Week 4 - Arkansas

Tide Fans –

Ryan Mallet? Ryan Mallet??? Where the hell was this Ryan Mallet kid from Arkansas who was supposed to shred our defense with his passing fury? He must not have shown up, because last time I checked Arkansas only scored 7 points on The Tide!!!! What an awesome way to make a statement - keeping the “highly touted” offense of the Arkansas pigs to 7 points, and making their quarterback look like a junior high bench warmer! All week long we heard about what a gun he had, and how he was going to throw all over us. Mark May of ESPN even went as far as to say that Mallet was “the best quarterback in the SEC – possibly the best overall”. Excuse me Mr. May, but I will take Greg McElroy over anyone! I love this team we have, I love our coach, I love the way we play, and I truly believe that The Alabama Crimson Tide is the best team in the nation.

Sitting in Bryant-Denny stadium among 92,000 of my closest friends, I thoroughly enjoyed our performance Saturday afternoon. It took a little while for us to get started, but with the defense playing like they were I knew it was only a matter of time before we made something happen on offense. And the first thing to happen has allowed me to declare my official “Man Crush” for the 2009 season…Trent Richardson!!! What an awe inspiring 52 yard run for a touchdown. What looked like it would be a run for no gain, turned into our first 7 points. Absolutely amazing watching him just shrug off would be tacklers, as he trounced toward the end zone – the dude in not human! Trent Richardson may only be 18…but make no mistake…he is a man. Trent is going to break records at Alabama, in the NFL, and he may turn out to be our first Heisman!

Many of you probably watched the game on TV, so did any of you notice how dirty Arkansas was playing? I don’t normally complain about this kind of thing, especially when we whip the opponent, but there were several cheap shots taken by Arkansas. A few they were actually flagged for, but there were many that were missed. A chop block here, block in the back there. Watching the replay of the game, I was surprised at how much they got away with. The one that hurt the most was the play that injured Donta Hightower. I could be wrong, but it looked to me like one of their lineman dove straight at Hightower’s knees to take him out of the play. I have a bad feeling that they have taken him out for the season, and that makes me mad. Hightower and McClain are the heart and soul of our defense, and he will surely be missed if the injury is that severe. Being taken off the field by a cart is never a good sign. Say a prayer for Hightower – he is a great player, and our defense will not be the same without him.

The loss of Hightower will give some other guys a chance to step up, and a few showed they can play on Saturday. A big shout out to Eryk Anders who came in and played linebacker. He stepped it up and had a great game! We have some talented guys that can play, and I know they will work hard to fill in for Hightower. Courtney Upshaw, Cory Reamer, and Eryk Anders will get the job done. I’m not sure what the deal is with Jerrel Harris, but now would be a great time for the NCAA to let us know if he will be eligible! Thank God we have some depth here, and at most positions now when injuries occur – we just move the next guy in. I love how the coaches have prepared these guys to play several positions also. That fact that Saban and company have cross-trained our linebackers to play at every linebacker spot is brilliant. A few years ago, we lose a player like Hightower and we are screwed - now we just re-load! Shout outs to Rolondo, Mark Barron, Javier, and the entire secondary – great game guys! I love the corner blitz – Javier comes at the QB like a heat seeking missile – locks on, and down he goes. Mark Barron was huge on run support as well – he looked as though he was almost lining up as a linebacker. A great overall display of defense against Arkansas. Keeping a Bobby Petrino coached team to 7 points is outstanding!

Once again, McElroy has a solid performance. The dude just goes out there and gets it done. Not cocky, not flashy, just puts the ball right where it needs to be, runs the offense smoothly, and leads his team to victory. He is the type of quarterback that you need to win a championship. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Mark May! Our offense came to life after the Trent Richardson run, and we had some fun watching. The Wildcat reverse play was awesome! Julio was so wide open I was afraid they would overthrow him, but of course G-Mac put the ball right on the money and we high step it in for 6 more points! I would be remiss if I did not give a huge shout out to Upchurch. He owns 3rd and long! Whenever it is 3rd and long and I see number 5 come in – I know we will get the first down. He is so valuable on that little half back screen play - when we need 8 or more yards – he delivers!

I am so excited about this team, and the potential we have. Yes, we have a long season with some very tough opponents ahead, but I just feel really comfortable with how we play. We are becoming so diverse and unpredictable on offense, and our defense just continues to amaze me! We may have some closer games, but I feel as if we can beat anyone right now. I have a lot of swagger, and I think our players have confidence, and our coaches know how to get them prepared. We are just coming together all around as a very good football team. As soon as the game was over on Saturday I immediately started looking forward to next weekend’s game against Kentucky. I’m sure they will be fired up to play us, but once everything settles down do you really think Kentucky can stop Ingram, Trent, Julio, and McElroy? Do you think the Kentucky offense will run or pass all over our defense? No, the answer is No.

First true road game of the season Tide Fans – time to ramp it up! I will be heading up to the Bluegrass state to watch The Tide Roll! I have never been to Commonwealth Stadium and am looking forward to it – especially when I see Bama come out on to the field! Until next week…Roll Tide Roll!

Jason