Very well done.
RTR
LC
--- kurtrasmussen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 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
=== message truncated ===
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