10/20 The Tennessee Game
Bet you guys have been looking forward to reading this one! I can promise that I’m equally excited about writing it, because I’m still basking in the afterglow of the 41-17 smackdown that we put on the Tennessee Volunteers. Hey, I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong about this one. As you may recall, I predicted that we’d lose 34-24. I really thought that we’d move the ball fairly well, but I just didn’t think we had the horses to stop their offense. I was partially right; we did have a hard time with their offense, but never in a million years did I think our offense would put on a show like that.
I’ll get to the highlights in a second, but first I want to talk about how unbelievably well prepared Saban had us for this game. Before the game, it was announced that 5 players were suspended for the game, including 2 starting offensive linemen (Caldwell and Davis) and our starting tailback (Coffee). So what did Saban and company do? They put in place an offensive scheme that had us throwing the ball all over the place. The UT defense was on their heels the whole game. When they brought pressure, we threw quick out patterns, or we dumped it off to Terry Grant (and once we dumped it off to the tight end for a big gain). When we had time to throw, DJ Hall made mincemeat of their zone, and Wilson was able to deliver the ball accurately and on time. We mixed in running plays very effectively (Grant had over 100 yards rushing, believe it or not), and UT just never could get their feet under them.
In a game with a final score of 41-17, it might seem like it was a blowout from the very beginning, but that certainly wasn’t the case in this game. There were some very important turning points that I want to bring up. First, things weren’t looking very good when UT was up 14-10. Our defense was getting pushed around pretty well, and we really needed to score to keep from falling two scores down. We drove down to their goal line, but a penalty pushed us back, and we were facing a third and goal from the 16. Somehow, DJ Hall got open in the back of the end zone, and Wilson hit him with a beautiful strike (perfectly timed, I might add), and we went up 17-14.
On the next UT drive, they were once again moving the ball right down the field. They completed a pass to midfield, leaving them with a third and 1. They handed the ball to Lennon Creer, a freshman tailback (why they didn’t go to Foster I’ll never understand; that guy’s amazing!), but Darren Mustin slipped through the line to stop Creer for no gain. Surprisingly, Fulmer decided to punt, and we got the ball back, and ended up scoring another TD with 12 seconds left in the half, putting us up 24-14. I’ve blocked out the rest of the half. J
We got the ball to start the second half, but UT shut us down, and they started moving the ball down the field on us again. However, on a pass that I thought for sure was a UT TD, true freshman Kareem Jackson made a fantastic interception, ending their drive, and giving us the ball with good field position. After that, we were able to score, and we never really looked back.
I don’t even know who to give the MVP award to in this one. John Parker Wilson looked like Joe Montana in his prime, completing 32 of 46 passes for 362 yards and 3 TDs (plus some nice scrambles). Kareem Jackson had a fantastic day. I really like that kid; he’s going to be one of our best. DJ Hall had yet another fantastic day. He is so good at creating separation from defenders, and his hands are like glue. By the way, he set the all-time Alabama record for most catches in a game (13). Congrats DJ! And don’t forget Javier Arenas. He had a fantastic 61-yard kick return, and he scared UT so bad that they didn’t even bother trying to kick for field position. They just punted the ball out of the end zone or out of bounds to prevent Javier from touching it. That played a big part in the game. I’d give a game ball to Saban and Applewhite too. When is the last time that we coached circles around someone like that? Great, great job, guys.
This game changes things. Suddenly, the LSU game in two weeks isn’t just interesting because it’s Saban versus his old school; it’s for the SEC West title! Hopefully our off-week will allow us to rest up, and hopefully Saban and company can come up with another brilliant game plan. After this week, I guess that anything’s possible!
I’ll post another blog either late this week or early next week to talk about recruiting. Saban is doing extremely well, and if you haven’t been keeping up with it, it should be an exciting read for you.
As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments. Roll Tide!
Kenny
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