'BAMA NOW FACES UPHILL BATTLE...

TIDE TURNOVERS HELP THE REBELS WIN...

'Bama offense puts up 37 in loss...
     

BAD START ONLY GOT WORSE...

            I'm not taking one thing away from the Rebels. They won, they played like winners, and the deserved the win. One thing I doubt Ole Miss expected was a gift wrapped present in the form of five Alabama turnovers. That number will get you beat every time you tee it up. Alabama is not exempt from that fact. Now, the Alabama and their coaching staff have to dissect the reason why it happened. Two fumbles on kickoff returns were a simply the lack of securing the ball close to the runners body. As Paul Bryant once said you can't carry the football like a loaf of bread.  I couldn't help but think of Trent Richardson holding on to the football like it was the most valuable possession in the world.  Little things lose games. Alabama is going to look back and find out that's true. 

      Was the game wacky and bizarre? It sure was. Does the passing rule about crossing the line of scrimmage need review? Of course. Auburn got away with one against LSU earlier on Saturday. Ole Miss executed that pass play exactly in the manner that defensive coaches have complained about for years. It was was made even worse when the review showed at least one Ole Miss lineman five yards down field. Here's a fair question - if can review the one about crossing the line of scrimmage why can't you review to see if someone was too far down field. But that play didn't beat the Tide. Sure it helped the Rebs. Alabama can only point their finger at the man in mirror to find the guilty party. 

QUARTERBACKING NOT GREAT BUT IT DIDN'T BEAT THE TIDE..

   

Bama quarterbacks didn't lose the game

Earlier in the week I wrote in my blog about the absolute idiocy of Alabama putting themselves their current quarterback situation. . I got burned. The nicest thing anyone said that I didn't know anything about football. The Tide quarterbacks are having trouble, but it would be unfair to flat out say the duo lost the game. Each was put in a situation of having to create plays that neither could pull off. They just don't have the experience or the talent to win on their talent. That isn't their fault of course. You still have to wonder about a world class program that can't recruit an All-American type QB. Blake Sims was the exception that proves that general rule. Alabama was extremely lucky in the phenomenal  season BS6 put together. He had the best supporting cast of receivers a quarterback could have, or ever hope to have. Bama's new bunch is going to be great, but they lack experience. It didn't help to lose Robert Foster. From all reports his season is over. Let's keep this in mind - the Tide offense just put up 37 points on a good defense. Alabama's superior depth really gave the Crimson and White a chance to win the game. Henry rushed for a 127 yards. Coker and Bateman combined for a total of 288 yards, The Tide had over 500 yards in offense.

SEASON IS NOT OVER...

        Alabama has won several national championships with one loss. That means the season is not over. The new playoff format might actually help the Tide if they can run the table. The problem i is that the will have to run the table. There is no margin for further error, and the competition is the hardest in the nation. I just don't think that Alabama fans should expect that will happen. The problems this team showed against Ole Miss can be corrected, but not easily corrected. It is hard to envision the quarterback situation getting a lot better in a short time. The offensive line showed some severe liabilities in my opinion. That means that the 'Bama backs could expect to find the boxed stacked, and teams will bet that Coke cannot beat them.  There is one redeeming factor for the Tide...

THE DEFENSE COULD BE GREAT ...

       Seriously great. It's hard to see anyone running against that Crimson Wall of Death. The linebackers are very, very good. The defensive backs seem much better than last season. The got beat couple of times, but it took perfect passes to do so. I'm not counting the line of scrimmage pass mess the NCAA finds itself in once again.  If Humphrey and Fitzpatrick can get better in the next few games, then the Tide is looking at a return to great defense. The Tide gave up a load of points against Ole Miss but the defense had little to do with a lot of those points. Turnovers, improbable bounces, and that silly rule hurt the DB's a lot more than Ole Miss did. Except for two passes mentioned above the Tide defense had good night. Let's be honest and accept the fact that shutouts are a distant memory. The deck has been purposefully stacked by the NCAA to raise scoring averages. Alabama is not immune. 

      The defensive line is a killing machine. They go at least eight deep without an appreciable drop off. NFL scouts are licking their chops over this bunch. The program is not falling apart.  The sun came up the next morning. Life as we know it is not over. Teams and programs have their ups and downs. This team is likely to lose again, but just as likely to upset a couple of teams. Let's sit back and relax. I'm really interested in how the coaches and our fans handle this little setback.