Tide Tidbits – November 25, 2009

Alabama aims to dominate Tigers again on Friday
The trophy shines in the middle of the Paul W. Bryant Museum, illuminated in its case, impossible to overlook. “Proudly displayed,” museum curator Taylor Watson said. “Hopefully, we’ll get to keep it for a while.” To Watson’s surprise, the trophy given to the winner of the annual Iron Bowl has proven to be one the more popular items in a museum with an extensive arsenal of Alabama football memorabilia. McElroy remembers his first Alabama-Auburn game during the 2006 season as his first taste of the rivalry. “You don’t know it until you’re really involved,” he said. “What happened last year doesn’t really matter this year,” Saban said. “I think being physical in this game is an important part of the game, and I think it’s an important part of every game. That’s one of the things we try to do as a team is to be physical, play with great effort and do a good job in execution and the discipline that we execute with. I think that’s going to be a real key in this game as well.” [More]

Ingram makes SI cover
Mark Ingram’s growing list of 100-yard performances has kept the University of Alabama running back in the Heisman Trophy race with just one game remaining in the regular season. Now, his Heisman campaign has gotten a major boost off the field. Ingram will appear on the upcoming cover of Sports Illustrated magazine with the title “Pride of the Tide” and a subtitle of “The Indomitable Spirit of Alabama’s Heisman Hopeful Mark Ingram”. Sports Illustrated senior writer Selena Roberts writes: “Mark Jr. could have played any sport — even golf, which was his father’s preference — but his love was football. ‘I run with a purpose,’ he says. ‘I love that feeling.’ The more he played as a high school star, the more his father’s pro legacy hung over him. He was always referred to with one title: son of the former NFL player. If chosen, Ingram would be the first Alabama player to win a Heisman Trophy. The Heisman winner will be announced Dec. 12 at the Nokia Theater in New York’s Times Square. Finalists for the honor travel to the Big Apple for the presentation. [More]

Saban looks for first win at Auburn
Iron Bowl week officially kicked off Monday with Alabama intent on trying to change one odd statistic. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban is 0-4 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. He lost there 17-10 in 2007, his first year at Alabama. When he was head coach at LSU, Auburn won 34-17 in 2000, 32-7 in 2002 and 10-9 in 2004. “What’s happened in the past really doesn’t matter,” Saban said. “It’s what happens this week and what this team does. You know, they’ve had some good teams and we had some good teams and we played some great games there. Hopefully our team will be ready to play a great game this year and I’m sure their’s will, as well.” [More]

Rivalry more heated for fans than players
For fans of Auburn and the University of Alabama, the social and personal reach of the Iron Bowl can divide homes, marriages and the closest of friends. Pleasantries exchanged over Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday will give way to disdain some 24 hours later, when the Crimson Tide and Tigers kick off for the 74th time. For the players, however, intensity for the rivalry doesn’t really manifest itself into hatred. “It’s friendly competition. Some players might have some type of grudge or hate in their heart; that’s them,” said cornerback Javier Arenas. But what matters is everyone going into the game with the same mindset of, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about us.’ Getting too emotional is a vital part of making mistakes — it’s something we have to avoid. [More]

Alabama’s offense bracing for loudest road atmosphere of the season
Alabama’s 2009 schedule has so far taken it to stadiums in Lexington, Ky., Oxford, Miss., and Starkville, Miss. There is little doubt that a fired-up, hostile and purposely orange Jordan-Hare Stadium will be the loudest the Alabama team has dealt with this season. “I’m sure it will be,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. “We’ve played on the road before. They had cowbells at Mississippi State. You always have to deal with that when you play on the road. We address that on, I guess, Wednesday’s practice this week, and practice and do the things that we have to do.” [More]

Roll Tide!

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