Today's the day for 3-0!

Its throwback days for those of us without the pay per view or season pass. So lets tune up those AM radios & put a steak on the grill. GO BAMA ROLL TIDE! Send them Western KY boys back home with a real downhome azz kickin!

Mount Cody, Alabama

Mount Cody climbs to Alabama celebrity status

By JOHN ZENOR, AP Sports Writer Sep 10, 4:32 pm EDT

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP)—Terrence Cody is used to being the big man on campus, but not like this.

No. 11 Alabama’s behemoth nose tackle has become an instant celebrity around campus because of both his physical dimensions—6-foot-5, 360 pounds—and his sizable impact on the Crimson Tide’s defensive line.

He even has a cool nickname: Mount Cody. Strangers shake his hand and say, “Good game, Mount Cody.” His teammates first marveled at his size and then his agility and athleticism, including watching him dunk a basketball.

“Everybody knows me on campus,” the junior college transfer said. “It’s been like that since I got on campus.”

He caught opposing coaches’ and players’ attention when he spearheaded a dominant run-stuffing performance against Clemson in the opener. The Tigers had zero yards rushing.

When you run into Cody, Tide tailback Glen Coffee said, “You just get stopped.”

Cody even has two groups devoted to him on Facebook.com, “Mount Cody” and “Terrence Cody is a Manchild” with a combined 90 members. He developed that following without being permitted by coach Nick Saban to talk to the media before this week since arriving at Alabama.

He only seemed like an overnight sensation. Cody first had to overcome ballooning weight, high school grades and his supersized physique as a youngster. Cody was too big to play youth football and only played two seasons of high school ball because of grades, even missing his senior season.

Academics forced him to go the JUCO route at Gulf Coast Community College in Mississippi. He had 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks and helped the team go unbeaten last season, drawing attention from major college recruiters.

“He certainly had the size and the initial quickness,” Saban said. “We knew what his problem was in terms of conditioning. That was our big issue.”

Cody arrived on his recruiting visit to Alabama at a robust 420 pounds. He endured early-morning workouts with Gulf Coast assistant Stevon Moore, who played for Saban with the Cleveland Browns, during the offseason. The goal was to lose 3 pounds a week through extra exercise and avoiding late-night eating binges.

Then were was the daily fear that the work wouldn’t bear fruit.

“I was like, I hope all this pays off because waking up early is hell,” Cody said.

Tide safety Rashad Johnson’s first impression was awe at his size. Cody stopped by his house on his recruiting visit. “It was just crazy to see a guy that big and to know that he’s going to be a part of our team,” Johnson said.

A more encouraging sight was Cody finishing all 26 of his 110-yard runs on the first day of summer conditioning, while many of his smaller teammates bowed out early.

“There were definitely guys that didn’t finish and you look over and the biggest guy on the team was finishing,” Johnson said. “He was determined he was going to make all 26 of them.

“That definitely showed the heart and the hard work that he has and the determination.”

It is also helping Cody have the stamina to play more snaps each game, rotating with Josh Chapman.

He has nine tackles, including two for losses. A bigger impact that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet is the fact that he is drawing nearly constant double-teams from opposing offenses, freeing up teammates to make plays. Players like linebacker Rolando McClain were the beneficiaries of all that attention against Tulane.

“Rolando had like 15 tackles, so I did my job,” Cody said.

Despite all the attention he has received, Cody still has a hard time believing he’s in this position starting for a ranked Southeastern Conference team.

“I actually pinch myself, like man, is this really true?” he said. “Is this happening? I ended up at a great school. I feel really blessed.”

No. 13 ‘Bama sputters to 20-6 win over Tulane

By JAY REEVES, Associated Press Writer Sep 6, 11:35 pm EDT

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP)—Forced out of New Orleans a week ago by the threat of Hurricane Gustav, Tulane got a standing ovation from Alabama fans just for jogging into the stadium.
The 13th-ranked Crimson Tide wasn’t as nice, even as it struggled to a win.
Javier Arenas returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown and Alabama held on Saturday to beat Tulane 20-6.
Just one game after looking like world beaters against then-No. 9 Clemson, a listless Alabama (2-0) allowed four sacks of John Parker Wilson, fumbled once, missed two kicks and gained only 172 yards—just 38 in the first half.
Coach Nick Saban got his 100th collegiate career victory, but he wasn’t exactly thrilled.
“It’s a little disappointing. It’s our goal to play with consistency … but we were unable to do that,” he said. “We did not make progress as a team.”
Playing in its season opener after days of hotel food and worrying about friends and family back in Louisiana, Tulane kept the Tide offense off balance but managed only field goals of 35 and 21 yards by Ross Thevenot, who missed two more.
Tulane headed back home, but it might not be for long since another hurricane, Ike, could threaten the northern Gulf coast next week. Coach Bob Toledo doesn’t know what to expect in the coming days.
“I’m not a weather guy, but I guess it’s coming our way,” he said.
Arenas gave ‘Bama all the points it needed early.
Tulane’s first drive stalled on the Alabama 46, and Darren deRochemont punted. Arenas caught the ball at his own 13, broke a tackle and cut down the left sideline for a TD that had fans screaming wildly.
DeRochemont was forced to punt two drives later from the Green Wave 23, but Roy Upchurch made a diving block. Chris Rogers scooped up the ball and ran 17 yards for a score.
“I was able to get inside the wing and block it,” Upchurch said. “It was a great feeling. It was almost like scoring a touchdown.”
The special teams theatrics over, Alabama’s offense sputtered badly. Scattered boos got louder after the offensive line allowed three sacks in the second quarter alone, and freshman Corey Smith, in briefly for the injured Leigh Tiffin, missed a point-after kick and a 37-yard field goal.
Alabama didn’t manage an offensive touchdown until the end of the third quarter, when Mark Ingram scored on a 15-yard run to cap a 77-yard, 11-play drive that wore down the Tulane defense.
With Alabama missing injured offensive line starters Andre Smith and Marlon Davis, Wilson was under pressure all night. He completed just 11 of 23 passes for 73 yards but didn’t thrown an interception.
“We weren’t clicking,” Wilson said. “We didn’t execute on third downs. We’re not consistent. There’s a lot of little things we have to correct. It’s one thing on this play, one thing on another play.”
Arenas, who set an Alabama record with 212 return yards, left injured in the third quarter after getting leveled by Jordan Ellis on a punt return. Saban said Arenas suffered a blow to the head but should be OK.
Tulane’s Thevenot was wide left on field goal attempts from 41 and 23 yards.
The Tulane team evacuated its New Orleans campus Aug. 30 as Gustav roared through the Gulf of Mexico toward a landfall. The squad spent a week in a hotel in Birmingham, alternately practicing at Samford University and watching movies and bowling to kill time.
Things could be worse next game: Tulane is supposed to play host to East Carolina on Saturday, and forecasters said Ike is on a path that could take it to southwestern Louisiana by the weekend.
The hurricane drill is getting old for Tulane. Two dozen players on the roster also evacuated when Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, and a handful are left from 2004, when Hurricane Ivan forced the team to leave town.
Bad weather or not, Tulane has a tough time with Alabama. The Green Wave hasn’t beaten the Crimson Tide since 1958, and it hasn’t won in Tuscaloosa since 1900.