Tag: Mark Ingram (Page 5 of 6)

      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

      2009 Heisman Barometer: Week 12

      November 19, 2009 /

      Draft Zoo.com writes that Stanford’s Toby Gerhart and Alabama’s Mark Ingram has seen their draft stock rise over the past couple weeks and now ranks them No. 1 and No. 2 on their Heisman Barometer.

      1. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
      Once again, a guy who might not have a real shot at winning the award. Mark Ingram looks poised to become Alabama’s first Heisman recipient ever, and I’m not trying to take anything away from him, but I don’t think the Tide would struggle without him. Stanford, on the other hand, doesn’t beat USC without their junior tailback. He’s a deceptively quick bulldozer who has the Cardinal on the right track to getting back to the Rose Bowl. One loss from Oregon, and a Pac 10 title could be just enough help to give Gerhart the hardware. At the very least, he’s my number one.

      Last Week’s Stats: 178 Rushing Yards, 3 TDs

      2. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
      He’s probably the realistic frontrunner right now, and it’s not like he doesn’t deserve it. 1297 rushing yards, 13 total TDs, and a 6.7 ypc average. Not bad at all, especially through only 10 games. But the biggest reason that Ingram’s looking like a lock to become the second sophomore to win the Heisman is the fact that his team is undefeated. One big test left against Florida in the SEC championship. Win that one and head to Pasadena for the big game and Mark can vote for himself next year.

      As Draft Zoo points out, Gerhart is unlikely to win the award but the way he has come on as of late, it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t at least deserve some mention.

      If you haven’t see Gerhart play, you’re really missing out. He’s a load to bring down and looked damn near unstoppable against Oregon and USC the past two weeks. He’s one of those guys that can put his entire team on his back and carry them and it’s no wonder that more pundits are starting to talk about him as a legit NFL prospect.

      People keep talking about how Tim Tebow is the front-runner to win this year’s Heisman, but I just don’t see it. Can anyone objectively say that Tebow has done enough to merit the award? Considering how much talent he has around him (and I’m not just talking about offense), I’m not sure you can.

      Unless he comes out and puts on a show against Alabama and whomever Florida plays in the national championship if the Gators can beat the Tide in the SEC title game, then I don’t see Tebow taking home the hardware this season.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football

      Screenshots of Patrick Peterson’s interception

      November 9, 2009 /

      My esteemed colleague Anthony Stalter did a nice job of covering the immediate aftermath of the Alabama/LSU game, but I wanted to provide a few screenshots of Patrick Peterson’s interception that was ruled incomplete, even after replay.

      I watched the game as an objective observer — I didn’t really care who won, and still don’t — but this was clearly a pick and I thought the Tigers got screwed on this play.

      I’m not focused so much on whether or not he gets his right toe in. When I originally saw the play, I thought he clearly had possession of the ball and had his left foot in.

      The first shot is from behind and establishes his position relative to the sideline. The ball is in his hands and his left foot is down.

      The second shot is from the side. The ball is under his control and his left foot is down.

      The third shot is from the front. At this point, Peterson has already caught the ball and is turning it to tuck it. His left foot is clearly down and his right one may be as well.

      Alabama fans can rationalize it if they want — by point out earlier calls that went LSU’s way or by saying that officiating is never 100% correct. But the bottom line is that in this crucial point in the game, LSU should have been awarded the ball.

      It’s one thing for a linesman to blow this call in live action, but there’s no excuse for the call to stand after the replay. What’s worse, the lead official didn’t even explain why the ruling on the field was confirmed, he just said that it was and went on about his day. Did he think that Peterson didn’t have possession? Or did he think that Peterson didn’t get his foot down?

      Ridiculous.

      Thanks to Vcize over on YouTube. I pulled these screenshots from his video of the play.

      College Football, Television

      Refs, Les Miles help Alabama beat LSU

      November 7, 2009 /

      Let’s get this out of the way first: Alabama is better than LSU. They play better defense, have more big-time playmakers like Julio Jones and Mark Ingram, and they’re a more complete team overall.

      That said, the officiating in Alabama’s 24-15 win on Saturday was some of the worst in college football this season. And that’s saying a lot given how bad the officiating has been this year in the SEC.

      Crimson Tide fans can spin it as much as they want, but Patrick Peterson intercepted that pass in the second half. He not only got one foot down, but two and the refs still got the call wrong. The play might not have wound up being a game-changing moment, but the bottom line is that ‘Bama got a field goal out of the deal, which made it a two-score game late in the fourth.

      Granted, even if the call went LSU’s way, the Tigers were still losing, were in an obvious passing situation and might have still had trouble moving the ball. Plus, they still allowed ‘Bama to convert on a 3rd and 6 to pick up the first down.

      Still, the call was wrong. It should have been an interception, it should have been LSU’s ball and the Tigers still should have had the opportunity to march up the field and score.

      Speaking of bad calls, Les Miles had a few himself. He made a poor decision to go for two after LSU had taken the lead on a Stevan Ridley 8-yard touchdown run. His decision to go for two instead of going up 16-10 was dumb, but not as dumb as the poor clock management in the fourth quarter and a decision to punt on 4th and inches with no timeouts.

      LSU deserved better from the refs and Miles tonight.

      Monday Update: John Paulsen has posted screenshots of Peterson’s interception.

      College Football

      Heisman Barometer: Week 10

      November 3, 2009 /

      DRAFT ZOO thinks Florida’s Tim Tebow and Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen’s stock has risen again in this year’s Heisman race.

      1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
      There it was, that’s what he needed. A vintage Tebow game from the Gators’ QB. Two touchdowns through the air, two touchdowns on the ground. All against a rival team. Tebow has the most impressive stats of any of the preseason “big three,” and his play finally has Florida looking like the number one team in the nation. If he can go on another run and continue to drive the UF offense to the SEC title, he’ll have the inside track to winning his second trophy. This award has become more about being the face of the best team than being the best player in the nation.

      2. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
      If only, if only. If only Clausen had beaten USC then he’d be atop the list. Still, like always, he’s got the best stat line of any BCS quarterback and the voters have been dreaming of giving this award to a Notre Dame player since Tim Brown won it back in ‘87. Clausen may lose out to a player on a better team, but right now he’s a lock for an invite. If he can somehow get the Irish to the BCS, he’ll have a puncher’s chance of winning the award. More than likely, he’ll have to settle for being the top pick in next April’s draft.

      I’m interested to see how Clausen finishes the year and whether or not he bolts for the NFL. The fact that he plays in a pro style system for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame will endure him to some scouts, but fair or unfair he’ll draw comparisons to Brady Quinn, which could hurt him given how bad the Browns’ QB has played this season in the NFL.

      I’m also interested to see if Alabama running back Mark Ingram can continue to play as well as he has, because to me (and I think our friends at DRAFT ZOO would agree given that they had him in their top spot last week) he is leading the Heisman race right now.

      I know Tebow played well last week against Georgia, but the Bulldogs haven’t stopped anyone this year and have one of the worst defensive backfields in the SEC. I’m still waiting for the Gator quarterback to play more consistently and he only has a month to do it.

      College Football

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