I have a feeling this season's defense is going to make me a nervous wreck.
Because of the solid play calling from the offensive staff of Arkansas and the ability of Ryan Mallett, the Hogs carved up the Tide secondary in the first half of yesterday's game. Arkansas has a NFL first-rounder at QB and an excellent receiving corps, but a constant with their offense was that they couldn't establish a ground game. Sure, they had some decent runs now and then, but there was no consistency.
In the first half, the Tide secondary looked very green--multiple busted assignments and lack of a pass rush.
But like good coaches do, the Crimson Tide made halftime adjustments and played smart football in the second half. Fans got a glimpse of what was to come at the very end of the first half as time expired when Richardson busted off a long run as Alabama was trying to run out the clock and get to the locker room. If he would have had some downfield blocking by WRs on that play, he might have been able score.
Nonetheless, the Tide D only gave up a field goal to the Razorbacks in the second half while the offense rode the backs of Ingram and Richardson to victory. The secondary turned it around with two crucial interceptions by Lester and Kirkpatrick in the fourth quarter. Both of those DBs and others had been abused by Mallett earlier in the game, so making those picks must have felt redemptive, and you can read about those turnovers and McElroy's uncharacteristic interceptions by clicking HERE.
Alabama found a way to win. They gutted it out in the second half, which showcased a veteran-led offense and the defense finally getting its stuff together. But the first half of the game messed with my fragile psyche.
But still, can we get a strong pass rush ... please?
I don't know what to think about the Tide's chances versus Florida in Bryant-Denny on Saturday night. In my eyes, both Florida's offense and defense are better than Arkansas'. I know the atmosphere will be crazy though. It was loud when I went to games when the stadium seated somewhere around 83K. Now it holds over 100K. The crowd could make a difference in the game, but if the Tide defense plays another half like they did in Fayetteville, it's going to be a Florida victory.
No sunshine pumping here, people.
4 comments:
Ah, it was a sad day for us. It was my husband's birthday (and a landmark one!), so the game was a bit of a downer. If only we'd been able to play the second half as well as the first...sigh!
Good luck to the Tide in FL
As Coach Saban said in his post-game interview, your Razorbacks are going to "win a lot a games," hopefully against all of our opponents in the West.
INTs were the killer for obvious reasons. I also noted way too many crucial drops by the Razorback receivers that would have allowed the clock to run. Hard to tell from my seat if Mallett was putting to much on the short balls. But come on, if it hits your hands you gotta catch it. In the words of Dan Hawkins "It's division 1 football, brother!"
Yep, Heavy Z, there were some helpful drops for our side. But Mallett did seem to get rattled a little too easily in the second half. Last year in Bryant-Denny, the Tide D beat the hell out of him and made him look really bad. The same can't be said for '10.
Arkansas has a legit shot at a BCS Bowl, but the schedule is difficult. The West has now become the more powerful side of the conference with even MS State looking pretty good. And heck, Ole Miss might wake up and start to play defense. There are no soft games in the SEC.
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