Well, the season-long streak of scoring 30 or more is over because the Tide didn't convert its chances in the red zone into touchdowns. Instead, Tiffin kicked five flippin' field goals.
But after about the first quarter, this game was sort of watching a character on The Sopranos "getting taken care of," and you, the audience member, knew it was going to happen. You didn't know the exact plot line, but you had some educated guesses.
The plot turned out to be written by the Tide defense. In contrast to the Kentucky game, the Tide D shut down the run for the most part, and while they didn't sack Snead, the Rebels' QB, he was hurried and discombobulated all afternoon. Two of his picks weren't his fault, but the fault of his receivers. But the Alabama D played a ball-hawking style of defense--Jackson made an outstanding pick.
A season-long negative theme surfaced in this game though. The kickoff coverage stunk in spots. I'm still waiting for this aspect of special teams to improve. Still waiting...
And McElroy, while efficient for the most part, locked on Julio Jones too much. Other receivers were open when no. 8 was double-covered.
One of the ESPN or CBS pundits yesterday started talking about Tide RB, Mark Ingram, for Heisman. He's a serious longshot, but he has the stats to back up a bid.
Regardless, I hope to watch an improved Tide offense next week--better pass blocking, better passing game--and stronger play from special teams.
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