Tide Tidbits – September 29, 2009

Hightower’s role tough to fill
Senior defensive end Lorenzo Washington thought Monday about Alabama’s football future without sophomore linebacker Dont’a Hightower. “You don’t want to say ‘irreplaceable,’ but I mean …” Washington didn’t need to say it. Alabama coach Nick Saban already had. “I don’t know that you can replace a guy that does all the things that he did,” Saban said. “I think we need different roles created by different people to do different things to make up for some of the things Dont’a did.” An MRI confirmed fears Sunday that Hightower had torn a ligament in his left knee during Saturday’s 35-7 victory over Arkansas. He is expected to undergo surgery this week and be out at least three or four months, according to Saban. The Crimson Tide’s starting “Will” linebacker since his first game and a former star running back in high school, Hightower had the rare ability to occasionally play on the defensive line and in the secondary.

Jerrell Harris eligible for Oct. 17 game against South Carolina
Alabama coach Nick Saban received word Friday night from the NCAA that linebacker Jerrell Harris would be eligible for the Oct. 17 game against South Carolina. After weeks of uncertainty, Harris will serve a six-game suspension as a result of UA compliance’s investigation into impermissible benefits obtained by the sophomore. Saban said Harris will “certainly be one of the guys that’s competing” to replace inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who was lost for the season Saturday with a knee injury. “We try to do some things with him in practice individually so he can continue to develop,” Saban said of Harris. “He did an outstanding job in fall camp. We thought he was a guy that was a potential starter that could play winning football for us, but he has not gotten reps in practice the last four weeks because of us not knowing when he would return.”

Cats look to regain mojo after no-show
Kentucky’s 41-7 loss to Florida on Saturday night showed that the Wildcats weren’t quite ready to stomp with the big dogs. On paper, a date with Rich Brooks’ favorite fictional school, the Squawhaukee Canyon Institute of Technology, would seem ideal for the Wildcats to get back their mojo. But instead, UK draws No. 3 Alabama, a team perceived by some to be playing as well or better than the top-ranked, defending national champion Gators. The two are the highest-ranked opponents Kentucky has faced consecutively in school history. The numbers suggest the Crimson Tide are at least on par with the Gators. Nick Saban’s squad is first in the SEC in total defense (202.5) and third in total offense (490.5). Quarterback Greg McElroy leads all SEC starters in pass efficiency and, like Florida, the Tide has a deep stable of skill people to get the ball to. And Bama has played a tougher schedule than Florida: the Crimson Tide had their way with No. 6 Virginia Tech in the season opener and spanked Arkansas 35-7 last week.

Alabama hot, special teams play not
As soon as they start playing games, it’s the most popular question I get: Who do you think is the best team in the league? While I’m still not ready to pick an SEC champion (too much can happen in the way of injuries, weird bounces, etc.), the best team I’ve seen in the league through the first month of the season is Alabama. The Crimson Tide really have it going on right now, and there’s a chemistry on the team that’s unmistakable. Quarterback Greg McElroy is spreading the ball around to everyone. The running game back stable is deep, talented and diverse, and the defense is one of the nastiest in the nation. Alabama also has Nick Saban standing over there on the sideline. This is a physical football team playing with a lot of confidence and a team capable of beating you in more ways than the Crimson Tide could a year ago.

Arkansas Made a Disasterous Mistake Against Alabama That Others Won’t
Watching game film, Bobby Petrino must have been sweating bullets. Once it gets rolling, Alabama’s offense seems unstoppable, the defense seems unmovable. What’s a coach to do? Petrino made a decision on what to do on defense, stop the run, keep Alabama from grinding down the defense and controlling the clock. He thought his best bet was trying to make a young quarterback in his first start against an SEC defense beat him. Uh oh, chalk that up as Bobby’s biggest mistake this year.

Roll Tide!

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