Well, we just got our ass kicked. The fat lady is clearing her throat. With our running backs, I will never understand why we dont run the ball 2 to 1 over passing.
OU just came ready to play and played like their hair was on fire. I really thought after Henry scored on that run you guys would win. OU tired and out of bullets. But for tonight at least Stoops was once again Big Game Bob!
Bama is still the gold standard for a college football program, KP. You will be back next year with another elite team.
So far all the major bowls have been really good this year.....Next up on the Clock...Buckeyes and Tigers. Give us another great game!!!
That is the worst game I've seen the Tide play since they were beaten by ULM (or whoever it was). The kid at QB is all right and getting better. That offense is just not that good at all. It was absolutely shocking watching the Bama defense play like that. I understand they are young, but those weren't young guys making all the mistakes. At the same time, hats off to Big Game Bob. In this day and age of media hype over substance, he called his shot and backed it up.. be it by luck, or whatever. It doesn't matter, it's in the books now.
WTF was that? I went to bed at the start of the 4th... but assume it was more of the same. Just goes to show how crazy college football can be. I've watched OU several times during the year, and have never seem a glimmer of the team that showed up last night. AND... knowing how Saban is... why is TJ Yeldon still carrying the ball?? They need to change his name to TJ Fumble...
Well according to the announcers that was only Yeldon's 3rd fumble of the year and it was knocked out of his hands by his own player. Still that Henry kid looked like a bigger faster version of Jim Brown in his prime. Lord that kid is going to be great. Pretty darn good year for the Tide, they lost a ton of great players including what 3 or 4 NFL draft choices along the OL. Who is going to be the QB at Alabama next year kp?
That is.... college football. So unpredictable and results sometimes are significantly affected by which team has the motivation to win. Not saying that Bama didn't play motivated.... but as Corey says they didn't have the same look and feel as they did during the season. ... and neither did Oklahoma.
On one hand, it's somewhat satisfying to know that, aside from two early turnovers which led to TDs, ND played Oklahoma even and beat MSU for their only loss. Depending on how you interpret those two games, it means that despite our disappointment with a 9-4 record, we have returned to the ranks of the "big boys" of college football. On the other hand, the MSU and Oklahoma teams we've seen in the bowl games are not the same teams we faced during the regular season. They improved immensely from beginning to end, while we didn't. It tells me we have a long way to go to get to the top of the heap.
:!: :shock: :shock: :shock: My revelations from this game: 1. Trevor Knight, QB Oklahoma 2. Derrick Henry, TB Alabama Where have those two been all year?
I've seen him fumble three times this year, before the Sugar Bowl, so I know he had more than the announcers stated. According to Team Rankings both he and Drake had four fumbles coming into the game. On the SEC blog before the Bama/Chattanooga game they made reference to his fumblitis as well:
Obviously Ok. developed more confidence as the year wore on and MSU developed an offense to go with that very stingy, nasty defense. Cudos to both coaching staffs!!
Improving as the year goes on, that's so critical. How many games did Charlie Weis win in late Oct/Nov, not many. Naturally we'd all prefer to start strong and finish strong, but if I had to choose it'd be improvement and finish well. That always bodes well for next year.
One of the biggest improvements I saw this year was Connor Cook of MSU. He was awful in Sept. By the Rose Bowl he was poised, polished and deadly.
Welp, I told y'all. 2 losses. Sometimes I really question our playcalling. I know McCarron threw for a ton last night but we have 3 or 4 running backs that are outstanding. I think the best balance for Alabama is 2 running plays for every pass. Burns the clock, rests the defense and wears down the other defense. 3 things can happen on a pass play...and 2 of them are bad. Also our defense relied on the other team making mistakes all year. Our pass rush is so-so and our DB's are vulnerable. Oh well, the future is bright, although I don't think we have seen our next qb play yet. I don't think it will be Sims. :?