10/17/11 Vanderbilt and Ole Miss
Sorry about not blogging about the Vandy game last week, so consider this blog to be for both Vandy and Ole Miss. Actually, there’s not much to say about the Vandy game other than it is extremely telling that we played by far our worst game of the year and still won 34-0. To me, that game epitomized the difference in our schedule last year versus this year. If you remember, last year our last 6 SEC opponents had their off-week before playing us. So after running the Penn State, Arkansas, Florida gauntlet, we had to travel to Columbia to play an extremely talented South Carolina team that was well rested and had an extra week to prepare just for us. This year, we were coming off the same stretch, but instead of having to play SC, we got to play Vanderbilt. We were clearly not at our best, but luckily Vanderbilt never offered any real threat to us.
So that’s enough about Vandy; let’s talk about the Ole Miss game. Frankly, that was one of the most brutal beatings I’ve ever seen. Ole Miss came out fast, clearly showing their fresh legs and extra week of game planning (because they of course had their off-week before us), but after they scored an early TD, Bama pounded them mercilessly until the final horn sounded. As I was watching the game near the end of the third quarter, I got the distinct impression that Ole Miss simply didn’t want to be there anymore. And even more importantly, I got the impression that our Bama boys really did. The final score was 52-7, and we could have scored 70 if we really wanted to. I won’t go into a play by play, but there are several aspects of both this game and our team I want to talk about.
First, it probably goes without saying, but I no longer believe that Eddie Lacy is the best back on our team. It seems silly now, but early in the season, I thought Lacy was the better runner. He was patient, pressing the holes, making the proper cuts, and getting the most of every run. All of that is still true, but over the last three games, Trent Richardson has looked like Gulliver stomping through the land of the Lilliputians. When he was pulled after that poster-izing TD run in the third quarter, I fully expected the Ole Miss defense to send Saban flowers to express their thanks. Of course, then Jalston Fowler came in the game, and their smiles turned upside down!
I also expressed my discontent about McCarron in my last blog. Again, I had definite reasons for doing so. He was not progressing through his reads, and he was missing wide open receivers, both by throwing the ball wildly and by simply throwing it to the wrong receiver. His play has improved dramatically over the last two games. Don’t get me wrong; I still have major concerns about him at QB this year, but if he continues to improve, our major hole could actually become a strength, and if that happens, it could spell trouble for the rest of the SEC and nation. I still get nervous about the thought of him coming in needing a score at the end of the game to win, but I now have hope that he could do it. Of course, I’d prefer that no game comes to that!
It’s still early in the season, and too much is still to be decided before I can make too many grandiose statements, but for now, suffice it to say that we are a really, really good team. You know how careful I am about predicting wins against the talented teams of the SEC, but let me be clear about this. Tennessee is a talented team that has recruited well for years, but this week, they have no chance against us. They might score early, and they might keep it close for a quarter, but when all is said and done, we are going to absolutely annihilate the Tennessee Vols. And I’m going to enjoy every second of it!
That’s it for now. As you all know, we get our off-week after we lambaste the Vols, and then we square off against the nation’s top-ranked team, the LSU Tigers. Be sure to check back in next week as I review our humiliation of Tennessee, and preview the epic matchup with LSU.
As always, feel free to send me any questions or comments. Roll Tide!
Kenny
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