Hope everyone's having a great Tuesday. I'm taking part of the day off again. I love having vacation time...haha. So I guess we'll get right into some more news.
Terry Grant was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the 2nd week in a row. I guess 173 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns looks pretty good to the people that vote for that thing. Haha.
Coach Saban's weekly press conference to gear up for the next opponent was held yesterday. You can read the transcript here. Nothing too interesting - just a helluva lot of praise for Houston Nutt's coaching ability, and the Arkansas offense, defense, and special teams. He thinks they're a damn good football team.
Kareem Jackson is the real deal. I should've brought him up before now because I noticed on Saturday that they weren't playing Castille on Bennett...they were playing Jackson. Kareem's a true freshman that studied and learned from Simeon Castille over the summer and in fall practice - and on Saturday it all paid off, as he held Earl Bennett to 4 catches for only 52 yards. The kid's playing like a veteran already.
Bama will get to see a lot of Darren McFadden's vaunted stiff-arm move that he's made so popular. He can throw a defender to the turf as easily as anyone I've ever seen. Read more about how Alabama's planning to defend against it here.
McFadden's coming out party was in Tuscaloosa in 2005 when he ran for 95 yards on 8 carries, including a 70 yard touchdown where he stiff-armed Roman Harper and vaulted past the Alabama defense for a touchdown. Bama won 24-13, but that was the first sign that McFadden was a star.
Coach Saban mentioned that it's going to be "fun" to go against Arkansas' "Wildhog" offense. They get the ball to their playmakers so many times that it's challenging for the defense - "and that's part of the fun of it." Read more here. I, personally, like a coach that has fun getting schemes together to stop somebody else. Haha.
It appears that Marcus Monk and Ben Cleveland will both be out for this game with injuries. I don't put any belief into it though. If I were Coach Saban, I'd go in expecting them to play, cause Houston's a slick sonuvabitch.
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette says it's going to be just as much of a challenge for McFadden to run through Alabama's defense as it will be for Alabama to stop McFadden. Both sides will be ready to go on Saturday.
Arkansas has two guys simulating John Parker Wilson in practices this week, trying to gear up for what they feel will be a coming out for Alabama's passing game. Read more here.
The Crimson White has more about Terry Grant being taken out of the game, and Coach Saban motivating him to pick it up against Vanderbilt.
I had no idea that Rashad Johnson picked up his first career interception against Vandy last week. In NCAA '08, I just finished the 2009 season and Johnson had 7 picks, including one that went for a touchdown in the National Championship game win over USC (41-20). Hopefully it's a sign of things to come.
Arkansas fans unite - because apparently Alabama is the exact same under Nick Saban as it was under DuBose, Franchione, and Mike Shula. At least according to the sports editor for the Arkansas Traveler. He thinks Arkansas will roll right over Alabama. Riiight.
¶ 8:44 AM
Comments:
Did you catch the name of the sports editor of the Arkansas Traveler?
Terry Grant was named the 
