Tide Tidbits – October 25, 2009

Cody’s second blocked field goal saves No. 1 Tide from upset
The roar in Bryant-Denny Stadium shook the goal posts Saturday that Daniel Lincoln’s 44-yard field goal attempt never reached. For a team used to emphatic victories, exhausted relief never felt so good. “Just keep the dream alive,” Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said. The left paw of big Crimson Tide nose tackle Terrence Cody reached Lincoln’s kick as time expired, preserving a 12-10 victory over Tennessee. Cody’s second block of the game triggered a wild celebration on the field and in the stands. On the other side, Tennessee players sat motionless, unwilling to let go after outplaying the nation’s No. 1 team for much of Saturday, only to come up short in the final seconds. “It’s a difficult loss to deal with,” Vols coach Lane Kiffin said.

Wildcat helps with stagnant passing game
UA coach Nick Saban said he was pleased with the wildcat results in the first half, but indicated the Crimson Tide must also begin making more plays down field in the passing game. “We did a good job of running the ball in the first half with the wildcat, but certainly, we can’t be so risk aversive,” Saban said. “We’ve just got to be more aggressive in what we’re doing on offense right now because they’re loading the box. We can’t block them all, we can’t get angles on them all and we need to create the balance that we had earlier in the season. That’s what we’ll work on doing during the bye week.”

Former UA players size up this year’s team
Byron Braggs played on three Southeastern Con ference championship teams in the late 1970s. Braggs was on Alabama teams that compiled a 34-2 record in 1977-79 and sees a lot of similarities between those teams and this year’s Crimson Tide team that is ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press poll and defeated Tennessee on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. “What I would tell this year’s team, and I’ve often said to other players at different times, is tradition is a book,” Braggs said. “Every class, every team, has a particular chapter. How do you want your chapter written? How you write your chapter is how you’ll be remembered. If you want to be remembered as a champion, you have to play like it. Don’t take anything for granted on that journey.”

Bama eyes JUCO star
The Tide has signed only one junior college prospect in each of the last two years, and both became immediate starters for the Tide — noseguard Terrence Cody from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and offensive tackle James Carpenter from Coffeeville Community College. The most likely player to continue that streak in the Class of 2010 may be cornerback Mike Harris of El Camino Community College in California. Harris (6-foot, 185) was a quarterback at South Miami Senior High before going west for junior college. He has flourished at his new position and currently holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State and LSU among others.

Crimson Tide turns ‘oh, no,’ into ‘oh, yes!’
If you doubted, you don’t know your history. If you sat through the last 3:29, watching one apparent disaster after another befall Alabama and found yourself saying “Oh, no” over and over, then you don’t know this football team. “We never say, ‘Oh, no,’” said Crimson Tide offensive tackle Drew Davis. “We’re always thinking, ‘Oh, yes.’” Oh, yes, Alabama found a way to overcome the most disastrous three minutes of the season. In that three-minute stretch, Mark Ingram lost the first fumble of his Alabama career, the Alabama defense gave up its first touchdown in almost 12 quarters, Tennessee recovered an onsides kick that everyone knew was coming, and it drove deep enough into Alabama territory for the Vols’ Daniel Lincoln to set up for what appeared to be a makeable, game-winning 44-yard field goal with just four seconds left.

TIFFIN’S GOLDEN TOE
Leigh Tiffin has long since passed his father Van on Alabama’s scoring list. For that, “there will be some (teasing) after the season, but not now,” the younger Tiffin said. What Leigh Tiffin might never be able to surpass is his father’s monumental four-field goal day to beat Auburn in 1985. But the son came close on Saturday. Tiffin kicked four field goals Saturday – one of them traveling 49 yards, another going 50 – to beat Tennessee 12-10. He has made 20-of-23 this season, giving Clan Tiffin 11 of the 21 longest field goals in Tide history. The 50-yarder was his second of the day and, Tiffin said, “It always seems to help when you make a long kick. It seems to make every kick the rest of the game a lot easier.”

Roll Tide!

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