004 National High School Player of the Year who went on to star at Missouri. McElroy’s numbers were an eye-popping: 4,687 yards passing with 56 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. I don’t think the Crimson Tide will miss Wilson at all. McElroy is going to be sensational.

Now: Through the first five games of the season, McElroy looked like a Heisman Trophy candidate, but in the Tide’s past three games he has looked like a first-year starter. He did not throw a touchdown pass in any of those games and averaged only 119.7 yards passing per game. It’s a good thing for him that sophomore running back Mark Ingram (1,004 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns, including eight rushing) has emerged as a Heisman candidate and the Tide’s defense has been rock solid. McElroy’s overall passing numbers aren’t bad (1,445 yards, nine TDs, 59.9 percent completion rate, only three interceptions), but if he can’t regain his early season form, Alabama’s hopes for a national title might vanish like its passing attack.

2. How long before the revamped offensive line jells?

Then: Tackle Andre Smith (Cincinnati Bengals) and center Antoine Caldwell (Houston Texans) have taken their acts to the NFL, although Smith, the No. 6 overall pick, is sidelined with a broken foot after a long contract holdout. Senior left guard Mike Johnson and senior right tackle Drew Davis are back, but it will take some time for the line to play as a unit. Expect Virginia Tech to exploit some of the Tide’s weaknesses on the offensive front, but after two exhibition games against Florida International and North Texas (OK, they are regular season games, but they just amount to paid wins for the Tide), the line should be together for the SEC opener against Arkansas on Sept. 26.

Now: Alabama’s offensive line has been solid. The 6-foot-6, 303-pound Johnson and 6-7, 300-pound Davis are All-SEC candidates. Sophomore William Vlachos has played remarkably well as Caldwell’s replacement at center and 6-5, 300-pound junior James Carpenter has been more than adequate as Smith’s replacement at left tackle. They have allowed the fewest sacks (eight) in the SEC and cleared the way for the Tide to average 410.0 yards total offense per game.

3. Who will be the Tide’s other go-to receiver?

Then: The Tide needs somebody to step up, so defensive backs don’t gang up on sophomore sensation Julio Jones. Mike McCoy and Marquis Maze have great speed, but can they make the tough catch in a clutch situation? Perhaps, the Tide will have to rely more on 6-foot-6 senior tight end Colin Peek in the passing game.

Now: None of the Tide’s receivers is having a particularly great season, including Jones. He leads the team with 20 receptions for 229 yards, but has caught only one TD pass. Peek has 19 catches for 213 yards with one TD reception, but missed the Tennessee game two weeks ago after injuring his leg during pregame warmups. None of the other receivers have more than 15 catches. Ingram has been a good receiver out of the backfield with 19 catches for 186 yards and a team-leading three TD receptions. You can trace the receivers’ production to the lack of production from McElroy in recent weeks.

4. Will the defense allow more than two touchdowns in any game?

Then: There’s talk that this Tide team will rival the 1992 group that completely shut down opponents and paved the way for the Tide’s last national championship. Junior Rolando McClain and sophomore Dont'a Hightower could be two of the best linebackers to ever play at Alabama before they are finished. Senior nose guard Terrence Cody and senior cornerback Javier Arenas (also a dangerous punt returner) are as good at their positions as anyone in the nation. In other words, the Tide’s defense will have to take the field in the shadows of their end zone a few times a game for anybody to cross the goal line more than twice in any game. And even if opponents do take over in the red zone, they will have to settle for field goals more often than not.

Now: The Tide’s defense has been even better than advertised, giving up only eight touchdowns, ranking first in the SEC in rushing defense (64.6 yards per game) and second in overall defense (240.6 yards per game). Senior linebacker Cory Reamer has done an admirable job, replacing Hightower, who went down with a season-ending knee injury against Arkansas. Sophomore lineman Marcell Dareus (pictured right sacking Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton) has emerged as a dominant force, leading the team with 4.5 sacks.

5. Will Coach Nick Saban have back-to-back 10-win seasons?

Then: Saban is the only current Football Bowl Subdivision coach to coach for at least 10 years and not suffer a losing season, but he has never had consecutive 10-win seasons. After guiding LSU to the national championship with a 13-1 record in 2003, the following season the Tigers finished 9-3. Last year, in his second season at Alabama, Saban led the Tide to a 12-2 record (the two losses coming in the Tide’s final two games against Florida in the SEC Championship Game and against Utah in the Sugar Bowl). After beating Virginia Tech – I predict 20-10 – to open the season, the Tide will roll through the regular season 11-1 (the only blemish coming Oct. 10 at Ole Miss), giving Saban back-to-back 10-win seasons. Also look for the Tide to win the SEC West, but lose to Florida (again) in the SEC Championship Game.

Now: The only thing that will keep Saban from winning 10 games is a total collapse and that’s not going to happen. The third-ranked Tide (8-0) even won at Ole Miss and now I look for them to run the table, including a victory over Florida in the SEC Championship Game and over Texas in the BCS Championship Game.

AUBURN

(AP Photo/Todd J. Van Emst)

1. Will Gene Chizik prove he’s the right man for the job?

Then: Chizik distinguished himself as Auburn’s defensive coordinator from 2002-04, including the Tigers’ 13-0 season, but he was a surprising choice to replace Tommy Tuberville, considering he was 5-19 in two seasons as head coach at Iowa State. He had a 10-game losing streak when Auburn handed him the head coaching reins on the Plains. The expectations are low at Auburn this year, so Chizik might get a pass on this season. But if the Tigers get blown out regularly by the top SEC teams on their schedule, then one of those ridiculous www.firecoach(fill in the blank).com websites might show up on the Internet.

Now: Chizik has proven a capable head coach and last week righted the ship with an upset of Ole Miss after a three-game losing streak threatened to wreck the Tigers’ season. At 6-3, he already has won more games at Auburn than he did at Iowa State. The real test will come in recruiting. Will he be able to attract the players who will make Auburn a contender in the SEC West and a contender for the SEC Championship?

2. Can the Tigers rediscover the pass?

Then: New offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was brought in to restore some balance – i.e., a passing game – to the Tigers’ offense. The Tigers finished 10th in the SEC in passing yards per game (165.4 yards) in 2008 and had the fewest touchdown passes (7) in the league. Senior Chris Todd won the quarterback battle over Kodi Burns in preseason camp, but he has a largely untested receiving corps to work with, especially with senior Montez Billings suspended for the first four games for academic reasons. So the Tigers will have to rely heavily on the run again. At least that should make running backs Ben Tate, Eric Smith and Onterio McCalebb happy.

Now: Todd put up big numbers early against lesser competition, but went three games without throwing a touchdown pass and had some (including me) clamoring for him to be benched in favor of backup Neil Caudle. He played well against Ole Miss last week, completing 12-of-22 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown, but he still ranks sixth in the SEC in passing efficiency. In other words, the running game, led by Tate (1,067 yards, six TDs rushing), is carrying the Tigers again.

3. How will Kodi Burns adjust to wide receiver?

Then: Burns was the Tigers’ starting quarterback for most of last season, but after losing out to Todd for the job in preseason camp, he was switched to wide receiver. Chances are Burns will see more time in the backfield in the “Wildcat” formation, running the ball out of the shotgun than he will catching passes.

Now: Burns has been a non-factor most of the season, including in the “Wildcat” formation. He has only three receptions for 18 yards and has rushed for only 144 yards and four TDs. He has thrown for 75 yards and two TDs.

4. Will Antonio Coleman wish he had jumped to the NFL?

Then: Coleman, a defensive end, passed up a chance to go the NFL to return to Auburn for his senior season. A wise move the scouts said. Another season in college will help him develop physically and improve his overall game, thereby improving his stock. He might have been a late-round choice in the 2009 draft, but could go in the first three rounds with a solid senior season. Plus, Coleman has 14.5 career sacks and needs one more to move into the top 10 in Auburn history.

Now: Coleman had a sluggish start and a few weeks ago had a meeting with Chizik after he went back-to-back games without any tackles or sacks. But he regained his form the past two games. He recorded five tackles against Ole Miss, tying career highs with four tackles for loss (minus 15 yards) including two sacks (minus 11 yards). He also had four quarterback hurries, forced a fumble and blocked a PAT that was returned for a defensive two-point conversion. He leads the SEC with 11 tackles for losses and ranks third with 5.5 sacks. If he continues his stellar play against Georgia and Alabama, in Auburn’s bowl game, in a likely Senior Bowl appearance and in the NFL combine, his draft stock undoubtedly will rise.

5. Will Auburn win enough games to qualify for a bowl game?

Then: After finishing 5-7 last year, leading to Tuberville’s departure, the Tigers open this season with four consecutive home games – against Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, West Virginia and Ball State. If they can sweep those, then yes the Tigers will go bowling. But if they split those, then Auburn will be hard-pressed to win four more games on its schedule, especially on the road at Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU and Georgia and even at home against Ole Miss and Alabama. Figure another 5-7 finish.

Now: A 5-0 start and the victory over Ole Miss mean the Tigers are bowl eligible, and at 6-3 have exceeded my expectations. Now let’s see if they can add a few more wins to their resume to make Chizik’s first season even more successful.

Todd Bounces Back in Auburn Win

2009-11-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

Chris Todd throws pass against Ole Miss (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

I was wrong.

There, I said it, but don’t tell my wife.

Before Auburn played Ole Miss, I wrote that the Tigers should bench starting quarterback Chris Todd in favor of backup Neil Caudle if they stood any chance of upsetting the Rebels.

Well, Auburn head coach Gene Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn stood by their man and he delivered. Todd wasn’t great, but effective, completing 12-of-22 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown in the Tigers’ stirring 33-20 Southeastern Conference victory that snapped their three-game losing streak.

Senior running back Ben Tate had another big day, rushing for 144 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown jaunt, as Auburn’s offense came back to life against the nation’s ninth-ranked defense.

Auburn’s defense, which had been a sieve during the losing streak, twice came up big in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory. Ole Miss started two drives inside Auburn territory in the period, but didn’t score either time. Defensive end Antonio Coleman had his best game of the season with five tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hurries. Defensive back Walter McFadden alertly picked off a tipped pass and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter during a 21-point outburst in the first seven minutes of the period that gave Auburn a commanding 31-7 lead.

All-in-all, it was a very satisfying win for the Tigers (6-3, 3-3 SEC) as they became bowl eligible.

Moving forward, the Tigers should have an easy time with Furman in their upcoming homecoming game and then comes games against their two biggest rivals, at Georgia on Nov. 14 and at home against Alabama on Nov. 27.

Auburn already has exceeded my expectations and an upset against either Georgia or Alabama would make Chizik’s first season an even more remarkable success.

*****

Magic City Classic

A&M's Thomas Harris runs in for a TD. (Photo by Linda Stelter/Birmingham News)

Perhaps, it was the economy or maybe the NASCAR race that was being held in nearby Talladega on the same weekend or it could have been the rain. Whatever it was, attendance at the Magic City Classic was down more than 13,000 from the record crowd of 69,113 at the 2008 game.

A crowd of only 55,322 watched the Alabama A&M Bulldogs win their fifth consecutive game in the 68th Classic, defeating the rival Alabama State Hornets 21-7 Saturday at Legion Field.

A&M freshman quarterback Deaunte Mason and wide receiver Thomas Harris connected on TD passes of 57 and 22 yards to spark the victory as the Bulldogs improved to 35-30-3 in the series.

Despite the falloff in attendance, the atmosphere at Legion Field was still electric as thousands of tailgaters gathered outside without going inside the stadium for the game. And celebrities such as Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey and Brian McKnight were in town to add to the festivities.

*****

Briefly …

Troy coach Larry Blakeney earned his 150^th career win Saturday as the Trojans (6-2, 5-0) routed Louisiana-Monroe 42-21 to solidify their hold on first place in the Sun Belt Conference. Senior quarterback Levi Brown had another big game for Troy, throwing for 378 yards and four touchdowns … Joshua Harris completed 14-of-21 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns to lead Tuskegee to a 40-6 win over Lane College Saturday as the Golden Tigers (7-2, 7-1 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) moved within one win of earning their fourth consecutive SIAC title. Coach Willie Slater's four-year career record at Tuskegee is now 39-5. … Top-ranked Division II North Alabama (10-0, 7-0) defeated Arkansas-Monticello 27-13 Saturday to secure the Gulf South Conference championship in Terry Bowden's first season as head coach of the Lions … Finally, UAB quarterback Joseph Webb continues to astound. He had 304 yards total offense, while throwing for two touchdowns, rushing for a touchdown and catching a touchdown pass in the Blazers’ 38-33 win at UTEP.

Sticking with Todd Spells Auburn Defeat

2009-10-30T12:48:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T15:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Alabama is nation's best ... after 1 month

2009-09-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

The calendar is about to flip to October, so what better time to assess what we have learned after the first month of the college football season and a few things we still don’t know.

What we have learned …

Alabama is the best team in the nation, not Florida or Texas.

Auburn is a very good home team.

Nick Saban is worth all the millions the Crimson Tide has invested in him.

Gene Chizik is a better head coach than anyone gave him credit for.

Terry Bowden could become a hot name in coaching circles again after his 5-0 start at North Alabama.

Gus Malzahn is truly an offensive genius.

The motor of Auburn assistant head coach Trooper Taylor never stops running.

Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy should be part of the Heisman Trophy conversation.

Chris Todd definitely was the right choice to be Auburn’s quarterback, even before throwing nine touchdown passes in the past two games.

Jacksonville State quarterback Ryan Perrilloux would be among the top five quarterbacks for the 2010 NFL draft if not for off-the-field issues.

Alabama’s stable of running backs – Mark Ingram, Roy Upchurch, Trent Richardson and Terry Grant – is the best in the nation.

Auburn’s dynamic duo of senior Ben Tate and freshman Onterio McCalebb is just a notch below the Tide’s foursome.

Tide sophomore receiver Julio Jones is a man among boys.

Auburn’s receiving corps with wide outs Darvin Adams, Mario Fannin and Terrell Zachery and tight ends Tommy Trott and Philip Lutzenkirchen is a pleasant surprise.

Alabama’s defense is the best in the nation, just ask Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett.

The loss of linebacker Dont’a Hightower to a season-ending knee injury is a major blow for the Tide.

Auburn’s defense still needs plenty of work, despite forcing 12 turnovers in four games.

Troy is again the class of the Sun Belt Conference.

UAB continues to fade into oblivion.

The non-FBS schools in the state are pretty good – Jacksonville State (2-2 with losses to Georgia Tech and Florida State), Samford (2-2), North Alabama (5-0), Alabama A&M (3-1), Alabama State (3-1), North Alabama (5-0), Tuskegee (4-1), Miles (3-2), West Alabama (3-2), Birmingham-Southern (2-1), Huntingdon (3-1) and South Alabama (2-0).

Five things we still don't know ...

Will anybody left on the schedule (including Ole Miss, LSU and Auburn) challenge Alabama?

Will Auburn prove a capable road team, beginning Saturday night at Tennessee?

Can anyone slow down Auburn’s offense?

Can anyone penetrate Alabama’s defense (even without Hightower)?

Will Bowden lead UNA to a Division II national championship?

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)

Is it time to pull plug on UAB football?

2009-09-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Before the UAB-Troy football game last Saturday, The Birmingham News ran a story asking the question: Who’s No. 3 in State?

Obviously, Alabama and Auburn are the top two college football programs in the state, while UAB and Troy are trying their hardest to be taken seriously at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.

Troy has a much longer and richer football history. The Trojans are celebrating their 100th season this fall. Most of that was spent at the small-college level before they made the jump to NCAA Division I-A status, now FBS, in 2001. They are members of the Sun Belt Conference.

UAB didn’t have a football program until 1991 and made the move to FBS in 1996. The Blazers are members of Conference USA.

After the Trojans’ 27-14 spanking of the Blazers on Saturday, the more legitimate question might be:

Is it time to pull the plug on the UAB football program?

As I wrote before the season started, the Blazers did little in their first 18 years to make themselves relevant. They created a buzz several years ago when quarterback Darrell Hackney was throwing passes to wide receiver Roddy White (Atlanta Falcons), but the buzz has been silent the past three years.

With current coach Neil Callaway in his third season, UAB desperately needed a good 2009 season to renew interest in the program, but after a rousing 44-24 victory against Rice to kick off the season, the Blazers have fallen flat. They lost at home to double-digit underdog SMU 35-33 in their second game and last week fell at Troy, which came in 0-2.

Now, UAB might not win another game until November. Their next five games are at Texas A&M on Saturday, at home against Southern Miss, at No. 4 Ole Miss, at Marshall and at UTEP. It’s conceivable the Blazers could win at Marshall or UTEP, but I doubt it because frankly they are not a good road team.

In other words, UAB is facing a 1-7 start and staring at its fifth consecutive losing season. And their shrinking fan base – the Blazers drew fewer than 20,000 spectators to their first two home games – probably will shrink some more.

UAB is still a part of the University of Alabama System, which includes the Crimson Tide, and is governed by the UA System Board of Trustees. With their schools in financial straits because of state budget cuts, the board could decide to save some money by axing football at UAB. The Blazers do not have a self-sustaining program as The Birmingham News story pointed out.

A friend of mine who is a UAB supporter, booster and friend of Gene Bartow, the former UAB basketball coach and athletic director who started the football program, told me he has heard some talk to that effect.

So, UAB football might not be around to celebrate its 20th birthday in two years.

At this point, I don’t think it will be missed.

Small-college football a refreshing pastime

2009-09-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

In between watching Alabama’s waltz against North Texas and Auburn’s stirring comeback against West Virginia on television Saturday, I took in the Miles College-Samford game.

Now, I truly love big-time college football, especially the Southeastern Conference. I attended Alabama in the 1970s when Paul “Bear” Bryant was still stalking the Crimson Tide’s sideline in his famous houndstooth hat and I was familiar with Auburn and its legendary coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan.

I also loved the NFL. My mother would let me leave church early so I could be at home in time to watch the noon kickoff of the NFL game on TV. I became a big fan of the Baltimore Colts because of Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore and John Mackey and cried when they were upset in Super Bowl III by Joe Namath and the New York Jets.

I didn’t really care for what I thought was small-time football, you know, something besides the NFL, SEC, Pac-10, Big Ten, Southwest Conference and Big Eight. For those of you too young to remember, the SWC and Big Eight were forerunners of the Big 12. The ACC was – and still is to a major degree – a basketball league. And there was also that independent college power from South Bend, Ind., we in Alabama loathed. That would be Notre Dame for those of you who wonder why NBC elects to show games of such a woebegone program.

In recent years, I have gotten a chance to attend a few small-college games and have come to appreciate football at that level. The players work and play just as hard as they do at bigger schools and some fans are just as rabid, but the atmosphere is totally different. It’s more of a pastime. You have few fans yelling at the coaches and calling them idiots for their play-calling. Boos are usually reserved for the refs after what the faithful think is a bad call. And while the adults are watching the game, you have some children beyond the end zone playing their own game, caring little about what’s happening on the field with the college guys.

To some extent, it harkens back to the days of yesteryear when college football still hadn’t sold its soul to money. Greed is rampant among the major schools.

From the billions of dollars the various TV networks throw at major programs and their conferences to broadcast games, to the millions the colleges pay their coaches, to the millions spent on stadium expansions (and the extorting of alumni and boosters to pay for it through the sale of skyboxes), to the millions made in merchandising of products (jerseys, caps, shirts, etc.), to the rising costs of tickets (and making fans attend at sometimes unreasonable hours because of TV), money rules in college football – regardless of any argument pandering college presidents and the NCAA might make.

Despite all that, I still enjoy the Alabamas and Auburns of the college football world, but I also have discovered there’s something refreshing about small-college football.

The Miles-Samford game was one of just two games this season that will feature two head coaches who are both members of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Samford’s Pat Sullivan was inducted in 1991, while Miles’ Billy Joe was named to the Hall of Fame in 2007. Sullivan won the 1971 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at Auburn. Joe, in his second season at Miles, ranks second in all-time wins (239) at historically black colleges and universities behind Grambling State legend Eddie Robinson (408). Most of Joe’s wins came in 11 seasons at Florida A&M (86) and 13 seasons at Central State in Ohio (120).

Samford is where Florida State coach Bobby Bowden got his start when the school was known as Howard College and it’s also where his son, Terry Bowden, coached for six years before going to Auburn. Samford is a member of the Southern Conference, which includes Appalachian State, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse that upset Michigan two years ago.

Miles doesn’t have as rich a football tradition, but for many years it was known as one of the top academic black colleges in the nation. It plays in the NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) that includes Tuskegee, the 2007 national black champion.

The game was entertaining even if the outcome was predictable. Samford rallied from a 12-3 halftime deficit to beat Miles 31-12.

The genteel Joe was magnanimous in defeat. “No question it was great to be part of game in which both institutions stress academics,” Joe said, “and it was a great contest.”

And I left richer for having been there.

Chizik remains cool as expectations soar

2009-09-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to warm up to this Gene Chizik guy.

Sure, I wondered what Auburn was doing when they hired him (and his 5-19 record at Iowa State) to replace Tommy Tuberville, but the way he has run the football program since taking over has been downright impressive.

Two decisions stand out. He brought in Gus Malzahn do be offensive coordinator and promised he wouldn’t interfere. Wise decision. After two games in Malzahn’s fast-paced spread attack that relies heavily on misdirection, the Tigers are averaging 572.5 yards total offense and 43.0 points.

Then, Chizik thwarted any quarterback controversy in fall camp by emphatically deciding Chris Todd would be the starter and Kodi Burns would move to wide receiver. But instead of letting Burns stew, he made him the “Wildcat” quarterback and last week Burns rewarded Chizik’s faithfulness by accounting for four touchdowns in Auburn’s 49-24 rout of Mississippi State in the Tigers’ Southeastern Conference opener.

But what I really like is Chizik’s even-handed temperament. Instead of getting caught up in the euphoria of Auburn’s rousing victories against a couple of lightweights – Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State – Chizik has remained calm, cool and collected. He simply pointed to the Tigers’ next game, which is Saturday night at home against West Virginia.

“We're not satisfied with the way we're playing, but satisfied being 2-0,”' Chizik said during the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday. “I think it's going to be a great measuring stick, by the end of the day, to see who we are.”

That was in line with what he said a day earlier when answering a question about fan’s expectations during Auburn’s weekly media conference.

“Here's how I feel about our fans here at Auburn," Chizik said. "Number one, we've got the greatest fans in the world, and they do their job as good as it gets. And I want them to be excited about the future. It's going to be very bright … We're not ready to buy stock in Auburn football yet. It's just not where we're at. We're just so far from that ... we have not arrived.”

A victory over West Virginia wouldn’t mean the Tigers have arrived, but it might land Auburn a spot in the Top 25.

In the only previous meeting between the two schools, the Mountaineers whipped the Tigers 34-17 last year in Morgantown. I expect Auburn to get a measure of revenge with a hard-earned 31-24 victory.

While Chizik was trying to temper expectations, Alabama coach Nick Saban was busy answering questions about the health of his players, notably sophomore wide receiver Julio Jones (bruised kneecap) and senior running back Roy Upchurch (high ankle sprain). During his weekly radio on Thursday, Saban listed them as questionable, but sounded as if they wouldn’t play Saturday when the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide hosts North Texas.

"They haven't been able to practice enough probably to prepare," Saban said. "I don't think either guy is out of the realm of being able to play and will be back very soon after this game if they can't play in this game."

The Tide won’t need either against the not-so Mean Green. The only question is which newcomer will shine. Last week, it was freshman running back Trent Richardson, who rushed 15 times for 118 yards and two second-half touchdowns in the Tide’s 40-14 victory against Florida International.

So, Jones and Upchurch can just rest up and get ready for Alabama’s SEC opener next week against Arkansas. They should have plenty of company on the sidelines from other frontline players by halftime as the Tide rolls to an easy 45-10 victory, allowing Saban to give fans a chance to get excited about some of the talented reserves they have been waiting to see in action.

(Photo by Cliff Williams/Opelika-Auburn News)

Perrilloux finally focused?

2009-09-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

I interviewed Jacksonville State quarterback Ryan Perrilloux briefly by phone the other day just to check and see what he was thinking moving forward with the rest of his senior season.

Perrilloux, who began his college football career at LSU, returned to action last Saturday against Florida State after being suspended for the Gamecocks’ season-opening 37-17 loss at Georgia Tech. He was suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Similar disciplinary problems plagued him at LSU – he was suspended at least three times – and eventually was kicked off the team by head coach Les Miles.

He transferred to Jacksonville State in the spring of 2008 and had a brilliant junior season with the Gamecocks, passing for 2,318 yards and 19 touchdowns, while throwing 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 368 yards and seven touchdowns.

In his first game this season, Perrilloux almost engineered a monumental upset at Florida State. He threw for 213 yards and a first-quarter touchdown and ran for 39 yards, but the Seminoles scored two touchdowns in the final 35 seconds to escape with a 19-9 victory. The second of those two touchdowns came when Perrilloux fumbled and Florida State’s Kevin McNeil returned it 33 yards for a score.

Despite the disheartening loss, Perrilloux was just glad to be playing again. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

“It was good, it was fun and it was exciting to get back on the field,” Perrilloux said. “I missed playing a lot that first game. I’m a player who wants to be on the field.

"I did what I could to help our team win. I played my role. Of course it was disappointing to lose. Now our focus is to go out and win the next ball game.”

Focus was a word that kept coming up in the interview – as if Perrilloux was trying to convince us that his off-the-field troubles are really behind him this time. They had better if he wants a chance to play at the next level.

Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe said 10 NFL scouts already have come by to check out Perrilloux and he expects all 32 NFL teams to take a look at his quarterback before the season is over.

Crowe praised Perrilloux for his performance against Florida State.

“Ryan is a great player,” Crowe said. “No disrespect to (FSU quarterback Christian) Ponder, but he was the best quarterback on that field and he is going to be the best quarterback on every field we play on.

“He is dealing with having to become whatever is needed, where the match-ups are and where he can benefit, but he has to carry that tough load. He will stand in there and he will do the tough work. We have got to be smart with him and he has to be smart with the game plan every week to stay inside the system and make the system work. But, I thought under those circumstances, he showed enormous toughness. We had some offensive production and I think he was the key to it.”

Perrilloux understands as he goes so go the Gamecocks. And he understands what this season means to his possible future in the NFL.

“It's extremely important because this team is counting on me to be on the field,” Perrilloux said. “As far as the off-the-field thing it was just bad circumstances. I just have to stay focused, do what I can and block the other things out.”

Jacksonville State (0-2) travels to Huntsville Saturday to play in-state rival Alabama A&M, which off to a 2-0 start.

“A&M has a good football team,” Perrilloux said. “We’ve got to go out and compete as well as we can. We’re definitely looking for our first win. We’ve got to play a complete game and stay focused.”

Time will tell if Perrilloux can stay focused – off the field as well as on.

Must-win looms for UAB, Troy

2009-09-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

The college football season is heading into just its third full weekend, but already the UAB Blazers and Troy Trojans face a must-win situation when they kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Troy.

UAB (1-1) desperately needs a win after its clunker last week at home against SMU when the Blazers fell behind 28-7 at halftime and lost 35-33 in a Conference USA game. Junior quarterback Joseph Webb, after his sensational 415-yard, four-touchdown performance in UAB’s season-opening 44-24 victory against Rice, was less so against the Mustangs. Webb passed for 226 yards, ran for 97 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, but he threw four interceptions, lost a fumble and was stopped short of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt with 13 seconds remaining that would have tied the game and forced overtime.

What a come down for a program in search of some attention.

Troy desperately needs a win because the Trojans don’t have one. Their 56-6 thumping at Florida was expected, but blowing a 14-0 lead and losing 31-14 at Bowling Green in their season-opener was a total surprise, especially after the Trojans’ defense was touted as one of the team’s strength. It’s one thing to get run over by quarterback Tim Tebow and the Gators, but quite another to get stomped by the Falcons (Bowling Green, not Atlanta) and their quarterback Tyler Sheehan. Troy’s defense (what defense?) has allowed more than 1,000 yards in two games.

Now, the Trojans get set to play their home opener at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium against an in-state rival, trying to avoid a 0-3 start. Talk about a blockbuster.

The significance of game is not lost on the coaches and the players. Just listen to some of their comments.

Troy head coach Larry Blakeney: “It’s an opportunity for us to play in a game where we have a chance to win, and certainly a chance to lose. It’s the next game for us. It’s our home opener, and we need to put our best effort out there in all facets of the game to get a win.”

UAB head coach Neil Callaway: “It'll be interesting to watch us play in someone else's house. I'm just anxious to see this team play again Saturday after what we did last Saturday. We better have a chip on our shoulder because Troy is the most talented team we've played to this point. They've won three (Sun Belt) conference championships in a row, and we're going to their house, so we better be ready to play.”

Troy linebacker Boris Lee: “I wouldn’t say I’m mad (about being 0-2) … well, yeah I am mad. I’m more disappointed. We had a lot of expectations coming in to this season. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and believing in one another.”

Troy receiver Cornelius Williams: “Everybody wants to win. We’ve lost two games in a row, and it’s just a bad feeling. Everybody is anxious for a win. You can tell by how we started workouts (Monday) that there is a sense of urgency there.”

UAB defensive end Derek Slaughter: "This is a big game because Troy is 0-2 and they're hungry for a win. We are coming off a loss too, so we're both going to go at it and it's going to be hard. They don't want to be 0-3 and we sure don't want to be 1-2, so everybody's going to want to win."

So, although there’s still a lot of football to be played, it’s must-win time indeed.

In Gus, Auburn trusts

2009-09-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

It’s still early and the competition is nowhere close to being among the elite of college football, but still the Auburn Tigers’ offense has been crazy good in their first two games.

How good? Well, Auburn has surpassed 500 yards of total offense in back-to-back games for the first time since 1970.

The Tigers’ 589 yards in their 49-24 blowout of Mississippi State Saturday night eclipsed the 556 they chalked up in their season-opening 37-13 rout of Louisiana Tech.

"It was pretty amazing," said Auburn “Wildcat” quarterback Kodi Burns after the Tigers’ runaway victory against Mississippi State. "It was fun."

Fun for Burns because he accounted for four touchdowns, three rushing and one passing.

Fun because Auburn is averaging 572.5 yards total offense and 43.0 points.

Fun because Gene Chizik had the good sense to hire Gus Malzahn as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator for his inaugural season as Auburn’s head coach.

In Gus, they trust.

“It’s very innovative, and it’s fun to watch,” Chizik said of the warp-speed spread attack Malzahn brought to Auburn from Tulsa. “From a defensive background, it’s problematic in a lot of ways.”

No kidding. You don’t know what the creative Malzahn might draw up on the board – reverses, options, slants, screens, draws and other stuff you wouldn’t believe anybody would try. Every possession is treated like a two-minute drill in Malzahn’s hurry up, no huddle system with an array of formations designed for deception.

The Tigers aren’t pass-happy in Malzahn’s spread offense. Against Mississippi State, the Tigers ran for 390 yards. Ben Tate, despite sitting out the first quarter because of -- um -- a coach’s decision, ran for a career-high 157 yards and a touchdown and Onterio McCalebb added 114 yards and a score. It marked the first time in Auburn history two players rushed for more than 100 yards in consecutive games.

Chizik isn’t surprised. "You hear so much about the passing, but what caught my eye is how (Malzahn) brings a physical edge to everything he does," Chizik said. "This is a rushing offense. It comes at you directly -- whether it's a run or a pass. That's who we are."

Malzahn expected Auburn to run the ball effectively. “We knew that our front five, we knew that they were a solid offensive line, and we knew we had some backs who could be change of pace,” Malzahn said. “And so far they’ve really bought in to what we’re doing.”

Plus, Malzahn keeps some tricks up his sleeves just so things don’t get dull. “Yeah, we try to tell our guys, that’s part of our offense,” Malzahn said of the trickery. “Not a lot of people think of trick plays and all that, but we work on them every day. That’s part of what we do, and our guys are starting to get a little used to that.”

Auburn fans no doubt are already getting used to the Tigers running up big numbers in Malzahn’s system.

Talk about fun.

Troy Has No Chance in The Swamp

2009-09-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

The Troy Trojans' advertising slogan says: Anyone … Anytime … Anywhere.

No one can dispute Troy’s willingness to go on the road to play in backyard of some of best teams in college football. In the past three years, Troy has traveled to LSU, Ohio State, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Georgia Tech and Florida State.

You know how many of those games the Trojans have won? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

And they won’t win Saturday when they make a return engagement to “The Swamp” to play the No. 1 Florida Gators.

A few weeks ago, I heard one of those ESPN college football analysts – I can’t remember which one – say that this was a possible trap game for Tim Tebow and the Gators because it comes before Florida plays Tennessee.

I laughed off the notion. Troy win at Florida? C’mon. Not even on a bad day for the Gators. And that was before the Trojans blew a 14-0 lead and lost 31-14 at Bowling Green last week in their season opener.

When the Trojans played the Gators in 2007, Troy scored 31 points and gained 336 yards, but still lost by four touchdowns, 59-31.

There won’t be any suspense today. The Gators should have this one well in hand by the end of the first quarter – if not sooner.

The only drama today will be if Trojans senior defensive end Brandon Lang shows he’s deserves to be a first-round draft pick. According to one scouting report the 6-foot-4, 256-pound Lang is rated the No. 3 defensive end for the 2010 NFL draft, comparing favorably to former Troy stars DeMarcus Ware (Dallas Cowboys) and Osi Umenyiora (New York Giants).

In 2008, Lang led the Trojans with 10.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss, ranking in the top 15 in the nation in both categories. He had five tackles against Bowling Green.

Lang is looking forward to playing the Gators again. “We’re going to try to improve a whole lot from the last time we went,” he said. “I feel like we’re a much better team than we were the first time we went. We have got the players and the talent. This game we’re going to have to come with it. We’re planning on coming out with a better attitude, and we’re going to come out intense and ready to play.”

Perhaps, Lang can get in a few licks on Tebow and a few of the other Florida ball carriers, but not enough for the Trojans to score a knockout.

I expect Florida to swamp the Trojans 55-10.

Auburn once again Running Back U

2009-09-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

Who knew when Auburn hired Gene Chizik as its head football coach he would bringing Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and Ronnie Brown back to the Plains with him?

OK, Williams and Brown are still in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins, respectively, but the guys who piled up the rushing yards in Auburn’s season-opening 37-13 victory against Louisiana Tech surely resembled that fabled running back duo, who were wreaking havoc when Auburn went 13-0 in 2004, Chizik’s final season as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator.

Now that Chizik has returned he has senior Ben Tate (No. 44) and freshman Onterio McCalebb (No. 23) impersonating Williams and Brown. The 5-foot-11, 218-pound Tate is Brown because he’s a powerful runner with shifty feet. And the 5-10, 165-pound McCalebb would be Williams, a slasher with great elusiveness, although McCalebb is faster.

Chizik understandably likes his new dynamic duo and the problems they pose for defenses with their different running styles.

“When you have two backs that are very different it affects the momentum of the game, with the physicality of one back and the speed of the other one,” Chizik said. “There are guys with great vision that make great cuts. One guy may be a tackle-to-tackle guy and the other a perimeter guy, so you have the defense running all over the place and they get a little tired which lets you get more physical up front with the downhill backs. So it definitely puts pressure on a defense.”

The Tate-McCalebb combination certainly created problems for Louisiana Tech. Tate ran 20 times for 117 yards, becoming the 13th running back in school history to surpass 2,000 career yards rushing (2,076) in the process. He’s now 12th on the Tigers’ all-time list.

McCalebb was even better, rushing 22 times for 148 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first Auburn freshman to rush for 100 yards in a season opener since Bo Jackson had 123 yards rushing against Wake Forest in 1982.

You know you have done something fabulous when you’re mentioned in the same sentence with Bo.

McCalebb's total was also the seventh most in school history for a freshman. Five of his 22 carries went for at least 10 yards, as he averaged 6.7 yards per carry. The freshman from Fort Meade, Fla., and Hargrave Military Academy also added 49 yards on two kickoff returns, giving him 197 all-purpose yards, making him an easy choice for Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week.

Evidently, McCalebb benefitted from enrolling at Auburn in January and taking part in spring practice. Chizik said as much himself.

“I think that any time you bring a guy in in January, the comfort level when they come back in the fall is night and day,” Chizik said. “Onterrio is one of those guys where he is just a football player. He is tailback or a wide out or whatever we want him to be. He needs to stay humble because he has certainly not arrived either. He had a good football game and he needs to get better every week just like everyone else. But I'm proud of him because he went in there and he played like we expected him to play."

McCalebb and Tate became the first pair of Auburn backs to rush for more than 100 yards in a game since Tate (111) and Mario Fannin (103) turned the trick against New Mexico State in 2007.

Perhaps the school that brought you Bo, Cadillac, Brown, Joe Cribbs, James Brooks, William Andrews, Lionel James, Stephen Davis, Rudi Johnson and Tucker Frederickson is back to being Running Back U.

Chizik certainly sounded that way. “We've only played one game but we want to be a physical offense and run the football,” he said.

His predecessor Tommy Tuberville would be proud. Remember it was Tuberville who shelved the spread offense and fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin a few games into the 2008 season, just after he had brought in Franklin, the spread guru, a few months earlier to install the offense.

Listening to Chizik, I guess senior quarterback Chris Todd can forget about throwing the ball 35-40 times a game, especially with Tate and McCalebb around.

Smash-mouth football once again rules at Auburn.

By the way, Auburn plays host to Mississippi State in the SEC opener for both schools Saturday night. In their final game against Mississippi State – during that undefeated 2004 season with Chizik there – Williams ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns and Brown ran for 147 yards, averaging 9.8 yards per carry on 15 attempts, in a 43-14 Auburn blowout.

Don’t be surprised if Tate and McCalebb run roughshod over the Bulldogs, too.

(Top photo by Chris Pow)

Blazers' Webb worth watching

2009-09-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

OK, UAB football fans. Get off your duffs and head out to Legion Field on Saturday for the Blazers’ Conference USA game against SMU.

You have something – or somebody – worth watching.

I know you are skeptical, especially after Neil Callaway’s first two seasons as the Blazers’ head coach resulted in a 6-18 record. But you have to admit, he walked into a tough situation after the program nosedived in 2006, Watson Brown’s final season at the helm.

At any rate, senior quarterback Joe Webb is worth the price of admission. A dual threat, he is the most talented quarterback in the state at a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school and that includes Alabama’s Greg McElroy and Auburn’s Chris Todd.

Jacksonville State’s Ryan Perrilloux, playing for a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school after transferring from LSU, might be better, but you never know if he’s going to be playing, given his penchant for being suspended.

If you can’t take my word that Webb is the must-see QB in the state, then listen to what Rice head coach David Bailiff had to say before Webb torched the Owls for 415 yards total offense, setting a C-USA record for rushing yards (194 on 20 carries) by a quarterback and accounting for four touchdowns (two rushing and two passing) in the Blazers’ 44-24 season-opening victory.

“You remember Rocky I, where he went and got the chickens?,” Bailiff said. “I told our d-line coach he better go buy a couple of chickens to see if we can't catch them. (Webb) is amazing. You watch the tape and there are times eight people miss him and then he completes a big pass down the field or he scrambles for a long yardage touchdown. He is definitely a threat."

Then, after Webb’s spectacular game, including a nifty 71-yard touchdown run, against an experienced Rice defense that returned eight starters, Bailiff said, “He put us on our heels, and instead of risking to be great we turned passive.”

Only 14,316 of you bothered to show up last Saturday to witness Webb average 9.7 yards per carry and complete an astounding 80 percent of his passes (12-of-15).

You should have already known about Webb. After all, during his junior season in 2008 he set a C-USA record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,021 and also ran for 11 touchdowns. He passed for 2,367 yards and 10 touchdowns, but did throw 16 interceptions.

"Joe is by far our best playmaker offensively," Callaway said. "And we've asked him to do an awful lot."

Remember the UAB glory days – that shouldn’t be hard since it was only a few years ago – when you flocked to Legion Field to watch quarterback Darrell Hackney’s amazing feats (and those of wide receive Roddy White). Well, Webb is a bigger (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), faster and stronger version of Hackney, although he doesn’t have anyone like White to throw to. Junior Frantrell Forrest has emerged as Webb’s go-to receiver – he caught both of Webb’s TD passes against Rice, including an acrobatic grab late in the first half – but he’s not on White’s level.

I know it was rainy last Saturday and that probably kept some of you away. I overheard a guy in the press box say the crowd was so small you could hear the rainfall. He was right.

I have checked the forecast for this Saturday and there isn’t any rain in the forecast, so you can’t use bad weather as an excuse. It will be a little cloudy, but pleasant for the 3 p.m. kickoff.

Besides, neither Alabama nor Auburn is playing anyone worthwhile and their games are at night. The Tide plays Florida International, while Auburn plays Mississippi State, which is picked to finish last in the SEC West.

The most compelling national game – USC at Ohio State (not Notre Dame at Michigan) – also is at night and you’ll have plenty of time to get home to watch it on TV.

So, get on out there and watch Webb weave more magic.

Book Tide for SEC title game

2009-09-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

As I was watching No. 5 Alabama put the finishing touches on its 34-24 season-opening victory against No. 7 Virginia Tech Saturday night at the Georgia Dome, I turned to my wife sitting on the couch in front of the TV beside me and told her that we could dispense with the rest of the season and go right to the SEC Championship game between the Crimson Tide and Florida.

An astute football fan in her own right, she replied, “It’s just the first game.”

“But,” I responded, “It’s still going to be the Tide and the Gators.”

Florida was always a lock, but I had my doubts about Alabama -- because of their revamped offensive line, not because of new starting quarterback Greg McElroy.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I think McElroy is going to be brilliant and will make folks quickly forget John Parker Wilson, the three-year starter he replaced.

But replacing left tackle Andre Smith, the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL draft earlier this year by the Cincinnati Bengals, and center Antoine Caldwell, who was chosen in the third round by the Houston Texans, was more problematic.

After some early struggles against Virginia Tech, Alabama’s rebuilt offensive line physically dominated the Hokies, opening gapping holes for running backs Mark Ingram and Roy Upchurch and giving McElroy enough time to scan the field for any receiver he wanted.

Ingram ran for 81 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as he rushed for a career-high 150 yards. Upchurch gained 90 yards on seven carries and scored a TD.

Meanwhile, McElroy overcame a shaky start to complete 15-of-30 passes for 230 yards, including an 18-yard yard TD toss to Ingram in the fourth quarter.

In the coming weeks, look for the offensive line, with new center William Vlachos and new left tackle James Carpenter, to continue to improve, and the strong-armed McElroy to blossom into the kind of quarterback pro scouts will love.

I haven’t even mentioned wide receiver Julio Jones, who has grown into a beast, or 6-foot-6 tight end Colin Peek, the transfer from Georgia Tech who figures to become a prime target of McElroy as defenses try to take away Jones.

If that is not enough convincing, then how about the Alabama defense with monster linebackers Rolando McClain and Dont'a Hightower and a host of other fast, strong, big hitters? Add to that the defensive schemes head coach Nick Saban and his staff devise, then it’s no surprise the Tide held Virginia Tech to only 155 yards total offense.

The Tide also showed it can wear down an opponent and dominate the final quarter.

Alabama will face tougher competition in the SEC – Virginia Tech is good, but the Hokies still are from the ACC – but it won’t matter. The Tide is bound for a return engagement to the Georgia Dome in December and another date Florida.

Go ahead and book it.

(Photos by Kent Gidley, rolltide.com)

McElroy ready to lead Tide

2009-09-04T17:06:00.001-07:00

Finally, it’s time for kickoff. And the debates about whether Alabama can win a national championship and whether Auburn can stay out of last place in the SEC West can intensify – if that’s possible.

Both schools enter the 2009 college football season with some intriguing questions and I am here to provide the answers as No. 5 Alabama prepares to take on No. 7 Virginia Tech Saturday night at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, while Auburn plays host to Louisiana Tech.

Let’s begin this top-five question and answer session with …

ALABAMA

1. How will Greg McElroy perform at QB?
McElroy, a junior, replaces John Parker Wilson, a three-year starter. He has played in only eight games in his college career, but has completed 16-of-20 passes (80 percent) for 196 yards and two touchdowns in a reserve role the past two seasons. And he did star in his one season as a starter for national high school power Southlake Carroll High School in Texas after taking over for Chase Daniel, the 2004 National High School Player of the Year who went on to star at Missouri. McElroy’s numbers were an eye-popping: 4,687 yards passing with 56 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. I don’t think the Crimson Tide will miss Wilson at all. McElroy is going to be sensational.

2. How long before the revamped offensive line jells?
Tackle Andre Smith (Cincinnati Bengals) and center Antoine Caldwell (Houston Texans) have taken their acts to the NFL, although Smith, the No. 6 overall pick, is sidelined with a broken foot after a long contract holdout. Senior left guard Mike Johnson and senior right tackle Drew Davis are back, but it will take some time for the line to play as a unit. Expect Virginia Tech to exploit some of the Tide’s weaknesses on the offensive front, after two exhibition games against Florida International and North Texas (OK, they are regular season games, but they just amount to paid wins for the Tide), the line should be together for the SEC opener against Arkansas on Sept. 26.

3. Who will be the Tide’s other go-to receiver?
The Tide needs somebody to step up, so defensive backs don’t gang up on sophomore sensation Julio Jones, Mike McCoy and Marquis Maze have great speed, but can they make the tough catch in a clutch situation? Perhaps, the Tide will have to rely more on 6-foot-6 senior tight end Colin Peek in the passing game.

4. Will the defense allow more than two touchdowns in any game?
There’s talk that this Tide team will rival the 1992 group that completely shut down opponents and paved the way for the Tide’s last national championship. Junior Rolando McClain and sophomore Dont'a Hightower could be two of the best linebackers to ever play at Alabama before they are finished. Senior nose guard Terrence Cody and senior cornerback Javier Arenas (also a dangerous punt returner) are as good at their positions as anyone in the nation. In other words, the Tide’s defense will have to take the field in the shadows of their end zone a few times a game for anybody to cross the goal line more than twice in any game. And even if opponents do take over in the red zone, they will have to settle for field goals more often than not.

5. Will Coach Nick Saban have back-to-back 10-win seasons?
Saban is the only current Football Bowl Subdivision coach to coach for at least 10 years and not suffer a losing season, but he has never had consecutive 10-win seasons. After guiding LSU to the national championship with a 13-1 record in 2003, the following season the Tigers finished 9-3. Last year, in his second season at Alabama, Saban led the Tide to a 12-2 record (the two losses coming in the Tide’s final two games against Florida in the SEC Championship Game and against Utah in the Sugar Bowl). After beating Virginia Tech – I predict 20-10 – to open the season, the Tide will roll through the regular season 11-1 (the only blemish coming Oct. 10 at Ole Miss), giving Saban back-to-back 10-win seasons. Also look for the Tide to win the SEC West, but lose to Florida (again) in the SEC Championship Game.

AUBURN

1. Will Gene Chizik prove he’s the right man for the job?
Chizik distinguished himself as Auburn’s defensive coordinator from 2002-04, including the Tigers’ 13-0 season, but he was a surprising choice to replace Tommy Tuberville, considering he was 5-19 in two seasons as head coach at Iowa State. He had a 10-game losing streak when Auburn handed him the head coaching reins on the Plains. The expectations are low at Auburn this year, so Chizik might get a pass on this season. But if the Tigers get blown out regularly by the top SEC teams on their schedule, then one of those ridiculous firecoach(fill in the blank).com websites might show up on the Internet.

2. Can the Tigers rediscover the pass?
New offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was brought in to restore some balance – i.e., a passing game – to the Tigers’ offense. The Tigers finished 10th in the SEC in passing yards per game (165.4 yards) in 2008 and had the fewest touchdown passes (7) in the league. Senior Chris Todd won the quarterback battle over Kodi Burns in preseason camp, but he has a largely untested receiving corps to work with, especially with senior Montez Billings suspended for the first four games for academic reasons. So the Tigers will have to rely heavily on the run again. At least that should make running backs Ben Tate, Eric Smith and Onterio McCalebb happy.

3. How will Kodi Burns adjust to wide receiver?
Burns was the Tigers’ starting quarterback for most of last season, but after losing out to Todd for the job in preseason camp, he was switched to wide receiver. Chances are Burns will see more time in the backfield in the “wildcat formation,” running the ball out of the shotgun than he will catching passes.

4. Will Antonio Coleman wish he had jumped to the NFL?
Coleman, a defensive end, passed up a chance to go the NFL to return to Auburn for his senior season. A wise move the scouts said. Another season in college will help him develop physically and improve his overall game, thereby improving his stock. He might have been a late-round choice in the 2009 draft, but could go in the first three rounds with a solid senior season. Plus, Coleman has 14.5 career sacks and needs one more to move into the top 10 in Auburn history.

5. Will Auburn win enough games to qualify for a bowl game?
After finishing 5-7 last year, leading to Tuberville’s departure, the Tigers open this season with four consecutive home games – against Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, West Virginia and Ball State. If they can sweep those, then yes the Tigers will go bowling. But if they split those, then Auburn will be hard-pressed to win four more games on its schedule, especially on the road at Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU and Georgia and even at home against Ole Miss and Alabama. Figure another 5-7 finish.

Death of hero worship makes athletes targets

2009-09-02T10:21:00.001-07:00

The news on the college football scene in Alabama is happening at a dizzying pace. Here’s just a sample with my thoughts included – a little something I call News and Views.

News: Alabama defensive end Brandon Deaderick was released from the hospital Tuesday after being shot in the arm during a robbery attempt at an off-campus apartment. Although the 6-foot-4, 306-pound senior from Elizabethtown, Ky., returned to practice Wednesday, he probably will have to miss the fifh-ranked Crimson Tide’s season opener against seventh-ranked Virginia Tech Saturday night in Atlanta.

Views: More and more athletes are becoming crime victims because hero worship has died -- the leading cause of death being athletes' own bad behavior, although that was not the case with Deaderick -- and they are big targets. And that's not just physically.

News: The NCAA cleared Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Mark Ingram to play against Virginia. The Tide has asked whether a Gulf Coast fishing trip the two players took in the spring with businessman Curtis Anderson was a violation. In rending its ruling the NCAA issued this statement:

"According to the facts of the case submitted by Alabama, the student-athletes received impermissible food, lodging, transportation and entertainment from an individual with whom one of the student-athletes had become acquainted prior to enrolling in college. Consistent with NCAA membership requirements, the institution reported the violation and declared the student-athletes ineligible. As part of the reinstatement request, the institution required the student-athletes to make repayment of the value of the impermissible benefits to charity."

An Alabama spokesman said the money had been paid to charity.

Views: I understand why the rule is there, but this was much ado about nothing.

News: The Troy Trojans will begin celebrating their 100th year of football when they travel to Ohio to face Bowling Green Thursday in their 2009 opener.

Views: This could be a big season for the Trojans, considering a strong defense that led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring defense (21.3), total defense (327.5) and passing defense (187.8) in 2008. Defensive end Brandon Lang has been named both a semifinalist to the Lombardi watch list and is one of the 62 players on the Bronko Nagurski watch list. Also among the 48 players on the Lombardi watch list are middle linebacker Boris Lee and Troy's other defensive end, Cameron Sheffield. The top-ranked Florida Gators better not overlook the Trojans next week.

News: The Terry Bowden Era of UNA football officially began last Saturday with his first game as a collegiate head coach in more than a decade. Bowden and the Lions recorded a 41-9 win at Southern Arkansas. Bowden’s last time on the sideline was as head coach of the Auburn Tigers on October 17, 1998.

Views: Bowden has walked into a gold mine. Considering he has a team with several Division I transfers, Bowden should have the Lions, ranked No. 4 this week, contending for the Division II national championship.

Does anybody care about UAB football?

2009-09-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

Neil Callaway’s comments were telling.

Any other head football coach coming off two losing seasons in his first two years at a school might be feeling some heat, but not Callaway, despite going 2-10 in 2007 and 4-8 in 2008 at UAB.

The only heat Callaway was feeling Monday during the Blazers’ first media luncheon of the 2009 season was from the bright lights of the video cameras of a few Birmingham television stations.

“There’s always pressure,” Callaway said, “but I think it’s self-inflicted. There’s not any outside pressure.”

Perhaps, that’s because UAB fans are not passionate about their football program and justifiably so. The Blazers have done little in their 18 years, including the past 13 at the Division I-A level (now called the Football Bowl Subdivision, FBS), playing football to make folks care.

They had a chance to create some enthusiasm a few years ago, starting 5-1 in 2004 with the only loss coming to Florida State, but they struggled down the stretch, finishing 7-5. They did earn the school’s only bowl berth in history that season, losing 59-40 to Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.

The following season UAB opened with a narrow loss at Tennessee, 17-10, and generated some excitement by winning their next three games for a 3-1 start. But they won only two more games and finished the 2005 season with a 5-6 record.

Talk about buzz kill. What followed was even more demoralizing.

The 2006 season was a total disaster. After a 3-3 start, the Blazers lost their final six games to finish 3-9, leading to a nasty divorce with head coach (and athletic director) Watson Brown. Brown disgustedly resigned after 12 seasons, only three with a winning record.

Pat Sullivan, who had been the offensive coordinator under Brown, figured he would be elevated to head coach, but when it became apparent he wasn’t he bolted to take a head coaching job across town at Samford University.

In stepped Callaway, who had never been a head coach before, but had been an assistant at the two schools, Alabama and Auburn, that have made football a religion in the state. Callaway also had been an offensive coordinator at Georgia for six seasons prior to coming to UAB.

Unfortunately, the low-key Callaway was not the kind of dynamic coach who could inflame the passions of the dwindling UAB faithful. Attendance at home games has averaged below 20,000 in his first two seasons, including a mere 16,706 in 2007.

But Callaway is optimistic about 2009, particularly the kind of team that will take the field when UAB plays host to Rice in its opener in a Conference USA game on Saturday at Legion Field in Birmingham.

"We're going to be a much improved football team,” Callaway said, “but at the same time, I think we have a lot of work still to do. We have closed the gap somewhat. We are more athletic this year. We're bigger, stronger, and I think we have more team speed than we've had.

"I remember when we played Michigan State (2007) the first game our staff was here. I asked our guys to stand up if they had ever played in a college football game, and there may have been about a dozen of them. We are certainly past that point now. We're gaining on it, and we're heading in the right direction.”

Whether anybody notices and joins them on the journey remains to be seen.

Saban's extension signals end of Bear's shadow

2009-08-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

Paul “Bear” Bryant’s lengthy shadow, which had hovered over the Alabama football program for nearly 2 ½ decades, finally has lifted.

It had begun to fade when the Crimson Tide lured Nick Saban from the Miami Dolphins at the end of the 2006 season to be their head coach. It completely disappeared Saturday when Saban signed a three-year contract extension on his original $32 million, eight-year deal. The extension supposedly will keep him in Tuscaloosa until 2017. Supposedly because we know contracts aren’t worth the paper they are written on these days, so it isn't a lock Saban will be around that long.

Even so, Saban, 57, is in control of Tide football for the foreseeable future. And he’s in command in a way no one has been since the Bear relinquished the coaching reins at the end of the 1982 season, which preceded his death in January 1983.

For too long, the Tide tried to continue Bryant's legacy by hiring some of his “boys,” such as Ray Perkins (his immediate successor), Gene Stallings (who won the Tide’s only national championship – 1992 -- since Bryant’s departure during his seven years on the job) and Mike DuBose (who turned out to be a disaster).

The outsiders -- Bill Curry, Dennis Franchione, and Mike Price -- didn’t stick around long. Curry couldn’t beat arch-rival Auburn and was forced to leave town. Franchione claimed promises were broken and departed without talking to his players, who he had asked to stay after the Tide went on NCAA probation for rules violations under DuBose. Price didn’t coach a game after his scandalous behavior led to his firing a few months after he had been hired.

Mike Shula, who was hired to replace Price, turned out to be in over his head as coach of a program with a fan base filled with unrealistic expectations and was fired after four seasons.

Saban, about to start his third season, replaced Shula and took charge the same way Bryant did, letting everyone know who the boss was. Now, he might be the most powerful coach in college football. “Saban Nation” is in full force with his influence stretching from the university administration to the alumni, to boosters and to fans. Few in the media dare cross him.

Even Alabama athletic director Mal Moore recognizes Saban's clout. Listen to what Moore had to say announcing the extension:

"Coach Saban has impressively led the Alabama football program back to national prominence in a short period of time. That success has been evident in all facets -- on-field results, his embrace of Alabama's athletics and academic culture, recruiting, and community service. In every way, Coach Saban has positioned our program among college football's elite."

In two seasons, Saban has led the Tide to a 19-8 record, including a 12-2 mark in 2008 when the Tide won the Southeastern Conference Western Division title, advanced to the SEC Championship Game, earned a trip to the Allstate Sugar Bowl and had a final ranking of 6th in both the Associated Press media poll and the USA Today/ESPN coaches' rankings.

The Tide is expected to contend for the national title again this season, entering their opening game Saturday against seventh-ranked Virginia Tech with a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll.

Saban can remain at Alabama as long as he wants – the same way Bryant did.

Suspension could leave Auburn grounded

2009-08-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

Poor Gene Chizik.

He was already going to have a tough time convincing folks, especially Charles Barkley, that he was the right man to succeed Tommy Tuberville as Auburn’s head football coach this season, following Chizik's two disastrous years (5-19) at the helm of Iowa State, including a 10-game losing streak before Auburn came calling.

You might recall that Barkley was highly critical of the hiring because he wanted his former school to hire an African-American, particularly Buffalo head coach Turner Gill.

Now eight days before Chizik’s debut against Louisiana Tech he has witnessed the decimation of his receiving corps. The latest blow came Thursday when the NCAA suspended senior Montez Billings for the first four games of the season. Apparently, Billings, the team’s leading returning receiver, hadn’t done what he needed academically, although he received his degree in public administration after the spring semester.

Go figure.

Chizik took the news in stride (what else could he do?) “We’re going to respect the decision and move on,” he said. “We’ll be happy to get Montez back in Tennessee (on Oct. 3).”

The Tigers already were without oft-injured receiver Tim Hawthorne (broken foot) during preseason practice and Darvin Adams, another returning receiver, has been slowed by an undisclosed injury.

Perhaps, the go-to receiver in the opener will be Kodi Burns, who just moved to receiver after losing the battle for starting quarterback to Chris Todd. Burns finished last season as the Tigers' starting quarterback after Todd was shelved with shoulder problems. He threw for only two touchdowns however, so switching to receiver was probably a wise move.

"Not having been a receiver my whole life, it's a little bit different," Burns said. "But at the same time playing quarterback, I already know what the guys are supposed to do. I've just got to go out and execute it."

If the Tigers are forced to rely on Burns too much at his new position early in the season, they are in trouble. But how bad can it be? Auburn had one of the worse passing games in the Southeastern Conference in 2008. They ranked 10th in the league in passing, only 165.4 yards per game, and threw the fewest touchdown passes (7).

New offensive coordinator Gus Malzhan was brought in to give the Tigers some semblance of an aerial attack. But now they are scrambling for receivers and appear to be grounded once again.

At least their first four games are at home, so perhaps they can get airborne before going to Tennessee. If not, then …

Poor Gene Chizik.

Fishing trip lands Tide players in murky waters

2009-08-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Let me get this straight.

A man from Athens, Ala., takes two Alabama football players on a fishing trip earlier this year and now the players might be suspended when the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide opens the 2009 season Sept. 5 against seventh-ranked Virginia Tech at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff.

Did I miss something?

It sounds kind of fishy to me, but reportedly Curtis Anderson, a 56-year-old man from Athens, took Tide sophomore receiver Julio Jones and sophomore running Mark Ingram on a Gulf Coast fishing trip, which Anderson paid for. Anderson claims the players are friends of his.

The Alabama compliance department got wind of the fishing expedition and decided to investigate, as a precaution, for potential NCAA violations.

Following its probe, the university stated that Anderson is "not affiliated with UA. He is not a UA booster, fan or alumnus, and is not a UA season ticket holder," according to a statement by Deborah Lane, assistant to the president and assistant vice president for university relations.

Alabama has not self-imposed any penalties or reported violations, but has turned over findings for approval by the Southeastern Conference. It might do the same with the NCAA.

While all this is going on, Tide head coach Nick Saban has little to say. Responding to a question about the situation on Tuesday, Saban said: "I really can't comment on that. I think the institution has shown great integrity in the way they've handled the situation. It's in someone else's hands, and until it gets decided, I have no comment."

To me, this whole affair is absurd. I understand NCAA rules about giving athletes preferential treatment, but this seemingly is just a story about some fishing buddies -- despite their differences in age -- getting together for a little R&R while trying to land some bass or snappers or flounders or whatever. One report said the likely cost of the trip for Anderson, Jones and Ingram was fewer than $100 per person.

From what I read about the matter, no rules were broken, and if they were, simply let Jones and Ingram repay the man for the trip and get back to the business of football and Virginia Tech. I definitely don’t think this warrants any suspension (although stranger things have happened when it comes to the NCAA, especially as it relates to Alabama. Anyone remember Textbookgate?).

By the way, I wonder what their haul (of fish, that is) was -- if the fish indeed were biting.

College Sports Rule in Alabama

2009-08-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Pardon me for forgetting my Southern manners the other day. What was I thinking? I just started ranting without introducing myself or telling you what I'll be ranting about.

An introduction indeed is in order.

I am a lifelong Alabamian from Montgomery, a University of Alabama graduate (Class of 1979) and I've been writing about sports in this state for more than 30 years.

Without any major professional sports teams (we've tried and failed on numerous occasions to make that happen, becoming instead the minor league capital of the South with four Double-A baseball teams in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery), college sports rule.

College football is king thanks to Alabama and Auburn, but we have some other programs that bear watching, given the talent they have sent to the NFL in recent years.

Did you know that Troy has produced the likes of linebacker DeMarcus Ware (Dallas Cowboys), defensive end Osi Umenyiora (New York Giants), placekicker Lawrence Tynes (Giants), and defensive back Leodis McKelvin (Buffalo Bills)?

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White hails from UAB, Tennessee Titans defensive back Cortland Finnegan is from Samford in Birmingham, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Robert Mathis is from Alabama &M and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is from Alabama State, although I'm not sure how long he remain with the Vikings now that Brett Favre has come out of retirement.

These are just a few of the more prominent non-Alabama and non-Auburn players in the league.

I'll be blogging plenty about college football, but the other college sports also need mentioning, considering Alabama just hired its first African-American basketball coach (Anthony Grant, no relation), Auburn has produced its share of major league baseball players, such as Bo Jackson, Frank Thomas and Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson, Alabama is a national power in gymnastics and Auburn keeps winning NCAA swimming titles.

So, even though we don't have any teams from those alphabet leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL), I'll still have lots for you to read.

Perrilloux Needs Dungy

2009-08-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Quick, somebody call Tony Dungy. He needs to hurry down to Jacksonville, AL. Another troubled football player, a quarterback no less, needs his mentoring skills.

A few days ago, Jacksonville State senior quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was suspended for violating team rules and will miss the Gamecocks' season opener Sept. 5 at Georgia Tech.

You might remember the only reason Perrilloux is at Jacksonville State is he was kicked off the LSU team by Coach Les Miles for several off-the-field incidents.

In announcing Perrilloux's suspension, Jacksonville State head coach Jack Crowe mentioned words such as "hurt" and "sad."

"I'm hurt by it, to be honest," Crowe said. ... "It's sad because I think there will be some things assumed about Ryan that shouldn't be, but that's the nature of the game."

Crowe shouldn't be hurt or sad. I don't know what team rules Perrilloux broke, but it appears Perrilloux is just continuing the self-destructing behavior that he displayed at LSU. Perhaps, it's just in his nature or character to run afoul of team rules (and the law) just like it is for so many football players (the names of Adam "Pac Man" Jones, Plaxico Burress and Maurice Clarrett readily come to mind).

No one questions Perrilloux's talent. If he had been at LSU last year, the Tigers might have won the 2008 national championship. All they needed was a dynamic quarterback. Instead, Perrilloux was at Jacksonville State, setting passing records for the Gamecocks.

Perrilloux obviously has enough skill to play at the next level -- Frank Cooney's NFL Draft Scout ranks him 13th out of 135 college quarterbacks for the 2010 NFL draft -- but character issues might keep teams from wasting a draft pick on him. He could prove to be a headache for a team and become another notch on NFL sheriff, er commissioner, Roger Goddell's belt.

Of course, Perrilloux could get some mentoring help by putting in a call for Dungy. After all, look what Dungy has done with Michael Vick, getting him back into the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles after he was released from prison earlier this summer for running a dogfighting ring.

If Vick can spare Dungy, Perrilloux sure could use him. Otherwise, his promising football career could end up on the ash heap.