Tide Tidbits – October 24, 2009

Kiffin sees UT’s future in Alabama
Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin looks at Alabama’s top-ranked team and sees what will become of his own program. “Alabama has a great team, very well-coached, extremely talented, great special teams, great on offense, great on defense,” Kiffin said. “I love the style that they play with. I think they play extremely physical. They play in your face. They come downhill at you. “That’s what we’re going to be someday.” Since Nick Saban took over Alabama’s program in 2007, the Crimson Tide has beaten the Vols twice, and neither game was close. Tennessee lost 41-17 in Tuscaloosa in 2007 and 29-9 at home last season in what was the next-to-last game before former coach Phillip Fulmer was fired. With a fan base as confident as it could be heading into another meeting with the Vols, the Crimson Tide now looks to make it three in a row and go 8-0 this season before enjoying the first off date of the schedule.

GAME DAY: TENNESSEE at ALABAMA
Under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide has put together 15 games where its leading rusher had 100 yards or more, recording a 14-1 record in those games. In 2007, Terry Grant had three 100-yard games and Glen Coffee had one, resulting in a 4-0 record. In 2008, Coffee had five 100-yard games and Mark Ingram had one, with a 4-1 record. And, this year, Ingram has recorded four 100-yard games and Trent Richardson one, leading to a 5-0 record. Alabama’s only loss in that stretch was in the 2008 Southeastern Conference Championship Game with Florida. Alabama leads the nation in pass efficiency defense, with only one of its opposing quarterbacks (Kentucky’s Mike Hartline) completing more than 50 percent of his passes. Because of an injury, Alabama did not face the starting quarterback from North Texas (Riley Dodge), but the other six starters had their season statistics affected by meeting the Tide defense. Only FIU’s Paul McCall managed a pass efficiency above 100 (109.93). Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead (43.41) fared the worst among the group.

If you can’t beat them, annoy them
This is how dominant Alabama football has apparently become. Because back-to-back highly ranked recruiting classes have made it more difficult to match up with the Crimson Tide on the playing field, opposing coaches are trying to make the game less physical and more psychological. So you get “jersey-gate.” Tennessee wants to show up wearing orange jerseys, even though the Vols are the visiting team. Could it be that Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin believes wearing orange will give his players some kind of mental boost. Then you get “tape-gate.” The charge is that Alabama’s Leigh Tiffin has been illegally marking the spot where he wants his holder to place the football with a small piece of tape. And you have “music-gate.” Alabama has been in violation of the SEC rule regarding artificial noise. The only problem is, there is no evidence that Alabama’s Nick Saban gets distracted.

Vols expeting physical game from Tide
Wes Brown likes No. 1 Alabama’s style. The Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) runs the ball, hits defenses with play-action passes and doesn’t employ much trickery, unless you count running tailback Mark Ingram from the Wildcat formation. It’s the kind of straightforward offense that a defensive tackle like Tennessee’s Brown can get up for going into today’s game with the Tide. “It does get frustrating when you’re playing the spread teams, and they’re throwing the ball everywhere, and just pitching the ball everywhere,” Brown said. “But you look at Alabama, and they say, ‘Hey, we’re going to show you we’re running the ball right here, so man up, and somebody’s going to falter.’

Reaching for perfection: Tide closes in on rare achievement
Alabama’s football team has a chance to do something during the next six weeks that hasn’t been accomplished in 35 years in the Southeastern Conference. If the Crimson Tide can win its next five games, it will complete its second consecutive perfect regular season. That hasn’t been done in the SEC since Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s Alabama teams did it in 1973-74. Of course, if Nick Saban’s 2009 Alabama team can win five more games, it will accomplish something that never has been done in the SEC: back-to-back 12-0 regular seasons. Several local Alabama fans are convinced Alabama will win its next five games — and maybe even two more. “Yes, I very much believe it,” said longtime fan Bobby Timmons. “Like Coach Bryant, Nick Saban is very good at saving his team for the fourth quarter. And he puts a lot of emphasis on the positive mental attitude.

Roll Tide!

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