Tide Tidbits – September 21, 2009

Tide gets Hogs’ aerial attack next
Hours after Alabama enjoyed a final joyous romp before entering the Southeastern Conference gauntlet, a somber expression on the face of Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino indicated his team already was there. Petrino’s offense amassed 485 yards and did enough Saturday night to beat visiting Georgia. But his defense allowed 530 yards to blow an early 11-point lead and drop a 52-41 shootout that more resembled the fun-and-gun Western Athletic Conference than the rough-and-tumble SEC. “We’re better,” Petrino said, “but we’re not good enough to win that game yet. … I’m very disappointed in our defense. We didn’t stop the run well enough. We let them throw for a bunch of yards.”

Arenas helping return Tide to elite status
Before the season began, University of Alabama defensive back Javier Arenas said he didn’t like it when people referred to him solely as a return man. Arenas said his pass-defense skills deserved more respect. Fair enough. But let us also pay proper respect to his punt-return talents. By the end of this season, he might carry two historical distinctions. 1.) Best ever in the Southeastern Conference. 2.) Best ever in major college football. Arenas had four punt returns for 90 yards – including key plays of 33 and 36 yards that set up a pair of Crimson Tide touchdowns – in Saturday’s 53-7 victory against North Texas. His career punt-return totals – 102 for 1,472 yards (14.4-yard average) and six touchdowns. The SEC career record is held by Vanderbilt’s Lee Nalley, who had 1,695 yards from 1947 to 1949.

Is Arkansas game a barometer for Tide’s season?
More than two hours before kickoff on Saturday, former Alabama football coach Bill Curry stood outside the west entrance of Bryant-Denny Stadium nervously awaiting stepping back inside the familiar arena where for three years he once walked the sidelines. While the 2009 edition of the Crimson Tide received its halftime adjustments and instructions from current head coach Nick Saban, the 1989 team met at midfield with Curry to commemorate its 20-year reunion of winning the Southeastern Conference championship. It’s an achievement this year’s Alabama squad would ultimately like to accomplish. But if Nick Saban and company want to add another SEC crown to the trophy case, they must take care of business with a win in their SEC-opening game against Arkansas this Saturday.

Tide showcases depth against North Texas
Julio Jones and Roy Upchurch never entered Saturday’s game, and nobody could tell the difference. Greg McElroy simply dished it out to everyone else — 11 Alabama players caught a pass — and true freshman Trent Richardson proved he could carry the Crimson Tide’s ground game no matter how many other running backs remained on the sideline. Alabama’s 53-7 thrashing of North Texas proved that many positions on the field are bottomless pits of talent for the Tide. No matter how many players fall in, Alabama will almost always have a more than adequate replacement waiting in the wing. “We knew we had a lot of depth [at receiver],” said quarterback Greg McElroy. “There’s a lot of competition in the group. Guys have stepped up in the absence of Julio, and that’s really pleasing to me.”

Alabama secondary finding its rhythm
Sophomore safety Mark Barron is starting to find a rhythm in Alabama’s secondary. Barron was credited with five tackles, tied for second-most on the team behind linebacker Chris Jordan’s six, in Saturday’s 53-7 victory over North Texas. “I feel like we were much more solid today and we made some improvement,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said after the victory. Barron made the stop on a 10-yard tackle behind the line of scrimmage and broke up two Nathan Tune passes. One of those came when he knocked away a long pass after a receiver got behind a cornerback. The other came when he dropped an almost certain interception on a sideline route that he would have turned into six points.

Complete game important for Tide moving forward
Although Alabama’s first two games showcased how good the Crimson Tide can be, something could always be criticized. The offense was pathetic for most of the first half against Virginia Tech, and in its game against FIU, Alabama held a slim lead at halftime against a team picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt. In both games, the Tide’s kickoff coverage was nothing short of horrendous. Outside of Greg McElroy’s fumble on the first play of the game and a garbage touchdown near the end, Saturday’s 53-7 stomping of North Texas showed no flaws. Despite Julio Jones and Roy Upchurch sitting on the sideline, the offense put up even more yards (523) than in the first two games and accumulated more first downs (28) than any game since last year’s week three matchup with Western Kentucky. The defense looked as dominant as ever, and excluding a long return called back because of a penalty, the kickoff team allowed no big returns in nine tries. Saturday was, without question, Alabama’s first complete game of the 2009 season.

Roll Tide!

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