TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP)—Alabama discovered how precarious life at the top can be, sidestepping what could have been another top-five upset with a bruising drive and a late field goal.
Glen Coffee rushed for 218 yards, Leigh Tiffin kicked a 24-yard field goal with 2:12 left to put the Crimson Tide up 10, and No. 2 Alabama survived and advanced in the national title chase with a 17-14 win over Kentucky on Saturday.
Playing with its best national ranking in 15 years, the Tide survived three turnovers, a season-high 10 penalties, and a sputtering passing game a week after racing to a 31-0 halftime lead at Georgia.
The outcome, at least, was something coach Nick Saban could be happy with after top-five teams Georgia, Florida and Southern California were toppled last weekend.
“We’re certainly happy to win but we also put on a clinic today for how to keep the other team in the game,” Saban said.
Coffee and the Tide (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) pounded out a 15-play drive from their own 17-yard line to set up the clinching field goal. Coffee gained 57 yards on nine carries on the drive, which consumed 8:10.
Tiffin, who had missed two earlier kicks, drilled this one for a 17-7 lead, and the points proved necessary. John Parker Wilson had converted a fourth-and-1 with a quarterback sneak from the Kentucky 46 to keep the drive alive.
The Wildcats (4-1, 0-1) weren’t done yet. Mike Hartline hit DeMoreo Ford streaking down the right sideline for a 48-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left. The blown pass coverage had Saban fuming on the sideline over another mistake in a day full of them for the Tide.
“They never gave up and we never put them away, and we had some chances,” he said.
Kentucky’s onside kick attempt went out of bounds to give Alabama the ball and the game.
The Tide’s final scoring chance came after Coffee nearly lost his second fumble inside the Kentucky 10, but the ball dribbled out of bounds after the Wildcats had a clear shot to recover and Alabama kept possession.
“We had it and then we didn’t,” Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said. “That’s kind of the way the game went for us.”
Cornerback David Jones had the ball squirt from underneath him. “I tried to just fall on it and secure it, but it just slipped out,” he said.
‘Bama continued to dominate the series, moving to 34-2-1 overall and 20-0-1 in the state of Alabama. Kentucky was looking for its second huge upset in two seasons after beating No. 1 LSU in triple overtime last season.
Coffee had 25 carries, including a 78-yard touchdown, for the best rushing output for a ‘Bama back since Shaun Alexander gained a school-record 291 yards against LSU in 1996. Kentucky came in allowing just 73 rushing yards a game and hadn’t given up a TD on the ground.
The Tide ran for 282 yards.
“When I think about what I’ve done today, all I think about is the fumbles,” Coffee said. “The fumbles come to mind first. The fumbles affect the whole team.”
Hartline was 20-of-42 for 241 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Alabama’s Wilson was just 7-of-17 for 106 yards and was intercepted once and sacked three times.
Outgained 253-60 in the first half, the Wildcats forced two turnovers in the third quarter and made it look easy on their first scoring drive.
Hartline dumped a pass over the middle to Locke, who scampered for a 36-yard gain. Dicky Lyons Jr. took a short slant pattern 26 yards for a touchdown on the next play to make it 14-7 with 5:49 left in the third quarter.
Hartline had just 66 yards passing before that drive, and Kentucky had gone three-and-out on five consecutive possessions.
Kareem Jackson then picked off Hartline’s underthrown pass after the Wildcats pushed across midfield.
The Tide had continued its string of fast starts, pushing its season first quarter advantage to 88-0 with a pair of touchdowns for the team’s only points until the final minutes.
Coffee raced 78 yards up the middle, going virtually untouched and managing to just outdistance Kentucky’s pursuing defenders. Then Hartline lost control of ball as he was cocking his arm for a throw and Rolando McClain scooped it up at Kentucky’s 4 for a touchdown, the third scored by Alabama’s defense this season.
“I think we had a legitimate shot at them, but they made those plays and we didn’t,” Brooks said.
It could have been worse but Tiffin missed a field goal, Coffee lost a fumble at Kentucky’s 6 and the Tide failed to score on two other trips across midfield in the first half.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
John Parker Wilson Takes A Knee....
It wasnt pretty. It wasnt fun to watch. It showed some cracks in our teams armor and it definitely gives Coach Saban & his staff ammunition to whip them bama boys up & down the practice field to make sure this never happens again.
Congratulations Kentucky ... you will probably be one of the few teams to ever move into the rankings after losing your first game of the season after going unbeating into it. Thank you for the great effort & hopefully next year we will beat you even better! :)
Go Bama Roll Tide! 6-0 is still 6-0....but it was U.G.L.Y!
Congratulations Kentucky ... you will probably be one of the few teams to ever move into the rankings after losing your first game of the season after going unbeating into it. Thank you for the great effort & hopefully next year we will beat you even better! :)
Go Bama Roll Tide! 6-0 is still 6-0....but it was U.G.L.Y!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
AP #2 ROLL TIDE ROLL
NOTEABLE QUOTES THIS WEEK:
1st Up from Rivals.com by: Steve Megargee and Mike Huguenin
Nick Saban: The guy might have the personality of a garage door, but he can coach. He's getting huge bucks – and huge results. Saturday's game at Georgia was supposed to be an SEC nail-biter. Instead, it was a yawner as the Tide rolled to a 31-0 halftime lead and cruised home. Will he become the second second-year coach to win a national title in the past three seasons (Urban Meyer did it in 2006)?
Alabama: In one day, the Tide went from SEC hopeful to SEC front-runner. They hammered
Then from the AP article:
Alabama
SEC honors JPW for Georgia
Wilson was perfect on his first seven pass attempts while only recording one incomplete pass in the first half (10-of-11, 139 yards, TD).
The
Monday, September 29, 2008
DRINK THE KOOL-AID! Thx Yahoo Sports For This
Inside Slant
See the Kool-Aid. Take the Kool-Aid. Drink the Kool-Aid.
Alabama (5-0) rolled into Georgia Saturday night and dominated, rolling out with a 41-30 victory over a Bulldogs team (4-1) many thought was playing for the No. 1 spot in this week’s poll.
The Tide played near flawless football in the first half, scoring on five consecutive possessions, and led 31-0 by halftime. Quarterback John Parker Wilson had only one incompletion in the first half, hitting 10-of-11 passes.
Afterward, head coach Nick Saban played the role of Scrooge, insisting there were enough bad things in the second half to enable him to keep after his team even after a big win.
“If you want to drink the Kool-Aid (about how good the Tide is) …” Saban started, then stopped. “It happens every week. I’m just the only person that talks about it, and then you guys beat me up about it, which is all right. I don’t mind. Then the next week they say, ‘He’s right. By God, he was right.’ “
No one is arguing with Saban, who has put his stamp on this program in one year. But the fans can’t help themselves. They are ecstatic.
And the players are pretty happy too—but not in the presence of their coach.
“He smiled and told us he loved us,” said linebacker Cory Reamer.
Saban is paid to coach, and to worry. But right now, he’s got a defense that shut down all the weapons of Georgia’s offense, and an offense that is playing ball-control football and executing as carefully as a jeweler cutting a diamond.
“Can we finish games when we didn’t do it tonight?” Saban asked. “Can we finish a season? Can we play with consistency?”
Through five games, the answer is yes. The offense seems prepared, the defense dominating, and the team responded when Georgia came back with 17 third-quarter points to cut the lead to 31-17. Who knows what will happen from here on. But no matter what, Alabama fans are happy and excited.
They’ll let their coach do all the worrying.
Season Recap:
#24 Alabama 34, #9 Clemson 10: The Tide blended its highly touted recruiting class in with veterans nicely, resulting in a complete domination of the preseason ninth-ranked Tigers. Senior John Parker Wilson was particularly effective in running the offense, and freshman tailback Mark Ingram burst into the spotlight with 97 yards rushing.
#13 Alabama 20, Tulane 6: Alabama struggled on offense, but special teams provided two touchdowns and the defense kept the Green Wave away from the end zone. Punt returner Javier Arenas set a school record with 147 yards on five returns, with one touchdown.
#11 Alabama 41, Western Kentucky 7: A perfect tune up heading into a two-game stretch against SEC competition. Alabama overwhelmed the Hilltoppers with 557 yards of offense, and limited Western Kentucky to 48 offensive plays for the game.
#9 Alabama 49, Arkansas 14: Alabama goes on the road and dominates the Hogs, averaging 8.0 yards per play on only 50 plays. The Tide got two defensive touchdowns on interception returns, and scored on long runs of 87 and 62 yards.
#8 Alabama 41, #3 Georgia 30: The Tide scored on its first five possessions, jumping to a 31-0 first half lead, then held on to upset the No 3 team in the nation. Alabama has yet to trail in a game this season, and seems to just keep going, and going, and going…
RANKINGS AS OF 9/29/08 - University of Alabama (5-0/2-0 Conf.)
AP TOP 25 - Ranked #2 with 21 1st Place Votes!
USA TODAY - Ranked #4 with 2 1st Place Votes!
YAHOO USERS POLL - Ranked #1!!!!!!!!!
Notes, Quotes
• Rather than open the 2010 season in Atlanta against Alabama, Duke has decided to keep its season opener on campus, according to Atlanta Sports Council President Gary Stokan. There were negotiations for Alabama and Duke to play the opener in The Georgia Dome, but Duke’s new athletic director, Kevin White, and new football coach David Cutcliffe, prefer to keep the game against the Tide at home. The Sports Council still hopes to see Alabama open the 2009 season in Atlanta against Virginia Tech, according to Stokan, but nothing has been finalized.
Game Ball Goes To: QB John Parker Wilson, who outplayed the more highly regarded Matthew Stafford. Wilson completed 13-of-16 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown and was near flawless in his direction of the offense.
Keep An Eye On: WR Julio Jones. Again, in a head-to-head matchup with another highly rated freshman receiver (Georgia’s A.J. Green), Jones came out ahead with five catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. His four touchdown receptions are a freshman record at Alabama. He just gets better and better.
Quote To Note: “We probably played the best half of football we’ve played all season. It couldn’t have come at a better time.”—Alabama coach Nick Saban on his club’s 31-0 lead at halftime.
Strategy And Personnel
Looking Good: RB Glen Coffee continues to be the workhorse on offense, with 23 carries for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
• DB Justin Woodall picked off his third interception of the season and led the team with five tackles and forced a fumble.
• The defense limited Heisman favorite Knowshon Mareno to 34 yards on 11 carries, while the offense held the ball for 20:32 of the first 30 minutes of the game.
• CB Javier Arenas added an interception return for a touchdown to his punt return scores. Arenas picked off a Casey Dick pass and went 63 yards for a score. It was one of four interceptions for the Tide on the day.
Still Needs Work: Alabama’s special teams are still susceptible to big plays. The Tide allowed Georgia’s Prince Miller to return a punt 92 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter as the Bulldogs scored 17 points to briefly get back in the game.
Roster Report:
• No injuries were reported after this game.
See the Kool-Aid. Take the Kool-Aid. Drink the Kool-Aid.
Alabama (5-0) rolled into Georgia Saturday night and dominated, rolling out with a 41-30 victory over a Bulldogs team (4-1) many thought was playing for the No. 1 spot in this week’s poll.
The Tide played near flawless football in the first half, scoring on five consecutive possessions, and led 31-0 by halftime. Quarterback John Parker Wilson had only one incompletion in the first half, hitting 10-of-11 passes.
Afterward, head coach Nick Saban played the role of Scrooge, insisting there were enough bad things in the second half to enable him to keep after his team even after a big win.
“If you want to drink the Kool-Aid (about how good the Tide is) …” Saban started, then stopped. “It happens every week. I’m just the only person that talks about it, and then you guys beat me up about it, which is all right. I don’t mind. Then the next week they say, ‘He’s right. By God, he was right.’ “
No one is arguing with Saban, who has put his stamp on this program in one year. But the fans can’t help themselves. They are ecstatic.
And the players are pretty happy too—but not in the presence of their coach.
“He smiled and told us he loved us,” said linebacker Cory Reamer.
Saban is paid to coach, and to worry. But right now, he’s got a defense that shut down all the weapons of Georgia’s offense, and an offense that is playing ball-control football and executing as carefully as a jeweler cutting a diamond.
“Can we finish games when we didn’t do it tonight?” Saban asked. “Can we finish a season? Can we play with consistency?”
Through five games, the answer is yes. The offense seems prepared, the defense dominating, and the team responded when Georgia came back with 17 third-quarter points to cut the lead to 31-17. Who knows what will happen from here on. But no matter what, Alabama fans are happy and excited.
They’ll let their coach do all the worrying.
Season Recap:
#24 Alabama 34, #9 Clemson 10: The Tide blended its highly touted recruiting class in with veterans nicely, resulting in a complete domination of the preseason ninth-ranked Tigers. Senior John Parker Wilson was particularly effective in running the offense, and freshman tailback Mark Ingram burst into the spotlight with 97 yards rushing.
#13 Alabama 20, Tulane 6: Alabama struggled on offense, but special teams provided two touchdowns and the defense kept the Green Wave away from the end zone. Punt returner Javier Arenas set a school record with 147 yards on five returns, with one touchdown.
#11 Alabama 41, Western Kentucky 7: A perfect tune up heading into a two-game stretch against SEC competition. Alabama overwhelmed the Hilltoppers with 557 yards of offense, and limited Western Kentucky to 48 offensive plays for the game.
#9 Alabama 49, Arkansas 14: Alabama goes on the road and dominates the Hogs, averaging 8.0 yards per play on only 50 plays. The Tide got two defensive touchdowns on interception returns, and scored on long runs of 87 and 62 yards.
#8 Alabama 41, #3 Georgia 30: The Tide scored on its first five possessions, jumping to a 31-0 first half lead, then held on to upset the No 3 team in the nation. Alabama has yet to trail in a game this season, and seems to just keep going, and going, and going…
RANKINGS AS OF 9/29/08 - University of Alabama (5-0/2-0 Conf.)
AP TOP 25 - Ranked #2 with 21 1st Place Votes!
USA TODAY - Ranked #4 with 2 1st Place Votes!
YAHOO USERS POLL - Ranked #1!!!!!!!!!
Notes, Quotes
• Rather than open the 2010 season in Atlanta against Alabama, Duke has decided to keep its season opener on campus, according to Atlanta Sports Council President Gary Stokan. There were negotiations for Alabama and Duke to play the opener in The Georgia Dome, but Duke’s new athletic director, Kevin White, and new football coach David Cutcliffe, prefer to keep the game against the Tide at home. The Sports Council still hopes to see Alabama open the 2009 season in Atlanta against Virginia Tech, according to Stokan, but nothing has been finalized.
Game Ball Goes To: QB John Parker Wilson, who outplayed the more highly regarded Matthew Stafford. Wilson completed 13-of-16 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown and was near flawless in his direction of the offense.
Keep An Eye On: WR Julio Jones. Again, in a head-to-head matchup with another highly rated freshman receiver (Georgia’s A.J. Green), Jones came out ahead with five catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. His four touchdown receptions are a freshman record at Alabama. He just gets better and better.
Quote To Note: “We probably played the best half of football we’ve played all season. It couldn’t have come at a better time.”—Alabama coach Nick Saban on his club’s 31-0 lead at halftime.
Strategy And Personnel
Looking Good: RB Glen Coffee continues to be the workhorse on offense, with 23 carries for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
• DB Justin Woodall picked off his third interception of the season and led the team with five tackles and forced a fumble.
• The defense limited Heisman favorite Knowshon Mareno to 34 yards on 11 carries, while the offense held the ball for 20:32 of the first 30 minutes of the game.
• CB Javier Arenas added an interception return for a touchdown to his punt return scores. Arenas picked off a Casey Dick pass and went 63 yards for a score. It was one of four interceptions for the Tide on the day.
Still Needs Work: Alabama’s special teams are still susceptible to big plays. The Tide allowed Georgia’s Prince Miller to return a punt 92 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter as the Bulldogs scored 17 points to briefly get back in the game.
Roster Report:
• No injuries were reported after this game.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Oklahoma’s No. 1, Bama No. 2 in AP poll!!!!!
RAMMER JAMMER YELLOWHAMMER GIVEM HELL ALLERBAMMER!!!!!!!!
Check out bama's next four games ....... can anyone say excellent chance to run it up to 9-0 before we meet with dem Cajuns?
I can't say enough how great Alabama's offense stepped up to the plate last night I would honestly have to say my mouth was open about as much as those georgia fans as we took it up to 31-0 right before the half. Hat's off to ya guys ... now keep listening to coach & don't let the ranking get to ya! Take it one game at a time and we will rock this season on its ear!
GO BAMA ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!
Just in case you didnt catch the game ... how bout dem highlights????
Check out bama's next four games ....... can anyone say excellent chance to run it up to 9-0 before we meet with dem Cajuns?
I can't say enough how great Alabama's offense stepped up to the plate last night I would honestly have to say my mouth was open about as much as those georgia fans as we took it up to 31-0 right before the half. Hat's off to ya guys ... now keep listening to coach & don't let the ranking get to ya! Take it one game at a time and we will rock this season on its ear!
GO BAMA ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!
Just in case you didnt catch the game ... how bout dem highlights????
Tide Spanks Dawgs Heads up chart!
The score might have looked close but c'mon! Alabama spanked #3 ranked Georgia in front of 93,000 stunned dawg fans. I know we let em get some sympathy scores late in the game (and we need to work on that) but this game wasnt even close sports fans! GO BAMA ROLL TIDE and GRATZ on your 41-30 true spanking of them bulldawgs!!!!
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