Alabama Vs. Wisconsin Wrap Up

Alabama opened up the season in Arlington, TX against the 20th ranked Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. Wisconsin lost 59-0 to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game last year but then they beat Auburn in January, so you didn't really know 100% what to expect. My prediction was that Wisconsin would try their best to establish the run, which wouldn't work, and due to the fact that they don't have an athletic quarterback that can make things happen when a play breaks down, or a strong arm guy that can stretch the field and keep the safeties honest, all we'd have to do is load up on the run and we would dominate them.

I was more than correct on that.

Wisconsin averaged 320 yards per game on the ground last year, it's their bread and butter to establish the run with powerful backs and a huge offensive line. The trouble was that they never faced a front 7 like Alabama's last year, and this night they only rushed for 40 yards. Total. LOL. Hats off to A'Shawn, Reggie, and them boys for showing flashes of 2011.

There had been alot of talk about Alabama returning to it's roots of running the ball and dominating on defense, and sure enough 18 of the first 27 offensive plays were designed runs with Derrick Henry or Kenyan Drake. This is the style of football that most of us adore and want to see in Tuscaloosa. Everyone knows we have the backs and lineman to do very well with this philosophy, so I hope this keeps up and that it wasn't just what they felt they needed to do in the first game to get Coker comfortable before they open up a spread attack. Though at the end of the day, I will trust whatever Saban decides to do with his team.

My score prediction for the game was 38-13. Without knowing my prediction, my wife predicted 35-14. We were both pretty dang close to the actual score of 35-17.

Alabama had 9 rushes of 10+ yards, the most Wisconsin has allowed in a game since 2012 vs Nebraska.

Alabama had 3 sacks, 2 by Jonathan Allen and 1 by true freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Nine true freshman played in the first game: Damien Harris, Calvin Ridley, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Shawn Burgess-Becker, Ronnie Harrison, Hale Hentges, Dallas Warmack, Daron Payne, and Lester Cotton. A total of 13 guys played for the first time. The previously mentioned true freshmen, plus Marlon Humphrey, Christian Miller, Richard Mullaney, and Keith Holcombe.

Alabama outgained Wisconsin 502-268, Derrick Henry had 147 yards on only 13 carries, and Jake Coker threw for 216 yards. These are awesome numbers that I didn't quite expect. Our offense is going to be fine.

WR Cam Sims played in the game, 5 months after tearing his ACL. I've never seen a faster recovery from that injury. Eddie Jackson was close a couple years ago when he tore his in April and was back at some point during the season.

Reggie Ragland led the team with 12 tackles. He should be a Butkus candidate this season.

Bobby Humphrey's son, Marlon Humphrey, got the start at CB for the first game of his redshirt freshman season. He made a few mistakes early on, but he looks like another Dre Kirkpatrick in training.

Wisconsin's head coach, Paul Chryst, was coaching his first game against Alabama.

Wisconsin's longest play of the night was a 25 yard run by RB Alex Erickson

Alabama has now gone 184 consecutive games without being shutout, the longest streak in school history.

In the past 3 games, Derrick Henry has rushed 46 times for 383 yards, for an 8.3 ypc average. He's also scored 6 touchdowns in those 3 games.

Alabama Football 2015/Week One Depth Chart

It's finally the time of year we all spend 8 months waiting on. College Football is back, and this season promises to be one of the most exciting ones yet. There are 8 SEC teams ranked in the preseason Top 25, which is crazy. The entire SEC West thinks they are going to Atlanta in December. But only one can, and we all know who that's probably going to be. All the talk of Alabama's demise and the dynasty being over is mere wishful thinking on the part of opposing fanbases who can't wait for Bama to win less than 10 games in a season for the first time since 2007. But that's not gonna happen this year. We are replacing a lot of starters from the past couple seasons, but the new guys are all former top recruits who all have the talent to be at least as good as the guys they are replacing. Many of the first time starters played almost as much as the actual starters in 2014 and 2013, so most of them are veterans, even if it's the first time the public will know who they are. In a few spots, we will likely even be a little better with the change in personnel.

I thought I would do my own basic team preview, by position, and talk about the players that we will be watching suit up for the Tide in 2015. The order I place them is based on the depth chart that Alabama released on August 31. So it's not set in stone. 

Quarterback

Jacob Coker, Cooper Bateman, Alec Morris, Blake Barnett, David Cornwell

Jacob Coker

It is true that our quarterback situation has been cause for consternation among many Bama fans. There have been 5 guys competing for the job since the spring, and only this week did the competition get *publicly* narrowed down to three: Coker, Bateman, and Morris. It's been everyone's assumption for the past year that Coker would be our starting quarterback by now, but his failure to improve himself and "take the bull by the horns", as Saban put it, has provided for a much longer competition than should've been necessary to decide the starter. From the spring to the beginning of fall camp, it was widely known that David Cornwell was making a serious push for the job. Even to the point that many were predicting he would actually win the job. These predictions were being made as recently as three weeks before kickoff. But something changed. There have been many rumors about Cornwell, that he's too busy chasing girls, that he got an attitude with the coaches and cussed at Saban and Kiffin. I don't know if any of this is true, but it's certainly true that Cornwell has fallen out with the coaches. Saban hasn't even mentioned him much recently, and he has fallen to the bottom of the chart. For a little bit of time there, it looked like true freshman Blake Barnett might be making a real push for it. Everyone has raved about his ability and maturity at this point, and it looked like he might really have a shot for a minute there. But he had a bad 2nd scrimmage and fell back behind. He needs more development anyway before he is ready for the job. Even if he is the most talented QB Alabama has signed since the 60's. 

Then for the past week, Alec Morris had stepped up and alot of us were predicting he would win the job. But then we hear that Coker has "taken command". At this point, Coker will probably take the first snap against Wisconsin. After that, it's up to him how long he stays in cause it's almost a guarantee from Saban that at least two QBs are going to play in the first game. Morris and Cooper Bateman have both come on strong lately, we still don't know who *The Guy* is going to be, and really it's not exactly the problem that everyone thinks it is when you realize that Saban has three different QBs that he trusts to start. That's the fact of the matter, and a lot of teams would love to have that problem. I have confidence in whoever takes the first snap, the most snaps, the least snaps. I just trust in Saban on this issue.

Cooper Bateman

Running Back

Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake, Damien Harris

Derrick Henry at A-Day

We should have one of the best RB groups in the nation, and in my opinion could be as good as or better than Georgia's by year's end. Derrick Henry is 6'4" 240 lbs yet runs like he's 50 lbs lighter. I don't think he gets the credit he deserves when the national talking heads, and even the SEC Network guys, get to talking about Leonard Fournette and Nick Chubb. They never mention Derrick in that conversation, but he'll put himself there before long. Kenyan Drake might be the most dynamic player on the team, and Kiffin has been using him a lot as a receiver too in practice, so I expect to see some Reggie Bush type stuff out of him. True freshman Damien Harris has impressed in fall practice and reminds literally everyone of Mark Ingram. Senior C Ryan Kelly said he runs just like Ingram and Trent Richardson did at Bama, a "big guy that can run fast", according to Kelly. Other guys that may see time in 2015 include walk-on Derrick Gore, who has come from nowhere and played well in practice. He has a legit shot to play some this year. Ronnie Clark was recruited in 2014 as a defensive back, but has since moved to RB, and played fairly well here in practice. Bo Scarbrough is another physical beast like Henry, but he is suspended for the first 4 games for NCAA violations. 

Kenyan Drake

Offensive Line

LT: Cam Robinson, Lester Cotton, Korren Kirven

LG: Ross Pierschbacher, Dallas Warmack, Isaac Luatua

C: Ryan Kelly, J.C. Hassenauer, Brandon Kennedy

RG: Alphonse Taylor/Bradley Bozeman, Richie Petibon

RT: Dominick Jackson, Brandon Greene, Matt Womack

Cam Robinson

Cam Robinson was a freshman All-American in 2014, and should be even better this year. As he is one of the best lineman in all of college football, we will lean a lot on running plays behind Cam. Ross Pierschbacher is a redshirt freshman who hasn't played yet, but has been the starting LG since the spring game and looks like he is a star in the making. Ryan Kelly is the leader of the group, a senior in his 3rd year as a starter. Alphonse Taylor and Bradley Bozeman are still battling for the RG spot, so that could go back and forth for awhile and both are really good players. I'm a fan of Bozeman though, so I hope he wins it. Dominick Jackson has a ton of potential on the right side. Even though we lost 3 starters from last year's team, this line has a chance to be better and could be on par with the 2012 OL that featured three 1st Rd NFL draft picks.

Ryan Kelly

Wide Receiver/Tight End

WR: Robert Foster/Calvin Ridley, Deionte Thompson

WR: ArDarius Stewart, Daylon Charlot/Cam Sims, Derek Kief

WR: Richard Mullaney/Chris Black

Ardarius Stewart

Anytime you lose a player like Amari Cooper, it's hard to be as good at a position as you were before. And Coop is one of the best to ever play for Alabama. Even so, I truly believe that this WR corp, in 2015, will be more talented across the board, and harder to stop. When a large majority of your passes go to one guy, even if that guy is as good as No. 9 was, you keep the group as a whole from living up to their potential. This season, there are at least 5 or 6 guys playing this position in Tuscaloosa that would start for almost any other SEC team. ArDarius Stewart will be the star of the group. Kiffin has pointed him out several times as the most talented guy we have, and Saban has praised him as well. He made a few plays last year, but didn't get the ball enough. Robert Foster is the other big name to be optimistic about. Richard Mullaney transferred in from Oregon State, where he was one of the best receivers in the Pac 12 last year. He's new here, but should provide a veteran presence and dependability. Chris Black should see a lot of time, and Cam Sims, who tore his ACL in the spring and was expected to miss the season, has already been practicing again and he might play sometime in September. He could be a star in the future as well. There are two true freshman who have broken into the rotation. Mainly Calvin Ridley, who was the top WR recruit in America coming out of high school this past spring. Ridley looks like the next Cooper. Daylon Charlot is another hot shot freshman who I expect to see this season, even if it's only at the end of blowouts. Everyone listed above will play this year, but another guy is Raheem Falkins. Falkins is a big target with good hands, but hasn't played much. Has flashed potential and it's about that time for him to show up, but maybe he's just buried on the depth chart now. It really is crazy how much talent we have at this position. People assume we lost everything with Cooper, but that's just cause he was a once in a generation player that you couldn't help but throw the ball to entirely too much. But we have at least 5 guys that have legit All-SEC potential and it only stands to reason that at least 1 or 2 of these guys will be big stars this year. This is the most talented group top to bottom in the SEC, in my opinion. Most wouldn't share this opinion at the moment cause there's no track record for most of these guys, but every last one of them is better than the best guy we had in 2007, DJ Hall. Think about that.

Robert Foster at A-Day

TE: O.J.Howard/Ty Flournoy-Smith, Michael Nysewander

TE: Dakota Ball, Hale Hentges

OJ Howard

OJ Howard was the top TE prospect coming out of HS in 2013, and several times he has shown why. He's insanely big for a guy that runs as fast as he does, he has great hands, and he has recently been improving his blocking to become a complete player. I believe he has the talent to be as good as anyone in the country, but the problem for him has been a lack of opportunity. In his true freshman season, cause he wasn't great at blocking or running routes yet, and last year because we just didn't throw the ball to him very often. If Kiffin places more of a focus on getting him the ball from time to time, he could be an impact player, but I expect just an occasional big play here and there, as the ball will probably be spread around to the receivers more than OJ. Ty-Flournoy Smith is a great pass catching TE and could really help us alot too. Dakota Ball is becoming a good player, and is probably the best blocker of the bunch, and true freshman Hale Hentges has done well enough in fall practice to earn a spot in the rotation, though I'm not sure we'll actually see him this year.

Ty Flournoy-Smith

Defensive Line

DE: A'Shawn Robinson, Jonathan Allen, D.J. Pettway

NG: Darren Lake/Daron Payne

DE: Jarran Reed, Dalvin Tomlinson, Da'Shawn Hand

A'Shawn Robinson

Our defensive line is otherwordly. It's probably the best group we've had since 1992, and has a chance to be the best ever. Robinson, Allen, Lake, Reed, and Tomlinson all have All-SEC potential, and at least three of those guys have All-America potential. Daron Payne is a true freshman who has come into fall camp and played as good as Darren Lake, who is the starter in front of him. The coaches really love Payne, and some have said he is the next Marcel Dareus. DJ Pettway could start for 9 or 10 SEC schools as could probably Da'Shawn Hand, who is buried on the depth chart, but was the overall top DL recruit in America in 2014. We are seriously stacked at this position. 8 guys for 3 positions, and they are all studs. It doesn't get any better than this bunch in Tuscaloosa.

Jonathan Allen

Linebacker

OLB: Dillon Lee, Rashaan Evans, Christian Miller

MLB: Reggie Ragland, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Walker Jones/Adonis Thomas

MLB: Reuben Foster, Keith Holcombe

OLB: Denzel Devall, Ryan Anderson, Tim Williams

Reggie Ragland with Big Al

Everything I said about the DL group applies to the LB group as well. This will be one of the best groups in all of College Football. Reggie Ragland is the leader of the group and compares favorably to any of our recent stars at his spot, such as CJ Mosley, Dont'a Hightower, and Rolando McClain. Ragland can be a Butkus finalist, but he's not the biggest hitter on the team. That would go to Reuben Foster who has actually had to be coached not to tackle too hard, cause he kept hurting himself. The dude is just crazy and is probably gonna hurt someone this year. Devall is a steady veteran, Dillion Lee and Shaun Dion Hamilton can do it all, and we should have an improved pass rush from this level as well, with guys like Rashaan Evans, Ryan Anderson, Christian Miller, and Tim Williams, who are all great pass rushers. Over the past few seasons, there was always at least one weak link at LB or S and this is the first year that I feel comfortable that everyone we throw out there is an above average player and most can be star players. Hiring Tosh Lupoa is an improvement as well. Ryan Anderson said that he has learned more about playing outside linebacker from Coach Tosh this offseason than he had in the last 3 years.

Reuben Foster

Defensive Back

CB: Cyrus Jones, Bradley Sylve, Maurice Smith

CB: Marlon Humphrey, Tony Brown/Minkah Fitzpatrick

S: Eddie Jackson, Ronnie Harrison, Shawn Burgess-Becker

S: Geno Smith, Jabriel Washington, Hootie Jones

Star: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Tony Brown, Maurice Smith

Cyrus Jones

The secondary has been the problem in almost every game we lost the past two seasons. Giving up big plays on the back end has killed us and everyone knows it. Last year, we struggled a lot with Bradley Sylve starting, and Tony Brown was a mixed bag of occasional greatness. This year, Marlon Humphrey has stepped up and taken the spot opposite Cyrus Jones and all reports on him are that he is ready to be a star. He outplayed a couple guys who have started before, has done that all fall, and A'Shawn Robinson said that he is "the baller" out there. I think we will see more INTs from this group than last year, and that also goes to other newcomers, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Harrison. Fitzpatrick earned the praise of Saban almost constantly through August, and almost immediately won a starting job his first couple weeks on the team. He should be the next guy in the Dre Kirkpatrick, Dee Milliner mold. Harrison looks like a 3rd year starter already. 

Marlon Humphrey

Eddie Jackson

Having Eddie Jackson and Geno Smith at safety, I think, will help on the back end when it comes to big plays as well, because they both are former corners and have more speed than the guys playing the position in years past. Another reason for optimism with these guys is the fact that Nick Saban and Kirby Smart gave up control of the secondary and went and hired a secondary coach, Mel Tucker, who is highly respected at what he does. So far, it looks like a great move, as the players have responded well to him and say that he has already taught them alot and they feel like they are already a lot better than last year, due to his coaching. And the future is very bright here, as all the freshmen and sophomores at these spots were top recruits who are doing very well so far.

Geno Smith

Special Teams

K: Adam Griffith

P: JK Scott

KR: Kenyan Drake/ArDarius Stewart

KR: Cyrus Jones/Chris Black

PR: Cyrus Jones, Chris Black, Richard Mullaney

JK Scott

JK Scott is so clearly the best at what he does, it's ridiculous. As a true freshman last year, he averaged over 48 yard per punt, which not only led CFB, but would have also led the NFL. He will be the best punter to ever wear crimson, and as much as we all hope to see him as little as possible, it will be fun to watch him punt a ball 70 yards several times this year. Adam Griffith has drawn the ire of alot of Tide fans over his first couple seasons. Everyone knows about the big field goals he has missed. But he was suffering from a back injury all last year and that is supposedly better now. He has hit several FGs in practice lately over 50 yards and they say he is doing good now. I'll wait and see. 

Playoffs? PLAYOFFS!

A Look Back

Ole Miss Fans, Having Never Won Anything Before

The last time I wrote here, back when my home computer allowed such things to occur, we had just lost to Ole Miss and I was trying to temper expectations and help some of y'all to feel like I did at the time. I was enjoying watching the progress of Blake Sims, and had come to the conclusion that we just weren't a championship team this year. And that was OK. I've spent a lot of the past year learning perspective and trying not to put so much energy into college football and not focus so much of my own happiness on its outcomes.

My God, what a difference 2 months makes.

After that fateful game in Oxford, TJ Yeldon got emotional and basically promised that we would not lose again. Shades of Tim Tebow in 2008 had me wanting to feel optimistic again. I admit that I wasn't as high on the future of this particular team that week. After Florida lost to Ole Miss in '08, Tebow cried on TV and promised that they would not lose again. And they didn't. And we haven't either.


 It's fun that Ole Miss has to settle for that place in the world. But this is not about them anymore, other than that I would like to congratulate them for finally ending a season in Atlanta. The Peach Bowl is very nice for a lower tier school such as them. Have fun, Rebels.

The week after losing to Ole Miss, we had to travel to Fayetteville, AR, to play Bret Bielema's Razorbacks. I don't have time to talk about how much I love that big goofy bastard they have for a coach now. The dude is awesome, says crazy things from time to time, acts like a kid coaching a game, and wants to play the exact type of football that
I adore. But I didn't adore it that night. Arkansas tore us up in the trenches and we could hardly run the ball. Blake Sims, and our offense as a whole, played as poorly and predictably as they have all year and we only won 14-13. Blake was lucky not to have thrown 4 or 5 INTs that night. We really should have lost. If not for Bielema inexplicably abandoning the run too early towards the end, we probably would have. Thanks, Bert!

So then we come home to play Texas A&M, and even though it's at home, I'm terrified. I'd never been so unsure of what the outcome of a Bama game was going to be as I was that day. I figured we could either beat the hell out of them or they could beat the hell out of us with their offense, which to
that point had been a high flying operation. Our offense, which had looked dominant against Florida earlier in the year, was falling apart at this point, special teams play was laughable. Bobby Williams' job was being called for by pretty much everyone. Ryan Kelly and Kenyan Drake were out at the time and those were two huge problems. 59-0 later, we saw what Alabama was actually capable of this year if we played with the right attitude and leadership.

 

At kickoff of the Tennessee game in Knoxville, it had been 2,926 days since the Vols last beat the Tide and they just knew they were going to change that this year. Butch Jones was doing everything he could to become the next combination of General Neyland and God, according to UT fans, and with Lil Jon in their corner, they felt like they'd never fail to convert another third down again. They played Turn Down For What every single time they had the ball. Blake Sims and company were completely unfazed. Blake converted FOUR 3rd down conversions on one drive to put us ahead 34-17 in the 3rd quarter and that was pretty much that, with Tennessee tacking on a worthless FG to make it look better. 34-20. Blake threw for 286 yards and ran for 41 more in the game and Amari Cooper owned their secondary like always.

Congrats to UT on their moral victory, since they didn't end up losing by 40 or anything like usual. But shoutout to Josh Dobbs, who I think will make them alot better next year. But still, we woke up Sunday having not lost to Tennessee since Mike Shula's last season in Tuscaloosa.

LSU always scares the shit out of me and it doesn't matter that they had lost to Auburn by like 5 touchdowns earlier in the season. LSU always matches up well with us in the trenches and they are always ready to play their best game of the year against us. So of course, it would take OT to escape Death Valley with an emotion victory. TJ Yeldon fumbled at his own goal line at the end of the game and clearly LSU was about to score an easy TD and put the game away. It was over. We were going to lose. But then LSU OL Vadal Alexander shoved A'Shawn Robinson after the play was over and got flagged for it, which caused LSU to have to settle for a FG. Then LSU kicked the ball out of bounds on the kickoff, setting us up in great field position. Blake Sims was the stuff of legend on those final drives. We tied the game, then Blake won it with a TD pass to DeAndrew White in OT. LSU fans were so sad. And now we've beaten them 4 times in a row, which is astounding considering the history of this rival. Just another testament to the greatness of Nick Saban.

I was supposed to have gone to the Mississippi St game in Tuscaloosa, which would have been mine and my wife's first ever Alabama game to be there for, but it turned out we couldn't afford it. That all worked out ok though, cause a friend gave us tickets to the WCU game the next week and we had a blast.

The Bulldogs were having one of their most promising seasons ever, coming into this game undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation. But Vegas still had them as underdogs against Alabama. Funny how Vegas knows about these things sometimes. The final score of 25-20 doesn't tell the whole story. It was 19-3 Bama early in the game and 25-13 before Clown Shoes Mullen added a TD at the end just to make it look better. He wasn't even trying to win at that point. Typical loser mentality from a loser program. Congrats to them on ending their season in Miami though.

Western Carolina is a dirty ass team and that has always been the case. They are the team that tore Brodie Croyle's ACL in 2004. And in this game was no different. Jalston Fowler, Ardarius Stewart, Cam Robinson, Amari Cooper, A'Shawn Robinson, and Brian Vogler were all hurt in this game. A'Shawn was hurt on a blatantly dirty chop block play. And the refs did their part to give WCU a TD at the start of the game by blowing the whistle "accidentally" during a play, which gave them back the ball after Alabama had forced and recovered a fumble. Then the refs turns a blind eye to a WCU receiver pushing off Bama DB's and it was not a fun 1st quarter.

But I had a great time cause I was THERE for the first time in my life, in Bryant-Denny Stadium for an actual game. Singing Dixieland Delight in the 4th quarter and Rammer Jammer and making new friends of strangers. I loved seeing Tyren Jones get in the game and look every bit the part of the next great Bama back after Yeldon, Henry, and Drake. Altee Tenpenny could be that good too. I love seeing young guys play and show that they are going to be strong in the future.

The Iron Bowl would be a tale of two games for Blake Sims. After throwing 3 INTs in the first half, he led Alabama on 5 straight TD drives to bring the team back from a 33-21 deficit and turn it into a decisive 55-44 victory for us. 630 yards and 8 touchdowns would seem to be the stuff of a complete beatdown, but it's never enough for me when the opponent is Auburn. I'm still mad about Saban kneeling on the ball and NOT making it 56-0 in the 2012 Iron Bowl. And you can never count these fleas out of anything anymore either. Last year is a constant reminder of that, and the fact that we put up all that offense and 55 points and still only won by 11. I hope we score 70 in Jordan-Hare next year.

I still can't believe after we lost to Ole Miss and then looked like we did against Arkansas, that this team made it to Atlanta to even play in the championship game. Just about a month ago, it seemed like the SEC West was the State Of Mississippi's world this year. But, as has been the case for generations, the 50th best state in the Union doesn't get to sit at the big kids table for too long.

Georgia should've been the East representative in this game. They were the best team over there. But typical Mark Richt blowing at least one game a year that he shouldn't allowed a team that lost to INDIANA to be the SEC East Champion. Bad news for Missouri.

Alabama was favored by 2 touchdowns and if Missouri players and fans wanted to think that was a joke, everyone who took Bama and the points made money. Blake completed his first 10 passes and Bama looked to roll early, but Missouri is a scrappy little team and went into the 4th quarter only down 21-13 to us. But then, Saban told Kiffin to #RunTheDamnBall and The Derrick Henry Show was in fast production. This group of Tigers had no answer to that level of a run game and Bama showed that they are the best team in college football at this point. My favorite moment of the night came after the game when Allie LaForce was interviewing Blake Sims at midfield and she asked Blake if he was ready to win the national championship. Blake didn't give a PC answer or hesitate, he just simply said, "I sho' am". Love you, Blake.

BTW. Missouri's last national championship came in 1965. In Men's Indoor Track And Field. They ain't 'bout this life.

 


















Playoffs

1. Alabama vs. 4. Ohio State. New Orleans
2. Oregon vs 3. Florida State. Pasadena.

I never thought I'd see this day. We actually have a playoff to decide the national champion of our favorite sport. I have no time for TCU and Baylor fans who are bitching about all this right now. Blame your own conference for not having a championship game or the intelligence to name a One True Champion, as it had stated it would. It played hardball wanting to get two teams in, and now you're both at home because of Ohio State, and you're mad at Bama? Just sit down.

All The Offense

Hiring Lane Kiffin now looks like one the best decisions of Nick Saban's career, as the Alabama offense has set records almost nonstop throughout the season. My first thought when the hire was made was that Amari Cooper was going to lead the SEC in receiving and that expectation has certainly been exceeded. I know Lane wants to be a head coach again and I wish him nothing of the best when he does leave us, but I hope it's at least a couple years from now. I want more than one season of this.
Alabama is averaging 37.1 points a game, which is 17th in the country out of 128 teams, and allowing 16.7 points a game, which is 4th.

Blake Sims has thrown for 3,250 yards, which beats the previous record for passing yards in a season, 3,063, set by AJ McCarron last year. Sims has also thrown for 26 TDs and run for 6 more, averaging 4.4 ypc when he runs it. Blake went 23-27 in the SEC Championship game, and that 85.1% completion % is the best ever in that game, breaking the previous record held by Jason Campbell a decade ago. His 281 total yards was also an Alabama record for yards in an SEC Championship Game.

Amari Cooper has been otherworldly, making Julio Jones's previous records look pedestrian. Several years back, DJ Hall was the first Bama WR to have 1,000 yards in a season. Julio set the standard in 2010 with 1,133 yards on 78 receptions. Cooper has 1,656 yards on 115 catches. He is the best to ever wear Crimson and will probably owe Lane Kiffin a Christmas card every year for the rest of his life.

Nobody in SEC history has caught more passes in a season than Cooper and his 12 receptions in the SEC Championship Game is also a record.

TJ Yeldon has 932 rushing yards and Derrick Henry has 895.

It's entirely conceivable that Alabama could end the 2014 season with a QB that passed for 3,800 yards and 30 TDs, a 2,000 yard WR, and two 1,000 yard RBs.

If Alabama is to win its 16th National Title, it will have done so by winning the SEC Championship, beating Ohio State and beating either Oregon or Florida State. This could go down as the greatest season ever if all that takes place.

And I think it will.

Random Tidbits

In 2010, when Lane Kiffin left Tennessee for USC, he tried to get Blake Sims to go with him. He had tried to get Blake to play for him before in Tennessee and, in fact, Blake had been committed to Tennessee. He only switched to Bama when Lane left for Cali. Picture Blake as a Vol. Gross.

The University of Alabama decided to no longer play Dixieland Delight in the 4th quarter, after thousands of Bama students had been chanting "Fuck Auburn" during the song in the stadium for everyone to hear. So yesterday, during the SEC Championship Game in the Georgia Dome, Bama students sang the song anyway, without music, and with the offending words inserted. They ain't gonna be stopped.

At SEC Media Days in July, the media picked Alabama to win the SEC. They have only correctly predicted the SEC champ a few times in the past 15 years.

This is the 1st year of the SEC Network, the 1st year of the CFB playoff. Of course Bama would be the team to represent. How appropriate will it be for Alabama to win the 1st playoff?

"We ain't winning no championship with Blake Sims as our QB" - Bama fans in September. LOL.

God bless the child that can hold its own
God bless Atlanta, Bama's second home
God bless Missouri and that Tampa 2 Zone
God bless Amari, Blake, and A'Shawn