Tide Tidbits – November 21, 2009

At Mocs’ expense, Tide’s seniors expect to shine on their day
From consecutive trips to the Independence Bowl to the cusp of a second consecutive undefeated regular season, most of the seniors on the Alabama football team have seen the program come and grow, so far, so fast. From two seasons with a combined 13-13 record to two seasons of competing for the Southeastern Conference championship, they have persevered through thin and thick. From transition to transformation, they have experienced it all. Most of them came to play for coach Mike Shula. All of them will exit a program under the sturdy guidance of Nick Saban, a coach they have grown to appreciate, and the first curtain call comes today. [More]

Bama on guard against letdown
“There won’t be one thing that anybody ever remembers about this season if we didn’t have success against a team like this,” Saban said this week. As the coach often says, “It is what it is.” Alabama has much bigger plans and far bigger obstacles ahead than this morning’s 11:21 kickoff against the Mocs. But that doesn’t mean the Crimson Tide is looking past this one. It is the home finale — the final game at Bryant-Denny Stadium for a senior class that has played a huge role in the program’s change of direction the past two seasons. Javier Arenas, who may epitomized the undersized, overachieving characteristics of this class, has big plans for today. “Hopefully, it’ll be an astounding performance by me and my teammates,” Arenas said. “But I’m just trying to make it one to remember.” Arenas said he wanted a win, of course. But he added, “I wouldn’t mind scoring a touchdown or two. [More]

GAME DAY: ALABAMA vs. CHATTANOOGA
The Southeastern Conference’s interception leader meets one of the best players in the Southern Conference today when Alabama safety Mark Barron takes the field against Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman. Barron has six interceptions, nine pass breakups and ranks second on Alabama’s team with 60 tackles. In the last four games, Barron has 28 tackles. Coleman, a transfer from Tennessee, has thrown for 2,312 yards this season — good for fourth on the school’s single-season record chart — and has thrown 17 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Three of those interceptions came against Appalachian State two weeks ago, but he put together a string of 186 pass attempts over four weeks between his first and second interceptions of the season. [More]

Earning the early degree
Under the cloak of cap and gown, Chris Rogers looked just like all the other graduates at his commencement ceremony on May 9 when the University of Alabama senior seized his degree in consumer affairs. The words came through the amplifier — “Chris … Airreun … Rogers” — and the Crimson Tide cornerback walked across the platform in Coleman Coliseum, no different than several thousand others who claimed validation for years of hard work that day. But the story that came to a triumphant end when Rogers sat down with his diploma was anything but typical. No school in the Football Bowl Subdivision has more active players with degrees than UA: Rogers is one of 13, a number that is a source of pride for UA Director of Academic Services John Dever, among many others. The Crimson Tide faces Tennessee-Chattanooga today with the chase for a national championship still alive with four games left to play. But for these 13 players, the chase that matters most to their futures has already ended. [More]

Roll Tide!

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