11/18 The ULM Game
There’s being down, there’s rock bottom, and then there’s where our football team is, somewhere below the rocks, digging down to China. Saturday, the mighty University of Alabama Crimson Tide fell to the University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 21-14. I can honestly say that I didn’t see this one coming. ULM isn’t a good team. They’re not one of those system-based teams that have explosive offenses (like Houston); they don’t have a great hidden gem at RB (like Northern Illinois a few years ago); they don’t have a speed merchant at QB that can explode on any given day (like Appalachian State had against Michigan); they aren’t exceptionally disciplined and well-coached (like Army, Navy, and Air Force); they don’t have anything that should have provided even the slightest challenge to Alabama. Actually, I take that back; they did have one thing going for them. They were playing an opponent that had no heart, no desire, no sense of pride, and no respect for the opportunities that have been presented to them.
I know I’ve been hard on our players this year. We’re playing a QB that either had to accept the scholarship offer to Bama or walk onto a Division 3 program, because no one else wanted him, and we were (and still are) desperate at that position. The entire offensive line should be forced to wear pink skirts around campus this week, and our right tackle is a living welcome mat (thanks again, Textbook Posse!). The ULM offensive line manhandled our defensive line, which shouldn’t be a surprise since we’ve been manhandled by everyone we’ve played (except for Tennessee, which I still can’t figure out). Our secondary and linebackers have occasional moments, but on crucial plays they break into a Keystone Cops routine instead of doing anything that resembles playing defense. In short, we’re not very good. And when you combine our obvious lack of talent with a lack of desire and focus, you get Saturday’s game.
So what does this mean in the grand scheme of things? Well, it’s painfully obvious now that Saban is going to have to pretty much clean house, and replace the current bunch of milquetoasts with some actual football players (or at least some males). If you read my previous blog on recruiting, you can see that process appears to be underway, and you can expect several of those players to see substantial playing time next year. Admittedly, playing freshmen isn’t ideal, but if they come in hungry, and are willing to give the effort that we expect from members of the Alabama football program, I don’t see how it could be anything less than a substantial improvement.
This game certainly changes things. Our bowl bid is in jeopardy, and while it might not seem to matter whether or not we get invited to a fourth-tier bowl, it really does. Bowl teams are allowed to practice after the end of the regular season until their bowl game. An extra month of practice would be huge leading into next year. Of course, if we could beat Auburn next week, that would secure our bowl bid, and would heal a lot of wounds.
So what are our chances against Auburn next week? Can we beat them? Well, anything is possible, so yes, it could happen, but there is a better chance that I’ll develop super-powers. So unless sometime this week you see me soaring overheard carrying a locomotive and shooting laser beams from my eyes, you can count on Auburn beating us decisively. I think we’ll score a late touchdown, and the final score will be 31-10. Of course, I’ve been wrong before; take this week for example.
Until next time,
Kenny
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