WJBO has learned that Ryan Perrilloux will be cleared of wrongdoing in the nightclub incident last week. Sources tell us he will more than likely make the trip to Alabama. WAFB TV is reporting that Derrick Odom will be charged later today. Our sources tell us he will then be dismissed from the team. Stay with WJBO and wjbo.com for updates.
How I missed the fact that Rush Propst announced his resignation last night is beyond me. The guy is a helluva football coach - but I think he let all of his "power" in the state get to him. His affair was wrong, but I'll be damned if that has anything to do with the man's ability to coach.
Now - who's next in line at Hoover? Jeremy Pruitt only has a one year contract with the University of Alabama. He might not be a bad fit, but I doubt anyone there would want to bring in somebody that worked under Propst.
In our never-ending quest to continue learning about our upcoming opponents, we continue blog-swapping with our friends at Pelican State Sports, a very informative and well-run LSU blog.
Remember to go check them out to see my answers to the same questions they answer here on this site.
What one opposing player would do you wish LSU had to make the team even stronger than it is currently?
At first, this question seemed like a tough one. Experts will tell you how LSU has awesome athletes at every position, but that doesn’t mean that they have great football players. And one that Bama has that I wish LSU had is DJ Hall. Much has been made this season of Early Doucet’s absence after suffering a groin injury, and that has contributed to the woes in the passing game. But even with Early Doucet healthy, the passing game needs another sure handed receiver. And since Doucet is really more of a possession type receiver, having DJ Hall’s 15 yards per catch average would give the passing game balance and someone else that could make a play when needed.
¶ 9:53 AM0 comments
Days 'til the coaches can stop answering questions about the "hype": 3
Well, my guitar player and I went flyering around the University of Memphis last night. If anybody doesn't already know, we're playing at Newby's on Saturday, November 17th. Yes, the same night as the Louisiana-Monroe game. Sucks, but it is what it is. I'm hoping the game will be a 2pm kickoff so I can watch it and then go out and do what needs to be done. Alas, I'm sure it'll be a 6pm kick and I'll have to get the bartender to put it on gameplan up there for me.
Prosevere is my band, yes. Come to the show!
Anyway, enough about that mess. That should be a good day. We're playing the same day as the UAB vs Memphis game at the Liberty Bowl, so there should be a good crowd on Highland that night. Regardless, we'll draw enough people to make it fun. Besides, beer and shots can make anything fun.
We'll continue "Blogging with the enemy..." later today.
For now, on to the news...
The key matchup of the day won't be any receivers vs defensive backs, or running backs vs linebackers. Instead, it will be Justin Britt against Glenn Dorsey. This should be the matchup of the day. As Britt put it Dorsey's "the best. That's what we came to Alabama to do - play against the best." Read more.
Honestly, you should read this article just for how long the headline is. It's pretty unbelievable. Either way, it's more garbage about how this game is about the players and not the coaches, and how the LSU players have no hard feelings towards their former coach, etc etc. Riiiight.
Our so-called "makeshift line" has quite a task ahead of them on Saturday, especially without suspended starters Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis. Read more about their upcoming job here.
Perrilloux, Dorsey, and Odom are still question marks for Saturdays game, although it looks much better for Dorsey - mainly because he has the say on whether he'll play or not. If his knee feels ok, then he'll get in there. The same can't be said for Perrilloux and Odom, who are still awaiting a decision from the coaches on whether or not they'll be allowed to play. Read more about the possible missing links.
Monday's practice was a sign that Alabama is planning on playing without the suspended "text book five." All of them were practicing in backup roles, rather than their normal spots. Read more here.
Dorsey, last night, never would answer the question of whether he'll play on Saturday or not. He did admit that he had doubts, but said that if he feels good enough, then he'll play.
The Crimson White has an article about LSU fans wearing houndstooth hats with purple and gold feathers. Some people may get mad, but I just laugh. It's almost sad that an SEC team doesn't have enough tradition of their own, so they have to try and either mock somebody else's, or borrow it. Karma sucks, gentlemen.
¶ 9:03 AM0 comments
Wow. Do you think LSU fans might be just a little bit uptight about the game Saturday? Teams that go into games tight usually come out nervous and make mistakes. Teams that play loose and have nothing to lose usually play good football. The favorites are the ones in trouble, usually.
With that said, I think our buddy TE, who commented on the Saban Bowl story over at fanblogs.com, might be just a touch uptight about this Saturday's game. Do you think maybe LSU fans are taking this game just a touch too seriously?
"It'd be different if Saban had actually left LSU behind...
Instead, he contacted LSU BOS members after the Florida loss last year in Gainesville about a possible return...
Oh...wait...no, he didn't...Jimmy Sexton did...Of course he did it without Saban's permission, right? LOL!
Then, he made that cute little racial epithet and tossed it out to the Bama media at his hiring press conference, belittling South Louisiana natives...
Then, he talked smack about our players after the Sugar Bowl...
Then, he illegally recruited Luther Davis...
(In my best "Dude, Where's My Car" Drive through lady voice) AND THEN...
He went to SEC Media Days and lied about an incident where one of his Administrative Assistants got a flat tire while at a wedding (Where LSU fans actually changed her tire out for her) and blamed it on tire-slashing LSU fans (I wonder how many will bring fix-a-flat and a Tire Kingdom Gift Card to Tuscaloser this weekend?)...
Let's not even talk about the illegal contact with recruits in Florida, the disparaging comments he made about South Florida's recruiting, Books for Bucks, or anything else...
Oh, and T-Mac...You've obviously NOT bought into the Saban mantra...Forget the hype, one of his basic tenents of coaching is to produce a consistent high level of play.
In order to do this, he treats "The next game" as "The most important game on the schedule". You fans might feel the Iron Bowl is the most important one, but you can't get to Atlanta without getting by LSU on Saturday. If you would rather beat Auburn than beat LSU to go to Atlanta, then your priorities as a fanbase are on par with Nick Saban's conscience.
But, don't worry...your REM cycle of Atlanta will be rudely interrupted by the severity of the beatdown we're cooking up for you here in Baton Rouge...
Forget the Books for Bucks, forget the barroom brawls, forget Nick Saban, forget Les Miles...
You aren't there yet. You aren't close. LSU is here. LSU is where you want to be. LSU's going to show you that you can't get there.
We're going to demoralize you. At home. In front of your fans. In front of your coach. In front of the nation. You've played exactly what you are...No one...
LSU will remind you on Saturday..."
I'm sure that our boys are shakin' in their cleats, brotha. Keep on talkin.
We continue blogging with the enemy today. Remember to go on over to Pelican State Sports to check out who I told them about.
2 players that you may not heard of to watch out for:
I guess I can’t say Ryan Perrilloux and Derrick Odom.
Offense: Terrance Toliver, Wide Receiver. Lost a little in all the hype of Early Doucet’s return, Demetrius Byrd’s last-second heroics, Brandon LaFell’s drops, is the steady emergence of Tolliver as a bona fide deep threat. The 6’5”, 190 lb true freshman was the number one wide receiver recruit in the nation last year (how about that – he’s not one of Saban’s players). It has taken him a little while to get onto the field, but has had a chance and has shown great speed and good hands. He is averaging 19.8 yards per catch, second on the team, and had two long catches called back for penalties.
Defense: You’ve heard all the defense names before – Dorsey, Jackson, Steltz, Highsmith. Unheralded, but perhaps just as important, Darry Beckwith is a rock at middle linebacker. Only 6’1” but 230 lbs, he is a guy who is more than willing to fill the hole on runs up the middle. He has good closing speed, plays sideline to sideline and will hit like a ton of bricks. He is the kind of player who doesn’t miss tackles, because when he gets his hands on the runner, he keeps his legs driving through a tackle. Last year, he finished the year as LSU’s second leading tackler despite playing only 7 plays against Bama and missing the Ole Miss game.
Well, here we go. If you wanted the official police report on Perrilloux's incident, here ya go. Just a warning, it's a pdf file.
Apparently, the next LSU head coach, should Miles bolt to Michigan at the end of the season, could be Tommy Tuberville. Read MSNBC.com's article about it.
Coach Saban's weekly press conference transcription is located here. I found it interesting that he said that there's no real advantage to having coached a lot of those players before - of course, that could just be coach speak.
Ian Rapoport reminds us that emotions will be high, but probably not until after the game. Coach Saban does still care about the players he recruited to play at LSU, so he will, of course, want to see how they're doing and everything, but he is completely, 110% focused on winning the football game. We'll worry about the other stuff later because, as you know, he doesn't have time for that shit.
Les Miles is doing the same thing that Coach Saban is doing - downplaying the hoopla about the coaches and simply stating that the game is about the players. This game isn't anything more than a game for the lead in the SEC Western Division. Read more here.
Glenn Dorsey returned to practice on Monday, and, although he didn't do some of the drills, is feeling much better this week. He didn't say whether he'll be ready by Saturday, but he said it "feels good right now." Read more here.
Trying to sustain momentum through a bye week is a big "no no" because players will get sick of doing the same thing over and over. So they worked on fundamentals and on things they'll see from other teams later in the year, rather than focusing on LSU last week. That way they can be fresh this week and ready to attack by Saturday. Read more about Coach Saban's approach to the bye week.
Alabama is 8-2 in their last 10 games following a bye week, including a 7 game winning streak. Of course, Coach Saban is only 8-8, but that includes time spent at Michigan State and the Miami Dolphins. Read more interesting stats for the game here.
Alabama is not blowing this game up as big as everyone else is. To the team, it's just another Saturday, and another opportunity to not only get better, but to establish an identity - the same identity Coach Saban talked about in his initial press conference: being the team that everybody hates playing.
¶ 9:46 AM0 comments
Days 'til the West becomes a lot clearer than the East: 5
Yeah yeah yeah. Bama moved up 5 spots in each poll and didn't even play a game. I guess it helps that, in our last game, we just demolished a team that beat the #16 team in the country. Not that it matters, of course, because of the many, many, many triangles that have gone on this year. We'll try and name a couple right quick.
That's just a couple off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll come up with more later.
If you don't already have your tickets for this weekend, then please, go ahead and click on over to TickCo.com's LSU section and their Alabama section to get your tickets. This game should be absolutely incredible, so make sure you don't miss it.
Also, make sure that, if you're going to the game, WEAR CRIMSON. The University wants to make this a "Crimson Out" game, where everybody, other than the opposing fans, will have on Crimson. Should be a fun sight to see on television. Spread the word - cause there are far too many Bama fans for us to reach by ourselves. Haha.
So now...on to the weekend recap and some Bama news...
I honestly thought that Steve Spurrier was going to pull that miracle out of his rear up on the hill on Saturday night. Fat Phil lives to see another day though - and in remarkable fashion as well. His freshman kicker misses a 43 yarder, which was negated by a false start penalty, and then he drills a 48 yarder to send it into overtime. Then, in overtime, one of the best kickers in the country, Ryan Succop, misses a kick to send it to a 2nd overtime. I guess, if we can find a way to beat LSU, it would be awesome to go out and beat Tennessee a second time in one season.
Georgia looked like world beaters on Saturday. Tebow had -15 yards rushing? Are you serious? Georgia ate those boys up early and often. It was unlike anything I had seen from a Dawgs team. Of course, next thing you know, they'll go off and get beat by Kentucky or something, making the SEC East even more stupid. Yes, stupid is the right word.
Mississippi State took care of Kentucky - in Lexington, no less - and got within one victory of bowl eligibility. Andre Woodson looked absolutely putrid. The new upset pick among the sports show hosts down here already is Miss St over Alabama on Nov 10th. We'll see what happens.
I thought that both Ohio State and Boston College would lose this weekend. Boy was I wrong. Ohio State absolutely crushed Penn State. They actually look like the most legitimate team in the country right now.
And speaking of legitimate teams - Arizona State and Oregon both handled the Cali teams (Oregon 24-17 over USC, and Ariz St 31-20 over Cal) making this weekend's showdown in Autzen Stadium incredibly important in the national title race. Who knows what could happen out there. How goofy would a West Virginia / Oregon national title game be? I could see a 70-63 game there - unless they go to overtime, where both teams could hit triple digits.
Vandy won their 5th game in a non-chalant, bullshit manner over Miami (OH). They now have Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wake Forest - that's 4 chances to get that 6th win. 11 bowl eligible teams in the SEC? You better believe it.
The pollsters bumped us up a few notches this week - I guess to help the hype for the game this weekend. LSU stayed at #3 in every poll, and we jumped to #17 in the AP, #18 in the Coaches, and #17 in the BCS standings.
The coaches will tell you that this game is all about the players - but we know the truth. This game is all about the coaches. You can also read more about it here.
Coach Saban said that focusing was not going to be an issue this week. He did say that coaching at LSU was a special time in his life, but he's coaching at Alabama now, and his job is to get the players here ready to play the best football they can possibly play. Luckily ESPN won't be in town to bother and distract the players. They can focus on LSU this week, unlike the Georgia game.
After a bye week where the team focused more on executing and becoming a better team, rather than scheming for a certain opponent, the week is here where the players will turn their focus towards LSU.
LSU, much like Alabama, has a history, this season, of taking games down to the wire. Read more about it here.
Ryan Perrilloux was allegedly beat up at the Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge late last Thursday night into Friday morning. He has not filed charges, but there should be an incident report available sometime today. This kid just CANNOT stay out of trouble. Read more here.
Les Miles' office is in the House that Nick built. Read more about all of the enhancements and upgrades that Coach Saban set in motion and got LSU to build while he was there. It's interesting, to say the least.
Josh Cooper thinks this may be the game where Les Miles' gambling will catch up with him. He reminds us that even the best gamblers can't stay lucky for too long. There's a reason why casinos are insanely profitable - because nobody wins all the time.
¶ 9:01 AM0 comments
The story of LSU's corndog smell... Sadly, by an Auburn alum
"LSU fans smell just like corn dogs.
Yes, it is often said, but so, so true.
LSU fans do smell like corn dogs.
I would never tell them that to their face though. This is something better said at internet distances. Even now, I am afraid.
I am afraid that they'll know I said it. I'll walk past an LSU fan someday, and he'll see that look in my eye that gives it away. That look that says, "gee, what is that smell? Is it corn dogs?" The next thing you know, I'll have flat tires on my car.
If you only learn one thing from me today, remember not to tell LSU fans how they smell - you know, like corn dogs.
LSU fans seem, somehow, sensitive to that whole corn dog issue.
I think this may be why a lot of fans get beaten up by LSU fans. If you attend a game in Baton Rouge, try to avoid telling them that they smell like corn dogs. Say something else instead. Like, "Wow, LSU sure does have a great team this year. This is going to be a great SEC game."
It's hard. I know. It's like when you're having sex and you try to think about baseball. That corn dog smell is just so overwhelming. It makes it hard for you to think about football or baseball or whatever else. Your brain wanders into corn dog topics like: "Gee, I wonder if I took a bite of your finger, if you would taste just like a corn dog?"; or "Is this a real person or is it a giant corn dog trying to make me think it is a real person?" or "What did that giant corn dog just say?" or "Excuse me, Mister, why is it that you smell just exactly like corn dogs smell?" or, of course, after a silencer: "Madam, did you just let the corn dogs out?"
Heck, after what I've heard about LSU fans, I think it may be better not to smell them at all. Okay, not all of them. Some of them are nice. Sure. Smell the nice ones. That's okay.
You know what else is a bad thing to do? Holding your nose around them. They are real sensitive to that, too. Try holding your breath. But don't be obvious about it. Somehow they know you're trying not to breathe in the corn dog smell. And that offends them. They'll likely punch you for that if they catch on to what you're doing.
If you do breathe it in long enough, though, it'll permeate your whole body, and then you'll smell like a corn dog just like they do. But don't say, "Dang, now I smell like a corn dog." They take offense to that. And they will throw things. But not corn dogs. Hard stuff. Stuff that leaves bruises and makes you bleed. Then you may have to get stitches or something. Just don't say it. If you do start smelling like a corn dog, just shut up about it. Okay?
I think kids are acutely aware of corn dog smells too. Counsel your kids on how to behave around LSU fans. If LSU fans are driving around town, do not let your kids stick their heads out of your car window and sniff the air. No. Keep your windows rolled up. An odd change in their expression - indicating they smell corn dogs - might get a wrench or pipe or some other object tossed at your windshield. So, that's dangerous. Let your kids stick their heads out of the car windows as you drive - on some other weekend
I know you are just as puzzled as I am about some of this corn dog stuff. What puzzles me most is that I've never actually seen any of these LSU fans with a corn dog in their hand. Okay, maybe there's no mystery there - maybe they already ate the corn dogs. Who knows? Maybe there's a corn dog factory in Baton Rouge and they all work there. Maybe, there's a corn dog lotion that they wear, or a French perfume.
Maybe their city council puts corn dog juice in the water supply - kind of like fluoride. The politics there are probably weird. The big political issue during the city election is whether they should add more ketchup or more mustard to the water. Don't comment on it though. It's not politically correct over there. It's like a malnutrition issue or something. It's like the corn dogs are probably added to the water to prevent starvation or something.
I know when you go to Baton Rouge, you're thinking: "Ahhhh. Here I am in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I'll bet the people here smell just like boiled crawfish or shrimp etoufe' or some fancy Cajun food." But just stop thinking that. That's just a myth. They smell just like corn dogs.
In fact, please listen to my advice. Leave them alone about the corn dog odor. And don't try masking the odor with something stronger. They'll curse at you. They'll say something like: "WTF, how dare you smoke a cigar in my home," or "WTF!! Are you too good for the smell of corn dogs?" and they'll cuss out your kids too: "WTF!!! Little Mister fancy pants over here acts like he doesn't want to smell like corn dogs."
Cajuns are not like us. Don't you see that, yet? They are really sensitive about being sniffed and about their corn dog aroma. They know they smell like corn dogs and it is no laughing matter to them at all. I know, I know. We sniff the bammers and the UGA dawgs and the Ole messes, and we keep a straight face with each of them, but don't press your luck with the Cajun tiger fans. Don't refer to Death Valley as corn dog valley either. I mean that's just wrong. Even if you've been drinking, they'll beat you up and curse out your kids.
Along these lines, be extra careful when you laugh in their direction - even if you're laughing about something else. Like baseball or football, or sex or whatever. If you can't control yourself and you must laugh though, do not snort. The snorting makes them think that you smell their corn dog body odor from a distance or that you're choking on it or something. They'll likely burn your van for that. We lost a campus building over just one snort.
So, just remember. You can love one another without sniffing each other. You can enjoy the clash of a couple of good football teams. You can enjoy the thrill of the rivalry. But after the game, please heed my words. Please just move along. No sniffing the opposing fans this Saturday. Okay? Get your corn dog jollies at home."
Also, if you want to read some hilarity about how LSU is already making excuses for if they lose, read the Tiger Rant over at tigerdroppings.com. Apparently, the refs are going to give Alabama the game next Saturday.
¶ 12:41 PM1 comments
WOOO HOOOO!!! The Foo Fighters are coming to Memphis on Friday, January 25th. Talk about excited. My old lady and I had our first kiss at a Foo Fighters concert back in '04, standing in the mud at Memphis in May. It was awesome.
Anyway, talk about a crazy ass day. Already had more work this morning than I'm used to in an entire day.
But enough about that.
The Virginia Tech / Boston College game last night was the perfect example of why you NEVER EVER EVER EVER run a prevent defense when there's time left on the clock. I can understand if it's the last couple of plays and you don't wanna give up a hail mary, but to do what Virginia Tech did last night was absolutely unbelievable and borderline insane. Don't give a Heisman Trophy candidate time to throw the football. Keep bringin people like you did early in the game. There's a reason why you held them to ZERO POINTS through 95% of the ballgame.
So, the highest LSU will be ranked is #2 next week, but that's ok by me.
We'll continue on with our stretch of blogging with the enemy, Faimon from Pelican State Sports. Today we're both giving our favorite games in the history of the LSU vs Alabama rivalry.
Check out his site for my answers - his favorites are listed below...
I tried to pick games in my lifetime (born in 1973), so that I wasn’t going back to stuff from the fifties and sixties that Bama fans keep reminding me of. All but one of these occurred during my 34 years. And full disclosure here: I grew up in Baton Rouge, but graduated from Louisiana Tech University, so I have some pretty great memories of games in 1997 and 1999, too, but I guess those don’t count.:)
Anyway, here are my five favorite games in the history of the Bama-LSU:
1) 1982: LSU 20-10 Bama I don’t remember much about this game – I was only 9. But I do remember the euphoria that we felt in Baton Rouge. So much so, that there was a joke going around my elementary school: “Hey did you hear that Bear Bryant beat his wife? Yeah, he went home after the game and asked her what time it was, and she said twenty to ten.”
2) 2001: LSU 35 – 21 Bama I have some pretty special memories of this game. I was in Alabama for the game, but not in Tuscaloosa. I was in Montgomery, visiting my grandmother. Of course, she insisted on taking us shopping at Maxwell Air Force Base on Saturday afternoon during the game – and I don’t argue with a 82 year-old woman with tattooed eyebrows (she says its easier than continually applying makeup). So I was wondering around the BX when I found a TV above the customer service desk and stood there, watching the game. By then, LSU was up, and it was clear that Rohan Davey was having an immense day (528 yards) and so was Josh Reed (19 receptions, 293 yards). The AF officer who stood next to me for about five minutes was obviously a Tide fan, because when he saw the score, he harrumphed and walked away. This game announced LSU’s return to prominence. Later that year, LSU won the SEC title and then the Sugar Bowl. Sweet.
3) 1997: LSU 27 – 0 Bama After a full year of having horrible nightmares about the freshman Shaun Alexander going for 290+ yards in Tiger Stadium, this shutout win in Tuscaloosa was sweet relief. This was the LSU of Herb Tyler and Kevin Faulk and Rondell Mealey. This was the smash-mouth football that the Memphis Tider loves so (link: http://pelicanstatesports.wordpress.com/2007/10/25/the-extravaganza-rolls-on/) – (51 rushes, 265 yards). Though this wasn’t the biggest win of the year (that came October 11th), it was good early sign about this LSU team, which ended 9-3.
4) 2003: LSU 27 – 3 Bama Every game from this year I remember with special fondness. This game was late in the year, mid-November, and LSU was expected to win against a Bama team under first year coach Mike Shula, and LSU just took care of business every way they could. They dominated in every facet of the game, just a great win all around.
5) 1895 – LSU 12 – 6 Bama Ok, so who really cares about this game? But it gave LSU a 1-0 record against Bama.
Coach Saban isn't sure if this was the best time for a bye week. Time will definitely tell, but I think it's better to get everyone rested and fired up before playing such a good opponent. You can read more about what the players are doing with their few days off here.
Josh Cooper, from the Decatur Daily, looks at what the Tide needs to do during the bye week and the week leading up to the game in order to help their chances against LSU.
LSU's receivers have had a bad case of the drops in the past few games. Lets hope this continues. One would only imagine what meeting a linebacker on a crossing pattern across the middle would do to their confidence. Byrd and LaFell are both having troubles.
LSU is dead last in the SEC in red-zone defense. Opponents are 19 of 19 with 14 touchdowns and 5 field goals. Read more about their recent defensive troubles here.
The 5 players in the text-book debacle, could be cleared to play in the LSU game. If the "extra benefit" was over $100, then they would be required to serve an NCAA mandated suspension of 10% of the season, which is 1.2 games. So they may have to miss part of the first quarter. Either way, there could be more suspensions forthcoming, but we'll have to wait until next week to find out.
Well, DJ Hall didn't even win SEC offensive player of the week, but AT&T deemed him fit to win their All-America Player of the Week last week. Granted, it is voted on by fans, but to even be nominated is more than any other SEC player this week. His 54% of the vote beat out Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart (24 percent), Tulane running back Matt Forte (12 percent) and UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner (10 percent).
Want some interesting stats for the game? Alabama is 6-0 when scoring first this year and 0-2 when the opponent scores first. As far as the Western Division standings go, Alabama has held the Western Division lead after 8 weeks into the season on 6 different occassions. We have gone to Atlanta 4 times out of those 6, but the last 2 we did not. Here's hoping something changes.
¶ 9:20 AM1 comments
Very strange to be crossing blogs with an LSU blogger this time of year. You would think we'd hate each other, but, y'know...I guess it's actually alright.
There once was a time when I would cheer for LSU, except for the Alabama game, because I liked how they played football. Smash mouth, run it up the gut, type football - the kind that Alabama was used to. They always played games the right way, rather than having to trick their opponents, they just ran over them. At one point, they weren't very good at it - hence the horrible record through the 90s, but they still were fun to watch because they played non-gimmick football. Even when they were beating us through the Nick Saban era and all that, I still enjoyed watching them play smash mouth. It was fun - except when they played us.
Oh well. Pelican State Sports and I will be cross hitting each others blogs this week. To see my response to this this same question that he's answered, please go check out his site.
Things I like/Things I hate about Alabama
This is easy to write, really, because the thing that I like is closely related to what I hate.
I like: Alabama’s tradition. Any honest college football fan will admit that Bama’s tradition (12 – yes, I know it’s 12) is among the top 3 in college football. It is an amazing record over time. Around the nation, the words Crimson Tide call up hazy memories of players dominating games while wearing large forearm pads and narrated by the non-senile voice of Keith Jackson. Because I am in my mid-30s now, I can only faintly recall the image of a grizzled old man stalking the sideline in a houndstooth hat. But I can remember my dad, who grew up in Alabama, telling me legendary stories of drills Bear Bryant ran and players he had. Hey, I read The Junction Boys too, and loved it. If you need any further proof, check this link:
That’s a blog entry I wrote saying that College Football needs Bama to be good, along with Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Miami. My reasoning was that college football is better when Bama is good, precisely because of The Crimson Tide history. So that is one thing I love about Bama.
Things that I like, but not as much as the tradition:
1) The Uniforms- the number on the helmet is so simple, so classic
2) Gene Stallings-coached teams – now that is how defense is played
3) The Rammer-Jammer cheer. Yeah, the wording is stupid, but it sounds cool when the whole stadium does it.
I hate: The tradition. Ok, not the tradition itself, but the way Bama fans act like the rest of us don’t know it. WE GET IT! YOU’VE WON IN THE PAST. WE KNOW THAT YOU DOMINATED COLLEGE FOOTBALL. Look, you would hate it if Michigan fans constantly told you how the Wolverines have won the most games of any college team of all time. That’s how we feel. Bama has been an afterthought in the SEC race since 1992. Remember the Dubose years? Franchione’s brief stop? Mike “It’s rollin’ baby” Price’s almost tenure? We do, and the word that most accurately describes Bama over the last 15 years is ‘irrelevance’ (the word ‘probation’ is a close second). This is the new millennium – it’s time to stop assuming that success in the sixties and seventies entitles you to a privileged position now. In case you haven’t noticed, Kentucky is now a factor in the SEC. Things have changed since 1979. You have to earn your respect in the new millennium SEC. So perhaps a little humility until you actually win something would be nice. It would be shocking, too.
Like I said, go check out Pelican State Sports to see my response to the same question.
They're keeping wraps on Dorsey's injury down in Baton Rouge. To the point that they closed practice with several players nursing injury. Read more here.
The Hat thinks that the players will think more about the upcoming game than he will. He says he has no real desire to beat Saban, but the players might think differently. Jacob Hester, however, is not one of those players. He just really doesn't give a damn. Read more here.
Alabama went at this bye week with a lot of intensity. They've been hitting harder in practice than they have all season, just to try and fix mistakes that they are making themselves - not to prepare for LSU yet. Read more here.
Coach is trying to keep the hype down about the game. He's still saying it's the players' game. Of course, he's reminding them that a championship is still in reach. Read more here.
LSU fans are READY for the Alabama game. BIG TIME. Check out the AOL Fanhouse for a preview video. That video even got me fired up.
Glenn Dorsey sat out practice on Tuesday, and I believe on Wednesday. I have a strong feeling that he won't play against us next Saturday. I guess we would have to thank the Aubies for being goons, right? Oh well. Read more about his injury here. Part of me wants him to play so we can say that we beat them at full strength, but then another part of me doesn't want him to play because he could single-handedly stop our entire rushing attack. Hmm...
Question and answer with our friend, Faimon, from Pelican State Sports. Check out his blog to see my answers to the same questions.
1) If you were your team's coach, how would attack the other teams offense/defense?
If I was Les Miles, I would need bigger pants hold my nuts. But after securing trousers with a big enough banana-hammock, I imagine I would attack the Tide like this:
LSU on Offense: Bama’s defense has been fairly stout, but not outstanding. Luckily for the Tide, their (relative) weakness is pass defense, and that is where LSU struggles the most. But, assuming Early Doucet and Matt Flynn are both fully healthy, that adds a dimension to the passing attack. LSU must keep doing what it has been doing, meaning utilize lots of formations. Run Hester and Scott from the I-formation to pound the ball. Run Holiday and Williams out of the shotgun and the pistol, on both the zone read and the option, the toss, draws, delays and screens. And then I would look to run some play-action passes, hit Dickson over the middle and try to work Byrd and Lafell deep on the outside, and Early Doucet for mid range routes. I would run a 60-40 run-pass offense with this group of LSU players. There are so many talented ball-carriers, and being able to run at will makes the passing game so much easier. LSU also has to utilize its power, so that by the fourth quarter Bama, which doesn’t have a ton of depth, is tired. LSU has been better in the second half of its last two wins and it needs to play some ball-control to grind Bama down.
LSU on Defense: Three words: blitz, blitz, blitz. LSU should be able to stop the fun in the base defense, so the focus has got to be on stopping the pass, something the Tigers have struggled a bit with against Kentucky and Auburn. The Tigers need to get some hits on JPW early, make him think about them the whole game. At this point, I don’t know if Glen Dorsey will be playing after that Barn cheap-shot he took, but it is obvious from the last 3 games that expecting sufficient pressure to come from the front four is unrealistic. Pelini must bring pressure from many different angles, too. Brandon Cox was able to buy time on roll-outs, so Pelini needs to anticipate this and utilize the corners on outside blitzes. In the secondary, press DJ Hall, but shade a safety towards him, too. He is a very good receiver and will kill a team if you let him, as the Tennessee game showed.
2) Who on the other team scares you the most? Terry Grant scares me a little. Javier Arenas scares me a bit on special teams. DJ Hall scares me a lot. JPW scares me if he is given time to throw. Les Miles scares me more than all Bama players, coaches, and fans put together.
3) Who do you think your team can take advantage of, etc.
I don’t know of any specific players that we can take advantage of, except perhaps JPW. If LSU is able to exploit his lack of mobility and tendency to just hang it up sometimes, then I think it will be a long night for the Tide offense. Other than that, I think LSU has to exploit its offensive depth to keep the Tide defense off-balance and by the end of the game, tired. Bama has shown the will to fight to the end, but I don’t think that they have the depth to stay with LSU for 60 minutes. If LSU is able to wear down the Bama defense, I expect LSU to pull away in the fourth quarter and win by 10 or more.
Don't have much time to get to a whole lot today, so we'll just break right into the news. I'll have more, including some back and forth with our buddy over at Pelican State Sports, this afternoon.
Alabama has until gametime next Saturday to declare the 5 suspended players ineligible. The NCAA doesn't want them "just sitting out a game" while a school continues an investigation. Either they're ineligible or they're not. Read more here.
Bama has been improving, and LSU suddenly looks beatable. Could spell for a classic matchup on November 3rd. The Clanton Advertiser talks about how the LSU/Auburn and Alabama/Tennessee games helped setup what should be a beast of a game.
Coach Saban says that the Tide is not focusing on LSU in this week's practices just yet. They're working mainly on fundamentals and improving in areas where they're messing up. A gameplan isn't necessarily always about preparing for what the other team will be doing - it's more or less what you do that will set the tempo. If a team doesn't win then it's generally because of something they messed up on. Like the Florida State game - poor pass protection led to John Parker's fumble inside the 10 yard line which game FSU an easy score, which also proved to be the difference in the game. Get better at everything, don't make as many mistakes, and you can win any ballgame on the schedule.
LSU has gotten into a habit of making mistakes - like 12 penalties for 103 yards against Kentucky, and poor clock management against Auburn. They're working on all of that during the bye week, but hopefully we can count on them to be idiots again. Read more here.
¶ 9:32 AM0 comments
The key matchup of the day won't be any receivers vs defensive backs, or running backs vs linebackers. Instead, it will be Justin Britt against Glenn Dorsey. This should be the matchup of the day. As Britt put it Dorsey's "the best. That's what we came to Alabama to do - play against the best." 
