Kent State

Tide Fans –

Roll Tide! I apologize for the delay but I just now have access to a computer that works thanks to power outages from Tropical Storm Lee. Anyway…a great way for The Tide to get started on Saturday with an easy win over Kent State! This was the perfect game for some of our new starters to get into the rhythm of a live game, and gain some valuable playing time. We saw both quarterbacks play, and we also saw who is ahead of the other. A lot of young players in this game with a lot of talent, but still much to learn. All in all it was a good performance over a weak opponent…now the real season begins!

This game left me feeling pretty good about our team, but I do have some concerns. In my opinion there were too many plays where our QB was pressured…O line needs to tighten up a bit! I’m sure they will get this worked out, because we certainly don’t need to be heading up to Happy Valley without giving our QB’s time to get rid of the ball. I also was a little concerned about Trent’s production. Having said that, I do think that we were not showing much of our offense…we played a very vanilla game plan, and it was plenty to pound Kent State. I think Trent unleashes the pain on the Nittany Lions!

So, addressing the quarterbacks…McCarron has the obvious lead over Sims. He just seemed much more in rhythm, and much smoother on his passes. I think AJ get most of the snaps next week, but I still think we have not seen the last of Sims. He shows flashes of extreme talent…he just needs to work on consistency and rhythm. We may still see him some next week, but I have a feeling we see one QB for most of the game.

Let’s look at The Tide:

Offense:

Trent had some good hard nosed runs, but I have to give the game ball to Eddie Lacy! I absolutely love the little dump screen to him. This was Ingram’s bread and butter play, and Lacy looks like he picked up right where Ingram left off. I also LOVE the 70’s spin move that Lacy uses…just awesome! I feel like I am playing the old arcade game 10 Yard Fight when I see him do this move. Come on guys…you remember that game…shaking the handle back and forth to get your man to spin off the blockers…it was awesome! Anyway, it was good to see him move the ball for big chunks of yardage. Maze also had a great game! Minus a few bobbles on punt returns, he really stepped it up at the receiver position. Maze is looking to be our go to receiver, but he is going to need some help. I must give a shout out to DeAndrew White…very talented! He wears number 2, and I saw flashes of the “deuce” when he ran with the ball after catching, and on punt returns (except for when he fumbled). I think he is going to be really good, and we will see a lot more of him. I think we have a lot of young talent on offense that we will see more throughout the season. Finally, hats off to Barrett Jones for playing 3 different positions on one game – that is pretty cool!


Defense:

Just as I expected….powerful! Our guys are fast and furious out there, and I think they were at half speed this week. Some hard hits, and basically shut the opponent down minus 1 or 2 plays. I hate that they scored on us, but hey…I’m not complaining about holding them to 1 touchdown that was set up by an interception. I think our defense wins the game for us this coming week at Penn State. They are only going to get better as the season goes on…you can count on that! So many talented players…Hightower, Upshaw, Mosley, Square, Barron…the list goes on! I think the defense will allow us time for our offense to get into rhythm and get running smoothly. Don’t forget…Defense wins championships!

Well, it’s Penn State week folks! I will be making my first trip ever to Happy Valley, and I sure hope it is a happy one! Penn State is going to be fired up and ready to play us, so we better be ready. I know Saban has never won in Happy Valley and would like to change that. He will have our guys ready…I have no doubt about it. Their crowd is going to be very loud and fired up, so my only fear is that they jump out on top early in the game and keep the crowd noise a factor, rattling our untested quarterback. I am pretty sure we will start by trying to pound the ball with Trent and Eddie, and hopefully this works! If we get our running game going early, than I will feel really good. They will be expecting this, so McCarron is going to have to make some throws early, to free up some space for our backs. I think this game is close either way…not like last year. We must stay focused, not get rattled by the crowd, and not make turnovers giving them the ball with good field position.
If we can play our game and get into a rhythm offensively…we should be fine. Defense will be key in this game…they will determine the outcome!

I hope to have some great stories from my trip to State College to share with you next week! Until then…think positive about The Tide, and cheer your ass off if you are going (or if you stay at home). I know I will!

RTR

Jason