The Halfway Point

To date the Tide is out scoring it opponents by an average of 36 to 16. Rushing Alabama is averaging 5.0 yards per attempt and holding opposing teams to 2.7. The passing statistics are also favorable. Alabama has gained 244 yards per game while holding the opposition to 189. All in all that’s not bad. Alabama has only converted 32% of their third down opportunities while holding its opponents to 26%.

  One thing that keeps nagging at me is if you look at the Ole Miss game, which set off the Bama’s toast fest from every corner of the globe and even had some “Tide fans” calling for Nick Saban to step down. Ole Miss gained 433 yards, only 92 on the ground; while Alabama managed 502, 288 of that through the air. The big disparity in the game was turnovers. When Saban brought that up at his post-game press conference he was accused of making excuses. Well, five turnovers, from which Ole Miss manufactured 24 points is a pretty big deal.

  Now consider this: last Saturday night while Florida was instructing the University of Mississippi on the finer points of football, one of the ESPN commentators went off on how this was not the Ole Miss defense we were used to seeing. My question is where has he been looking? Ole Miss has been giving 355 yards per game. This includes UT Martin, Fresno State and Vandy as well as Alabama and Florida. That’s not bad but that certainly isn’t the 1986 Bears.

  Then there’s the giant leap that Ole Miss got for “destroying Alabama at home.”* Ole Miss was out gained on the ground and in the air, plus they got a fluke play and five gifts from the Tide. OK they won at Bryant-Denny and in the state of Alabama for the first time ever and they stopped Alabama’s home winning streak I get that. I get moving Ole Miss up but moving Alabama down to 12 from number 2? I don’t get that nor moving Alabama down after to 13 after they shutout Middle Tennessee State.

  Then the Georgia game and the universe quit wobbling, at least for a week. The Arkansas Razorbacks come to Bryant-Denny and Alabama has an opportunity to begin a new winning streak at home. They have to win out if they have any hopes of making the SEC championship game much less the payoff.

  On paper this is the kind of game Alabama should handle. Two smash mouth teams going at it. This should not be a thing of beauty unless you like defense and running backs, with the occasional play action pass thrown in, because that’s what you are going to get. I don’t think Saban is going to set Lane Kiffin free to throw a bunch of passes and catch Arkansas unawares. Nope, I believe that the Tide will do what they did to Georgia. Try and stop Arkansas’s run game and force them to try and beat them throwing. Thing is Arkansas’s gonna try and do the same thing. It should be fun.

  I look for the Tide to prevail in T-Town. I don’t look for Alabama to be as sloppy as they were last year in Fayetteville or as they were against MTSU after the Ole Miss loss. If this team is going to make a move it has to show up on Saturday and exert its will against a pretty good team. Otherwise we’re back to wondering what kind of team this is.

  My guess Alabama 35 Arkansas 13.

  Roll Tide

  * For the record Ole Miss won by six points.

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