Hmm...

TIDE LOOKED PRETTY BAD IN WIN OVER 'HOGS...

     

Ridley ups his game to help 'Bama win ...

        Time for a little honesty.  The Tide beat Arkansas 27-14, but looked pretty bad in doing so. The offense stumbled and bumbled its way to a win. It took a great defensive effort and couple of questionable coaching decisions by the Arkansas Head Coach to open the door for Alabama. First, let's give Arkansas kudos for a tremendous effort away from home. The 'Hogs gave 'Bama all they wanted or needed. It's hard to believe that Arkansas has lost so many games this year. Once again it was Jack Coker to Calvin Ridley that changed momentum in a game. This time it was an 81 yard bomb. It was the longest play from scrimmage for Alabama this season, and it came at a great time. Before that play, Alabama looked pretty pedestrian against a mediocre defense. Once again, the Tide defense came to the rescue with hard nosed play that left little doubt about who has the best defense in the SEC.  

Alabama offensive line not playing well...

   

  There is simply no way to delude yourself in thinking that Alabama has a good offensive line. They might be average. Derrick Henry was limited to 95 yards on 27 carries. Ouch. Coker was hit hard and often by Arkansas pass rushers. I know that Coker threw a couple of interceptions but it's hard to blame him when things get mighty quiet in the pocket. Both his interceptions were caused by the offensive line's inability to give him time to throw. Too many penalties were a problem. It seemed that it took forever for Coker to get plays started. What's the purpose of a no huddle offense when the clock runs down to almost zero.  A lot of Tide fans can't quite figure out what's wrong if the offense. Here's a new theory. They simply can't win the line of scrimmage with enough consistency. Coker may not be the best quarterback, but it's hard to develop skills running for your life. The story of this season may be how good the offensive line can become. Right now, whether that will happen is up in the air. When one of the best running backs can't break the hundred yard mark on 27 carries you have some problems. Thank you Reggie Ragland and company.

RAGLAND IS AN ALL-AMERICAN...

   

          Want to know where Reggie Ragland is on any given play?  Just follow the ball. Somewhere around the line of scrimmage he always finds the ball. In the history of Alabama football there have been some great linebackers. Reggie Ragland is in that select group. Ragland simply dominates the game. The down lineman seem unbeatable. Once again, a defensive back gave up a long touchdown pass, but it took a great effort by Allen to do so. He dodged a number of sack attempts, ducked his head and rolled out. Once again the question of will he run or not made the defense back consider his options. It was a great play by the Arkansas QB. Opposing teams are picking on Marlon Humphrey. He's gotten better and will be fine before the end of the season. The defensive backfield is going to have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves before the last game.

BAMA ESCAPES BUT THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE...

      
      Next up is Texas A&M. The Aggies had the week off. Another open date before playing the Tide is getting pretty old. The SEC needs to be fair in scheduling. This has been going on for so long it seems impossible to be coincidence. This will be, in my opinion, the first real test for TAM. It will also be a game where we'll find out just how good our defense really is. The Aggies can throw the ball, and Kevin Sumlin will not let his team forget 52-0. Anyone who thinks this is going to be easy is wrong. Our offensive line better find themselves in practice this week or it could be a long day next Saturday.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY AND IN BETWEEN...

  Every game seems to give us the good, the bad, and the ugly. With a developing team you seem to get something in between.
  

The Good:  Jake Coker to Calvin Ridley is turning into something special. The Alabama     defense is pretty darn spiffy. At least on ESPN talking head has proclaimed them as the best defense in America. The only other defense I've seen that is close to Bama is Michigan but they haven't had real test except for Utah. The defensive front is the best I've seen going all the way back to 1992. Kept in mind that offenses are much more sophisticated now.

The Good:  Alabama's running backs  are very good. Now if the offensive line can develop to give a few wide open spaces, they might be the best pair in the SEC. I was very happy with the way our receivers played. They are going to be a potent bunch. Add Foster to the mix and you've got more than a defense can handle.

The Good:  Alabama's punter, J.K. Scott had a couple of boomers. His contribution to the team cannot be minimized. I thought last season he was our MVP.

The Bad: The offensive line just isn't there yet.

The Ugly: Field goals have become a roll of the dice for the Tide. I don't know if we really have anyone behind Griff. He needs to pick it up or Saban needs to consider another option. With the offensive line Griff is going to get a lot of opportunities.

IN BETWEEN: The offense is struggling but has good moments. The also have some bad minutes. They struggle in the red zone, and I'm suggesting that Lane Kiffin needs to help Coker  by getting the plays into him soon. Coker clearly has trouble with the hurry up no huddle offense.