Tide Tidbits – December 20, 2009

Ingram done with Heisman hype
Mark Ingram isn’t saying his life has been turned upside down, but the Alabama sophomore running back didn’t show up for the Crimson Tide’s first bowl practice on Saturday afternoon until minutes before the team meeting. A week after winning the Heisman Trophy, Ingram has put aside a whirlwind week of activity and now is ready to concentrate on facing Texas in the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif. “I’ve enjoyed it, I’ve had a good time, but it’s just about time to get back with my teammates and work on the goal we’ve had since the beginning of the year,” Ingram said. “I’m just happy to get back with those guys and share their world with them. We all have a focus. We all want to get that crystal ball. All our time and dedication for the next three or four weeks will be toward trying to achieve that.” [More]

Alabama gets back to work in preparation for BCS championship game
With the first of 15 bowl practices heading into the Jan. 7 BCS national championship game against No. 2 Texas, Saturday afternoon finally brought a sense of normalcy for Alabama’s top-ranked team after two of the most atypical weeks in program history. Alabama’s team practiced indoors Saturday in helmets and shoulder pads, avoiding the frigid cold while shaking off the rust of the past two weeks. It wasn’t all there yet. For instance, quarterback Greg McElroy admitted to a few “wounded duck” throws. “But it’s OK. We’ve got 14 practices to get back and get ready to go,” McElroy said. All in all, the Crimson Tide was pleased with how things looked. The Crimson Tide will practice once daily through Wednesday, when players will break for Christmas before reconvening Dec. 27 for four more practices. The flight to California will depart Tuscaloosa on New Year’s Day. In the meantime, the upcoming days will be more like preseason camp. The focus will be on fundamentals and execution, rather than scouting Texas. [More]

Handful of Tide players will wrap up collegiate careers at Mobile’s Senior Bowl
Many college football players view the Senior Bowl as a showcase to help spur careers in the NFL. Alabama’s All-American left guard Mike Johnson also sees it as a reunion. Johnson, a Pensacola native who grew up attending the annual event in Mobile and took in the past two games, will finally get to experience it from the inside next month. Johnson is one of five Alabama seniors to have accepted invitations to the Jan. 30 event. Joining him will be Crimson Tide cornerback/return specialist Javier Arenas, nose tackle Terrence Cody, tight end Colin Peek and place-kicker Leigh Tiffin. Of Alabama’s five additions to the game, only Peek (who has battled injuries) was not named a first-team All-American by The Associated Press. The four invitees make this the most All-Americans from one team ever to play in a Senior Bowl. [More]

UA to appeal for reimbursement of travel expenses
The University of Alabama is appealing to the NCAA on behalf of the football team for reimbursement of travel expenses to the BCS National Championship Game, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Saturday. The NCAA provides a monetary travel stipend to players of bowl-bound teams who choose to make their own travel arrangements. Saban said the logistical difficulties of traveling from Tuscaloosa to Pasadena, Calif., gave the players little choice in the matter — the alternative is a team charter, for which there is no stipend for players. Senior guard Mike Johnson said the team captains took the matter to Saban. “Me and Rolando and Javy, we kind of talked to Coach Saban about it and talked to the players, and really just said, ‘Look, it’s a business trip. It’s not about money,’” Johnson said. “It’s time to win this game.” [More]

Nick Saban: No academic casualties for Alabama this semester
Cross one major concern off the list of potential problems as Alabama’s team heads into the biggest game of the college football season. No players will have to miss this trip to the BCS national championship game because of fall semester grades, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said today. “We had a good semester academically,” Saban said. “We don’t have any academic casualties. We didn’t even have anybody that passed just six credits. We were well above where we need to be.” [More]

Roll Tide!

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