A Solid Start to the SEC
The Tide looked good on Saturday in its 35-7 victory over an Arkansas team touted as having one of the nation’s best offenses.
Overall, I think that Bama did a good job of playing a smart game. A tough game. I mean, talk about toughness… This team has it.
Once the offense started clicking, I thought things looked very good. Even Verne Lundquist got caught in the 3rd quarter saying “Oh SHIT!” as Mark Ingram smacked into a defender and bowled him over.
Oh, and Ryan who? Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Mallet is good. But he’s got to find a way to not get frustrated and turn it back on if he’s going to last against SEC defenses.
There were a few negatives. Costly penalties are going to bite us if we don’t clean it up. But the biggest negative, and it is a BIG negative, is the injury of Dont’a Hightower.
I was asked earlier if I thought it was a bad block or if it was just an unfortunate injury. I originally thought the latter - that he was hit as he was leaping over an Arkansas lineman. But I went back and watched it again in real time, and I think I was wrong. The slo-mo replay makes it look like Hightower was off the ground when he was hit, but if you go back and look at it in real time, you see that he is hit first.
In hindsight, there’s nothing that anyone, other than the Arkansas player who made the play, could have done any differently. But what a loss. Hightower will be back, but it’s a shame to lose that much talent right at the start of the SEC play. For Hightower and for the team. The positives are - he is a sophomore; he will have the best care and rehab available to him; and Bama has good depth at the linebacker position.
It was also heartening to see the players rally after that injury. On the field and off. Team chemistry is important, and watching Hightower come back on the field in the 2nd half and have players around him (Terrence Cody) to show their support speaks to the cohesiveness and character of this team. Those are some of those “intangible” qualities that make good teams great.
Now, one last point - It’s my opinion that coaches show their true colors when asked about their opponent. Whether they win or lose, if a Coach can give their opponent some respect, it shows a glimpse into their true character. I’m not saying hang your head. I’m not saying don’t be confident. But I’m saying, show some respect - no matter who your opponent is. So, now I know exactly how I feel about Bobby Petrino (and it’s about the same way I feel about Bob Stoops).
Coach Petrino, I think that the Hogs lacked a little more than confidence on Saturday. And if you can’t give more credit to your opponent - then I got nothin’ for ya.
September 28th, 2009 at 06:46
As a Atlanta Falcon fan it is nice to see both Georgia and Alabama beat Petrino. I really think Alabama is playing better than Florida. Certainly the Tide has played a tougher schedule thus far.