10/19/12 Missouri Game
For the second week in a row, Bama was involved in a really odd-feeling game. The last game against Ole Miss was played so late that it finished close to 1:00 a.m. here in Atlanta. This game against Missouri was played in a driving rainstorm that delayed the game for about 40 minutes which dictated a five-minute halftime where the players didn’t even leave the field. That delay really seemed to affect the flow of this game, because before the delay, Bama was playing like a team possessed on both offense and defense. After the delay, we just looked like a team that wanted to run out the clock and get home. Honestly, in those conditions, I didn’t really blame them.
The game started with a bang when on the second play from scrimmage Eddy Lacy broke loose for a 73-yard TD run. We kept pouring it on behind a spectacular interception by Vinnie Sunseri, a flea-flicker pass to Kenny Bell, a blocked punt by future superstar Landon Collins, and a physics-defying touchdown leap by TJ Yeldon until we had a 28-0 lead. Well, technically it was a 27-0 lead, because immediately after Yeldon returned to Earth, lightning crashed and they cleared the field. After the delay, there really wasn’t too much to talk about.
Well, there was one thing that I’m sure terrified all Bama fans, because with a little more than 9 minutes left in the third quarter, AJ McCarron went down with what I thought was a serious knee injury. I think I held my breath for the next series, and then exhaled when I saw him go back onto the field. I know I’ve been a huge critic of AJ, and I still think his progressions need a ton of work, but I’m not exaggerating when I say we absolutely, positively cannot lose him. We have missed out on a lot of QB prospects in the past several years, and when Philip Simms transferred to Virginia, with all due respect to both Philip Ely and Blake Sims, we were left with no solid backup for AJ. If we would have lost him for the season, I think we would have had 3 losses down the stretch. Let’s hope he’s OK; we have to have him.
Instead for going into the details of the post-delay portion of the game, I’ll just make a few observations. First, our run blocking was better in this game than in any game since our opener. Of course, that was probably a function of the defense we were playing against, but I was glad to see us at least get that part of our game in order. Both Lacy and Yeldon had huge games, and more importantly stayed healthy. Our defense looked solid, and it strikes me that our defense has more of an “amoeba” look than I can ever remember. We have so many players that play multiple roles. Sunseri plays safety, corner, and linebacker. Nick Perry moves back and forth from his safety position to a linebacker position. Lester does the same thing. I think that Saban is doing this to help get more speed on the field against the speed-based offense, like Texas A&M and Mississippi State that we have coming up. I imagine that we’ll go back to a more traditional 3-4 look when we face LSU, but it’s nice to have that flexibility in our defensive personnel.
Finally, I have to address the suplex performed by Lamichael Fanning on the unfortunate Missouri running back Russell Hansbrough. I’m sure you all saw it; Hansbrough broke through a hole in the line, and Fanning grabbed him and proceeded to do his best “Kane” imitation, pulling him over and pile driving him into the ground. Yes, it was really, really bad, and we’re all very lucky that there were no injuries. But don’t be too hard on Fanning. Things can happen in the heat of a play, and I’ve actually seen this happen before. It would have been worse had it happened after the play. Not making excuses, but Fanning doesn’t get much playing time yet (“yet” is the operative word; he is a future superstar), and I’m sure a lot of adrenaline was flowing, and he just wanted to get him to the ground by any means necessary.
So that’s it for this week. Next week we face the hated Tennessee Vols, and even though they look like a pushover on paper, they absolutely are not. They have the best QB, WR, and second WR that we’ve seen so far, and their offensive line features three players that we tried very hard to get. Plus, don’t underestimate the fact that their defensive coordinator spent the past 3 years coaching under Saban at Bama, so our defense shouldn’t catch them off guard. We have lost to much worse teams. I still think we’ll win, but make no mistake about it; this game will be tough, and Tennessee is a viable threat to our undefeated season. Hopefully my worries will prove to be unfounded.
Check back next week as I review the Tennessee game. Fingers crossed that I’ll be in a good mood! As always, feel free to send me any questions or comments.
Kenny