SB Nation - Don'ta Hightower

The Virginia Tech Preview: Tide Defense v. Hokie Offense

outsidethesidelines — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:00:18 -0000

Editor's Note: This is the second installment in a four-piece series that will give an in-depth preview of the individual unit match-ups, as well as a special teams preview, and finally ending on Friday with a final wrap-up before the two teams face off on Saturday night.

Part 1: Tide Offense vs Hokie Defense

The Virginia Tech Offense

Any in-depth analysis of the Virginia Tech offense must begin with proper consideration given to one man: Tyrod Taylor. What makes the Virginia Tech offense unique really has nothing to do with it's formations, it's passing concepts, it's run blocking schemes, or anything of the sort. No, what makes the Virginia Tech offense unique is because the entire offense completely and totally revolves around Taylor. When you watch the film of this unit, it's almost nothing short of amazing just how much of a linchpin that Tyrod Taylor is to the entire unit. Everything is predicated upon him; even when he performs the most fundamental of duties -- handing off to the tailback, direct snaps that go to other players, etc. -- the offense nevertheless somehow goes through him.

And with Taylor as the centerpiece, the Virginia Tech offense has changed quite a bit in recent years. Offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring is still in Blacksburg -- he was given the title of defensive coordinator in late 2001 -- and has remained a constant for almost a decade, but his offense is fundamentally different with Taylor at the helm. In years gone by, the Hokies tended to be a run heavy team that operated out of very conventional formations. They spent much of their time either in the I-formation or with two tight end sets, trying hard to establish the interior running game, and much of the passing game became a by-product of the playaction pass. But again, that's all different now with Taylor at the helm. They still spend a good deal of time in the I-formation and also with two tight end sets, but they are not limited in that regard any more. With Taylor, they also really like to spread the field and put Taylor back in the shotgun, thus taking full advantage of Taylor's athleticism in space.

Given Taylor's extreme importance to the offense, we should take a closer look at him as a player. From the outset, Taylor was a bona fide super recruit coming out of Hampton, Virginia's Hampton High School, a dynasty in Virginia high school football circles, with seventeen state football championships. When he came out of Hampton High on 2007, Taylor had been a three-year starter and was a consensus five-star recruit. Rivals.com had him as the #1 dual threat quarterback in the country, and he chose to stay in-state with the Hokies, turning down a scholarship offer from the Florida Gators, whose head coach Urban Meyer recruited him heavily to run his spread option.

The reason everyone wanted the 6'1 and 215 pound Taylor was simple... his legs. In a day and age where 40 times are often outright lies, Taylor is a legitimate 4.40 player, and it is his unbelievable speed and athleticism that makes him the player that he is, and it is also what makes him the focal point of the Virginia Tech offense. Because of his ability to make big plays with his feet at any given time, opposing defenses must always be aware of his positioning on the field, and that is why the Virginia Tech coaching staff ensures that their entire offense runs through him. Stinespring and company love to always make you account for Taylor even when the ball doesn't go to him. For example, in simple dive plays out of the I-formation, after giving the hand-off, Taylor generally makes very, long sweeping retreats from the location of the exchange as if he's keeping the ball and going out for a run. This is done, of course, to ensure that one defender must account for Taylor, even though it's an inside hand-off to a tailback. This is just one of many ways in which the Virginia Tech coaching staff constantly keeps the offense running through Taylor, regardless of what is actually going on.

And no Alabama fan should underestimate just how deadly Taylor's athleticism can be. Many like to paint Taylor as a typical run-happy quarterback with no real passing skills, and in all fairness that might be true, and in many ways is true. Still, nevertheless, even if that is completely accurate, Taylor is nevertheless such an elite athlete that he is still a very dangerous player. In today's game we often have mobile quarterbacks playing the position with good athleticism, but Taylor isn't just a mobile quarterback, nor does he just have good athleticism. I've been following Alabama football closely since 1990, so this is my 20th year, and I feel confident in saying that we have never faced an opposing quarterback with the kind of ultra-elite speed and athleticism that Taylor brings to the table. Again, he's not just a mobile quarterback, he's the kind of elite athlete who will certainly play in the NFL one day -- and probably be a fairly high draft pick at that -- thanks to that athleticism.

Soundtrack Warning: Crunk

Fortunately, the good news for Alabama fans and our coaching staff is that for all of Taylor's frightening athleticism, he's still a very incomplete player as a pure quarterback, and the rest of the Virginia Tech offense is riddled with holes and shortcomings. This unit finished 90th in the country last year in scoring offense, and 103rd in total offense, continuing a downward trend in recent years in their ability to move the football. From 2005, when Tech finished 17th in the country in total offense, they have fallen to 49th, to 53rd, to 103rd. Far from being a one year anomaly, the Hokies are a team that has seemingly struggled to move the football almost forever.

The Hokie Offense: A Critical Look

Given the struggles of the Tech offense, you don't have to look far to find its weaknesses.

Since we gave Tyrod Taylor so much focus in the overview, perhaps it's best we start with him, because for all of his greatness as a runner, he really struggles throwing the football. Truth be told, as a passer, he's just not much, period. Last year as a passer he completed only 57% of his passes, averaged under 6.0 yards per attempt, threw two touchdowns against seven interceptions, and his QB rating of 103.2 put him somewhere around 110th in the country. Making matters worse, the coaches have really simplified the passing game as a whole to help Taylor, effectively reducing it to a smattering of dink and dunk passes. You watch the Hokie offense and you see countless curls, hitches, screen passes, square-ins, and the like, and even so he cannot complete 60% of his throws. Furthermore, the few times that Taylor did actually play pretty well as a passer, it was predictably against bad defenses. The four highest individual game quarterback ratings that he posted in 2008 came, not so surprisingly, against a Division 1-AA team (Furman), a team still trying to make the jump to Division 1-A (Western Kentucky), a 5-7 ACC team (Virginia), and a team that finished 89th in the country in pass defense (Nebraska). Factoring out those four games and looking at the rest of the season, Taylor had a paltry QB rating of 82.0, averaged under five yards per attempt, and didn't throw a single touchdown pass (though he did throw seven interceptions).

And the vertical element of the Hokie passing attack with Taylor in the game is simply non-existent. By my count, only about six of his passes went for more than 20 yards a year ago, and in the rarity that he does hit a deep pass, it's usually ugly and even then not exactly ideal. For example, in their Orange Bowl victory last year against Cincinnati, Taylor hit receiver Danny Coale for a 34-yard completion, but a closer look reveals that Coale had gotten wide open on a post, and a ball that even hits him remotely in stride is a touchdown. Unfortunately, the ball sails wide, Coales has to lay out to make the catch, and the sure touchdown turns into a 1st and 10 at the Cincinnati 14. Unable to pick up a first down from there, the Hokies have to bring on the field goal unit, and with a missed kick a sure touchdown becomes a turnover on downs thanks to an inaccurate, though still completed, pass.

The results, though terrible, shouldn't be the least bit surprising. This time a year ago, Frank Beamer announced that the Hokies were actually going to redshirt Taylor in 2008, so truthfully had the coaching staff had their way Taylor wouldn't have played at all last year. Unfortunately for Tech, though, Sean Glannon was terrible in the opener, and after a surprising loss to East Carolina in Charlotte, the Hokie coaching staff had to reluctantly take the redshirt off Taylor and put him into action.

Of course, as should probably be expected, many Hokie fans are drinking the Kool-Aid talking about the incredible progress Taylor has supposedly made this off-season. In an objective light, though, there's little reason to expect any real, considerable improvement. From the outset, Taylor has never been a particularly accomplished passer, even in high school. Even as the quarterback for Hampton High -- where, again, he was playing on a very high caliber team with a lot of talent surrounding him -- he still only averaged about 125 yards per game as a passer, and barely completed 50% of his passes. Moreover, in terms of physical skill set, Taylor doesn't have a great arm, and is not very accurate to boot, plus he's short for the typical pocket passer. His delivery is a tad bit odd, and he's very inconsistent with his footwork. And his route progression, well, there is no route progression. As a general rule, he looks immediately towards his primary target, and if he's not open he takes off running. Anything might happen, of course, but I see no objective reason to believe that Taylor will take a major step forward this year as a passer. He has never been a particularly good passer before, and truth be told he will probably never be one in the future either. All such Hokie hopes to the contrary are just that, hopes, unsupported by any other objective factual basis.

Unfortunately for the Hokies, the problems are even worse up front with the offensive line. As a group, the offensive line seemingly run blocks well (though that's somewhat up for debate, too), but the pass blocking has been so horrendously atrocious the past couple of years that even an Alabama fan who lived through the Chris Capps / Kyle Tatum era could not understand. Last year the Hokies gave up a whopping 42 sacks on a mere 291 passing attempts for an adjusted sack rate of 14.43%. That literally put them dead last in the country in terms of adjusted sack rate, 119th out of 119 teams. And it wasn't just a one year anomaly, either. The year before -- despite having Duane Brown starting at left tackle, who would be a first round NFL Draft pick the following April -- they gave gave up 54 sacks on 379 passing attempts, for an adjusted sack rate of 14.24%. I'm not positive that was dead last in the country, but for the sake of the all the other quarterbacks in the country, I certainly hope no one struggled to protect the passer more than that. And perhaps not too surprisingly then, offensive line coach Curt Newsome had to undergo a double bypass heart surgery on June 19th. He himself said stress played a role in the near 100% blockage of his arteries, and while he was almost certainly addressing that more towards the high amounts of stress inherent in being a collegiate football coach, I'm sure as hell that having to watch this unit play for two consecutive years did no favors for his health.

Moving forward to the 2009 season, three starters return, but returning starters from a unit that has been consistently that terrible is rarely a good thing. I wouldn't expect it will be for this year's Hokies, either. Ed Wang returns at left tackle, and Blake DeChristopher returns at right tackle, plus Sergio Render returns at guard (though he has swapped guard positions). Those guys look physically okay, but obviously something is not right. Jaymes Brooks, a redshirt sophomore, is taking over at right guard, with an undersized Beau Warren taking over at center. Warren is listed at 288 pounds, and frankly just looking at him that might be a bit of a stretch.

What the Hokie offensive line did well in 2008 was run block, or at least it would seem that way on the surface, even if it's not necessarily true. Darren Evans ran over 1,200 yards a year ago, averaging almost 4.5 yards per carry, and put together a great season. Before really watching the Hokies on film, I thought it was just the typical case of a decent back behind a good, mauling offensive line, but seeing Evans on film I was very impressed with him as a player. He displayed good speed and a good short-yardage bust, but he also had good balance and field vision to boot. Perhaps most impressive of all, he could consistently drive his hips low for a quick change of direction, something quite rare for a back of almost 220 pounds. To put it mildly I became impressed, and he exceeded my expectations.

TE Greg Boone

Which brings us to a pressing question, did he do well because of the Hokie offensive line, or did he do well in spite of the offensive line? In most cases I normally give the credit to the offensive line because their importance to the running game tend to get undervalued a bit, but if you look closer at the splits, the Hokies have a huge drop-off in rushing production when backs not named Darren Evans were given the ball. Kenny Lewis, Jr. and Josh Oglesby combined to get 102 carries for only 325 yards, right at 3.1 yards per carry, a significant step down from the production that Evans posted. On the surface, it seems like there was a very big gap between Evans and the rest of the tailbacks on the roster, and it certainly seems like Evans' torn ACL was indeed a huge injury for the Hokies. Perhaps Frank Beamer was being all too honest when he spoke of the impact that Evans absence would have on the Tech offense.

The rest of the Hokie offense looks to be generally solid, even if not spectacular. The wide receiver corps is nothing overly special, and there are no Julio Jones type players. That said, the group as a whole is a solid one, and several players have the ability to get the job done. Their biggest problem, honestly, more than anything else is that they simply haven't had a quality quarterback to be able to consistently get them the football. Also, one more weapon does exist on the roster, and he's one to keep your eye on, Greg Boone. A truly massive player, Boone is a 6'3 and 280+ pound tight end with good athleticism, and naturally he's as strong as a bull. The Hokies can often use him in a variety of ways, too, including even in the wildcat.

All in all, though, despite Taylor's elite athleticism, plus having a very unique player on the roster in Boone, this Tech offense simply isn't a very good one. Taylor can indeed be deadly with his legs, but aside from that there is just generally very little to fear. Taylor has the track record of a terrible passer, and the offensive line probably couldn't pass block competently if their lives literally depended on it. The running game would be pretty strong with Darren Evans, but he's not going to be playing this year, and if the track record from a year ago holds up, they may very well be struggling to run the ball this year. Not much else needs to be said... you finish at the bottom of nearly every statistical offensive category for a reason.

The Alabama Defense

Nick Saban brought with him to Tuscaloosa a reputation as a builder of big, physical defenses built on speed and aggression, and just over two years since he arrived, Saban is well on his way to building exactly that kind of monster. The roster that he inherited in January of 2007, built for Joe Kines 3-3-5 scheme, was nowhere near the type and / or caliber of personnel Saban needed to operate his 3-4 scheme at a high level, but thankfully a renewed focus on the S&C program and a recruiting juggernaut have allowed Saban to quickly construct his defense.

The Nick Saban 3-4 scheme is, for all of us 'Bama fans, are pretty well known commodity at this point. In many ways it's a typical 3-4 scheme, one that relies heavily on zone blitzes and the inherent lack of unpredictability built into the scheme. The 3-4 is a highly flexible scheme, and Nick Saban takes full advantage of that by constantly changing his fronts, cover schemes, and blitz packages. Making things even better, Saban's specialty of coaching defensive backs generally makes his unique version of the 3-4 that much more effective once it actually takes the field.

After experiencing some struggles at times in his debut 2007, the defense quickly came together for the 2008 season. Saban found the space eater he needed to play the nose in Terrence Cody, Rolando McClain carried his game to the next level, Dont'a Hightower made a huge impact as a freshman, and several other players improved as well. The impact of it all quickly became evident. The Tide run defense was nearly impossible to run on with a healthy Terrence Cody in the lineup, and very stout against the run even when he was out with less than 100% with his knee injury. The pass rush never materialized, but even so the Tide led the SEC in pass efficiency defense, and allowed a stingy average of 5.8 yards per passing attempt.

Moving into the 2009 season, things continue to be on the rise in Tuscaloosa. Eight starters return from the 2008 defense, and quality depth has increased dramatically everywhere. As of this writing, we legitimately have somewhere around 25 players who can legitimately be contributors to this defense. With little doubt, if we can stay even remotely healthy, this should be the most productive defense we've had in years.

The Alabama Defense: A Critical Look

At the risk of being deemed a homer, I must nevertheless objectively say that when taking a critical look at this defense, there are really just very, very few flaws to even legitimately address. Bottom line, it's a very well coached defense, and one that is loaded with not only experience and top-end talent, but quality depth throughout the roster at almost every single position. If you were looking for an ideal defensive unit, you'd be hard-pressed to find one much more attractive than this one.

In the short-term, the biggest problem the Tide has is overcoming the likely loss of Brandon Deaderick, who was tragically shot outside his apartment Monday night in Tuscaloosa. Fortunately for Deaderick and the Tide, the shooting effectively went as well as it reasonably could have -- just puncture wounds in the arm and hip; no damage to bones, arteries, or nerves, no surgery required, and released from the hospital approximately 16 hours later -- but even so I imagine he's unlikely to play against the Hokies. Deaderick was going to start in 2009, just like he did last year, at defensive end, and his loss is not what anyone hoped to see. Fortunately, if there was any year to have this sort of a tragedy, it was this year. His back-up, Luther Davis, is good enough to start for about any other SEC team, and he should transition into the starting role without any real trouble, if needed, but don't discount the possibility of Marcel Dareus -- who normally backs up Lorenzo Washington at the end-tackle combo position -- moving over and starting in Deaderick's absence. Dareus has the best long-term upside of any defensive lineman we have, and he is likely the #3 defensive end on the pecking order, regardless of position, so he may very well move over to the natural end position. Either way, as much as Saban and company rotate the defensive linemen, Davis and Dareus were going to see a lot of meaningful playing time regardless, so this won't be a major transition for either one. Darrington Sentimore now has a much better chance of playing as a true freshman, and Damien Square will likely be moved back from Jack linebacker, and both should provide quality reps at the position as well. Time will tell, but rationally speaking it seems we should be able to pick things up in Deaderick's absence with no major drop-off in production.

LB Eryk Anders

Aside from the Deaderick shooting, the Tide defense has remarkably few concerns. Pass rushing was a major problem a year ago, but even so we still played very effective pass defense, and things look improved this year. The linebacker corps is more athletic than a year ago, we're getting our best edge rusher (Eryk Anders) on the field more often, and Sal Sunseri has brought with him a renewed focus on pass rushing techniques. Thus, our pass rushing attack ought to improve this year, and frankly even if it doesn't, we showed last year that an inability to rush the passer was not fatal to the success of our overall pass defense.

Our biggest weakness, of course, assuming that we continue to be unable to rush the passer with any degree of consistency, is probably against spread teams with accurate quarterbacks who can consistently spread the field with quality receivers to boot. But again that may be a problem we fix anyway in 2009, and even if not, the Hokies don't have anywhere near the pieces in place to power such an attack. Yes they do spread things out occasionally, but it's to maximize Taylor's running ability, not to emphasize the passing game. Taylor isn't a very accurate quarterback, Tech might not have the receivers in place to do it effectively, and even if they did the offensive line probably wouldn't be able to hold up regardless, so even that is a moot concern in this particular game.

Aside from that, the rest of the concerns are really more nit-picking and the luxuries of riches than anything else. Many 'Bama fans would probably still complain about Marquis Johnson, but what is that really? At worse, it's a complaint that we only have a serviceable SEC level player (and a senior to boot) as our nickel corner, and a player that at any rate who will see his playing time getting major challenges from two five-star recruits currently on the roster. Geez... how will we ever manage to get by? Again, it's basically nit-picking from that point on.

The truth of the matter is that unless 'Bama gets unexpectedly hit very hard by a run of injuries, there is absolutely no reason to expect that the Tide won't field a great defense in 2009.

What To Look For

In the aggregate, this looks to be an good match-up for those who bleed crimson. The Hokies do not have a very good offense, and the Alabama defense should at the least be in the discussion with regard to who has the top defense in the country. It doesn't take any real, in-depth analysis to figure out that when two units of those respective abilities collide, it's likely to result in the offense scoring very few points and the defense dominating the day. When factoring out defensive and special teams scores, the Hokies offense only averaged 19 points per game last year, and it would probably be a surprise to see them score that many against what should be a very stingy Alabama defense. And making matters worse for the Tech offense is that the one true weakness of the Tide defense -- which, it should be said, is something that might not even be a weakness this year at all -- is something that the Hokies do not have the right personnel in place to exploit.

The Virginia Tech running game, in particular, seems to be in for a long night. With Darren Evans out for the year, it's a running game of arguably questionable quality to begin with, and going up against the Tide's incredibly stout run defense is a tough task for even a team with a strong rushing attack in their own right. The Hokies might try to run the football inside a good bit on the Tide -- then again, if Beamer and company think it's futile, they'll probably move away from it pretty quickly -- but it's highly unlikely that it will yield any real success. Beau Warren, at least 60 pounds lighter than Terrence Cody, will need help with the gargantuan nose guard, so Cody should command double teams every single time the Hokies plan to run inside. That alone plays right into our hands. Moreover, even without Brandon Deaderick, our deep rotation of big, strong, and physical defensive ends -- Lorenzo Washington, Luther Davis, Marcel Dareus, Damien Square, and others -- will be able to hold their own at the point of attack throughout the course of the game. That alone will eat up the bulk of the Hokies' blocking unit, and it will largely allow a great linebacker corps to roam free all night long, looking to make plays, and the same goes for two good run defenders at safety in Justin Woodall and Mark Barron. Making the match-up even more advantageous for the Tide is the Hokies' complete lack of a vertical threat in the passing game, which will allow the Tide to stack the box when needed. Bottom line, if the Hokies can have any considerable degree of success in the running game, it will come as a legitimate surprise to any objective observer.

The Hokie passing game looks to fare little, if any, better. The Tech passing game will likely be one of the worst in the country yet again, and the Tide pass defense will likely be one of the best. Again, do the figurative math. Taylor is a below average passer, and while the Virginia Tech wide receiver corps is a solid group filled with more than a few quality targets, they likely aren't as good or as experienced as their counterparts in the Alabama defensive backfield. All in all, it's simply a match-up that heavily favors the Tide.

All of the aforementioned, though, is pretty basic stuff. No real analysis is needed to discover that a very good defense is likely to shut down a bad offense. The real strategy in this game will be how the Tide chooses to defend Tyrod Taylor and his abilities as an elite runner.

Many would advocate playing man coverage on the receivers and trying to rush Taylor with all you have. Given how much Nick Saban loves to give different looks from his 3-4 defensive scheme, I'm sure we will do that a few times, but as a general strategy it's probably not as ideal as many would initially think. To begin with, from the outset, bringing a lot of pressure on Taylor isn't necessarily a good strategy. Taylor is unbelievably elusive, and if you bring a lot of rushers and he slips out of it -- which I can guarantee you he will do on more than one occasion -- you have very few defenders left downfield, and he's going to turn it into a very big play. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying... getting pressure on Taylor is a good thing, but having to bring a lot of defenders on blitzes in order to generate it quickly becomes a very risky strategy with a runner like Taylor that can get you burned. Furthermore, consistently playing man coverage against the Hokie wide receivers fails to exploit one of Taylor's biggest weaknesses as a quarterback, which is reading defenses. If you predictably play man on the outside, Taylor's almost complete inability to read a defense completely goes away because he can correctly assume the overwhelming majority of the time that he will be throwing against man coverage.

Spying Taylor is also an attractive option to many, but again it's probably not ideal as a general strategy. Putting a spy on a mobile quarterback is generally a good strategy, but that generality only holds up well against quarterbacks who have good mobility, not great mobility. Trying to spy such an elite athlete like Taylor is a fundamentally difficult task because you really don't have an equal caliber athlete to put on him. To be sure, we have some guys with Taylor's athleticism, but they are playing corner, and it's very difficult to spy with a corner. Corners are forced to line up so far away from the quarterback (and that goes even for the nickel corner) that the spy himself can effectively be eliminated by the offensive coordinator just sending the play in the opposite direction. What you need in order to have an effective spy is someone who is going to be able to consistently line up relatively close to the quarterback -- without giving away his responsibilities with his pre-snap alignment -- someone like a safety or a linebacker. But, again, who do we have at safety or linebacker that can legitimately go toe-to-toe with Taylor in the open field? Arguably no one. Jerrell Harris, Mark Barron, and Robby Green would probably be our best candidates, but even they would likely face a speed and agility deficit to Taylor. Again, it's an attractive option to many as an initial matter, but a closer look reveals such a strategy can be problematic when dealing with a truly elite athlete like Taylor.

A better strategy, and one I expect we will probably be using frequently, is to employ a wide variety of zone and rush packages. Playing a wide variety of heavy zones against Taylor is an ideal option because it great limits his ability to run with the football, which in truth is when he is at his most dangerous. At the end of the day, what we really want is for Taylor to throw the football, and even Rolando McClain explicitly said yesterday that the assignment of the defense is to contain Taylor and make him throw the football. Playing a heavy zone helps accomplish that because it largely removes the possibility of a big run, and also helps to ensure that when Taylor does take off to run, he'll quickly be met with a host of defenders arriving with bad intentions, both of which are incentives for him to stay in the pocket and throw the football. Furthermore, by constantly mixing up zone blitz packages, we can more effectively exploit Taylor's inability to read defenses. Also, it should be kept in mind that with Tech's complete lack of a vertical threat in the passing game, and it's reliance on short, dink and dunk throws, we can play heavy zones that almost solely attack the short and intermediate routes, thus creating some very narrow windows for Taylor to throw the football into, which can easily lead to a slew of incomplete passes and a chance at interceptions. Truth be told, we could probably play Cover Zero most of the night and still not give up a big passing play, and that alone provides us with a competitive edge over the Hokie offense.

Now, to be sure, I do imagine we will see some spying on Taylor, and I also imagine we'll see some heavy blitzes. The base defense, I think, will frequently use the heavy zones that I described earlier, but Nick Saban likes his defenses to be multiple in their approach and inherently unpredictable. That alone will ensure that Taylor sees a little bit of everything come Saturday night. Either way, in terms of individual assignments and responsibilities, three words must be effectively tattooed into the foreheads of every Alabama defender... contain, contain, contain. Keep Taylor in the pocket, limit his big runs, and make him beat you throwing the football. If you can consistently do that, you've won the battle.

On the other side, the Virginia Tech offense will probably have a few things up their sleeve, and they might not operate exactly how we think. Even though they haven't been a very good offense, the Hokies are a well-coached football team, and they are perhaps a bit more imaginative than you would at first think. If we really can shut down their interior running game with no problem, this isn't a staff dumb enough to keep futility running it straight into the line. They will mix things up and try something else, probably with Taylor operating almost solely from the shotgun. Moreover, again, they have used Boone in the Wildcat in the past (even with him throwing a pass once), and have at times lined Taylor up out wide and brought him down on jet sweeps. And, of course, with a mobile guy like Taylor, a bit of the option game is never out of the question. One way or the other, If things aren't going well, don't expect this coaching staff to just lay down and take it, they'll probably try a few things outside the box in an attempt to muster some offensive production.

That notwithstanding, though, it nevertheless looks to be a very tough night for the Hokie offense. For all of Taylor's dynamic athleticism and Boone's unique physical skill set, this is still a poor offense, and one that struggles to move the ball effectively. They have no real big play ability aside from Taylor's runs, and they cannot muster the kind of consistent production needed to methodically march the football down the field to put points on the board. Rest assured Taylor will make some big, incredibly frustrating plays -- at least frustrating for the 'Bama fans -- he's just too good an athlete not to. Likewise, Boone could be a tough match-up, and a few more guys in the Hokie rotation can get the job done. That will result in some good things happening, but again it's hard to see this unit having the consistent success needed to put any considerable number of points on the board. By all objective measures, this is a bad offense going up against a potentially great defense, and the strength of the Crimson Tide defense should dominate the night.

An Interview with Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples

kleph — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:00:15 -0000

SI says, "Kool Aid tastes great!"

The Sports Illustrated College Football Preview issue hit the stands this week and that vaunted publication decided to put Ole Miss on the cover as the team to watch this season. Just like everyone else. Not only is Alabama two slots behind the Rebels on the magazine's Top 20 list, but they pick Ole Miss to win the SEC West and face Florida in the SEC Championship on Dec. 5.

As soon as I got wind of this I said there's somebody got some 'splainin to do. I picked up the phone and started screaming at every mid-level panjandrum in the American Management Association Building in New York I could reach until I found out who the bastard was responsible for this outrage!

Well... not exactly. What actually happened was their PR people sent us an e-mail out of the blue asking if we'd like to talk to the SI SEC writer to promote this issue of the magazine and we said, "sure."

So yesterday morning I gave Andy Staples a call and despite the fact he's on leave due to the recent birth of his son (and for that blessed occasion we extend our warmest congratulations to both he and his wife) he was more than willing to chat a bit and expand on the points he made about Alabama in the current issue of the magazine.

In addition, Andy took the time to ~~throw his SI colleagues under the bus~~ explain why Ole Miss is so popular in the polls, outline what he believes is the real balance of power in the SEC this season and detail how he thinks "The Process" is progressing in Tuscaloosa.

So, why do you hate Alabama so much?

What? I owe Alabama my life! My parents met in a class in Tuscaloosa. It was a math class and my mom had gotten an A on a test and my dad had gotten a D or an F and he looked over her shoulder and said "Can I study with you?" And that was how they met. I would not be here if it were not for the University of Alabama.

That’s pretty awesome.

My mom actually took a "Folk and Square Dancing" class with Kenny Stabler. Of course, from what she said, he wasn't in class very often.

Why is there all this Ole Miss love this pre-season?

Well, it’s got to be somebody. Actually if you are talking about the main rankings in the magazine, that’s a collective thing which is the result of a bunch of people on staff getting together to come up with the list. If you look at my first AP poll you’ll see those schools [in the SEC West] are actually a lot closer together. The fact is Ole Miss has a strong team. They lost Peria Jerry and Michael Oher, and that’s a lot to lose, but they are still bringing a lot of talent back this year.

And their schedule is really favorable particularly when compared to the other SEC schools … other than Florida who got the best draw of any SEC school I’ve seen in a year they are supposed to be good. Ole Miss does have to go to South Carolina and to Vanderbilt early but that’s about as tough as it gets before they get into the real meat of it. Potentially they could be meeting Alabama on Oct. 10 undefeated.

And part of it is novelty. It’s pretty unusual to have Ole Miss being seriously considered for a National Championship any year. When it’s LSU and Alabama, people are a lot more used to hearing about them.

Ole Miss has one of the premier QB's in the conference.

OK. What about Alabama? How much of our placement is due to what happened in January in the Sugar Bowl rather than what we are likely to put on the field next month?

I think people are looking at the Utah game and how the [offensive] line played and are thinking that’s how the line will play this year. And that’s just wrong. I was an offensive lineman myself and I can tell you, when you take out a guy that close to game time [Andre Smith's suspension] and you shuffle things around… there is not going to be any chemistry. Things are not going to go very well for you. Utah took advantage of that.

Now, even if you took those very same guys but after they have been through spring and fall practices, they would be a completely different unit. That line last year was so good. Antoine Caldwell, was such a leader, and Andre Smith was fantastic so with those guys gone, the big question in the minds of people is how will the line gel and work together? From what I’ve read, the line still remains in flux. So, yes, I think a lot of observers want to see that offensive line and how it comes together before bumping Alabama higher in the rankings.

How much of the uncertainty is due to previous years when we had substantially less depth to draw on when we lost such players?

I think there is that expectation that those players are not going to be there to fill in those positions whereas with Texas or USC you just expect there will be someone waiting to step in and perform at the same level. I think you will see that happen with Florida and Alabama in the next few years. This is where you should really start to see the effect of Nick Saban’s recruiting. Obviously you had some guys like Julio Jones and Don'ta Hightower and those guys who blossomed early. But the impact of those strong recruiting classes coming along as they are supposed to will start to be seen with this group this year.

Is there any way that Greg McElroy isn’t an upgrade from JPW?

Nobody knows. I’ve never seen a quarterback no more roundly criticized than Wilson but McElroy is an unknown quantity. From what I'm hearing, people are likely to be surprised by McElroy’s athleticism and ability to scramble when a play breaks down. Which is great for an offensive line that is trying to come together since it’s a little easier to protect a quarterback that can move around like that.

But nobody has seen how McElroy performs on the biggest stage. If this were USC or Texas, he’d be getting that benefit of the doubt. But because Alabama isn’t seen as having hit that stride in terms of depth the general perception is he’s got to prove himself. Obviously, he may answer every single question on Sept. 5 because, for an opening game it doesn’t get any bigger than what Alabama is playing.

So that makes the opening game with Virginia Tech that much more important?

But that could help as well. In Destin in May [at the annual SEC meetings], Nick Saban was discussing why he does certain things and from a recruiting aspect playing the feature game on opening night is big but, more than that even, a game like that to start the season dictates how your off season is going to go. That's what the team is striving for all of the off-season. All of those players know there is a BCS conference champion waiting to play them and they have to be ready for it. And I wonder… look at Florida, for example. They open against Charleston Southern. How do you get psyched up to face Charleston Southern?

The Rebels' schedule is remarkably favorable this season.

But Virginia Tech isn’t a conference game. Who is going to be our big test in the SEC?

You guys need to worry about LSU. I think LSU is going to be a lot better… a lot better. I think they have the potential, if they can put all the pieces together, to beat everybody. My post Spring top 25 I had them at No. 13 and now I’ve got them up to No. 9. I keep moving them up every time I talk to someone over there.

What has impressed you so much?

To start, they’ve got a pretty experienced offensive line. They have got the best returning back in the SEC with Charles Scott. Jordan Jefferson was a much better back at the end of the season than Jarrett Lee who was their downfall in a lot of games last year. Defensively they are going to be better as well. They’ve moved people around. They’ve got their defensive linemen this year that haven’t had a chance to really show what they can do.

Then they’ve got Chad Jones as their starting free safety which probably should have happened a year ago. Everyone keeps talking about Eric Berry as a Heisman Candidate but Jones is up there with him in terms of athletic ability. I love Eric Berry and the way he plays but Chad Jones could be that kind of guy at LSU.

They have got a lot of talent and guys that know how to put it together. Alabama fans should know that [Defensive Coordinator] John Chavis [formerly at Tennessee] can put a good defense together. Last year the book on these guys was they were very predictable and offenses knew exactly what they were going to do. Chavis’ whole MO is disguising where the pressure is going to come from, disguising the kind of coverage you are going to see.

So, how about the East? Is Florida the shoo-in for the SEC Championship that every seems to think they are?

One thing that is clear after last year is that everybody is beatable. There are no unbeatable teams anymore. An upper echelon SEC team can beat Florida, but it depends on the day. Most days, given the team they have right now, Florida will win those games. Sure, Florida probably has more talent than anyone else right now, at least more experienced talent, but that’s only part of the equation. Florida is likely going to face LSU, Alabama or Ole Miss in the SEC Championship and any of those three teams can beat them on a given day.

What about Georgia?

I think people are going to be stunned by Georgia this year. People don’t seem to appreciate the amount of injuries that squad suffered last year. They had an obscene number, something like 19 players, including a number of key players, for the season. Their second day of practice they lost their starting left tackle [Trinton Sturdivant] and their first game they lost a starting defensive tackle [Jeff Owens]. Nobody recovers from that kind of losses, I don’t care how deep you think your roster may be.

They are going to win ten games and [Georgia quarterback Joe] Cox is a lot like McElroy, he’s come from a great high school program then had to wait behind another guy for awhile so nobody knows what he can do yet. This really smacks of 2005 when people said they had lost all these great players and they were going to go into the tank and DJ Shockley comes in and leads them to an SEC Championship.

A host of starters are returning to Oxford this year.

So, basically, despite the popular perception of the pecking order, the SEC is pretty much a crap shoot this year?

Especially the West. Don’t forget there is a team out in Fayetteville, Arkansas that has the potential to beat anybody as well. So, it’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be a lot of fun but it’s going to be tough for a lot of people. You are going to see some SEC teams that came into the season with National Championship aspirations that lose two games. They might still have a chance at the conference title but they are going to be pretty much out of the conversation in terms of the BCS title.

Then what separates the "haves" and the "have nots" in the SEC?

Talent. I was there for Meyer’s first three seasons covering them for the Tampa Tribune and to look at them now compared to when they won that title in 2006… it’s not really a comparison. They have these true freshmen projected third stringers that could start for several other SEC teams. It’s just disgusting the level of talent they have got now. And Alabama seems to be doing the same kind of thing. It’s going to be very difficult for everybody else because it’s getting to the point that Florida, Alabama and LSU are the only teams that can pull this off and consistently stockpile talent to this degree.

What has impressed you most about Alabama’s recruiting?

That Alabama has done it quickly, perhaps more quickly than anybody thought they could. The way they came in and locked down the state was simply impressive. It was kind of a perfect situation with the 2008 recruiting class when you had one of the best years for talent that they’ve had in a long time in Alabama and then you had Nick Saban really hitting his stride as a recruiter after laying the groundwork with the year prior. When that happened they really let people know they were a force to be reckoned with and then this year they went and were able to get everyone important they needed to get in the state of Alabama and then went out of state for a couple of key players with elite talent they wanted.

How far away is Alabama being recognized for what they’ve achieved in terms of building depth?

If Alabama wins ten games this year, it will be assumed from now on that everyone that comes up to fill in slots on the roster are the same quality or even better. The perception is just not at that point yet. When you have a team where the third string guys are just as keen on getting playing time… that’s how you build what USC has now, what Texas has now. Florida, I think, is finally getting there.

What‘s the most immediate benefit of this largesse?

People forget that what [the new recruits] do on the practice field is way more important for the team than what they may contribute directly in a game situation. When a player comes on board that could conceivably start in a given position, then even the most established player ahead of them in the roster has to go "Whoo, I better work a little bit harder."

And there are too many questions concerning Alabama's offense.

Coach Saban has said the key to being a successful program is to "become a nightmare for your opponent." So what monster would you say this year's Alabama team is most like?

I just saw a History Channel documentary on the Twelve Labors of Hercules and so the Hydra is what comes to mind. If you cut one of the heads off, two more will grow back. And that’s a lot like Alabama’s defense. They have a lot of ways to really get at you. With that defense… it’s going to be awful hard to score on them.

How so?

First of all, thanks to Terrence Cody - and Brandon Deaderick, as well - it’s really hard to run up the middle. And that right there is the basic component of most people’s offense. And when someone tries go to the outside they’ve got Don'ta Hightower is sitting there. And so then if they try to go deep, Javier Arenas is out there waiting. That’s tough.

What is the solution?

There really is not a lot you can do so at some point you simply have to try and physically overpower them up front. And Florida did that at the SEC Championship last year, but there just aren’t many teams that can pull it off. That’s why LSU is going to be a really fun matchup to watch because LSU may have the horses to make it work. But right now we really don’t know. The big advantage of the Utah game is they probably learned their lesson. It’s not likely someone is going to get the chance to jump out in front of them again like that this season.

RBR would like to thank Andy for the interview although we must chastise his parents for having the good sense to attend the University of Alabama and then ruin it by letting their son go to the University of Florida.

Monday Morning Required Reading

kleph — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:00:13 -0000

Nobody hates the morning commute like MMRR hates the morning commute.

Happy Monday, everybody. You can tell it's really getting close to football season when folks are getting testy due to that unholy brew of excitement, anxiety and long-standing grievances. For example, Southern Football Insider cranked out a 2,700-plus word screed on the topic of attrition over the weekend and I then made the mistake of passing it along to my colleagues for their input.

Pete said the piece is "a great example of someone using 5-10x as many words as they need because they have an MBA and want to sound smart." He questioned the assumption that the attrition model is fixed as it ignores the fact it "is a great way to jump-start a program and can easily be tapered off."

Todd subsequently praised it for simply addressing the practical implications of said turnover rates and not attempting "to address or ascribe "evil" intentions to the turnovers rates at large programs." He then insisted I post it in the MMRR or he'd make me eat a bug.

It only happens once or twice a year so enjoy it: Due to all excitement of fan day this weekend Coach Saban forgot himself and unleashed his assistants to speak. Defensive Coordinator Kirby Smart talked a bit about the pass rush and then garnered some serious love from the Tuscaloosa News and the Mobile Press-Register. Offensive Coordinator Jim McElwain also took to the rare moment in front of the microphones with relish.

Meet your 2009 Crimson Tide: Various outlets ran features on various Crimson Tide players this weekend including Greg McElroy, Julio Jones, Dont’a Hightower and Terrence Cody. So you can now safely consider your mid-morning productivity for today completely annihilated.

Joe Willie gets his sheepskin: Among the 900 Alabama students to graduate this weekend was Joe Namath who finally came back to the Capstone finish his course work 42 years after leaving school early for some side job you might have heard about.

For the love of God please tell me Franchione had nothing to do with this: Turns out there's a prolific electronic mailing list for former UA players, coaches, managers and trainers to keep in touch boasting upwards of 2,200 active members.

If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever: Rocky Top Talk, And the Valley Shook and Team Speed Kills all wring their hands nervously over the new SEC media rules.

Jeeze, it's not like it was a Daniel Moore print or anything: One of those lovable ingrates that run things over at Black Heart Gold Pants, SB Nation site covering all things Iowa, took a hysterical trip to a Colorado thrift store and made an astonishing discovery.

Coaching at Tennessee is easy as falling off a.... fence?: Monte Kiffin battles gravity. Loses.

The beauty of selective reasoning: TET looks at a world where Chizik never went to Iowa State, which is ironic since Cyclone fans have been drinking hard to wipe out the memory he was ever there.

In memoriam: Robert Eugene (Bob) Hallum, one of Coach Bryant's players in Kentucky passed away this weekend.

Matchups That Matter: Alabama's Terrence Cody vs. Virginia Tech's Sergio Render

furrer4heisman — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:00:10 -0000

It's hard to single out one individual matchup from the Hokies' season-opener against Alabama as the most important. But I believe the Hokies' chances hinge on whether or not they will be able to run the ball against the Tide's daunting front seven.

The anchor of that front seven is Mt. Cody: 6-5, 365-pound nose tackle Terrance Cody. Cody is the nation's best defensive tackle on the nation's best front-seven. He had 24 tackles last year, 4.5 for loss.

One of the men assigned to moving the mountain is 6-3, 319-pound guard Sergio Render. Render is the best guard I've ever seen at Tech. But even he will have his hands full trying to open holes against Cody and the Tide's front seven.

The Tide run a 3-4 defense. While the Hokies have historically had a lot of success running the ball against the 3-4, we have yet to see the type of personnel Alabama has on its defense. In addition to Cody, the Tide has pair of linebackers that will be future millionaires in Rolando McClain and Dont'a Hightower. McClain and Hightower do most of their damage when teams focus on Cody by double-teaming him.

Cody, McClain, Hightower and the rest of the Tide defense had phenomenal success against the run in 2008. Alabama held its opponents to 3.4 yards per carry and five touchdowns on the ground last year with sacks taken out. In nine games against SEC teams, opponents averaged 3.7 yards per carry and had four touchdowns again with sacks taken out.

The Tide's specialty was shutting down top rushers in 2008.

**Top Rushers vs. Alabama in 2008**
Player	School	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD
Davis	Clemson	6	13	2.2	0
Spiller	Clemson	2	7	3.5	0
Smith	Arkansas	19	91	4.8	0
Moreno	Georgia	9	34	3.8	1
McCluster	Ole Miss	7	28	4.0	0
Scott	LSU	24	92	3.8	2
Tebow	Florida	17	57	3.4	0
Asiata	Utah	13	29	2.2	1
Total		97	351	3.6	4

The Hokies will need near perfect game from Sergio Render in order for them to put up improved numbers on Sept. 5. The other two interior linemen will be fulltime starters for the first time in 2009. Jaymes Brooks, the other guard, got his first start in the Orange Bowl against Cincinnati and was arguably the best lineman in the game. However, while Cincinnati had a solid defense, its personnel doesn't compare to Alabama.

The other interior lineman, Beau Warren, is more of a mystery. Most of his playing time came in spurts here and there in injury relief. His ability as a full-time center won't be known until the Hokies start trying to run on Alabama.

Render's play against Alabama will be the key because of the inexperience of the other interior linemen. He is an exceptional pulling guard whose speed and agility when blocking off tackle is a surprise because of his size. I can't understate how important it is for him to have a good game blocking inside against Cody and the two linebackers.

Looking at the numbers of those top rushers against Alabama, one thing stands out to me. Most teams were frightened by the mere presence of Alabama's front seven and abandoned the run. LSU and Charles Scott were not. Scott carried the ball 24 times, more than anyone else on the list, averaged a respectable 3.8 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns.

Like Darren Evans, Scott is a bull of a running back who can do damage between the tackles. While Scott is much bigger than Evans, they have similar running styles. Can ramming Evans into the middle of Alabama's front seven do any damage? Who knows. What I do know is for us to have a chance, we'll need both Evans North-South game and Ryan Williams ability to make plays outside the tackles to keep Alabama off balance.

The Hokies can't let the Alabama front seven win the battle in the trenches before it begins. Evans needs to get his carries, even if at first Tech struggles to gain yards. The ability of Render and the rest of the offensive line to give Evans and Williams room to run throughout the game will determine the Hokies' offensive fate against the Tide.

Obviously there is more to this game than just the battle of Render vs. Cody or the interior linemen vs. Cody, McClain and Hightowner. But their personal battle will be a key component of moving the ball and beating Alabama.

Big Games On the Schedule, Part 3, 11/7 @Alabama

Richard Pittman — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:34:15 -0000

Yes, his physique is often subjected to ridicule, but he's an outstanding football player.

While we've struggled to figure out if certain games really were big games or not, there's no doubting this one. Even if Bama wasn't the defending SEC West champs and a consensus pre-season top 10 team, we'd still have the Nick Saban sideshow, and it would still be a conference game on the road against a team that beat us at home last year. But they are the defending division champs. They are a pre-season top 10 team. They did beat us at home last year.

Alabama was not expected to be that great last year. If you want a nice laugh, read my brief overview of Alabama found here. Money quote: "The team went to a 3-man front to compensate for poor depth of talent, but it's still a problem there. Combine that with the problems at linebacker, having only one linebacker with starting experience returning, and this looks like a weak front 7 on defense." That's what you get trying to predict with incomplete information, which is, unfortunately, all we can do is July and August.

But let's go through just a few reasons why Alabama was able to do the unexpected last year:

1. A fortunate avoidance of injuries. Among starters, key reserves, and specialists, how many man-games did Bama lost to injury in 2008? I recall Andre Smith missing the Tulane game with an injury. Terrance Cody either missed a couple of games or was very limited for a couple of games. That's really it.

2. A freshman class that was able to immediately fill roster holes. What Bama was able to do with its true freshmen last year really is very unusual. To find 3 difference-makers among your freshman class is highly unusual. Bama found Julio Jones, Don'ta Hightower, and Terrence Cody, all of whom had All-SEC calibre years at positions that looked like huge weaknesses going into the season. Cody was a JUCO transfer and so not a freshman, but his play had to be a surprise to everyone, and was a big reason they had so much success. They also found Mark Ingram, who proved to be a very serviceable running back in the rotation. True freshmen usually play on special teams or in limited packages. If pressed into full-time service they are often hidden or given lots of support by veterans around them. Bama had a couple freshmen who became instant impact players as full-time starters. That is highly unusual.

3. A quarterback whose junior-to-senior maturation was not anticipated. John Parker Wilson was a pretty ordinary quarterback in his sophomore and junior seasons. Prone to mistakes and only adequately productive (yes, I know he set Bama records, but even when he set Bama records he was only mid-pack in the SEC; it's called evolution of the game, people). In his senior year, probably due in no small part to a change in the offensive coaching staff and a commitment to emphasizing the running game, the mistakes disappeared. Add in an All-SEC calibre freshman wide receiver to what was a pretty lackluster receiver corps and you get a more productive quarterback as well.

There are other reasons, but those are the big three reasons, in my opinion, of why Bama was able to have so much success last year, and why it wasn't anticipated.

The question is, what of this year? Bama did not lose a lot of players off of last year's roster, but they lost some key ones. Andre Smith declared for the NFL after his junior year, and we all saw what happened to the offensive line in his absence against Utah after he was declared ineligible for what we presume is contact with an agent. Center Antoine Caldwell joins him in the League. Rashad Johnson took his heady secondary play to the NFL. Running back Glenn Coffee is off to the NFL.

Much talent returns, including the entirety of a very talented linebacker corps and most of the defensive line rotation. They will have to figure out how to move the ball with a new quarterback, a completely revamped offensive line, and a new running back rotation in which Mark Ingram may have to be the headliner rather than the supporting player. They are high on Greg McElroy who they think will adequately replace John Parker Wilson and who may end up being an improvement over good old JPW, in time. Glen Coffee was a fine player, but I think he's replaceable. The keys are going to be rebuilding that offensive line and replacing Rashad Johnson, who really meant a tremendous amount to that team, and who was by far the best player in a secondary that was probably the biggest vulnerability on the team.

The other key will be avoiding injuries. Greg McElroy has looked good, but his backup right now is Star Jackson, who if the Spring Game is any indication, is not close to ready to contribute in the SEC. The depth still may be lacking, though it is certainly improving. Developing complementary wide receivers and a backup quarterback could end up being season-saving moves if they are accomplished.

The Bama defense should be very good in the front seven. I still think there are vulnerabilities in the secondary, as Utah and Florida (and other teams as well) showed at times last year. The offense will have to figure out how to move the ball without an Andre Smith opening up holes or protecting the QB.

Bama should be very good again this year, but I don't think this is a team that is a sure bet to still be in contention at the end of the season. Some teams are able to fill the holes with good players. Some teams can't. Some teams are fortunate enough to avoid injuries, but sometimes they can't do it two years in a row.

If LSU is as good as we hope we are, this could be an outstanding game again. If you recall, we gave Bama all they wanted last year, taking them to overtime in a game we really could have (perhaps should have) won despite erratic QB play. Once again, it will be a game where both teams are emotionally charged up and ready to go, as has been the case each of the last two years. Personally, of all the games on the schedule, this is the one I am most looking forward to, because it's taking place where I live and because it's a great and fun time due to the Saban story, and because these should be two fairly evenly matched teams.

Auburn Recruits In For Rude Awakening

Todd — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:51:52 -0000

In an attempt to nail down that elusive "swagga," the Auburn coaching staff is trying to bring in big mouthed running backs who are already calling out Nick Saban and Alabama before even getting on campus. In a video filmed during a recruiting visit, Seastrunk made sure the camera picked up this message:

"What's up, Nick Saban? Wait 'til we get here."

Alabama players responded quickly with the following message:

Dear Lache,
We can't.

Your friends,
Rolando and Dont'a

Saban himself doesn't have time for this &*%$

Jones and Hightower Named to Rivals.com Freshman All-America Team

Nico2.0 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:25:45 -0000

Julio Jones and Don'ta Hightower are the latest recipients of individual accolades that have been rolling in for the Tide since the regular season has ended. Both players were first team selections on Rivals.com Freshman All-America Team. Miami also had two first team selections and Oklahoma led the nation with three first team selections.

Here's what Rivals.com had to say about them:

Julio Jones:

The No. 2 prospect in the class of 2008 kept opposing defenses honest by catching 51 passes for 847 yards and four touchdowns. He caught five passes for 124 yards in the SEC Championship Game against Florida.

Don'ta Hightower

Hightower started all season on a vastly improved Alabama defense, recording 62 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Congrats to those guys on a job well done and for the well-deserved awards. Just another indicator that Coach Saban has top notch talent flowing into the program on both sides of the ball. It might not be this way every year, but I won't be surprised if it is.

Rivals.com Freshman All-America Team @ Rivals Video

And they're all in Alabama

Truzenzuzex — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:55:18 -0000

Alabama. Birthplace of Bocephus' unique sound, and inspiration of the lyric above. Heart of Dixie. Legacy of the Bear. Home of the Crimson Tide, and a football culture unsurpassed anywhere in America. Home of one of, and possibly the, greatest football program, tradition-wise, in America, and #2 ranked in all the land.

Kentucky. Home of Montgomery-Gentry. Border state. Legacy of the Baron. Home of the Kentucky Wildcats and the Big Blue Nation, a basketball culture unsurpassed anywhere in America. Home of a rising football program that once had the Bear prowling the sidelines.

Today, you can find them all in Alabama. Tuscaloosa, to be exact. Bryant-Denny Stadium, to be more precise, at 3:30 PM EDT. Both teams will be ready. Both teams have had some attrition. Both know what the stakes are for this game and both are ready to do battle on the gridiron.

There is no tradition between the two schools other than sharing Bear Bryant as coach. Alabama has dominated Kentucky in football, sporting an almost nonsensical 33-2-1 record against the 'Cats in a series that stretches back to World War I. No rivalry can develop from such a statistic, ever. However, a confluence of events including an Alabama slide in recent history and the gradual rise of Kentucky from the depths of Mummefication has conspired to produce a rising Tide under head coach Nick Saban, and a rising Wildcat program under Rich Brooks, meeting as undefeated contestants in a battle with national implications.

Of course, the Tide will be favored. They are the more talented team. They have more Rivals 4 and 5-star recruits on their team right now than Kentucky has had in the last ten years. They have the biggest and best offensive line in the SEC, a fantastic young receiver in Julio Jones, a proven quarterback in John Parker Wilson, and a solid defense that is ranked 15th in scoring defense in the nation and is proven against SEC and ACC competition.

Kentucky, on the other hand, has a completely rebuilt offense from the quarterback on up. Only Dicky Lyons Jr and the running backs are proven against SEC competition. But Kentucky does sport the #1 scoring defense in the nation, albeit against inferior competition. There is nothing exciting about Kentucky, nothing sexy, nothing special except for their defensive and special teams statistics, which are gaudy and impressive.

So with all that, let's take a quick look at how I think this game shakes out:

Offensive line

Many casual football fans do not understand how important the lines are in football, because what we see are backs running down the field and quarterbacks slinging touchdowns to athletic receivers, but all that begins with the line. If you have a poor line, you will have a poor football team.

Alabama has arguably the best offensive line in the entire nation. It will take an overwhelming effort by the UK defensive front to disadvantage them, and I'm not even sure that any amount of effort will be enough.

Advantage: Alabama

Defensive line

Kentucky's defensive line is proven in SEC competition, and has dominated lesser competition to an astonishing degree. Alabama's defensive line has not been quite as dominant except against the run, where they have been special. Terrance Cody, a JC transfer, is the root of this line, where his 6'5", 365# mass has disrupted the running game of every team they have played.

Kentucky has one of the best defensive lines in the nation, as does Alabama. They go about it differently, but both are equally effective. Corey Peters, Ventrell Jenkins, Jeremy Jarmon and Myron Pryor are proven, effective SEC linemen. The likely return of Ricky Lumpkin from injury just makes this D-line better.

Advantage: Even

Offensive skill positions

Alabama has solid but unspectacular skill positions except for one -- Julio Jones. The true freshman was ranked #1 by Rivals as a wide receiver coming out of high school, a true 5* game-changer that has lived up to his billing completely.

Kentucky has a 4-deep offensive backfield of proven players. Derrick Locke and Alfonso Smith are speed merchants who can gain yards in huge chunks. Tony Dixon and Moncell Allen are bruising runners who punish linebackers with their physicality. Alabama also has proven runners in Glen Coffee, Roy Upchurch and Terry Grant. Mark Ingram is a true freshman, a 4-star out of high school.

Advantage: Slight Alabama

Quarterbacks

John Parker Wilson is a senior quarterback who is proven in the crucible of the SEC. For the last two years, he has been the man in charge of Nick Saban's attack, and is coming into his own.

For Kentucky, Mike Hartline is a sophomore with very limited experience, except this year. The cerebral type, Hartline excels at game management and making smart decisions, and has been a proven leader in Kentucky's first 4 victories. He is not at all proven, though, and this will be his first start against an SEC foe.

Advantage: Strong Alabama

Linebackers

Kentucky has truly found a niche in the SEC at getting good linebackers, and developing them into game-changers. Unfortunately, the best UK linebacker, Micah Johnson, will likely see limited if any action against Alabama. But Braxton Kelley, Johnny Williams, Michael Schwindel and Sam Maxwell are an outstanding group that will fly all over the field on Saturday.

Alabama has a young but talented linebacking corps, and in their unusual 3-4 scheme, they are a bit more able to absorb their youth and inexperience. Leading the group are juniors Cory Reamer and Bandon Fanney, and the younger guys are Rolando McClain and Don'ta Hightower.

Advantage: Marginal Kentucky

Defensive backfield

Alabama has the outstanding Javier Arenas, an impressive speedster at one corner, and Kareem Jackson at the corners. Both are extremely fast and athletic, but both are small at 5-9 and 5-11 respectively, rendering them somewhat vulnerable to larger receivers. At the safeties, Justin Woodall is leading the Tide D-backs with 3 interceptions. Rashad Johnson is the second-leading tackler for the Elephants with 17 solo and 9 assists.

At corner, Kentucky has the all-SEC candidate Trevard Lindley on one side and David Jones on the other. Lindley is a proven cover-corner who is big enough to handle most receivers at 6'0", and co-leads the team in interceptions with 2. The other corner is David Jones a senior who is having a solid year in relief of the academically ineligible Paul Warford. At safeties are senior Marcus McClinton, co-leader in INT's with 2, and Matt Lentz, newly elevated to the position over Ashton Cobb.

Advantage: Even

Special teams

With the exception of field goal kicking, Kentucky has been excellent on special teams this year. Senior kicker/punter Tim Masthay has been a weapon, allowing only 11 kicks to be returned all year. The combination of Ryan Tydlacka and Masthay have allowed only 3 punt returns all year, and pinned the opposition inside their own 20 many times (I can't find this stat anywhere). Kentucky is #1 in the nation in kickoff returns and #48 in punt returns.

Alabama special teams are less special. Despite the obviously dangerous Javier Arenas returning kicks and punts, he is only 93rd and 29th respectively in kickoff and punt returns. at #111 in net punting vs. UK's 62nd, Alabama hasn't exactly impressed in that statistic either. Leigh Tiffin has been solid but unspectacular as a field goal kicker.

Advantage: Strong Kentucky

Intangibles

This game is being played at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Alabama where 92,000+ fans once turned out for spring practice. Nothing further need be said.

Advantage: Strong Alabama

In the final analysis, this game is going to come down to the lines. If Alabama's more talented line dominates the 'Cats on defense, Alabama will have to give up big plays in order to lose the game. If this is a war of attrition, Kentucky will have a slight advantage because of their marginally stronger defense. In a shootout, Alabama has a big advantage because of their more experienced quarterback and better wide receivers.

In the end, it will be an upset if Kentucky wins, make no mistake. Kentucky is capable, but if Alabama executes solidly, it is unlikely that the 'Cats can pull the upset. But I think Alabama is more overconfident than is being portrayed in the media, and I think that overconfidence will manifest itself negatively. The Tide can point to a number of good reasons why they should win this game, not the least of which is the fact that UK has never won at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Be sure to visit Roll 'Bama Roll as well for updates as the game progresses

My pick: Kentucky, 21-20 in an upset.