Tag: Greg McElroy (Page 2 of 2)

Six Pack of Observations: Alabama crushes Florida in SEC title game

December 5, 2009 /

Here are six quick-hit observations for Alabama’s 32-13 shellacking of Florida in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game.

1. Maybe Lane Kiffin had it right after all.
Maybe that brash Lane Kiffin had it right when he said earlier this week that, “Florida has better players, and Alabama has better coaches.” And actually, Kiffin only had it half right. Nick Saban outschemed, outcoached and outsmarted Urban Meyer for four quarters and not only did ‘Bama have the better coaches, but they proved to have the better players as well. Meyer simply didn’t have his team prepared to play today – period.

2. This was total domination at its best.
The game wasn’t even as close as the final score wound indicate. Alabama’s backfield trio of quarterback Greg McElroy (12-of-18 passing, 239 yards, 1 TD) and running backs Mark Ingram (113 yards, 3 TDs) and Trent Richardson (80 yards on 11 carries, 7.3 YPC average) played near-flawless games. The Tide dominated the Gators in every phase of the contest and never let up after smacking Florida in the mouth from the very first drive.

3. So much for Florida’s game plan.
Coming into the game, pundits figured that if Florida stopped Ingram that the Gators come out victorious. But instead, Alabama’s game plan to stay balanced was executed to perfection because not only were the Gators unable to stop Ingram, but they were unable to stop McElroy too. Florida tried a variety of different looks and in the end they just had no answer for what the Tide was doing offensively. And it really didn’t even matter that defensive end Carlos Dunlap (who was suspended after arrested for DUI earlier in the week) didn’t play because Florida just had the wrong scheme.

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College Football

Alabama’s passing game continues to struggle

October 24, 2009 /

At the end of the day, winning games in college football is the only thing that matters. That’s why Alabama won’t apologize for its 12-10 victory over Tennessee at home on Saturday, even though it needed a blocked field goal as time expired to secure the win.

That said, Nick Saban better figure out a way for his team to move the ball through the air or else the Tide won’t find themselves playing for a national title this year.

The Alabama coaching staff showed little to no confidence in quarterback Greg McElroy today. Either that, or McElroy played too conservatively because he barely threw the ball vertically and his average pass went for a paltry 4.1 yards.

The playcalling was also highly questionable at times for Alabama, especially in on the Tide’s final drive before halftime. Their offensive line was blowing the Vols off the ball and Mark Ingram had gapping holes to run through. Yet when ‘Bama got inside the 10 yard line, Saban’s crew called two straight passes on second and third down, both of which fell incomplete and the Tide had to settle for a field goal.

Why, when you’re completely dominating the line of scrimmage and running the ball at will, would you call two straight pass plays? The calls made no sense and they probably cost ‘Bama six points. Granted, Monte Kiffin’s defense deserves a lot of credit for taking away the run and neutralizing Ingram (he had 99 yards on 18 carries) as much as possible, but the Tide coaching staff flat out blew it before half.

Outside of the final two minutes when they allowed Tennessee to get back into the game, the Tide defense played great. There were multiple times today when the Vols got on ‘Bama’s side of the field and the Tide defense knocked them backwards. Just as they’ve been all season, they were impressive.

But again, if this team wants to play for a national championship then Saban needs to figure out how to move the chains outside of handing the ball to Ingram every play.

College Football

Why is nobody talking about Alabama?

October 3, 2009 /

Alabama might be ranked third in the nation, but so far this season the Tide have taken a backseat to Florida, Texas, USC, Sam Bradford’s shoulder, Miami and Michigan being relevant again, Lane Kiffin’s big mouth, Urban Meyer’s constant stream of tears (sorry Gator fans, but dude’s a crybaby), a Subway being built on Texas’s campus and what brand computer Tim Tebow types on when he sends e-mails.

Meanwhile, ‘Bama just keeps plugging along. They crushed Kentucky 38-20 in Lexington on Saturday and it wasn’t even that close outside of the Wildcats keeping it tight in the first quarter. Mark Ingram rushed for 140 yards with two touchdowns on 22 carries, while the Tide defense forced four turnovers.

Alabama deserves more attention. They have the second best defense in the nation and the eighth best offense. They also have an excellent rushing game led by Ingram, as well as an efficient passing game thanks to quarterback Greg McElroy, who has eight touchdown passes and zero interceptions in his last four games.

‘Bama has some big games coming up. They play at Ole Miss next week before hosting South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU. They hit the road again to face an improving Mississippi State team after playing the Tigers and after a gimmie against Chattanooga in late November, they play at Auburn to finish the year.

They certainly have their work cut out for them playing in a tough SEC, but people are sleeping on the Tide right now because many pundits figured they would take a step back after their great run last year. But anyone who thinks that Nick Saban’s team can’t hang with Florida, think again.

College Football

2009 CFB Preview: Alabama Crimson Tide

August 29, 2009 /

Check out our other 2009 college football previews.

Preseason Ranking: No. 5 in AP Top 25; No. 5 in USA Today Poll.

Key Returning Players: Greg McElroy (QB); Mark Ingram (RB); Julio Jones (WR); Rolando McClain (LB); Don’t’a Hightower (LB); Cory Reamer (LB); Brandon Deaderick (DE); Terrence Cody (DT); Brandon Fanney (DT); Justin Woodall (S); Javier Arenas (CB); Kareem Jackson (CB); Leigh Tiffin (K).

Key Losses: Glen Coffee (RB); John Parker Wilson (QB); Rashad Johnson (S); Andre Smith (OT); Antoine Caldwell (C); Marlon Davis (G); Bobby Greenwood (DE); Travis McCall (TE); Nick Walker (TE).

Player to Watch: Terrence Cody, DT.
At 365 pounds, Cody is without a doubt the key cog in Bama’s defensive line. “Mount Cody” tallied 24 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss last season, which made him a consensus First-Team All-American. He was also named a First-Team All-SEC selection by the conference coaches, as well as the AP. As long as he can stay healthy (he missed some time last season with a sprained MCL), Cody will once again be a force in the interior of Bama’s defensive line.

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