The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Alabama
September 16, 2007 at 9:27pm by TipsterHog
Filed under Arkansas Razorbacks, Football
Some random thoughts after watching the Alabama game.Â
The Good
- After a tough loss, it’s always a lot harder to think of the good things. But like many, I was very proud of how hard this team fought to get back into the game and, ultimately, be seconds away from pulling out a win.
Unfortunately, it was a quarter and a half into the game before I thought we started doing anything good. Down 21-0 and facing a crucial third down and 1, David Lee took a big playcalling risk and got a big reward with a 40 yard touchdown pass to Crosby Tuck. The gutsy and surprising call by Lee was perfectly timed. And it helped, too, that Tuck’s ’stop and go’ route was fantastic.- While we still have some issues on special teams (see the ‘Ugly’ section), the punter and placekickers aren’t currently one of them. Alex Tejada was ‘money’ on extra points and a 22 yard field goal, while Brian Vavra executed several ’sky kick’ kickoffs nicely to limit Alabama’s return game. Jeremy Davis was even more impressive, with seven punts averaging 44.7 yards.
The Bad
There wasn’t anything more ‘bad’ than choosing to throw on third down and 12 with 2:31 left in the game. Giving Alabama a timeout they didn’t have with our incompletion (nearly a disasterous interception) certainly helped make their comeback possible. As for the reasoning, Houston Nutt was quoted by an Alabama newspaper on Sunday (but, interestingly, not an Arkansas one) as saying:
“Well, they had 10 guys up there,” Nutt said. “I thought maybe we could get outside of them and have a one on one. If we get a first down the game was over. We told Casey to run the ball if the receiver was covered. I wish he would have just ran it. We could’ve gotten maybe 10 more seconds out of the deal.”
In other words: ‘Don’t blame me. It’s not my fault. Go ask Casey why he messed up.’
Nice. Comments like that make one long for the days when Danny Ford would say something after a game like, ‘Yeah…we need to coach ole’ number 62 on how to block better.’ Sure…he might not know the player’s name, but at least he would take some responsibility for what the guy did on the field.
The Ugly
- Turnovers and miscues continue to be a problem. Two fumbles lost and an interception near your goal line aren’t going to help win any road games. Unlike the Troy game, however, we didn’t have any ball exchange problems in the ‘Racehorse’ formation. Not that I remember us actually running any ‘Racehorse’ plays.
- For the second game in a row, a bad snap from our scholarship deep snapper was a problem. Last game it was ‘just’ a missed extra point. This time it nearly caused a blocked punt and did cause a low line drive punt that was returned 58 yards to setup an easy Alabama score.
- Finally, Ernest Mitchell is going to have to work hard to earn back the respect of fans and teammates after his ejection from Saturday night’s game. Picking up an Alabama offensive lineman’s helmet and hitting his unprotected head with it? What the heck was he thinking?
I don’t have a problem with the play calling as much as a few oyher people do, but the recievers dropping balls after a big catch, or just missing the catch, when it’s right in thier hands, has got to be corrected. DBs have got to know where the ball is, instead of looking at the recievers belly-botton. Inexsperience probably has a lot to do with it, but it still needs to be corrected. These guys are going to have to grow up quik! If those things are corrected, I don’t believe the special teams mishaps will be nearly as noticeable. I am hoping we see improvement in all of those areas come Saturday. GO HOGS!!! BEAT KENTUCKY!!!!!
I’m sick to my stomach from the loss and the ton of what-if’s that could’ve been to make this a happy Monday. But, I have to say, it was good to see us fight back. If we didn’t have the effort that they showed in the second half, we’d be busily debating when we should get rid of Nutt (not that there’s talk all the time regardless). They didn’t give up on us and I won’t give up on them….LETS WHOOP KY!!!
The Hogs fought back valiently and I am proud of their effort. I would hope they learn from the mistakes and take it to the wildcats and all other
opponents for all 4 quarters the rest of the season.
Everyone knew with our schedule that THIS was THE GAME to set the table for the rest of the season. How do we not come out high as a kite? Why was our team not ready to play at the opening kick-off?
Dale never starts coaching until the 3rd or 4th game anyway but this team looked pretty mediocre. We made big mistakes in every area. We have alot of talent but we do not look very well coached. The whole attitude coming out of fall camp did not sound positive and it is being reflected on the field.
I know now why Dale loses his second SEC game every year. For all of his Mr. Positive talk after a loss he is a pretty big whiner. He needs to set a better example and go to the coach speak.
“We didn’t execute, we didn’t play hard for 60 minutes and that is when you lose. It’s that simple. All the what ifs are for the fans and the media not the coaches and players.”
No one wants to discuss the soap opera but, the fact is that we have not had QBs and recievers in this program for years but for some reason on critical downs Houston calls a pass.
I have said for the last two weeks that you will see how this team is going to do when you see their focus. Well, it is poor. The soap opera has taken its toll. Even if they lose to KY they still have 5 weeks to get to 6-2 for SCar and see if they can finish strong. But, if our defense does not improve quickly we are in for a very long season.
There is plenty of season left. We need another 10-0 run.
I agree with Tipster, the play call on 3rd down was just plain STUPID. Now if you listen to the media Casey Dick passed for three touchdowns so you don’t really need improvement there. I don’t agree. When he missed, he missed badly. If we had had any kind of passing game, one that would have garnered respect from Alabama we would have probably had Darren McFadden in the 4th quarter. Instead we have to ride his back each time we don’t complete a pass. You take him out of the game and it isn’t even close. Now I know that we do have him but if that is not the definition of one dimensional then what is. I don’t see any change in this team since David Lee has arrived. Now I know that tipster is saying that Lee is calling the plays but I will never believe that. Especially when I see Dale signaling in the plays and Markuson meeting with the receivers and the team during timeouts. Same ole same ole.
Under no circumstances do you call a pass play on third down when the clock is the most important factor in the game. Although it would be ridicuous, I would have rather had Dick take a knee 3 times than throw the ball on any play during that possession. It is an inexcusable mistake and the coach needs to roast for it. Every game is the same with this guy. We are always unprepared/focused and definitely not disciplined. I’m tired of Houston and can’t wait until we get someone with substance between the ears. The FG by Alabama was unwise and if anyone else (including pee wee league coaches) was on the other side of the field they would have paid for it.
HOUSTON IS A TOTAL IDIOT!
HOUSTON IS GUTLESS FOR THROWING DICK UNDER THE BUS!
I want to know one thing. When are we going to dump that third down and 8, dump it off in the flats, behind the line of scrimage play when the game is on the line. It has never worked and has been the last play used in out last major losses. We used it against LSU and lost. We used it again Wisconson and lost. And now we used it against Alabama and LOST. What person in their right mind would call a play with 8 to 10 yards to go and call a dump play. It might work if we used it every once in a GREAT while, but what are we thinking. I would like to know who is calling the plays so I can personally jack slap some sense in his head. We call that play ALL NIGHT LONG. It didn’t work period. It was almost as if they knew we were going to run it. I knew we were going to run it. Houston is and idiot. And yes it is his fault because he allows this stupid play to remain in the play book.
The loss is definitly on the RH defense. There is no reason to wait until your down 21-0 before you finally switch your defense I mean talk about stubborn and how many times does Jerrel Norton have to get beat before you get him some help over there it was clear from the first snap there was no way he could keep up with Hall. The offense did a little more than expected but our recievers might was well be corners with the way they played with the exception of Tuck. Crawford who seem to be the spokes person for the recievers after Munk went down needs to do less interviews and more catches. The last possesion was really bad playing calling by HDN I understand Dmac sitting becasue of the concussion but you have to have Felix in ever play after that. The pass on 3rd and long is also a coaching mistake especially at this point in the game you can’t try to full them with the same playaction pass you did earlier just run down the clock and punt it. If our DB don’t get better in a hurry we can expect dissappointment next week as well.
450 yards total offense and 38 points against a team coached by the world’s greatest defensive genius who gets paid $4 million a year because he is a ceritified genius. Say what you will naysayers, but the offense was stunningly good all things considered. The defense was also stunning. As a certified Hog fan I also have to question a couple of the calls on ‘Bama’s last drive, but is whining even to mention it.
It’s really pretty simple to sum up. If the Hogs don’t get the penalties at the end, it is a pretty good bet we win, but we got them and lost. If we lose, Houston is an idiot for calling the pass play, which stopped the clock. If we win, Saban looks like an idiot for kicking the FG. This one could have went either way, just face it. People can say we weren’t ready to play, or whatever, but Bama got 28 straight dumped on them between the middle of the 3rd qr., to the middle of the 4th, against an improved Bama defense, coached by a defensive guru genious, on thier own field, silencing 92,000 plus. Does that sound like they weren’t prepared? Give Bama credit. They played a great 1st qr. Sure, we could have played better, but we still came back, and should have won the game. And by the way, it is totally redicules that the Hogs got dropped out of the top 25, for losing to a good team, on thier field. This means we had to drop at least 10 spots!! Totally redicules!! We have the best backfied in the country, and that is all the respect we get? I feel sorry for Kentucky this weekend. Well, not that sorry. GO HOGS GO BABY!!!!! BEAT KENTUCKY!!!!!
Its a tough loss to swallow. Suck it up and move on! Go Hogs. The season is young and I believe that we are pretty damn good!
Speaking of being pretty damn good. Has anyone noticed that Bama is now ranked #16? What gives? When you are not ranked, and jump from out of the polls, clean up to 16, that usually means you beat a pretty damn good team doesn’t it? Totally redicules!!!
Boy am I going against the grain here. .First of all, I don’t disagree with HDN’s last call, just the way it was executed. Dick should have been told emphatically that if no one was obviously open, then eat it. What transpired between coach and QB we might not ever know. Some of you tend to forget that in order to eat clock you’ve still got to maintain possession. With McFadden out of the game a running play is not going to keep the ball.get it done. For those of you who remember this same call in previous games, I should point out that Arkansas was behind at those times and had no other choice but to pass (now where to pass to is another thing)..That the defenses knew what play would be called is just now becoming obvious to many of the rest of you? One of these days Nutt is going call for a slant pass to the tight end in such a situation which will cause Hogs fans to be stunned into shocked silence (I know I was in the opening drive in Atlanata) and opposing coaches to be hollering “No fair”. I am also disagreeing with those here who say that Saban’s call for a field goal was wrong. That it worked showed he was right. If Tiffen had missed then Arkanas would have gotten the ball inside the 30 and the result would have been the same with Bama having good field position after the punt and then playing for the tie. Remember, Arenas is a dangerous return specialist. Getting three points almost assured that Nutt would go into automatic control mode and would be predictable. My mother used to say that if ifs and ands were pots and pans then we’d all be tinkermans. All of you smart guys are second guessing a coach who has won both a National and an SEC championship who is making millions of bucks, and who is responsible for having recruited the studs on the LSU teams that have been outstandng in Les Miles’ tenure in Tigerland. Saban called it, Nutt blew it (in part, thanks to the Zebras) and hopefully the team is looking for redemption at home with the Wildcats. I think they’ll get it. If not, Nutt will be fired on the spot and Reggie Herring will take over (no, no, no, no, I’m just kidding – bad joke).
Perspective: this was Alabama and not The Citadel or SMU or………Appalachian State (although they are a lot better team than most realize).
Oh sure, everyone knew we could lose to Alabama. Everyone was pretty worried about it.
Perspective: Dale’s teams used to play with passion and focus. As time has passed they begin to look more and more like a Danny Ford team again.
Blind, funny you should make the Danny Ford comparison as I have noticed that HDN is actually starting to look like him. Never hurts to lose some weight when you are a coach and not an athlete anymore—–but, when you’ve got Rocker beside you it is easy to look skinny! Hey, I hear that Fulmer is trying to hire Tracy.
You can say what you want about Saban. The FG decision had nothing to do with great coaching, or knowing what the other coach was going to do. In that situation, knowing you don’t have an answer for D-Mac, he simply had no other choice but to not take points off the board, and hope for a turn-over. 1 first down by an unstoppable D-Mac, and this game is over. Nutt had Saban right were he wanted him, before D-Mac’s concussion. If Saban is so great, why were they even in that position to begin with? 28 staight points? Reality says Saban, with his so-called great coaching ability, could not stop the Hogs offense, until he recieved a gimme. Oh, I get it, after 4 straight TD’s, he was finally going to figure out how to stop him, right? There’s alot of people out there that simlpy think a national tital, and a $4,000,000 contract = instant credibility, while refusing to see what was right in front of them. They are simlpy on the Saban band wagon, because it ’s what everybody else is doing. If Saban is so good, he doesn’t amost lose (should have lost) this one, after having it sowed up 31-10 in the middle of the 3rd qr., only to have a sub-par coach out coach him from that point till the last 4:25 of the game. If he is great, and Nutt is so lousy, then that doesn’t happen in Tuscalousa. If you really want to talk reality, I wonder if Alabama’s athletic dept. realizes just how stupid they really look by paying a coach $4,000,000 a year, to coach a football team. That type of coach doesn’t exist, except in fairy tale land.
Oh yea, almost forgot. Didn’t someone mention another guy that won a national tital? Some guy named Danny that used to coach the Hogs?