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Alabama Weekly
--BYU Preview--
August 16th, 1998 -- Issue #7 --
Volume #1
AW Web Site: http://TideFans.com
Alabama vs BYU on ESPN @ 6:00
After some major problems, we are back and just in time!!! I would like
to thank Brett Young and Kristi for their help getting us back, quickly.
Welcome to Alabama Weekly, a
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BYU Preview
written by: Jess Nicholas
As the 1998 season comes upon us, the usual laser-like focus on the Tide
program becomes stronger and even more directed. How good (or bad) will
this team be? Does it measure up to the rest of the SEC? Does it measure
up to Division I football in general? After a season of angst during
which the Tide slid hard and fast towards football Pompei, the Tide fans
are looking to unleash a maelstorm of pent-up emotion on Brigham Young's
cougars this Saturday. So how do the teams match up?
OFFENSE
Whereas LaVell Edwards is as constant as a leaky faucet (and just as
pesky), Mike DuBose is looking to make wholesale changes in an attack
that could best have been described as deplorable in 1997. Out is the
ground-based I-formation offense that has been the staple of Tide
success
since 1990; in is what might be a carbon copy of the spread offense that
Edwards practically invented.
QUARTERBACK
Whereas Alabama is banking on one of three inexperienced rookies, BYU
will have returning starter Kevin Fenerik back as a starter. Fenerik,
who
has a similar build as Louisiana Tech's Tim Rattay, threw for 1,767
yards
in 1997 with a completion percentage of 60.1%. He threw 11 touchdowns
and
was intercepted 5 times. Save for the completion percentage, these
numbers are absurdly low for a Cougar QB, and are in fact just slightly
better than Alabama's Freddie Kitchens. However, it is a good bet that
the Cougars will make a return to their high-flying and far-flinging
offense of the past, and Fenerik is a good athlete. Alabama counters
with
John David Phillips, a fifth-year senior starting his first game.
Phillips is a far better athlete than Fenerik, but Fenerik holds the
greater amount of experience. Either Andrew Zow or Tyler Watts figures
to
get some playing time along with Phillips. Advantage: BYU
RUNNING BACKS
This one is hard to figure. Statistically, the Cougar returning with the
most yards rushing in 1997 is Aaron Cupp, a little used senior. However,
the Cougars also have Ronnie Jenkins, the 1996 WAC Freshman of the Year
who sat out 1997 with an injury. Jenkins is scary fast with good moves
and reminds one of Kevin Faulk. Fullback Kilani Sitake is Jerome Bettis
in a blue uni and Jaron Dabney is a speedster who was the 1997 version
of
the conference's best freshman. Meanwhile, at Alabama, Shaun Alexander
will be the featured back whose credentials rival Jenkins'. Fullback
Dustin McClintock, should he don a hockey mask and carry an axe, would
be
a dead ringer for Jason Voorhees. Scatback Arvin Richard should get work
as a third-down back. Advantage: Alabama
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
For the first time in recent memory, BYU doesn't have a returning cast
of
all-stars at wideout. What they do have is a lot of athleticism and the
system to exploit that talent. Margin Hooks, Aaron Roderick and Jonathan
Pittman will get the bulk of the work, with Pittman, a JUCO
All-American,
being the biggest threat. Tevita Ofahengaue (bless you) is the tight
end,
and although he is inexperienced, he has the goods. Alabama counters
with
what may eventually be the best WR corps in the Southeastern Conference,
which is saying something. Michael Vaughn is healthy again, and he will
be joined by Calvin Hall, Quincy Jackson, speedster Jason McAddley, and
freshmen Freddie Milons and Eric Locke, each of whom are as dangerous as
rattlesnakes at a tax audit. Tight end is a question mark for the Tide,
with freshman Terry Jones,Jr. and senior Rhett Crutchfield vying for
playing time. Advantage: Alabama
OFFENSIVE LINE
Each school finds itself replacing three starters, and each school plans
to employ a high-energy passing attack, so this could get ugly quick.
The
best player on either squad is BYU's All-American candidate John Tait, a
6-7 290-lb junior. In addition, guard John Skiba and tackle Joe Hau'Oli
Wong are good players with a chance to be stars. Center Jimmy Richard is
huge for the position (305-lb), but depth is a question. Alabama boasts
left tackle Chris Samuels, a candidate for All-SEC, along with Griff
Redmill and Paul Hogan, who both are good talents. However, Alabama has
been unable to settle on a right tackle, and it looks as if guard Will
Cuthbert will have to play out of position. Depth is talented, but has
been inconsistent. Advandtage: BYU
DEFENSE
While both teams return talented players, Alabama has the better depth
and should have a greater overall level of talent. Problems in BYU's
secondary won't help their cause any, and just as BYU has been running
the spread offense for a milenium, Alabama has been playing a pressure
defense since Xen C. Scott was a boy.
DEFENSIVE LINE
While BYU returns four starters, Alabama has better strength and
mobility
and is deeper. BYU will be fronted by Ed Kehl, Daren Yancey, Issiah
Magalei, and Byron Frisch, who is an All-America candidate. Alabama
counters with JUCO standout Cornelius Griffin and sophomore star Kenny
Smith along with the surprising Kelvis White, Carlos Stennis, and Jamie
Carter. While in looks closer on paper, the game itself is another
matter
and Alabama simply has the better talent. Advantage: Alabama
LINEBACKERS
BYU has a solid one-two punch in Rob Morris and Brad Martin, each of
whom
should draw all-conference consideration. Morris had 110 tackles in
1997,
and Martin is built like a fireplug (6-1, 240) and plays with intensity.
Alabama has the best single player, Travis Carroll, but he has been
slowed by a practice injury and will play little if at all. Again, depth
is on Alabama's side, with steady Trevis Smith and JUCO sensation Canary
Knight providing help for Carroll in the middle. BYU's starters are more
solid, though. Advantage: BYU
DEFENSIVE BACKS
This is the one area in which one team is decidedly better than the
other. While the backfield will be one of the Tide's greatest strengths,
it is the Cougars' greatest weakness. Jason Walker returns at free
safety, but he will be flanked by three newcomers, including JUCO
cornerback transfers Hashi Robertson and Brian Gray. Alabama boasts
Fernando Bryant, who should be ready to go after suffering a mild knee
injury in practice, along with the underrated Kelvin Sigler and athlete
non-pareil Tony Dixon. In addition, Alabama can field 12 defensive backs
and not lose much from one platoon to the next. Advantage: Alabama
SPECIAL TEAMS
Pick 'em. Alabama has the better punter, BYU the better placekicker.
Cougar kicker Owen Pochman was 9-15 in field goals last year and 29-30
in
extra points. Alabama still hasn't settled on a kicker and either way
they go they will be no better than about 50% on field goal tries. Bama
punter Daniel Pope may be the best in his league, while the cougars will
rely on senior J.D. Hartsfield. Alabama would have won this category,
but
Bryant will no longer be returning kicks making the status of the return
team cloudy. Advantage: BYU
OVERALL
Alabama has an advantage in four categories, and so does BYU. Coaching?
BYU has the better head coach, Alabama the better assistants.
Intangibles? Alabama desparately wants to return to the top, but so do
the proud Cougars. And of course, we no longer have ties in the NCAA, so
that option does not exist.
What it may all boil down to is this: (1) Home field advantage and (2)
the discrepancy in the defensive backfields. All other areas are near
"pick-'em" status, including quarterback, where Fenerik has
yet to really
assert himself. That being said, considering all factors, it is this
author's humble opinion that Alabama should come out on top in a close,
relatively low-scoring game.
Alabama Crimson Tide 20
Brigham Young Cougars 13
--Jess Nicholas
Alabama Weekly Columnist
GREAT PREVIEW JESS!!!
It will be a good day
written by: Jess Nicholas
I know this because Alabama will be playing football. Every day that
Alabama plays football is a good day, at least at the start. Although it
is Monday, almost a full week before kickoff, I can visualize the day
and
what I will do on that day. It will be the same as it has been for the
last twenty years of my life.
It all started in 1978 when I was five years old. My parents took me to
my first home football game, against LSU in Birmingham. I still remember
the exchange between my mother and myself, and the reason I chose to go
with them:
Mother: "Would you like to go to the Alabama game with us this
weekend?"
Me: "Can I stand up and walk around?"
Mother: "Yes."
Me: "Am I allowed to talk? (I was in kindergarten at the
time)"
Mother: "Of Course."
Me: "Sure!"
The game went well, but I never knew it. I spent the entire afternoon
watching the digital message area on the Legion Field scoreboard. Still,
it was a good day.
September 5th will be a good day as well. My pregame routine will be the
same as it has been since I moved to Tuscaloosa in 1991. Although I now
live elsewhere, I will conduct myself in accordance with my usual
pregame
ritual. At dawn I will rise and drive to my old apartment building on
Paul Bryant Drive. I will walk to the front lawn and see the grass,
turned silver by morning dew. There will be a haze about and the sun
will
fight with the mist and the treeline to make itself visible. Even in the
warmest weather, Tuscaloosa is still cool and airy around dawn. I will
look at the backside of Bryant-Denny stadium and remember the six years
I
spent in its shadow during some of the best times in the University's
history.
After consuming a spot of coffee, I will walk down Bryant Drive, past
the
souveneir salesmen who peddle their wares from card tables and the tops
of stacked boxes, past the cemetary where the "friends of
Strick" will
have placed flowers at his grave for the upteenth year in a row. Those
who have walked past the south endzone know what I'm referring to; one
can't miss it. On past the stadium I go, turning left on sorority row,
walking towards the quad. It will be a good day.
I'll walk past Reese Phifer Hall and cut across to the quad opposite
Graves Hall. Three buildings down is Morgan Hall, where my first class
(English 101, Ms. Anderson) met way back when I could still punt a
football and could still see my shoelaces without having to suck in my
gut. I'll walk down past Denny Chimes and cut back across University
Boulevard in front of the President's mansion, next to Rose
Administration, where I spent many days that were decidedly not good.
Paying student fees and correcting schedule inaccuracies is a gauntlet
through which each student must run. But that was the past, and today
will be a good day.
I'll walk as far as the Baptist Student Center on University Boulevard,
which is the part of campus we affectionately referred to as the
"God
Quad" way back when. The religious organizations will soon start
parking
cars in their parking lots for donations to charity. Kickoff is still
many ours away, but the diehards are now arriving and looking for a
place
to settle their cars bedecked in crimson regalia. I will now begin my
walk back to my car, satisifed that the campus is just as she should be
and that she will be ready to receive the thousands who visit hoping for
fellowship--and of course, victory.
I'll go back to the hotel where my parents are staying. My father,
nearing retirement, will start spinning stories of when he was in school
during the Whitworth era. We'll relive the story about Coach Bryant's
first game--against LSU in Mobile, when the endzone seats, then
temporary
bleachers, collapsed in Ladd Stadium. We'll talk about the 1993 New
Year's Day game against Miami, and as we talk, I'll think of how life
would have been different had Dad accepted the job as Alabama's team
doctor back in the late fifties. He turned it down, deciding instead to
continue working in his small family practice. I often wonder what it
would have been like to grow up in Tuscaloosa during Bryant's heyday,
being around the players. I'll have to settle for my memory of my one
meeting with Bryant. I was six years old, at Keith Pugh's senior
banquet,
and Coach Bryant shook my hand and said, "How are you there,
cowboy?" I
don't think I was able to speak for a week.
I will escort my parents to the game. There, in Bryant-Denny stadium--a
Saint Peter's among the cathedrals of college football--we will watch
once more as a family. We will encounter the ghosts of the past, the
acts of
the present, the dreams of the future. We will cheer hard and loud,
myself in a black golf shirt and slacks, my father in the dress of his
era--crimson coat and tie and leather-sole shoes. My mother be there as
well, and after the game, as I escort them slowly down the upper deck
ramps, we will file this day among the many good days we have spent
together in the house of Bryant, Thomas, Wade, Scott, Drew, Denny,
Stallings, and all the others who have made the University of Alabama
the
greatest place I have ever known.
It will be a good day.
--Jess Nicholas
Alabama Weekly Columnist
Editor's note: If those two articles written by Jess doesn't get you
ready for football season nothing will! Great job Jess. I'm ready to
kick-it off now!!
News and Notes From JP
written by JP
Game Week Alabama players have already been introduced to both
run situation and pass situation aspects for the BYU game. This week
Bama will concentrate on preparation for BYU.
Bryant Status Fernando Bryant will be able to play cornerback
Saturday, but will not be able to return as many punts/kickoffs as
expected.
Smith Missed Practiced Kenny Smith with a minor injury sat out
practice today but is expected to be back tomorrow and ready to go
Saturday night.
Alexander must Touch the Ball Coach DuBose said that they look
for Shaun Alexander to touch the ball 25-30 times a game.
BYU Preview Newsletter Tuesday marks the first Game Preview
newsletter of the season. Trust me you will not want to miss this!!!
Captains Selected Quarterback John David Phillips and wide
receiver
Calvin Hall will be the captains of the offense, also linebacker Trevis
Smith and safety Kelvin Sigler will be the defensive captains, punter
Daniel Pope is the captain of special teams.
Freshmen will play this Season As many as a dozen true freshmen
could play Saturday against BYU.
Carroll still Out Middle Linebacker and arguably the best player
on defense for Alabama is still out and is expected to miss practice
again this week with that deep shoulder bruise. Coach DuBose and
his staff hope the Travis will me ready for the opener against BYU
but aren't sure as of now. We will keep a close watch on this
situation and bring you more news as it becomes available
Fernando Bryant Injured Bryant twisted his knee while returning a
kickoff. Coach DuBose said he didn't appear serious and he should only
miss a few days of practice and be ready against BYU.
Great Practice! DuBose called Saturday's short scrimmage and
practice "This was the best practice so far on both sides,
especially on
the offensive side,"
Watts Impresses Tyler Watts has had a great week of practice
and is becoming more comfortable with the system and is making
good decisions. Coach DuBose said Watts was closing the gap
between himself and the No. 2 quarterback, redshirt freshman
Andrew Zow. The coach said Watts seemed to be getting more
comfortable, especially in the huddle.
Sam Matthews Moves Last week Sam Matthews moved from the
defensive line to the offensive. This move was made by Sam and I have
heard that he will make an outstanding offensive lineman once he learns
the position.
New Sod After DuBose made it known that he was not happy with the
field conditions Bob Bockrath and staff, quickly got the middle of the
field fixed.
--JP
Alabama Weekly Editor
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