10/21 The Ole Miss Game
Another Saturday, another nail-biting win for the Alabama Crimson Tide. This type of game appears to be a recurring pattern for Bama, not just this year, but over the last couple of years. Remember last year’s Colorado, Arkansas, and Houston games? Yeah, I know that as long as we keep winning, we really shouldn’t complain. It’s just that I’m afraid that this tendency to collapse late in the game is eventually going to cost us, and this year we have a long way to fall if we slip up even once.
There were so many things to like in the first half of Saturday’s game with Ole Miss that I’m not sure where to start. Julio had an amazing run after catch on our second drive. Marquis Maze finally found the end-zone after a fantastic move at the line of scrimmage, and a beautiful fade pass from John Parker Wilson. Mark Ingram scored on a goal line run that featured Terrance Cody as a road-clearing fullback. We even scored a TD on a flea-flicker, where John Parker Wilson hit a double-covered Mike McCoy with a perfect pass over McCoy’s outside shoulder. Our defense was swarming for the entire first half, highlighted by a gutsy play by Kareen Jackson and a beautiful interception by Justin Woodall. At halftime, we had a 24-3 lead, and it looked like a blowout in the making.
Of course, the second half was another story. For every exceptional play we made in the first half, we seemed to make a bone-headed play in the second half. Ole Miss’s first TD was on a fake field goal. We actually were expecting the fake, and had the proper defense called. However, Javier Arenas who had containment around the end decided to sprint to the end zone on the opposite end of the field instead of staying in his position and making the tackle. As a result, the Ole Miss back was able to easily jog into the end zone, directly over the spot where Arenas was supposed to be. Our first drive in the second half actually looked promising, but Wilson hit the Ole Miss safety in stride on a beautiful post pattern, ending what would ultimately be our last chance to score.
Actually, it’s not entirely accurate to say that Ole Miss’s comeback was a completely a result of boneheaded plays on our part. The truth is Ole Miss started dominating us on both the offensive and defensive lines of scrimmage. Their defensive line simply owned us in the second half. Wilson was constantly running for his life, and since he had so little time to get rid of the ball, our receivers didn’t have time to get away from Ole Miss’s tight press coverage. Our running game was inconsistent at best, and another fumble by Coffee (this one really wasn’t his fault) led to another Ole Miss score.
Of course, the weak play of our defensive line can at least somewhat be attributed to the fact that we lost our star nose tackle Terrance Cody on the first series of the second half. Cody sprained his MCL, and will miss at least two games, though I would be surprised if we see him before the Auburn game. Defensive tackles are vital in to any defensive unit, and losing your nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme can be devastating. My first impulse was to blast our talent level for not having enough depth to replace Cody, but the simple truth is, very few teams anywhere have a nose tackle that can match Cody. Josh Chapman will be taking his place, and he is an extremely strong young man (strongest on our team), so hopefully he’ll be able to clog up the middle for us. If not, we’ll be in trouble, but I like Chapman, and I think he’ll play well.
After all of that, we had a narrow 24-20 lead, and Ole Miss had the ball in our territory with approximately 2 minutes left. I hate to admit it, but I really didn’t like our chances. Remember my previous blog where I listed the memorable collapses by our defense over the last several years? I was envisioning myself adding to that list, and I wasn’t happy about it. However, this time was a little different. Brandon Deaderick had a huge sack, and after an incompletion and a short gain, Ole Miss had a 4th and 5 at our 43, and I really like what happened next. Saban called for a safety blitz, and even though Ali Sharrief got picked up by the Ole Miss back, the pressure disrupted the quarterback enough to where he had to rush his throw, and his pass fell incomplete. I am so tired of seeing us drop into prevent defenses in that situation (remember the 4th and 19 against Tennessee?) that I was thrilled to see us put the pressure on the opposing QB. Yes, it could have backfired, but nonetheless, I loved the call.
We’re now 7-0, and still ranked Number 2 in the nation. Of course, none of that really matters right now, because this is Tennessee week, and I’m telling you now, if we don’t approach this game with intensity and focus, they’ll beat us. They are stellar at every position except for QB. They have an All-SEC caliber RB, they have probably the best defensive back in the nation, and both of their lines are rock solid. If their QB manages to put it together and play well, it could be a very long day for us. However, we have Saban game-planning, and I know that he fully appreciates the importance of this game. This one could be a classic.
That’s it for now. Be sure to check back next week as I discuss our annual grudge match with Tennessee. As always, feel free to send me any questions or comments.
Roll Tide!
Kenny
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