Tide Tidbits – September 20, 2009

Bama looks polished and powerful
Class will go into session Monday and then Alabama will find out just how ugly a 53-7 win actually is. You thought Alabama’s smashing of North Texas looked good Saturday? Think again. “Every game, you’re going to learn and make mistakes and you’re going to get better,” tailback Mark Ingram said. “We’re going to watch the film on Monday, and although we had a lot of good things, there were some things we can learn from and that’s where we’ll get better.” So, just in case you were wondering, the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide is looking for another gear. Can a football team run on rocket fuel?

McElroy continues hot streak
Another game, another record for Greg McElroy. Every week, the Crimson Tide quarterback seems to get better and better. In his debut against Virginia Tech, his 230 passing yards were the fourth highest total in a starting debut for a Crimson Tide quarterback. The next week, he went out and completed 14 consecutive passes, breaking a school record of 12 held by John Parker Wilson and Andrew Zow. On Saturday, he played just 29 minutes, but it was long enough to complete 13 of 15 passes for 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That tied the school record for highest completion percentage (86.7 percent) for a minimum of 10 completions, set in 1983 by Walter Lewis against Ole Miss and tied in 1991 by Danny Woodson against Vanderbilt. “Well, we’ve always said that Greg is very smart,” said Alabama coach Nick Saban. “He’s very instinctive. He takes what the defense gives him. He doesn’t have a big ego trying to force balls in places that he shouldn’t.”

Alabama defense nearly flawless
This time there was no long touchdown run that kept the opponent in the game in the fourth quarter, as there was in the University of Alabama’s season opener against Virginia Tech. This time there was no long pass out of the end zone to change field position early in the game, and no coverage breakdown that turned a field goal opportunity into a touchdown drive, as there was a week earlier against Florida International. This time the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide’s defense was nearly flawless, with North Texas finding its only real success against a unit that had begun to substitute freely with an overwhelming lead in the third quarter. “We played pretty well defensively for the type of offense they have,” UA head coach Nick Saban said. “It was a little different today. They didn’t run as many options because they didn’t have their quarterback.”

Tide has its way with North Texas
With the exception of a fumble on the game’s first snap, Alabama basically had its way with North Texas’ defense all afternoon. Quarterback Greg McElroy was sharp again, completing 13 of 15 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. The tailback tandem of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson was remarkably effective and balanced from the start. Ingram finished with 91 yards on only 8 carries; Richardson had 87 on 11 carries. Receiver Mike McCoy stepped up again early in place of Julio Jones, who dressed but did not play while recovering from a bad kneecap bruise, and Marquis Maze hauled in a 34-yard touchdown pass. There is now no question about Alabama’s No. 2 quarterback, as the offense’s effectiveness allowed Star Jackson into the game before halftime. It also handed plenty of carries to Terry Grant and gave the second-string offensive line an opportunity before the end of the third quarter.

Julio should be ready for Hogs
Alabama receiver Julio Jones of Foley was in uniform Saturday but did not play in a 53-7 victory over North Texas while nursing a badly bruised kneecap. His status is expected to change this week against Arkansas. “Julio can probably play in this next game,” coach Nick Saban said. Jones hurt his right knee early in last weekend’s victory against Florida International, missing most of that game and most of this past week’s practice drills.

Arenas thwarts UNT strategy
The irony is that in trying to neutralize Alabama punt returner Javier Arenas, North Texas actually enabled him to be a huge factor in the Tide’s 53-7 win. The Mean Green intended to punt the ball away from him by kicking it to the sideline. But when those punts didn’t go out of bounds, the other side of the field was vacant. And Arenas had the speed to get there. “They were obviously trying to kick the ball away from (Javier Arenas) and kick it out of bounds,” coach Nick Saban said. “We knew if we could ever get a feel that they were over-squeezing we’d hit them to the field, and we did a couple of times and made some big returns.”

Roll Tide!

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