Tide with solid performance in SEC opener
Tide running back Ray Hudson ran for 116 yards and a touchdown in Bama’s win.
By: Daniel Rasmussen 9/12/04
Last week against Utah State, Alabama wasted no time in coming out and making a statement. They had the big plays, they committed few penalties, and they did not turn the ball over. All positive things that left Bama fans feeling good about their next game: the SEC opener against the Ole Miss Rebels.
There is a slight difference, though, from playing a team like Utah State that went 3-9 last year, and playing a team that contested for the SEC West title in 2003. Not to take anything away from Utah State: they have a fine quarterback, and are much improved from last year. But this being the Tide’s first SEC game, you knew it wasn’t going to be the same as last week. That was evident from the beginning.
Junior quarterback Brodie Croyle started off solid again, but Alabama began making careless mistakes. Alabama senior tailback Ray Hudson fumbled after trying to cut through traffic with only one hand protecting the ball. Brodie Croyle hooked up with tight end Clint Johnston for a first down, but an illegal shift penalty brought that back. Brandon Brooks attempted to return a punt by fielding it off of a bounce instead of calling for a fair catch, resulting in the Tide’s second turnover in one quarter.
But as much as we can sit here and criticize Alabama’s shaky start, we can just as easily give them the benefit of the doubt: it’s only the second game of the season, mistakes will be made this early.
It’s Bama’s first SEC game this year, and you’re going to have a lot of guys trying to prove something. You’ll have players, especially on a team as young as Alabama, get too excited at times.
However, after the Tide’s first two turnovers, they handled their offense very effectively. And as Alabama football has been for quite some time, a good offense began with the running game.
Yes, Brodie Croyle, arguably one of the three best quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference, was firing those bullets to our promising young receivers early. But it was the running back-by-committee between the trio of Ray Hudson, Kenneth Darby, and Tim Castille that relentlessly ran it down the throat of the Ole Miss defense, eventually tiring them out.
Tide coach Mike Shula was forced to answer several questions regarding the status of the offensive line for most of the summer. Justin Smiley left the team after his junior season to apply for the NFL, as did Dennis Alexander. Alabama also lost their most versatile lineman off the bench in Atlas Herrion due to graduation. Despite these setbacks, Alabama has yet again showcased a very solid offensive front in their first two games. Even with Wesley Britt returning from a broken leg last season, Evan Mathis moving from right tackle to left guard, and with Kyle Tatum now on the line transferring from the defensive side of the ball. The hog mollies up front provided those holes that our talented running backs can find. The line isn’t spectacular, but it’s looked very solid.
As sharp and consistent as Brodie Croyle looked with his 169 passing yards, and as dominating as the running game looked with the triple threat of Hudson, Darby, and Castille, the most pleasing point of the night had to be the defense.
What looked the best was Alabama’s
aggressiveness. They moved to the ball very
well and pressured Ole Miss quarterback
Michael Spurlock, eventually taking him
out of the game. Spurlock was held to
only 54 yards passing, completing only
33 percent of those passes.
The big play of the night came on
a blitz thrown by Bama when junior
free safety Roman Harper fired through
the gaps, putting Spurlock in the turf,
and the ball on the ground. The fumble
was recovered by linebacker Juwan Garth.
Alabama linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Juwan Garth celebrate after forcing a turnover.
“We were blitzing from the outside. We switched and called my number from the middle. I didn’t know what happened until I saw guys diving for the ball,” Harper said of the turnover, which led to a Bama score.
Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe stressed the fact that the Rebels needed to establish a running game. Alabama’s defense disrupted that game plan from the get-go. Another positive from the Tide defense, which is prone every now and then to give up the deep ball, is that they did not allow the big play to happen, unlike last season when these two teams squared off, and a guy by the name of Eli Manning completely embarrassed the Tide.
“We were anemic offensively again,” Cutcliffe said after the Tide’s 28-7 win. “But give Alabama credit, they had a good plan and beat us in every phase.”
The Rebels also had two early opportunities to score after Bama turnovers, but came away with no points, thanks somewhat to a rare miss by the consistent Jonathan Nichols, the nation’s top kicker last year.
The Tide was solid on special teams as well. Bo Freelend is quietly emerging as one of the better punters in the SEC. Jamie Christensen has already been declared a crowd favorite for his booming kickoffs (despite one kick that went out of bounds in the game.) Brian Bostick was perfect in extra points, which may not sound like a lot, but after seeing Oregon State and LSU earlier this year, let’s be thankful for what we have. The one major setback was the fumble by Brooks in the first quarter.
Any win feels good, but this is a little better than most. The victory marks the first time in Mike Shula’s young career that the Tide has won back-to-back games. It’s the first time since 1999, the year Alabama won an SEC title, that the Tide’s started off 2-0. It’s the first SEC win after two heartbreaking SEC games against LSU and Auburn to end the ’03 campaign. But most importantly, this game set the tone for Alabama’s chances in the Western Division. A loss would have been devastating to say the least.
“We’ve played two games. We won our first one in the SEC. It feels great to win again in Bryant-Denny. The crowd was awesome and it’s a good start but we have a long way to go,” Shula stated.
_Game ball:_ Believe it or not, Alabama’s defensive coordinator Joe Kines. He mixed up the blitzes and when Bama dropped back in the secondary very effectively.
_Stat of the game:_ Alabama: 221 rushing yards, Ole Miss: 75 rushing yards.
A big win for Bama, but the season is still very young.
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