It wasn�t the end of Alabama�s 2003 season, but a lot of people viewed it as the beginning of the end. It came late in the fourth quarter against Tennessee, and Alabama was in a favorable position.
A penalty had given the Crimson Tide a first-and-2 at its own 35-yard line with less than three minutes to play. One first down, and the Tide could have run out the clock. But the first down never happened. �That�s totally unacceptable," Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle said. �If we get the first down, there would have been no five-overtime classic. Not a Tennessee classic, anyway." >From that point, fast-forward to the Crimson Tide practice field on Saturday. Like most teams just going into full contact, the Tide limited its hitting. But at the end of the day, it was time for the goal-line drill. Again, it�s the same drill that teams around the country use. But for everyone who remembers last year�s Tennessee game, it has a little added meaning. �It�s about a mindset," Shula said. �Offensively, we want to score every time. Defensively, we don�t want to let them in there. So the intensity was good." Intensity does rank above all other considerations on the goal line, with 5,000 pounds of football players fighting over roughly six feet of real estate. But given those numbers, bulk counts for something as well. Shaud Williams had as much heart as anyone who has ever carried the football for the Crimson Tide. He carried 40 times that night, gaining 166 yards against Tennessee -- but he�ll be remembered more for the three inches he didn�t get. And he might have gotten them with just a little more brawn. On Saturday, the Tide went to that brawn. Three different times, UA used its 230-pound sophomore tailback, Tim Castille, running behind its 248-pound sophomore fullback, Le�Ron McClain. All three times, Castille scored. �That�s a lot of body weight back there," Croyle said. �Tim�s kind of a slasher, but he�s 230 or 240 or whatever he wants to call it. You still have to read the defense, but that backfield is a good option to have." Castille sensed that the Tide staff wanted to put the team to a physical test on the goal line, even on the first day. �They really gave me and Le�Ron a shot," Castille said. �I think they wanted to see what we could do, and we scored all three times. �I�d be disappointed if we didn�t score. We should be able to pick up a yard." Physical ability is part of it, but so is confidence. Castille admits that, and says he�s much more comfortable saying so now. �I think I�m a little bit more likely to speak up if it comes down to that situation again," Castille said. �I don�t believe I was ready for that last year. This year, I�m ready to tell Coach to put me in. They can put me at fullback and let me block for Ray, or they can put me at tailback and count on me and Le�Ron." There were some other goal-line plays in the short 10-play drill, of course. Croyle rolled out on a couple of occasions, though his receivers didn�t hang on for the score. But throughout the next three weeks, Alabama�s coaches are going to have to test the Tide�s young players, and prepare them for the moment when they�ll simply have to be physical to win. It�s bound to happen. And if it is anything like last season, it will happen at the most critical time. RTR LC --- Joe Goodson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Please paste the text so that the rest of us can see > it. > Thanky, > Joe > That some should be rich, shows that others may > become rich, and, hence, is > just encouragement to industry and enterprise. > -Abraham Lincoln > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Steven Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2004 11:53 AM > Subject: [RollTideFan] Alittle brawn never hurts > > > > Why didn't we do this last year? > > > > > http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2004408150335 > > > > RTR > > LC > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________ > > Do you Yahoo!? > > New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage! > > http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail > > > > > ______________________________________________________ > > RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics > Discussion List > > > > "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" > > > > To join or leave the list or to make changes to > your subscription visit > http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net > > > > > > ______________________________________________________ > RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics > Discussion List > > "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" > > To join or leave the list or to make changes to your > subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
