Tide Tidbits – October 23, 2009

Arenas expected to play against Volunteers
Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas has practiced all week and should be available Saturday against Tennessee, according to Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban. “I think he’s going to be fine for this game,” Saban said Thursday night on his weekly radio show Arenas was a late scratch before last weekend’s 20-6 victory over South Carolina, when rib soreness limited him during warm-ups before the game. Saban said Arenas was “punched” in the ribs during practice last week. Arenas had still been expected to play against the Gamecocks, and Saban cautioned that the injury could flare up at any point. “It’s a tip of the rib-type of injury, very painful,” Saban said. “But he’s been able to function very effectively all week in practice.”

McElroy faces ‘Tampa-2’ as he looks to rebound
Saturday won’t be the first time Greg McElroy has seen the Tampa-2 defense, and even though he’s a first-year starter, it won’t be his first time ever taking snaps against Tennessee, either. But coming off his two least effective games of the season, the University of Alabama’s starting quarterback will try to rediscover his early-season success against a plan devised by UT defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, a 26-year coaching veteran of the National Football League. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in the way that we’re going to prepare this week and the way that we’re going to be ready to go on Saturday. I’m excited to get those mistakes ironed out and to have a good game on Saturday,” McElroy said earlier in the week.

Slive sends out memos on rules
The SEC office was busy sending out memos, with two issues pertaining to USC. Commissioner Mike Slive said Thursday that his office sent out memos clarifying the rules on crowd noise and using tape on field goals. But he said no further action will be taken against any school. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier questioned whether it was legal for holders on field goals and extra points to mark their spots with tape, as Alabama did in its game against USC. Alabama coach Nick Saban replied that half the other league teams, including South Carolina, had done so last year, a fact Spurrier and Ryan Succop, last year’s USC kicker, each disputed. There would be no penalties for the schools who broke the rule, he said.

Alabama tight end prospers after transfer
If ever anyone had a justifiable reason to transfer, former Georgia Tech tight end Colin Peek would seem to have had it: the spread-option offense Coach Paul Johnson brought to Georgia Tech has no tight end. So Peek transferred to Alabama, where his grandfather and namesake used to play. Now he’s the starting tight end for the 7-0 Crimson Tide, which this week moved ahead of Florida into the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll. The move was understandable. The results are undeniable. And things haven’t worked out too badly for Tech either, which is 6-1 in Johnson’s new system and No. 12 in the BCS.

‘It’s definitely Tennessee week,’ Tide’s Reamer says
Pay no attention to the calendar that says the fourth Saturday in October is a day away. “It’s definitely Tennessee week,” senior linebacker Cory Reamer said. “You just get that feeling. Everybody’s talking about it. Everybody’s asking what’s going to happen. You always mark this one on the calendar, because it’s a big game for Alabama fans and Tennessee fans alike. You definitely can’t let this one slip up on you.” Reamer expects the usual physical game against the Volunteers (3-3, 1-2). Alabama leads the series 46-38-7. The Tide has won the past two games and seeks its first three-game winning streak since it won seven consecutive games in the series from 1986 to 1992.

Tide cornerback Marquis Johnson doesn’t back down
One of the keys to Alabama’s defensive system is that often its cornerbacks are on an island. Saturday night, there was lava flowing — or Stephen Garcia throwing — on Marquis Johnson’s island. Johnson started for injured senior cornerback Javier Arenas. It didn’t take long for South Carolina to identify the lineup change. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior from Sarasota, Fla., responded by tying a school record with six pass breakups — including a stunning second-quarter sequence in which he defended three consecutive fade passes in the end zone from the 5-yard line against 6-foot-4 receiver Alshon Jeffery.

Roll Tide!

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