Tide Tidbits – November 20, 2009

Alabama to honor 27 seniors before final home game on Saturday
How much pride is there in leaving a college football program in a better position that you found it? Alabama senior cornerback Chris Rogers thought on that for a moment. “It’s Nick Saban. I can’t really take pride in that,” Rogers said. “It’s Nick Saban. He’s doing an excellent job bringing guys in. I mean everybody, from the equipment manager to the janitors. Everybody is doing their part to make the program better. I’m just fortunate to be a part of the program.” A total of 27 seniors — including medical hardship departures Evan Cardwell and Byron Walton — will be honored before their final home game Saturday. When the Crimson Tide hosts UT-Chattanooga at 11:20 a.m., it will do so as the nation’s second-ranked team and back-to-back SEC West champ. [More]

Crimson Tide to face SEC-caliber QB
When B.J. Coleman was in high school, his favorite cap was one that read “Top Gun” across the front. He made sure he wore it for photos. Such is the mentality of a 6-foot-5 quarterback who remains a hometown hero in Chattanooga, where stories circulate about things like his strong grip — former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer once jokingly cautioned reporters not to shake hands with him — and his football exploits. And it’s the confidence Coleman, now a sophomore at UT-Chattanooga, must carry into Bryant-Denny Stadium for Saturday’s 11:20 a.m. date at second-ranked Alabama. “We’ve got to go down and give it our best shot,” Coleman said. “I’m excited. It’s going to be a great opportunity and a great atmosphere. It’s something, definitely, when you look back you’ll be able to say, ‘I got to play right there in Bryant-Denny Stadium against probably one of the best teams in the country at that time.’” [More]

Flying helmets an issue
Mark Ingram’s 1-yard touchdown run against Mississippi State last Saturday could easily have been the most costly score of his University of Alabama career. Instead, it only cost him five stitches. As the sophomore Heisman Trophy candidate lay bloodied on the turf after being struck in the head without his helmet, an issue UA coach Nick Saban first brought up weeks ago — the frequency with which helmets come off during play — came into harrowing focus for Crimson Tide fans. “A guy just pulled my helmet off and another guy fell on me with his facemask,” Ingram said. “It cut me open right above my right eye and I got a little cut on my other eye. It was nothing intentional — just playing ball. “I touched my forehead and saw a whole bunch of blood on my hand, so I just laid there.” [More]

Crimson Tide senior linebacker Eryk Anders is undersized, overachieving and ready for his final game at Bryant-Denny Stadium
For more than a month, Eryk Anders dealt silently with an ankle injury. In fact, his numbers improved since the senior said it started bothering him during the Oct. 17 win over South Carolina. Now preparing for his final game in Bryant-Denny Stadium, Anders said he has no doubts he will be ready for the 12:21 p.m. game with Chattanooga — good ankle or not. Coach Nick Saban said Anders had been dealing with a sprained ankle “for a while” but it got worse last week at Mississippi State. For the overachieving, undersized (6-2, 235 pounds) outside linebacker, however, missing his last game in front of the home crowd is not an option. He was practicing at full speed by the end of the week and should be ready to go by game time. For the lightly recruited player out of San Antonio who received just one star of a possible five by scout.com, the 2009 season has been something of a fairytale. [More]

Alabama’s Barron leading SEC in interceptions
No. 2 Alabama’s sophomore free safety is settling into his relatively new position quite nicely after playing offense until his senior year in high school and backing up All-American Rashad Johnson last season. “I feel like I’m a long way from where I used to be,” Barron said. “I feel like I made a lot of improvement. I had ball skills but I wasn’t really a DB. I was like an athlete trying to play DB. “I feel like I’m becoming more of a DB.” Barron leads the Southeastern Conference and is tied for third nationally with six interceptions, including a pair of diving picks against Mississippi State last weekend. [More]

No more problems on kickoff coverage, Tide’s Chris Rogers promises
ust when it looked as if Alabama had solved its problems on kickoff coverage, along came Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide allowed two long kickoff returns in its 31-3 victory last week in Starkville, Miss. Senior Chris Rogers promises there will be no more problems the rest of the season. “It won’t happen again,” he said. “Everybody’s concerned with the kickoff and special team, but be assured. We’re going to be ready for the games in the future. “We’ve got it figured out. We’ve worked out the wrinkles. We’re ready to go.” [More]

Cody finalist for award
University of Alabama senior Terrence Cody has been named a finalist for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy, which goes to the nation’s top defensive player. UA linebacker Rolando McClain was a semifinalist for the honor, but did not make the final cut. [More]

Tide seniors focus on final home game
“It’s a special day Saturday for the seniors that have represented and gone through the transition of the program here and helped us build by their buy-in a real foundation for the principles and values that are important to have a successful program,” Saban said Wednesday after practice this week. “We certainly appreciate that and want to honor these guys in every way we can.” Quarterback Greg McElroy, a redshirt junior who came into the program in 2006, talked about the contribution of these seniors. “As much as any senior class, this senior class was such a huge part of last year’s success,” McElroy said. “Last year’s senior class was nine or 10 players, so these guys really made up a lot of key positions for us. Their leadership, their resiliency, the fact that they were able to be such a big part of getting this program back to where it belongs; we can’t say enough about those guys.” [More]

Roll Tide!

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