12/2 The Auburn Game
OK, I was wrong. Saturday’s game against Auburn was not the hard-fought struggle that I predicted. It turns out that Auburn is terrible. Well, they’re not really terrible, but they certainly played that way on Saturday. Admittedly, they played some tough defense early in the game, but their offense was atrocious from start to finish, and once we got our offense going, the rout was on. When all was said and done, Bama came away with a 36-0 victory, and in this case, the score was pretty indicative of the way the game went.
The game was pretty close at halftime. We had a 10-0 lead, and it was almost 10-3, but a well-timed timeout and a subsequent blocked field goal helped us preserve the shutout going into the locker room. On Auburn’s first possession of the second half, it looked like they were starting to get some offensive momentum behind Brad Lester (who I think has been terribly underutilized this year). That’s when what I consider to be the turning point of the game occurred. Kareem Jackson was facing the AU wide receiver in press coverage position. The WR went into motion toward the middle of the field, and Jackson followed him. However, Jackson didn’t stop with the WR, and instead took off into the offensive backfield at the snap of the ball. Lester was obviously startled by the site of Kareem Jackson in his face as he attempted to take the handoff, and he fumbled, resulting in a huge turnover. Alabama’s subsequent drive, highlighted by a beautiful out route to Julio Jones on third down, culminated in a back-breaking TD, and AU never really threatened after that.
I know that beating a 5-7 Auburn team doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but it really is. Don’t forget that they had beaten us 6 straight times, and streaks like that tend to feed off of themselves. I would argue that the mental weight of the streak played a large role in our last two losses in the Iron Bowl (that, and Shula’s blatant incompetence in 2006). Besides, it’s kind of hard to argue that we are the top program in the state if we can’t beat our cross-state rivals, and we can’t be the nationally elite program we want to be if we’re not the top program in the state. Now, we have clearly established ourselves as the state’s dominant program, and our recruiting will continue to manifest that fact.
So here we are, 12-0, ranked Number 1 in the nation, but our biggest hurdle still remains, and when I say our biggest hurdle, I mean our BIGGEST hurdle. Our SEC Championship Game opponent is none other than the Florida Gators, who I believe is without exaggeration one of the ten best teams to ever play college football. Seriously, think back on the history of college football, and try to think of even one team that would be favored against this year’s Florida team right now. Maybe 1993 Florida State, maybe 1995 Nebraska, maybe 2005 USC, maybe this year’s Oklahoma team. Maybe!
Regardless, this Florida team is phenomenal everywhere. Whereas the past several teams that we have played have been questionable at best at the QB position, Florida has arguably the greatest QB to ever play college football (he is the only sophomore to ever win the Heisman). Their receivers are outrageous, with or without the nicked-up Percy Harvin, they have two running backs with world-class track speed, and they have an offensive scheme that fully utilizes all of these weapons. And to top all of that off, their QB Tim Tebow is the best inside power runner in the nation. If they need 2 yards, they get it every time. To make matters worse, their defense is almost as dangerous as their offense. Their linebacker Brandon Spikes is probably the best in the nation, and their defensive line is rock solid throughout their three-deep rotation. So even if we manage to slow down their offense (which no one else has come close to doing), we still have to move the ball on their stalwart defense (which no one has done since that Ole Miss anomaly).
Can we do it? Yep, but it’s going to be brutally difficult. Here’s what has to happen for us to have any chance. First and foremost, we have to run the ball effectively, not only so that we can score, but also to shorten the game and keep the Florida offense off the field. Ironically, to run the ball effectively, we’ll have to throw the ball effectively. If we can’t throw the ball, Florida will jam the line, and we’ll have no chance. Second, when we get into the red-zone, we have to score TDs every time. We simply can’t waste opportunities when we get chances to score. Third, we have to get them off the field when they face third and long. There are very few chances to stop Florida’s offense. If they somehow falter on first and second downs, we have to stop them right then and there. If they manage to continue their drives in those situations, they score. Fourth, we have to convert on third and short. We can’t give up the ball when we have a short third down; we have to sustain our drive. Fifth, we have to hit our open receivers. We’ll face several situations where we have to pass, and we have no open receivers. However, in those cases where a receiver breaks free, we absolutely, positively have to hit them. Finally, we cannot turn the ball over; not even once, period. Florida absolutely eats teams that turn the ball over. As a matter of fact, all of these blowouts that you see from Florida are largely a result of turnovers. I’ll say it again, we simply cannot turn the ball over if we’re going to have any chance in this game.
I hope I don’t sound too pessimistic about our chances. I really do think we have a chance in this game, but the fact is, even if we play our best, we might not win it. Florida is just an awesome football team. Regardless of what happens, don’t let this dampen our memories of just how great this football season has been. No one in their right mind would have predicted 12-0, and we should all be extremely proud of this team, from the coaching staff down to the water boys. Win or lose, I’ll be back next week discussing this clash of the titans, and the ramifications of the results. If you’re going to the game, be loud. If you’re like me and watching it on TV, send all your vibes to Atlanta. Every little bit helps!
As always, feel free to send any questions or comments. Roll Tide!
Kenny
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