Tide Fans –
What a beautiful day in Durham! The Tide takes advantage of their first road trip to get in some playing time for just about everyone except the trainers…and I think I may have seen a few of them take a snap as well. We knew this wasn’t going to be a tough test, but it is always nice to get a huge win on the road. Nothing was better than seeing # 22 and # 57 back on the field. How awesome is Mark Ingram? He looked like he had been shot out of a cannon on some of those runs. He has not lost a step at all, and actually looks better than before - if that is at all possible. I know we only got to see him carry the ball 9 times, but he made each one of them count! The Heisman Trophy winner is back, and he looks damn good! A fun game for Tide fans, and a good way to head into our brutal gauntlet of the next 3 opponents.
I was a nervous wreck before this game…not because of who we were playing, but because of the fact that I was not going to see the first half. Yes – you heard me correctly…I was not at the game, nor was I in front of a TV. I cannot remember the last time I was not either at the game, or firmly planted in front of an enormous TV as The Tide took the field. Instead, I was in the parking lot of a gymnasium in East Montgomery at my daughters gymnastics meet. Thankfully the meet ended just barely before kickoff, so I was able to find the local radio affiliate and listen to Eli. I must give a huge shout out to the Level 3 Mtn. Brook gymnastics team, as they won the meet, and are currently undefeated! Saban would be proud, as anything less would have been unacceptable. I was very proud of the team, and my daughter who placed 2nd on beam! Watching this was well worth the sacrifice of missing the game! PS – I will never do this again.
You would have thought we were about to play in the National Championship as anxious and nervous as I was, when we pulled out of Montgomery in the minivan. Thankfully the 2 year old had fallen asleep allowing me to fully concentrate on The Tide (and the interstate). Looking back, I probably should have let my wife drive. The hour and a half drive home felt like an eternity as the Tide racked up incredible plays. Thankfully, Eli Gold does a fantastic job at painting a picture of the setting and the game. My favorite is when he describes our uniforms in full, as if we had never seen them before. It is something I had not heard in a long time, since I am usually at the game. Quoting Eli - “Bama wearing the road white today, with the Crimson helmets, white stripe down the center, and two red stripes down the pant leg – and the white jersey with the Crimson numerals” It was actually kind of cool – it got me all fired up! I was pumping my fist in the air as I set the cruise on about 90….ahh good times! We finally got home right as the first half was ending, and thanks to TiVo I was able to catch up on the first half during the halftime break. Seriously…what did we do before TiVo and DVR’s???
Our offense looked incredible, scoring at ease, and making big plays. Yes, we were playing Duke but it is still fun to watch, and great practice for our team. Again, Mark Ingram just is awesome! 48 yards on his first carry back from injury, and 151 yards on 9 carries – 2 of those combining for 98 yards…as Vern Lundquist would say… Wow!!! We had so many nice plays in this game…Trent’s kickoff return, Darius Hanks super catches, Ingram’s runs, it was delightful to watch. Our offense looks very good, and I think we are ready to hit the tough stretch we have ahead of us. McElroy looks smooth and comfortable, as well as McCarron – I think we would be ok if we ever had to go to our backup QB. I hope this is not the case, but it is good to see him run the offense smoothly as well.
Defense looked pretty solid. I know we gave up a touchdown and people are concerned about that, but good Lord…you can’t expect to go all season without giving up a TD. Minus a few plays we shut down the pass, and Duke was supposed to be a heavy passing team. I actually think they gained more yards on the ground against our D. We are still very young here, but I really think it is going to come together. We have tons of talent, and it usually takes a few games for the Defense to gel. Linebackers are just powerful – all of them, and our DB’s are good – they are gaining more confidence every down. I would like to see more pressure on the QB, but I think we are saving that package for next week.
Speaking of next week…this is going to be a huge game! I am not scared of Ryan Mallet, and neither should you. People think he is just going to pass all over us. I’m sure he will complete some passes, and I am sure they will score some points, but they will not score as many as we will. Everyone is going to be calling upset next week, thinking Mallet will just pass all over our young DB’s. I am so sick of hearing this. All I am going to say is this…it is rather hard to pass when you are laying flat on your back! Mallet has not seen pressure like he will see next week, and if you remember last year – he is not very good when he has to throw under pressure. Here is another angle…so if they do pass all over us – we will just keep the ball away from them with our running game, and score more points…they can’t stop our running attack. Ingram, Richardson, Lacy…pound that ball all day long against the pigs! Mallet can’t throw if they don’t have the ball.
Please don’t get me wrong, this will definitely be our toughest test so far, and playing on the road in the SEC is never easy. You have to keep you swagger about our team – we are the defending National Champions, and we are not just going to go over there and lay an egg. It may be a very close game, but I have full confidence in our team and coaching staff – they will be ready for this game. They will execute the plan, and dominate!
I am so pumped for next weekend – it is going to be awesome! Yes, I am making the trip out to Fayetteville – one that I have never made. I am also sitting smack dab in the middle of the Arkansas section, so I am sure I will have some fantastic stories to tell. I hope pigs can swim, because there is a High Tide warning in Arkansas, and The Tide is going to Roll! The Ryan Mallet love fest ends next week, and I plan on rolling in with some confidence and swagger…you should too!
Until next week…Roll Tide!
Jason
