And John Parker Wilson Takes A Knee to seal the victory .......
Should be sweet words ..... but somehow they feel sour today. Today we saw what could be a season ending injury to one of the Tide's brightest young stars. Terrence "Mount Cody" Cody was involved in a play where another player got pushed into him and it looked like his knee got rolled up under him. From the massive look of pain on his face when they were working on him & the looks on the faces of the doctors I feel this must be a major major injury and a horrible blow to our defense.
Congrats guys for holding off the bad guys in the final minutes .... but I sure hope we find some rhythm before we run into LSU and Auburn.
ROLL TIDE 7-0 .... Let's all say a prayer for Mr. Cody.
L8ter,
Tide Pride
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
ALABAMA-OLE MISS PREVIEW
Alabama-Ole Miss has flying shoes, big finishes
By JOHN ZENOR, AP Sports Writer
Unforgettable memories are forged on Southeastern Conference football fields. Big wins. Fantastic finishes.
Even flying footwear. That’s the first thing that pops up in the mind of Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson when he recalls last year’s meeting with Mississippi.
“Walking off the field, I was like, ‘There’s high heels on the field,”’ Wilson said. “I couldn’t believe it. We’ve had stuff thrown at us, but not shoes.”
For such a one-sided rivalry, Alabama-Mississippi has produced some wild ones leading up to Saturday’s meeting, none moreso than last year’s controversial but fashionably shod ending.
An apparent 41-yard touchdown catch by Shay Hodge with 7 seconds left was reversed after replay officials determined Hodge ran out of bounds before catching the ball. The result was a 27-24 Alabama win and some steamed Ole Miss fans—one of whom presumably left without her pumps.
The Tide (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) has won the last three meetings, each time by three points, on everything from a last-play field goal to an overtime touchdown, but has continued to own the Western Division series. Alabama is 22-1 in games played in Tuscaloosa and has won 18 of the last 21 meetings.
With the recent musical chairs at the top of the rankings, the SEC’s only remaining unbeaten team doesn’t want to join the crowd of upset victims. Mississippi (3-3, 1-2), a 13-point underdog, has already won at No. 5 Florida this season.
“Everybody knows Ole Miss can play,” Tide defensive end Lorenzo Washington said. “They’re no pushover team. No team in the SEC is, really.”
Neither of these teams is easy to push around. Alabama is the SEC’s top team at running and stopping the run, ranking second nationally in the latter category.
Tide coach Nick Saban said physical play is a trademark of Houston Nutt’s teams. Nutt coached Arkansas before taking over at Ole Miss this year. The Rebels have three sacks in each of the past two games and lead the SEC in tackles for loss.
“(Nutt’s) teams always play physical, they’re always tough, they always play hard,” Saban said. “They always compete well in a game. Never are they out of the game, as evidenced by some of the games we’ve had in the past with them, including last year’s game.
“They’re always hard to defend.”
One reason is the “Wild Rebel” formation that utilizes receiver Dexter McCluster, who is fourth in the SEC in receiving yards and has led the team in rushing the past two games.
The biggest change Alabama players cited from recent Ole Miss teams is likely quarterback Jevan Snead, who is third in the league in passing yards.
“In the past couple of years, after Eli (Manning) left, they’ve had trouble trying to find a consistent quarterback,” Washington said. “With Snead, I think they’ve definitely found a good quarterback. He’s made a couple of turnovers, but on the flip side he’s made a ton of good plays. Throwing the ball well and making plays with his feet, too.”
Snead might have to do both against a defense that has given up just 305 rushing yards all season. Tide cornerback Javier Arenas said Snead reminds him of Georgia’s Matthew Stafford with his willingness to thread the ball into tight coverage.
“He’s good at it, too,” Arenas said. “We’ve got to respect that, but at the same time we’ve got to respect all the misdirection, passes and reverses.”
Alabama counters with a more straight-ahead, power running game. Glen Coffee is coming off a career-best 218-yard game two weeks ago against Kentucky before both teams had an open date.
Wilson could have some opportunities in the passing game. Ole Miss is allowing a league-worst 229 yards a game through the air, matching Kentucky with the most passing touchdowns allowed (nine).
Then again, Wilson completed only 7-of-17 passes against the Wildcats.
Ole Miss defensive line coach Tracy Rocker doesn’t expect much finesse from the Tide.
“There’s one thing you know about Alabama, they’re gonna come dead at you,” Rocker said. “They’re the poster child of what the SEC is all about. They’re physical and they’re playing real football, the old traditional football, and that’s what I like about it. And I think that’s what intrigues everybody else about them.”
By JOHN ZENOR, AP Sports Writer
Unforgettable memories are forged on Southeastern Conference football fields. Big wins. Fantastic finishes.
Even flying footwear. That’s the first thing that pops up in the mind of Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson when he recalls last year’s meeting with Mississippi.
“Walking off the field, I was like, ‘There’s high heels on the field,”’ Wilson said. “I couldn’t believe it. We’ve had stuff thrown at us, but not shoes.”
For such a one-sided rivalry, Alabama-Mississippi has produced some wild ones leading up to Saturday’s meeting, none moreso than last year’s controversial but fashionably shod ending.
An apparent 41-yard touchdown catch by Shay Hodge with 7 seconds left was reversed after replay officials determined Hodge ran out of bounds before catching the ball. The result was a 27-24 Alabama win and some steamed Ole Miss fans—one of whom presumably left without her pumps.
The Tide (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) has won the last three meetings, each time by three points, on everything from a last-play field goal to an overtime touchdown, but has continued to own the Western Division series. Alabama is 22-1 in games played in Tuscaloosa and has won 18 of the last 21 meetings.
With the recent musical chairs at the top of the rankings, the SEC’s only remaining unbeaten team doesn’t want to join the crowd of upset victims. Mississippi (3-3, 1-2), a 13-point underdog, has already won at No. 5 Florida this season.
“Everybody knows Ole Miss can play,” Tide defensive end Lorenzo Washington said. “They’re no pushover team. No team in the SEC is, really.”
Neither of these teams is easy to push around. Alabama is the SEC’s top team at running and stopping the run, ranking second nationally in the latter category.
Tide coach Nick Saban said physical play is a trademark of Houston Nutt’s teams. Nutt coached Arkansas before taking over at Ole Miss this year. The Rebels have three sacks in each of the past two games and lead the SEC in tackles for loss.
“(Nutt’s) teams always play physical, they’re always tough, they always play hard,” Saban said. “They always compete well in a game. Never are they out of the game, as evidenced by some of the games we’ve had in the past with them, including last year’s game.
“They’re always hard to defend.”
One reason is the “Wild Rebel” formation that utilizes receiver Dexter McCluster, who is fourth in the SEC in receiving yards and has led the team in rushing the past two games.
The biggest change Alabama players cited from recent Ole Miss teams is likely quarterback Jevan Snead, who is third in the league in passing yards.
“In the past couple of years, after Eli (Manning) left, they’ve had trouble trying to find a consistent quarterback,” Washington said. “With Snead, I think they’ve definitely found a good quarterback. He’s made a couple of turnovers, but on the flip side he’s made a ton of good plays. Throwing the ball well and making plays with his feet, too.”
Snead might have to do both against a defense that has given up just 305 rushing yards all season. Tide cornerback Javier Arenas said Snead reminds him of Georgia’s Matthew Stafford with his willingness to thread the ball into tight coverage.
“He’s good at it, too,” Arenas said. “We’ve got to respect that, but at the same time we’ve got to respect all the misdirection, passes and reverses.”
Alabama counters with a more straight-ahead, power running game. Glen Coffee is coming off a career-best 218-yard game two weeks ago against Kentucky before both teams had an open date.
Wilson could have some opportunities in the passing game. Ole Miss is allowing a league-worst 229 yards a game through the air, matching Kentucky with the most passing touchdowns allowed (nine).
Then again, Wilson completed only 7-of-17 passes against the Wildcats.
Ole Miss defensive line coach Tracy Rocker doesn’t expect much finesse from the Tide.
“There’s one thing you know about Alabama, they’re gonna come dead at you,” Rocker said. “They’re the poster child of what the SEC is all about. They’re physical and they’re playing real football, the old traditional football, and that’s what I like about it. And I think that’s what intrigues everybody else about them.”
MOUNT CODY'S HUGE IMPACT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – He's literally the biggest surprise of the season.
Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody, a junior college transfer, wasn't close to being the most highly touted player in Alabama's top-ranked recruiting class. If it's possible for a 6-foot-5, 365-pound man to slip under the radar, Cody pulled it off. Yet he now is the center of attention in the SEC. After all, how can you miss him?
Massive defensive tackle Terrence Cody has been a huge difference maker for Alabama's defense.The behemoth in the middle of Alabama's defensive line has helped give the Crimson Tide the nation's second-ranked run defense while catapulting one of the nation's most storied programs back into title contention. Not even Cody himself expected to make this kind of an instant impact.
"I didn't think I was going to be this big," he said. "I've surprised myself big-time."
His extraordinary combination of size and athleticism already has made him a folk hero around campus, where he's hailed as "Mount Cody."
He has weighed as much as 420 pounds, yet he's athletic enough to dunk a basketball. He has the strength to withstand constant double and triple teams, but he also possesses enough stamina to jog up a 2½-mile mountain trail.
No wonder NFL scouts are drooling over his long-term potential.
"Defensive linemen are a hot commodity in the NFL," said former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, now a writer for nationalfootballpost.com. "Dominant defensive linemen are an even bigger commodity. He happens to be both."
Cody's sudden emergence as one of the most dominant defensive players in the nation is one of this season's most interesting stories. How he got here is perhaps an even better tale.
Cody, who's now seen as a potential first-round draft pick, wasn't playing football at all four years ago. He had to overcome tragedy in his family life and trouble in the classroom. And his excessive weight created questions about whether he could physically handle the demands of big-time college football.
"A lot of people passed on him just because of his size, which I thought was pretty funny," said Steve Campbell, who coached Cody last season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, in Perkinston. "Normally when you get a guy that big, he can't move. They thought maybe if he lost some pounds, he could be an offensive guard. That was the comment I kept hearing. I thought he didn't have to lose a pound and he could be a dominant defensive tackle or nose guard."
Campbell wasn't the only one who believed that. Scott Jones, who coached Cody at Riverdale High School in Fort Myers, Fla., predicted this kind of success almost as soon as he saw Cody – then a 6-2, 275-pound high school freshman – roaming the halls. The problem was that Cody rarely gave himself a chance to show off his extraordinary potential.
Poor grades prevented Cody from playing football as a sophomore and junior, putting his career in jeopardy before it ever really got going. Jones has coached high school football since 1970 and couldn't remember any other examples of a kid who managed to regain his academic eligibility as a senior after sitting out two entire seasons. Cody was the exception.
"My freshman year, I was pretty good," Cody said. "They brought me up to varsity, and I was dominating. I let all that get into my head, that I was good and didn't have to go to class. My grades went down, and I had to miss two years. … My teachers talked to me every day. One day I just said, 'I've got to get back on the field.' "
Cody also wanted to improve his grades in order to become a better role model for his four younger siblings. Cody was 11 when his father died, forcing him to spend his teen years helping take care of his three sisters and one brother.
"It was real difficult because everything was on me," Cody said. "I had to do good. My sisters looked up to me. If I was doing bad, they were going to do bad. I had to turn myself around and start doing good."
TIPPING THE SCALES
Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody is one of only about a half-dozen players who weigh at least 350 pounds and start for a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) program. His status as a defensive player also makes him an exception to the rule. Most of the 350-pound club's members are offensive linemen. Here's a rundown of players on FBS rosters who weigh at least 350 pounds. Starters are listed in bold.
Herman Johnson, LSU; G, Sr., 6-7, 386
Jake Johnson, Texas Tech; G, Sr., 6-7, 370
Steve Lightsy, San Jose State; G, Jr., 6-4, 370
Isaiah Williams, Arizona State; OL, Soph., 6-8, 370
Jordan White-Frisbee, Washington; G, Sr., 6-5, 368
Brandon Ware, Penn State; DT, Fr., 6-3, 367
Victor Unga, BYU; DL, Fr., 5-11, 366
Terrence Cody, Alabama; NT, Jr., 6-5, 365
Garrett Faulconer, San Jose State; G, Jr. , 6-7, 360
Ramsey Feagai, UNLV; OT, Soph., 6-2, 360
Nate Hartung, BYU; OL, Fr., 6-2, 360
Siosifa Moala, UNLV; OL, Sr., 6-1, 360
Eddie Tautolo, New Mexico State; OT, Fr.-RS, 6-4, 360
Brandon Bullock, Marshall; DT, Soph., 6-3, 355
Vaughn Dotsy, Arizona; G, Fr., 6-5, 355
Mark Jean-Louis, Ole Miss; OL, Jr., 6-2, 355
Jaron Odom, Louisiana-Lafayette; G, Fr., 6-8, 355
Rodrick Thomas, Tulsa; OT, Sr., 6-5, 355
Brandon Carter, Texas Tech; G, Jr., 6-7, 354
Brent Good, Arizona State; G, Jr., 6-2, 354
Anthony Jackson, Arkansas State; G, Jr., 6-4, 353
Calvin Wilson, Southern Mississippi; OT, Jr., 6-6, 353
Devan Cunningham, Fresno State; G, Soph., 6-6, 350
Chris Little, Georgia; G, Fr.-RS, 6-6, 350
Jonas Murrell, Florida International; DT, Sr., 6-2, 350
Dennis Zeigler, Indiana; OL, Fr.-RS, 6-7, 350
Once Cody regained his eligibility for his senior season, he wasted no time making a name for himself around campus. He earned a standing ovation from teammates by completing a 2.5-mile jog up a mountain – while weighing 400 pounds – during the Riverdale football team's preseason retreat in West Virginia. And Cody delivered such devastating hits that Jones instituted a rule preventing him from tackling teammates during practice, which led to a remarkable scene during one workout.
"This 240-pound fullback was running," Jones recalled. "(Cody) put his helmet on the kid's waist and lifted him up like he was a fireman carrying him on the shoulder. He brought him up to me and said, 'Is this what you want?' "
When Cody wasn't displaying brute strength on the football field, he was revealing his amazing athleticism on the basketball court. Cody averaged about eight rebounds and 12 points per game for Riverdale's basketball team. He showed remarkable footwork and change-of-direction skills for someone so large, though those skills didn't garner nearly as much attention as his occasional dunking exhibitions in practice.
"To all the other players, it was just so amazing, how he could run, stop, change direction and do everything," Riverdale basketball coach Herb Brown said. "He was just big and playful. I guess he never knew how amazing it was, what he was doing."
Cody's exploits made him a legend at Riverdale, but he remained a bit of a secret in the recruiting world. Cody's poor academic history was going to prevent him from playing for a Division I school as a freshman, but Jones still expected some big-time program to sign him, then place him at a junior college.
It didn't happen.
"I sent out film and talked to college coaches about him, but I think they were leery of his academic problems," Jones said. "I can understand that, but when you have a kid who's 6-6 (actually 6-5) and 380 pounds, you might want to take a hold of him."
Cody ended up at Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he helped the Bulldogs win a share of the national JUCO title last season and even ran for a touchdown out of a jumbo backfield on one occasion. Still, he was one of the lesser figures in Alabama's vaunted recruiting class. Rivals.com rated him as the No. 47 junior college recruit in the nation.
That didn't stop him from catching the attention of Alabama coach Nick Saban, who believed Cody's combination of power and quickness could make him an ideal nose tackle in the Tide's 3-4 defense.
"The big question was would he be able to manage his weight so that he'd be able to sustain his performance and get in the kind of condition he needed to play to his capacity," Saban said. "He's done a good job of it."
The weight issue also concerned Cody's new teammates, at least in the early going.
"During summer workouts, he maybe struggled at first," Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas said. "I was thinking, 'Man, this guy might be too big. Moving around (for) four quarters might not be his cup of tea.'
"But he adjusted fine. Probably by the second or third day of camp, he was out there doing his thing and I was thinking this guy might be the real deal."
Cody said he didn't really have to change what he ate. The problem was when he ate. He cut down on his late-night snacking and watched a couple of pounds disappear each day. The guy who once weighed well over 400 now is listed at 365.
Of course, that's still plenty big enough to clog up any running lanes opposing teams try to create between the tackles. That much became evident the night Cody made his college debut.
Alabama was facing Clemson's vaunted "Thunder & Lightning" backfield of James Davis and C.J. Spiller. They were considered the nation's top tailback tandem. Then they ran into Mount Cody.
Cody's physical presence helped limit Clemson to zero net rushing yards in the Tide's 34-10 rout. Davis and Spiller combined to run for 20 yards on eight carries.
"You shut down the two best running backs in college to only 20 yards, it's real exciting," Cody said. "I could see it in their eyes. They were looking confused. Everything they tried to do, we knew what they were doing because we had a scheme for it."
Cody has made things extremely difficult for opposing rushing attacks.That performance set the tone for the rest of the season. Alabama has faced two of the nation's top nine rushers (Tulane's Andre Anderson and Arkansas' Michael Smith) along with preseason Heisman candidate Knowshon Moreno of Georgia, and the Tide are allowing just 50.8 rushing yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry.
How tough is it to run on a defense that features Cody in the middle?
"It's almost like a guessing game," said Alabama running back Glen Coffee, who tries working his way around Cody every day in practice. "You want to press the hole, but you know he's going to be in the hole. Then when you cut it back, he's big enough and quick enough to get in that hole also."
Cody's numbers don't jump off the stat sheet. He only has 15 tackles through his first six games. Then again, the Tide aren't asking Cody to make a bunch of tackles. They want him to clog the middle to make it easier for the rest of the defense to make plays. He's accomplishing that task because of a combination of size and athleticism that leaves teammates grasping for comparisons.
"I really haven't heard about it in the college level," Alabama defensive end Lorenzo Washington said as he struggled to come up with similar players. "You see it sometimes in the NFL – but not with his stamina – with guys like Shaun Rogers, Dan Wilkinson, Gilbert Brown and older players like that."
It's no wonder Washington had to come up with the names of NFL players while discussing Cody's attributes. In the college game, Cody has no peers.
"Nobody is like him," said Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, whose team faces Alabama this week.
Cody's unique skill set should earn him an NFL fortune at some point. The only question is when. As a junior college transfer, Cody is eligible to pursue a pro career after this season, though Lombardi said he believes Cody would benefit from staying in school for another year. Lombardi noted that Cody remains a raw prospect who could answer concerns about his weight and experience by playing one more year of college football.
Cody insists he isn't focused on the future just yet.
"I really don't think about it," he said. "People tell me, but I don't look at any message boards or anything like that. I just go out every Saturday and play my game. I'm thinking about really coming back for my senior year."
SEC running backs can only hope he changes his mind.
Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody, a junior college transfer, wasn't close to being the most highly touted player in Alabama's top-ranked recruiting class. If it's possible for a 6-foot-5, 365-pound man to slip under the radar, Cody pulled it off. Yet he now is the center of attention in the SEC. After all, how can you miss him?
Massive defensive tackle Terrence Cody has been a huge difference maker for Alabama's defense.The behemoth in the middle of Alabama's defensive line has helped give the Crimson Tide the nation's second-ranked run defense while catapulting one of the nation's most storied programs back into title contention. Not even Cody himself expected to make this kind of an instant impact.
"I didn't think I was going to be this big," he said. "I've surprised myself big-time."
His extraordinary combination of size and athleticism already has made him a folk hero around campus, where he's hailed as "Mount Cody."
He has weighed as much as 420 pounds, yet he's athletic enough to dunk a basketball. He has the strength to withstand constant double and triple teams, but he also possesses enough stamina to jog up a 2½-mile mountain trail.
No wonder NFL scouts are drooling over his long-term potential.
"Defensive linemen are a hot commodity in the NFL," said former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, now a writer for nationalfootballpost.com. "Dominant defensive linemen are an even bigger commodity. He happens to be both."
Cody's sudden emergence as one of the most dominant defensive players in the nation is one of this season's most interesting stories. How he got here is perhaps an even better tale.
Cody, who's now seen as a potential first-round draft pick, wasn't playing football at all four years ago. He had to overcome tragedy in his family life and trouble in the classroom. And his excessive weight created questions about whether he could physically handle the demands of big-time college football.
"A lot of people passed on him just because of his size, which I thought was pretty funny," said Steve Campbell, who coached Cody last season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, in Perkinston. "Normally when you get a guy that big, he can't move. They thought maybe if he lost some pounds, he could be an offensive guard. That was the comment I kept hearing. I thought he didn't have to lose a pound and he could be a dominant defensive tackle or nose guard."
Campbell wasn't the only one who believed that. Scott Jones, who coached Cody at Riverdale High School in Fort Myers, Fla., predicted this kind of success almost as soon as he saw Cody – then a 6-2, 275-pound high school freshman – roaming the halls. The problem was that Cody rarely gave himself a chance to show off his extraordinary potential.
Poor grades prevented Cody from playing football as a sophomore and junior, putting his career in jeopardy before it ever really got going. Jones has coached high school football since 1970 and couldn't remember any other examples of a kid who managed to regain his academic eligibility as a senior after sitting out two entire seasons. Cody was the exception.
"My freshman year, I was pretty good," Cody said. "They brought me up to varsity, and I was dominating. I let all that get into my head, that I was good and didn't have to go to class. My grades went down, and I had to miss two years. … My teachers talked to me every day. One day I just said, 'I've got to get back on the field.' "
Cody also wanted to improve his grades in order to become a better role model for his four younger siblings. Cody was 11 when his father died, forcing him to spend his teen years helping take care of his three sisters and one brother.
"It was real difficult because everything was on me," Cody said. "I had to do good. My sisters looked up to me. If I was doing bad, they were going to do bad. I had to turn myself around and start doing good."
TIPPING THE SCALES
Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody is one of only about a half-dozen players who weigh at least 350 pounds and start for a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) program. His status as a defensive player also makes him an exception to the rule. Most of the 350-pound club's members are offensive linemen. Here's a rundown of players on FBS rosters who weigh at least 350 pounds. Starters are listed in bold.
Herman Johnson, LSU; G, Sr., 6-7, 386
Jake Johnson, Texas Tech; G, Sr., 6-7, 370
Steve Lightsy, San Jose State; G, Jr., 6-4, 370
Isaiah Williams, Arizona State; OL, Soph., 6-8, 370
Jordan White-Frisbee, Washington; G, Sr., 6-5, 368
Brandon Ware, Penn State; DT, Fr., 6-3, 367
Victor Unga, BYU; DL, Fr., 5-11, 366
Terrence Cody, Alabama; NT, Jr., 6-5, 365
Garrett Faulconer, San Jose State; G, Jr. , 6-7, 360
Ramsey Feagai, UNLV; OT, Soph., 6-2, 360
Nate Hartung, BYU; OL, Fr., 6-2, 360
Siosifa Moala, UNLV; OL, Sr., 6-1, 360
Eddie Tautolo, New Mexico State; OT, Fr.-RS, 6-4, 360
Brandon Bullock, Marshall; DT, Soph., 6-3, 355
Vaughn Dotsy, Arizona; G, Fr., 6-5, 355
Mark Jean-Louis, Ole Miss; OL, Jr., 6-2, 355
Jaron Odom, Louisiana-Lafayette; G, Fr., 6-8, 355
Rodrick Thomas, Tulsa; OT, Sr., 6-5, 355
Brandon Carter, Texas Tech; G, Jr., 6-7, 354
Brent Good, Arizona State; G, Jr., 6-2, 354
Anthony Jackson, Arkansas State; G, Jr., 6-4, 353
Calvin Wilson, Southern Mississippi; OT, Jr., 6-6, 353
Devan Cunningham, Fresno State; G, Soph., 6-6, 350
Chris Little, Georgia; G, Fr.-RS, 6-6, 350
Jonas Murrell, Florida International; DT, Sr., 6-2, 350
Dennis Zeigler, Indiana; OL, Fr.-RS, 6-7, 350
Once Cody regained his eligibility for his senior season, he wasted no time making a name for himself around campus. He earned a standing ovation from teammates by completing a 2.5-mile jog up a mountain – while weighing 400 pounds – during the Riverdale football team's preseason retreat in West Virginia. And Cody delivered such devastating hits that Jones instituted a rule preventing him from tackling teammates during practice, which led to a remarkable scene during one workout.
"This 240-pound fullback was running," Jones recalled. "(Cody) put his helmet on the kid's waist and lifted him up like he was a fireman carrying him on the shoulder. He brought him up to me and said, 'Is this what you want?' "
When Cody wasn't displaying brute strength on the football field, he was revealing his amazing athleticism on the basketball court. Cody averaged about eight rebounds and 12 points per game for Riverdale's basketball team. He showed remarkable footwork and change-of-direction skills for someone so large, though those skills didn't garner nearly as much attention as his occasional dunking exhibitions in practice.
"To all the other players, it was just so amazing, how he could run, stop, change direction and do everything," Riverdale basketball coach Herb Brown said. "He was just big and playful. I guess he never knew how amazing it was, what he was doing."
Cody's exploits made him a legend at Riverdale, but he remained a bit of a secret in the recruiting world. Cody's poor academic history was going to prevent him from playing for a Division I school as a freshman, but Jones still expected some big-time program to sign him, then place him at a junior college.
It didn't happen.
"I sent out film and talked to college coaches about him, but I think they were leery of his academic problems," Jones said. "I can understand that, but when you have a kid who's 6-6 (actually 6-5) and 380 pounds, you might want to take a hold of him."
Cody ended up at Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he helped the Bulldogs win a share of the national JUCO title last season and even ran for a touchdown out of a jumbo backfield on one occasion. Still, he was one of the lesser figures in Alabama's vaunted recruiting class. Rivals.com rated him as the No. 47 junior college recruit in the nation.
That didn't stop him from catching the attention of Alabama coach Nick Saban, who believed Cody's combination of power and quickness could make him an ideal nose tackle in the Tide's 3-4 defense.
"The big question was would he be able to manage his weight so that he'd be able to sustain his performance and get in the kind of condition he needed to play to his capacity," Saban said. "He's done a good job of it."
The weight issue also concerned Cody's new teammates, at least in the early going.
"During summer workouts, he maybe struggled at first," Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas said. "I was thinking, 'Man, this guy might be too big. Moving around (for) four quarters might not be his cup of tea.'
"But he adjusted fine. Probably by the second or third day of camp, he was out there doing his thing and I was thinking this guy might be the real deal."
Cody said he didn't really have to change what he ate. The problem was when he ate. He cut down on his late-night snacking and watched a couple of pounds disappear each day. The guy who once weighed well over 400 now is listed at 365.
Of course, that's still plenty big enough to clog up any running lanes opposing teams try to create between the tackles. That much became evident the night Cody made his college debut.
Alabama was facing Clemson's vaunted "Thunder & Lightning" backfield of James Davis and C.J. Spiller. They were considered the nation's top tailback tandem. Then they ran into Mount Cody.
Cody's physical presence helped limit Clemson to zero net rushing yards in the Tide's 34-10 rout. Davis and Spiller combined to run for 20 yards on eight carries.
"You shut down the two best running backs in college to only 20 yards, it's real exciting," Cody said. "I could see it in their eyes. They were looking confused. Everything they tried to do, we knew what they were doing because we had a scheme for it."
Cody has made things extremely difficult for opposing rushing attacks.That performance set the tone for the rest of the season. Alabama has faced two of the nation's top nine rushers (Tulane's Andre Anderson and Arkansas' Michael Smith) along with preseason Heisman candidate Knowshon Moreno of Georgia, and the Tide are allowing just 50.8 rushing yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry.
How tough is it to run on a defense that features Cody in the middle?
"It's almost like a guessing game," said Alabama running back Glen Coffee, who tries working his way around Cody every day in practice. "You want to press the hole, but you know he's going to be in the hole. Then when you cut it back, he's big enough and quick enough to get in that hole also."
Cody's numbers don't jump off the stat sheet. He only has 15 tackles through his first six games. Then again, the Tide aren't asking Cody to make a bunch of tackles. They want him to clog the middle to make it easier for the rest of the defense to make plays. He's accomplishing that task because of a combination of size and athleticism that leaves teammates grasping for comparisons.
"I really haven't heard about it in the college level," Alabama defensive end Lorenzo Washington said as he struggled to come up with similar players. "You see it sometimes in the NFL – but not with his stamina – with guys like Shaun Rogers, Dan Wilkinson, Gilbert Brown and older players like that."
It's no wonder Washington had to come up with the names of NFL players while discussing Cody's attributes. In the college game, Cody has no peers.
"Nobody is like him," said Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, whose team faces Alabama this week.
Cody's unique skill set should earn him an NFL fortune at some point. The only question is when. As a junior college transfer, Cody is eligible to pursue a pro career after this season, though Lombardi said he believes Cody would benefit from staying in school for another year. Lombardi noted that Cody remains a raw prospect who could answer concerns about his weight and experience by playing one more year of college football.
Cody insists he isn't focused on the future just yet.
"I really don't think about it," he said. "People tell me, but I don't look at any message boards or anything like that. I just go out every Saturday and play my game. I'm thinking about really coming back for my senior year."
SEC running backs can only hope he changes his mind.
SEC POWER RANKINGS
Now before I copy & paste this ... I must warn you that I am not quite sure what the fellow from YAHOO was drinking ... because he has bowl projections showing 10 outta 12 SEC teams making a bowl ....... hmmmmm has that ever happened?
Power Poll
By Travis Reier, BamaOnLine.com Senior Analyst Oct 15, 1:20 pm EDT
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE POWER RANKINGS
RANK
1
Alabama Crimson Tide
Nick Saban can’t even enjoy an open week. Bama’s boss said he tried to watch the Oklahoma-Texas last Saturday game, only to throw in the towel after mentally matching up his defensive players against the Texas and Oklahoma offenses. I mean, really, why breakdown the Longhorns and Sooners when a dangerous Ole Miss team awaits?
Midseason bowl projection: BCS Championship Game
Up next: UA (6-0, 3-0 in SEC) hosts Ole Miss on Oct. 18 (2:30 p.m. CT/CBS).
2
Florida Gators
From the fringes of the BCS title hunt to squarely in the mix. From the outer edges of the Heisman race to top three candidate. That’s a day in the life Tim Tebow, whose team beat the defending national champions by 30 points in primetime. Since winning it all two seasons ago, the Gators (5-1, 3-1) have been largely without star power on the defensive side of the ball. They have that now in middle linebacker Brandon Spikes.
Midseason bowl projection: Sugar
Up next: UF hosts UK on Oct. 25 (12:30 p.m. ET/Raycom).
3
Georgia Bulldogs
Lost in Matthew Stafford’s career-high passing day in the win over Tennessee was the fact that he took way too many shots. And with the revolving door at left tackle welcoming another newcomer this week against Vanderbilt, I’m wondering if Stafford will be upright by the time Georgia Tech rolls around in late November.
Midseason bowl projection: Capital One
Up next: UGA (5-1, 2-1) hosts Vanderbilt on Oct. 18 (12:30 p.m. ET/Raycom).
4
LSU Tigers
My immediate thought following Florida’s hammering of the Tigers: Other than offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, is there a current LSU assistant that Georgia, UF or Alabama would really want? Think about it. Jimbo Fisher and Stacy Searels gone to Florida State and Georgia, respectively, after the 2006 season. Bo Pelini takes over at Nebraska following the 2007 campaign. Crowton was a nice hire, but can anyone outside the state of Louisiana name the Tigers’ current defensive coordinator? (Hint: There are actually two of them)
Midseason bowl projection: Cotton
Up next: LSU (4-1, 2-1) travels to South Carolina on Oct. 18 (8 p.m ET/ESPN).
5
South Carolina
The quarterback position at USC has produced SEC player of the week honors in each of the past two weeks. And in true Steve Spurrier fashion, two different signal callers have been on the receiving end. After taking offensive player of the week honors against Ole Miss, Chris Smelley was benched in favor of Stephen Garcia in the Gamecocks’ 24-17 win over Kentucky. Spurrier’s decision proved to be the correct one, because without Garcia, who went on to earn freshman of the week honors after leading a 10-0 fourth quarter surge in Lexington, Carolina (5-2, 2-2) would not be in favorable bowl position today.
Midseason bowl projection: Outback
Up next: USC hosts LSU on Oct. 18 (8 p.m. ET/ESPN).
6
Ole Miss Rebels
Can Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2) produce some more SEC road magic this week at Alabama? If quarterback Jevan Snead plays in Tuscaloosa like he did in the Rebels’ first two road games of the season, they’ll have a shot. Six of Snead’s nine touchdown passes have come on the road, while seven of his nine interceptions have come at home.
Midseason bowl projection: Liberty
Up next: Ole Miss travels to Alabama on Oct. 18 (2:30 p.m. CT/CBS).
7
Vanderbilt Commodores
Now that the Commodores’ magical run has come to an end, their bowl hopes may come down to one game: vs. Duke in Nashville on Oct. 25. Kentucky and Tennessee look to be winnable games, but it’s hard to hand out Ws to a team that mustered just 107 yards of offense in a loss to Mississippi State. Quarterback Chris Nickson defines the term student-athlete, but Mackenzi Adams gives this team its best chance to win. Bobby Johnson may have made that call a few quarters too late.
Midseason bowl projection: Chick-fil-A
Up next: Vandy (5-1, 3-1) travels to UGA on Oct. 18 (12:30 p.m. ET/Raycom).
8
Kentucky Wildcats
In a 24-17 loss to South Carolina, the strongest area of this team didn’t have an answer for an inexperienced quarterback—Stephen Garcia—coming off the bench. And to make matters worse, the Wildcats (4-2, 0-2) lost their top offensive player—Dickey Lyons, Jr. (knee)—for the remainder of the season. Now the load will fall almost entirely to running back Derrick Locke and athlete/quarterback Randall Cobb to give the offense some juice.
Midseason bowl projection: Independence
Up next: UK hosts Arkansas on Oct. 18 (7 p.m. ET).
9
Arkansas Razorbacks
Darren McWho? Maybe losing two running backs to the first round of the NFL Draft wasn’t such a bad thing after all. In leading the SEC in rushing, Michael Smith, fresh from a 176-yard performance in the Razorbacks’ upset of Auburn, has stepped into the Bigfoot-sized addidas cleats left behind by Darren McFadden and Felix Jones quite well.
Midseason bowl projection: None
Up next: The Hogs (3-3, 1-2) travel to UK on Oct. 18 (7 p.m. ET).
10
Auburn Tigers
Since last we met, the following has taken place down on the Plains: Tony Frankin was dismissed as offensive coordinator and the Tigers (4-3, 2-3) lost at home to an Arkansas team that I thought might take the collar in league play this season. For all the talk about this team’s offensive woes, the biggest red flag when looking at this team might be the 416 yards its heralded defense gave up to the Razorbacks. Tommy Tuberville was motivated enough to not only survive a coup attempt in 2003, but to take the program to unprecedented heights one year later. Five years later, there are questions about whether he has the same fire in his gut.
Midseason bowl projection: Music City
Up next: AU travels to West Virginia on Oct. 23 (6:30 p.m. CT/ESPN).
11
Tennessee Volunteers
The 26-14 final didn’t indicate the lengths at which Georgia dominated the Vols (2-4; 0-3), but stats like total yards (UT: 209; UGA: 458) and time of possession (UT: 17:56, UGA: 42:04) certainly did. If nothing else, the Nick Stephens experiment at quarterback has show us what Phillip Rivers would have looked like in a Tennessee uniform.
Midseason bowl projection: Papa John’s
Up next: UT hosts MSU on Oct. 18 (7 p.m. ET).
12
Mississippi State Bulldogs
So much for the much anticipated 0-fer bowl pitting State (2-4, 1-2) against Arkansas on Nov. 22. That’s right, on the same day that Tennessee, Auburn and LSU lost games, the Dogs and Hogs got league wins. In throwing for 81 yards and a touchdowns, Tyson Lee wasn’t prolific by any means—but he’s definitely a step up from Wesley Carroll.
Midseason bowl projection: None
Up next: The Bullies travel to UT on Oct. 18 (7 p.m. ET).
Power Poll
By Travis Reier, BamaOnLine.com Senior Analyst Oct 15, 1:20 pm EDT
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE POWER RANKINGS
RANK
1
Alabama Crimson Tide
Nick Saban can’t even enjoy an open week. Bama’s boss said he tried to watch the Oklahoma-Texas last Saturday game, only to throw in the towel after mentally matching up his defensive players against the Texas and Oklahoma offenses. I mean, really, why breakdown the Longhorns and Sooners when a dangerous Ole Miss team awaits?
Midseason bowl projection: BCS Championship Game
Up next: UA (6-0, 3-0 in SEC) hosts Ole Miss on Oct. 18 (2:30 p.m. CT/CBS).
2
Florida Gators
From the fringes of the BCS title hunt to squarely in the mix. From the outer edges of the Heisman race to top three candidate. That’s a day in the life Tim Tebow, whose team beat the defending national champions by 30 points in primetime. Since winning it all two seasons ago, the Gators (5-1, 3-1) have been largely without star power on the defensive side of the ball. They have that now in middle linebacker Brandon Spikes.
Midseason bowl projection: Sugar
Up next: UF hosts UK on Oct. 25 (12:30 p.m. ET/Raycom).
3
Georgia Bulldogs
Lost in Matthew Stafford’s career-high passing day in the win over Tennessee was the fact that he took way too many shots. And with the revolving door at left tackle welcoming another newcomer this week against Vanderbilt, I’m wondering if Stafford will be upright by the time Georgia Tech rolls around in late November.
Midseason bowl projection: Capital One
Up next: UGA (5-1, 2-1) hosts Vanderbilt on Oct. 18 (12:30 p.m. ET/Raycom).
4
LSU Tigers
My immediate thought following Florida’s hammering of the Tigers: Other than offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, is there a current LSU assistant that Georgia, UF or Alabama would really want? Think about it. Jimbo Fisher and Stacy Searels gone to Florida State and Georgia, respectively, after the 2006 season. Bo Pelini takes over at Nebraska following the 2007 campaign. Crowton was a nice hire, but can anyone outside the state of Louisiana name the Tigers’ current defensive coordinator? (Hint: There are actually two of them)
Midseason bowl projection: Cotton
Up next: LSU (4-1, 2-1) travels to South Carolina on Oct. 18 (8 p.m ET/ESPN).
5
South Carolina
The quarterback position at USC has produced SEC player of the week honors in each of the past two weeks. And in true Steve Spurrier fashion, two different signal callers have been on the receiving end. After taking offensive player of the week honors against Ole Miss, Chris Smelley was benched in favor of Stephen Garcia in the Gamecocks’ 24-17 win over Kentucky. Spurrier’s decision proved to be the correct one, because without Garcia, who went on to earn freshman of the week honors after leading a 10-0 fourth quarter surge in Lexington, Carolina (5-2, 2-2) would not be in favorable bowl position today.
Midseason bowl projection: Outback
Up next: USC hosts LSU on Oct. 18 (8 p.m. ET/ESPN).
6
Ole Miss Rebels
Can Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2) produce some more SEC road magic this week at Alabama? If quarterback Jevan Snead plays in Tuscaloosa like he did in the Rebels’ first two road games of the season, they’ll have a shot. Six of Snead’s nine touchdown passes have come on the road, while seven of his nine interceptions have come at home.
Midseason bowl projection: Liberty
Up next: Ole Miss travels to Alabama on Oct. 18 (2:30 p.m. CT/CBS).
7
Vanderbilt Commodores
Now that the Commodores’ magical run has come to an end, their bowl hopes may come down to one game: vs. Duke in Nashville on Oct. 25. Kentucky and Tennessee look to be winnable games, but it’s hard to hand out Ws to a team that mustered just 107 yards of offense in a loss to Mississippi State. Quarterback Chris Nickson defines the term student-athlete, but Mackenzi Adams gives this team its best chance to win. Bobby Johnson may have made that call a few quarters too late.
Midseason bowl projection: Chick-fil-A
Up next: Vandy (5-1, 3-1) travels to UGA on Oct. 18 (12:30 p.m. ET/Raycom).
8
Kentucky Wildcats
In a 24-17 loss to South Carolina, the strongest area of this team didn’t have an answer for an inexperienced quarterback—Stephen Garcia—coming off the bench. And to make matters worse, the Wildcats (4-2, 0-2) lost their top offensive player—Dickey Lyons, Jr. (knee)—for the remainder of the season. Now the load will fall almost entirely to running back Derrick Locke and athlete/quarterback Randall Cobb to give the offense some juice.
Midseason bowl projection: Independence
Up next: UK hosts Arkansas on Oct. 18 (7 p.m. ET).
9
Arkansas Razorbacks
Darren McWho? Maybe losing two running backs to the first round of the NFL Draft wasn’t such a bad thing after all. In leading the SEC in rushing, Michael Smith, fresh from a 176-yard performance in the Razorbacks’ upset of Auburn, has stepped into the Bigfoot-sized addidas cleats left behind by Darren McFadden and Felix Jones quite well.
Midseason bowl projection: None
Up next: The Hogs (3-3, 1-2) travel to UK on Oct. 18 (7 p.m. ET).
10
Auburn Tigers
Since last we met, the following has taken place down on the Plains: Tony Frankin was dismissed as offensive coordinator and the Tigers (4-3, 2-3) lost at home to an Arkansas team that I thought might take the collar in league play this season. For all the talk about this team’s offensive woes, the biggest red flag when looking at this team might be the 416 yards its heralded defense gave up to the Razorbacks. Tommy Tuberville was motivated enough to not only survive a coup attempt in 2003, but to take the program to unprecedented heights one year later. Five years later, there are questions about whether he has the same fire in his gut.
Midseason bowl projection: Music City
Up next: AU travels to West Virginia on Oct. 23 (6:30 p.m. CT/ESPN).
11
Tennessee Volunteers
The 26-14 final didn’t indicate the lengths at which Georgia dominated the Vols (2-4; 0-3), but stats like total yards (UT: 209; UGA: 458) and time of possession (UT: 17:56, UGA: 42:04) certainly did. If nothing else, the Nick Stephens experiment at quarterback has show us what Phillip Rivers would have looked like in a Tennessee uniform.
Midseason bowl projection: Papa John’s
Up next: UT hosts MSU on Oct. 18 (7 p.m. ET).
12
Mississippi State Bulldogs
So much for the much anticipated 0-fer bowl pitting State (2-4, 1-2) against Arkansas on Nov. 22. That’s right, on the same day that Tennessee, Auburn and LSU lost games, the Dogs and Hogs got league wins. In throwing for 81 yards and a touchdowns, Tyson Lee wasn’t prolific by any means—but he’s definitely a step up from Wesley Carroll.
Midseason bowl projection: None
Up next: The Bullies travel to UT on Oct. 18 (7 p.m. ET).
Monday, October 13, 2008
Unified #2 in both Polls, Report Card For Bama...
‘A’ is for Alabama Midseason report card shows
By Christopher Walsh Sports Writer
TUSCALOOSA If one were to try and find a signature moment from the first half of the University of Alabama football team’s 2008 season, there would be numerous choices.
Junior running back Glen Coffee’s long touchdown runs against Arkansas and Kentucky? True freshman wide receiver Julio Jones’ over-the-shoulder touchdown catch at Georgia? Junior cornerback Javier Arenas’ punt return for a touchdown vs. Tulane?
Those were all good, but not quite worthy.
More appropriate would be something like the offensive line blowing No. 9 Clemson’s defensive front off the line of scrimmage on the first snap at the Georgia Dome. Junior Terrence Cody pushing the Western Kentucky center back into his running back, forcing a fumble the nose guard recovered. All the brutal hits by players like sophomore middle linebacker Rolando McClain and senior tight end Travis McCall.
Above everything else, Alabama’s 6-0 start and rise to No. 2 is due to its toughness, mentally and physically. That includes few penalties, few costly mistakes, and domination of the lines and up the middle defensively.
“I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned as well,” coach Nick Saban said. “In what has happened in the first half of the season being intensity that has fueled our success. That is something we need to maintain in practice and preparation and improving over this bye week.
“We don’t need to be looking into the rear view mirror here. We need to be looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
With six regular-season games remaining, the Crimson Tide is half-way to representing the Western Division in the SEC Championship Game, and it will likely take at least three losses to keep the Tide from playing in an elite Bowl Championship Series game.
That’s a far cry from a year ago, when Alabama finished November with a four-game collapse, including the embarrassing 21-14 home loss to Louisiana-Monroe.
“I don’t see that happening,” junior running back Roy Upchurch said. “Everyone’s really into the season. Everybody wants to be that team.”
Here are the midseason grades:
Quarterbacks: One of senior John Parker Wilson’s most impressive decisions came on a play few people noticed. Alabama had first down at its own 37 during the second quarter at Georgia, and was in a three-receiver set with senior tight end Nick Walker in motion to the right. With the snap, Wilson looked right, where redshirt freshman Marquis Maze headed downfield and Walker was underneath. He then turned toward the middle, where Jones had run a clearing route. Still no one was open, so he went to option three, a dump pass to Coffee for a 6-yard gain.
Five plays after going through that progression, Wilson threw the spectacular touchdown pass to Jones, for a 31-0 lead against the No. 3 Bulldogs.
Something else most fans probably haven’t noticed is that his arm strength has significantly improved.
Although Wilson’s numbers are down from a year ago, he also hasn’t had to try and win a game. His consistency needs to be better, but his passing efficiency is actually up, and he’s had just two interceptions.
“We’re just taking care of the ball,” Wilson said. “That’s been a big point for me, from last year, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of it.
“Just be smart with the ball.”
Grade: B+.
Running backs: Coffee is averaging 7.5 yards every time he takes a handoff, which is frightfully good. To put that into perspective, Arkansas’ Darren McFadden had a 5.6 average last year.
Coffee, true freshman Mark Ingram and junior Roy Upchurch have been a terrific rotation, and their blocking has been pretty good, too. But the fumbling is a concern. Alabama has had nine fumbles, losing five.
One has to wonder if the Tide will unleash Terry Grant on an unsuspecting opponent soon, but even Coffee said he would have been surprised by his numbers of 708 yards on 95 carries (118.0 game average) if told them before the season.
“I would have been excited,” Coffee said. “Right now, I’m not because it’s a grind. But before the season, I can’t lie, I would have been excited.”
Grade: A-.
Wide receivers: Jones is already Wilson’s top target, with 19 catches for 278 yards, but outside of senior end Nick Walker no one has more that seven receptions.
“He’s probably starting to play a little faster,” Saban said about Jones. “Probably playing with a little more confidence, still probably learning every day. There are some things he can still do better. I think he played extremely well in the Georgia game, made a couple of big plays in that game. But the one thing that probably stands out to me is the physical nature of the way he plays, especially when he goes and gets the long ball.”
While the young receiving corps figures to improve over the next six games, and must do a better job of getting yards after the catch, two major pluses are the unit’s blocking and diversity. So far, 15 different players have caught a pass and unlike in the past it’s almost impossible to tell if the play is a run by who’s in at wideout.
Grade: B.
Offensive line: All three players on the left side — Andre Smith, Mike Johnson and Antoine Caldwell — figure to receive major consideration for All-SEC honors. Junior Drew Davis has fared well against some talented defensive ends, while sophomore David Ross filled in when Smith and senior Marlon Davis missed a game due to injuries. The biggest concern is depth, but true freshman John Michael Boswell may be close to stepping in at right tackle if necessary.
The most underrated player on the team is McCall, who is like an extra offensive lineman, and Alabama’s two-tight end formation has been giving opponents fits.
“That’s a good set for us,” McCall said. “I like playing two tights.”
Grade: A.
Defensive line: No opponent has been able to run up the middle, where Cody has regularly attracted two, if not three, blockers. He’s a huge reason why Alabama’s rushing defense is second nationally (50.8 yards per game).
“As the season progresses, you start finding your strengths and your weaknesses, recognizing tendencies in the person you’re facing,” junior end Brandon Deaderick said. “It helps you perform better.”
The two-deep rotation at all three spots could pay huge dividends down the stretch, and junior end Lorenzo Washington is someone to keep an eye on. The defense has only 10 sacks, but expect more during the stretch run.
“We still have a lot of improvement (to go),” Cody said. “Just little things and stuff, we need to get better on. We’ve been affecting the quarterback and stopping the run.”
Grade: A-.
Linebackers: Sophomore Rolando McClain is emerging as a premier linebacker, one of the best in the conference. His 44 tackles are tops the Tide, while he has 3½ tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Something new this year is calling audibles, sometimes more than one a play to answer offensive adjustments.
“Rol is really a bright guy and he has a good understanding of what we’re doing and what the other team is trying to do,” Saban said. “Between him and Rashad (Johnson) being the two signal callers, being able to do that really gives us an advantage.”
Considering three starters had to be replaced, the linebacker corps probably has no business performing this well. True freshman Dont’a Hightower got thrown into the fire while junior Brandon Fanney and Cory Reamer have been solid at the outside spots. Junior Eryk Anders’ development as a speed-rusher has been a nice surprise, while true freshman Courtney Upshaw is already forcing more playing time.
Grade: B+.
Defensive backs: Much has been made of the front-line pressure making it difficult for offenses to attack down field, but it’s also due to opponents respecting Alabama’s speed in the secondary and the awareness of senior safety Rashad Johnson.
Because the co-captain moves around so much and can quickly break on a ball, not to mention Saban’s complex zone scheme, quarterbacks have struggled to make accurate pre-snap reads. With junior safety Justin Woodall also improving, challenging the Tide over the middle can be incredibly risky.
“We have a lot of speed flying around back there, Javier, Kareem (Jackson), Justin, Marquis (Johnson),” Rashad Johnson said. “We’re all doing a good job of knowing what’s going on before the play even starts. The coaching staff, they teach us to look at the splits of the receivers and things like that to understand the routes that are going to be run. It’s a head start.”
The proof isn’t in the eight interceptions, but the pass defended. Rashad Johnson and Woodall are second in the SEC (1.33 average), while Jackson is tied for fourth (1.00).
“I need some picks,” Arenas said. “I can do better.”
Grade: B.
Special teams: Coverage on returns has been the team’s biggest weakness, while opponents want nothing to do with Arenas. Kentucky did a good job of playing keep away, and moving him around on punts returns which helped lead to the ball hitting blocker Marquis Johnson for a fumble.
“Good punter,” Arenas said.
As for his outlook from here on in, Arenas said: “It’s going down, for real. Anytime the ball is in my hands, I’m going to try and make something happen.”
Grade: B-.
Overall/coaching: The job Saban’s staff has done is remarkable, especially considering the Tide has nine scholarship seniors and there is a lack of depth. Unless Bobby Johnson can keep Vanderbilt winning, Saban could be named SEC Coach of the Year.
Grade: A.
By Christopher Walsh Sports Writer
TUSCALOOSA If one were to try and find a signature moment from the first half of the University of Alabama football team’s 2008 season, there would be numerous choices.
Junior running back Glen Coffee’s long touchdown runs against Arkansas and Kentucky? True freshman wide receiver Julio Jones’ over-the-shoulder touchdown catch at Georgia? Junior cornerback Javier Arenas’ punt return for a touchdown vs. Tulane?
Those were all good, but not quite worthy.
More appropriate would be something like the offensive line blowing No. 9 Clemson’s defensive front off the line of scrimmage on the first snap at the Georgia Dome. Junior Terrence Cody pushing the Western Kentucky center back into his running back, forcing a fumble the nose guard recovered. All the brutal hits by players like sophomore middle linebacker Rolando McClain and senior tight end Travis McCall.
Above everything else, Alabama’s 6-0 start and rise to No. 2 is due to its toughness, mentally and physically. That includes few penalties, few costly mistakes, and domination of the lines and up the middle defensively.
“I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned as well,” coach Nick Saban said. “In what has happened in the first half of the season being intensity that has fueled our success. That is something we need to maintain in practice and preparation and improving over this bye week.
“We don’t need to be looking into the rear view mirror here. We need to be looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
With six regular-season games remaining, the Crimson Tide is half-way to representing the Western Division in the SEC Championship Game, and it will likely take at least three losses to keep the Tide from playing in an elite Bowl Championship Series game.
That’s a far cry from a year ago, when Alabama finished November with a four-game collapse, including the embarrassing 21-14 home loss to Louisiana-Monroe.
“I don’t see that happening,” junior running back Roy Upchurch said. “Everyone’s really into the season. Everybody wants to be that team.”
Here are the midseason grades:
Quarterbacks: One of senior John Parker Wilson’s most impressive decisions came on a play few people noticed. Alabama had first down at its own 37 during the second quarter at Georgia, and was in a three-receiver set with senior tight end Nick Walker in motion to the right. With the snap, Wilson looked right, where redshirt freshman Marquis Maze headed downfield and Walker was underneath. He then turned toward the middle, where Jones had run a clearing route. Still no one was open, so he went to option three, a dump pass to Coffee for a 6-yard gain.
Five plays after going through that progression, Wilson threw the spectacular touchdown pass to Jones, for a 31-0 lead against the No. 3 Bulldogs.
Something else most fans probably haven’t noticed is that his arm strength has significantly improved.
Although Wilson’s numbers are down from a year ago, he also hasn’t had to try and win a game. His consistency needs to be better, but his passing efficiency is actually up, and he’s had just two interceptions.
“We’re just taking care of the ball,” Wilson said. “That’s been a big point for me, from last year, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of it.
“Just be smart with the ball.”
Grade: B+.
Running backs: Coffee is averaging 7.5 yards every time he takes a handoff, which is frightfully good. To put that into perspective, Arkansas’ Darren McFadden had a 5.6 average last year.
Coffee, true freshman Mark Ingram and junior Roy Upchurch have been a terrific rotation, and their blocking has been pretty good, too. But the fumbling is a concern. Alabama has had nine fumbles, losing five.
One has to wonder if the Tide will unleash Terry Grant on an unsuspecting opponent soon, but even Coffee said he would have been surprised by his numbers of 708 yards on 95 carries (118.0 game average) if told them before the season.
“I would have been excited,” Coffee said. “Right now, I’m not because it’s a grind. But before the season, I can’t lie, I would have been excited.”
Grade: A-.
Wide receivers: Jones is already Wilson’s top target, with 19 catches for 278 yards, but outside of senior end Nick Walker no one has more that seven receptions.
“He’s probably starting to play a little faster,” Saban said about Jones. “Probably playing with a little more confidence, still probably learning every day. There are some things he can still do better. I think he played extremely well in the Georgia game, made a couple of big plays in that game. But the one thing that probably stands out to me is the physical nature of the way he plays, especially when he goes and gets the long ball.”
While the young receiving corps figures to improve over the next six games, and must do a better job of getting yards after the catch, two major pluses are the unit’s blocking and diversity. So far, 15 different players have caught a pass and unlike in the past it’s almost impossible to tell if the play is a run by who’s in at wideout.
Grade: B.
Offensive line: All three players on the left side — Andre Smith, Mike Johnson and Antoine Caldwell — figure to receive major consideration for All-SEC honors. Junior Drew Davis has fared well against some talented defensive ends, while sophomore David Ross filled in when Smith and senior Marlon Davis missed a game due to injuries. The biggest concern is depth, but true freshman John Michael Boswell may be close to stepping in at right tackle if necessary.
The most underrated player on the team is McCall, who is like an extra offensive lineman, and Alabama’s two-tight end formation has been giving opponents fits.
“That’s a good set for us,” McCall said. “I like playing two tights.”
Grade: A.
Defensive line: No opponent has been able to run up the middle, where Cody has regularly attracted two, if not three, blockers. He’s a huge reason why Alabama’s rushing defense is second nationally (50.8 yards per game).
“As the season progresses, you start finding your strengths and your weaknesses, recognizing tendencies in the person you’re facing,” junior end Brandon Deaderick said. “It helps you perform better.”
The two-deep rotation at all three spots could pay huge dividends down the stretch, and junior end Lorenzo Washington is someone to keep an eye on. The defense has only 10 sacks, but expect more during the stretch run.
“We still have a lot of improvement (to go),” Cody said. “Just little things and stuff, we need to get better on. We’ve been affecting the quarterback and stopping the run.”
Grade: A-.
Linebackers: Sophomore Rolando McClain is emerging as a premier linebacker, one of the best in the conference. His 44 tackles are tops the Tide, while he has 3½ tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Something new this year is calling audibles, sometimes more than one a play to answer offensive adjustments.
“Rol is really a bright guy and he has a good understanding of what we’re doing and what the other team is trying to do,” Saban said. “Between him and Rashad (Johnson) being the two signal callers, being able to do that really gives us an advantage.”
Considering three starters had to be replaced, the linebacker corps probably has no business performing this well. True freshman Dont’a Hightower got thrown into the fire while junior Brandon Fanney and Cory Reamer have been solid at the outside spots. Junior Eryk Anders’ development as a speed-rusher has been a nice surprise, while true freshman Courtney Upshaw is already forcing more playing time.
Grade: B+.
Defensive backs: Much has been made of the front-line pressure making it difficult for offenses to attack down field, but it’s also due to opponents respecting Alabama’s speed in the secondary and the awareness of senior safety Rashad Johnson.
Because the co-captain moves around so much and can quickly break on a ball, not to mention Saban’s complex zone scheme, quarterbacks have struggled to make accurate pre-snap reads. With junior safety Justin Woodall also improving, challenging the Tide over the middle can be incredibly risky.
“We have a lot of speed flying around back there, Javier, Kareem (Jackson), Justin, Marquis (Johnson),” Rashad Johnson said. “We’re all doing a good job of knowing what’s going on before the play even starts. The coaching staff, they teach us to look at the splits of the receivers and things like that to understand the routes that are going to be run. It’s a head start.”
The proof isn’t in the eight interceptions, but the pass defended. Rashad Johnson and Woodall are second in the SEC (1.33 average), while Jackson is tied for fourth (1.00).
“I need some picks,” Arenas said. “I can do better.”
Grade: B.
Special teams: Coverage on returns has been the team’s biggest weakness, while opponents want nothing to do with Arenas. Kentucky did a good job of playing keep away, and moving him around on punts returns which helped lead to the ball hitting blocker Marquis Johnson for a fumble.
“Good punter,” Arenas said.
As for his outlook from here on in, Arenas said: “It’s going down, for real. Anytime the ball is in my hands, I’m going to try and make something happen.”
Grade: B-.
Overall/coaching: The job Saban’s staff has done is remarkable, especially considering the Tide has nine scholarship seniors and there is a lack of depth. Unless Bobby Johnson can keep Vanderbilt winning, Saban could be named SEC Coach of the Year.
Grade: A.
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