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Alabama Preview
written by John Hinds
Boston—Traditional college football powers like Notre Dame, Miami,
Southern Cal and Texas all suffered through nightmares in 1997.
Then there was the season from hell for Alabama fans.
Who could have ever imagined a Tide team not winning a single home game.
Losses to Louisiana Tech, Kentucky, Arkansas unheard of. Then there was
the nightmare to beat them all in the closing minutes of the Auburn
game.
Well, Southern Cal proved in
the second half of the Purdue game that this is indeed a new season.
Alabama fans should have been bouyed by the offseason as first we saw
changes in the coaching staff. What a steal getting Ronnie Cottrell from
Florida State and praise the Lord saying goodbye (hopefully for the
final time to Bruce Arians).
Then there was the recruiting
class and a top five finish in that category with players like Tyler
Watts, Freddie Milons, Kindal Moorehead, Reggie Myles, Darius Gilbert,
Terry Jones, Canary Knight, Eric Locke, Kenric Lott and Miguel Merritt
all saying yes to Alabama. Finally in the offseason the naming of Neil
Callaway as offensive coordinator and Charlie Stubbs as quarterbacks
coach.
With those pieces of the
puzzle in place Tide faithful knew we were back in business.
The shocking news came when not a single Associated Press voter gave
Alabama even a single vote and some preseason prognosticators said
forget first place in the SEC West last place would be where the Tide
would finish
Never has it been known in
the annals of The University of Alabama did a single man or woman back
down from a challenge. Now it’s Mike Dubose turn to take the mantle
into his hands.
Traditonally the Tide rises or falls on defense and that is just where
the 1998 team will be at it’s strongest. Sure Chris Hood and Steve
Harris departures put a crimp in the game plan and many people thought
back to Michael Myers.
But with seven starters back
and talent to back that up watch the defense carry this team just like
in 1992. The defensive front looks impressive with Jamie Carter and
Canary Knight at the ends and Kelvis White and Cornelius Griffin at
tackle. But the heart and soul of this unit lies in linebackers like
Travis Carroll and defensive backs like Fernando Bryant.
Look for the defense to pitch
a couple of shutouts along the way this season.
Offensively Alabama looks
like a team in trouble or at least one that could struggle.
But with Shaun Alexander and
Michael Vaughn to look to this unit will find its way into the endzone
more often than many people think.
Certainly there are question
marks in the offensive line and at quarterback but Paul Hogan will
anchor “Hogan’s Heros” and they will be a solid group by no later
than the midpoint of the season.
John David Phillips is known
more for his dump off passes than his deep bombs but he reminds one of
past Tide quarterbacks like David Smith and Jay Barker. You don’t have
to make spectacular plays just don’t make mistakes.
Daniel Pope is a solid punter
and once the placekicking spot is nailed down the special teams will be
ready to contribute.
Which brings us to the
schedule. A tough opening opponent looms in Brigham Young. This is a
crucial game in the season for a lot of reasons not the least of which
is confidence.
Bama will roll through
Vanderbilt and Arkansas and go into the Florida game unbeaten and yes
ranked in the Top 25.
Two things could happen
against the Gators, a blowout or a close game. We think that Bama’s
defense will keep it close but the team will suffer their first loss.
After a win in the homecoming
game against Ole Miss and their fifth win of the season against East
Carolina the Tide travels to Knoxville. Well sports fans Bama is 4-1 in
their last five trips to the Smokies with the lone loss by seven points.
We like Alabama in a shootout in the fourth quarter and predict that you
will see Tyler Watts come off the bench to pull it out. Peyton who?
Southern Miss will be a
struggle at home but put this one into the win column.
Next up a meeting with the
cajuns in Baton Rouge. Alabama isn’t strong enough for a team that
will win the SEC West.
A second straight road game
this time against Mississippi State finds Tyler once again engineering
his magic as Bama avenges losses in the last two years.
Back to Birmingham with a
grudge match against the hated Auburn Tigers. Alabama hasn’t lost to
Auburn in Legion Field in the last 10 years and they won’t this time.
Sporting a 9-2 record its
back to a bowl game as 1997 is a distant memory and a new legend emerges
in the South one mister Tyler Watts.
There you have it Tide fans
from all the way up in Beantown, call me crazy but I like the talent,
the renewed vigor in the coaching staff and a new stadium to boot. Who
could ask for anything more?
--John Hinds
Alabama Weekly Columnist
News and Notes from Mick Chang
written by Mick Chang
Hi all, Mick Chang here again...
I've talked with several folks who attended Saturday's
scrimmage. In case you didn't know, Saturday was "open
house" day for the members of the Tuscaloosa Alumni Chapter,
and other groups of the University.
There was a tour of the new stadium facilities, and it
ended with a scrimmage viewing party.
Despite what you might have read in the papers and the
optimistic point of views, I hate to say it, but we are
not that good of a team right now. Imagine that about the
only plays that drew confident applauses are the punts...
* Despite John David Phillips getting the nod as starter for
the BYU game -- by comparison, John David is still not as
good as Freddie Kitchens was last year at this time (That
is BAD...). Although DuBose has told the media that Zow is
a distant second, most think that Zow is just as ready to
start as John David. I predict that sometimes by mid-season
Zow will start over John David. Tyler Watts will be red-shirted
unless something "Peyton Manning happens". Remember Peyton
was thrown into his first college game because Tennessee's
1st and 2nd string QB got injured in the game. Look for
Watts to dress for the games, but not play.
* The practice field is horrendous. A top-notch major football
program should have better facilities to practice on.
Already, DuBose has complained to Bockrath about the
groundskeepers (the name escapes me). The excuse apparently
was that the heat this summer has kill off many of the
grass seedlings that was planted after Spring practices.
Then there is the "drainage problem" in the other 2 fields.
Although DuBose won't openly admit it but most of the minor
injuries the players had are directly attributed to the
field condition, and not from the full contacts. It seems
that DuBose hasn't been able to get Bockrath to respond
in regards to the facilities, so DuBose has took this to the
media, and is expressing his disgusts more openly. That hasn't
set well with Bockrath, who is still DuBose's boss.
* As some of you who were on the now defunct Bama Club
list recall, I was one of the first to call for Neil
Callaway to call the plays after the Arkansas game last
year when it became apparent that Bruce Arians had a
"hidden agenda". Well, I didn't realize it at the time,
but Callaway had his own hidden agenda of becoming the
OC after he gets the OL straightened out. Callaway got
his wish. And he even had a "vote" in the hiring of Stubbs.
But I wonder if the move to OC is a bit pre-mature.
Is the OL ready? Does playcalling divert too much of
Callaway's attention from the OL? Is Callaway in over
his head trying to do too much?
The OL is obviously not where Callaway would like for
it to be. Callaway has confidence in Center Paul Hogan
to make the calls, but Paul has made many mistakes in
practices so far. And the OL shuffle continues as Cuthbert
switches back to tackle, and McDonald is tried at guard.
My guess is that Stubbs and Swinney will end up calling
most of the plays with vetoing power by Callaway until
the OL gets settled.
* The DL is THIN...DuBose and Shipp is desperate for someone
to step up to fill the voids left by Hood and Harris.
Despite all the optimism of Shawn Draper moving to DL,
Draper is not ready for primetime. The move
to demote Carlos Stennis was really a motivational move
rather than Kelvis White being that much better than Carlos.
Carlos, despite being one of the better DL this year, would
have sat on the bench if we had the same DL 2-3 years ago, when
we had players like Shannon Brown, Matt Parker, etc.
* Thus far, DuBose hasn't worked Shaun Alexander particularly
hard in practice. So Shaun better perform during the game.
McClintock is tried as H-back, and Montoya Madden is at
fullback. I think the move for Montoya to fullback is a
poor one as he is probably a better runner between the tackles
than Arvin Richards. Arvin is getting the attention because
he is more elusive, and Montoya likes to run over tacklers more.
So how has DuBose differed from his predecessor, Coach Stallings
thus far?
DuBose doesn't always believe that the best athletes should be
on defense. DuBose believes that the best athletes should play
the position most natural to them. That is a far cry from the
days when DuBose was the DL coach under Stallings, and tried to
talk Rod Rutledge into playing DE.
Also, Stallings had the philosophy of signing the best "football
players", not considering position. The best example is the
'94 recruiting class where 13 of the 25 players signed were LBs,
but Stallings contended that they were the best football players,
and would play the positions asked of them.
DuBose on the other hand, is signing the best players at a position.
And then there is the offensive philosophy.
With the loss of Chris Hood and Steve Harris, that opens up 2 more
scholarships which will be awarded to the extra 2 frosh signees this
year. But the scholarships can only be awarded to them next year.
Folks, my blood is about as Crimson as it gets, but I can not
lie to you. We are not very good. By my estimate, we are barely
a 6-5 team. I think DuBose is a great field coach. But I over
estimated his organizational and political skills. I had
projected that DuBose could pick up such skills as he went along.
Even DuBose has publicly acknowledged with his mea culpas that
he thought he was ready to be HC, but now he knows that he wasn't.
And as the Great One used to say that the difference between
a Head Coach and an Assistant Coach is about like the difference
between a chicken and chicken salad. I hate to project this, but
if we lose to BYU, you will start hearing calls for DuBose's head.
And that is the fate DuBose is fully aware of when he accepted
this job. But the resolve is that DuBose believes in his football
philosophies that he is installing. The question is will we give
him the time.
BTW, anyone who hears of anything, or have constructive viewpoints,
feel free to contact me at biolfc@jetson.uh.edu
Till next time, and hoping for better info to relay...
--Mick Chang
Alabama Weekly Columnist
NOBODY KNOWS YOU WHEN YOU’RE DOWN
& OUT
written by: Bart Cannon
As the curtain closed on the 1997 college football season, I reflected
on the dismal regular season experienced by my alma mater, the Alabama
Crimson Tide. Last season proved that Stevie Winwood was right when he
sang, “Nobody knows you when you’re down and out.” They don’t
pay much attention when you’re 4-7 either.
I got eyestrain a few times looking for scores on ESPN’s sports ticker
and searching for game recaps in the Sunday sports section of the Valley
Morning Star. Life can be lonely outside the Top 25. SportsSouth even
moved Coach Dubose’s highlights show from prime time to Tuesday
afternoon. When it comes to media attention, the words of Vince Lombardi
ring true: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”
Regardless of their record, I’ll spurn the boo birds, naysayers, and
fair weather fans and stick with Dixie’s Football Pride, the Crimson
Tide. My Crimson Pride Mastercard still works just fine, I regularly hum
a few bars of “Yea Alabama” while crossing the bank lobby or walking
through Wal-Mart, H.E.B.Grocery, or Valle Vista Mall, and I’m trying
to work a Bryant-Denny Saturday into my Fall, 1998 schedule. After 36
seasons as a Tide fan, I’m singing Otis Redding’s tune: “I’ve
been loving you too long, I don’t want to stop now.”
Folks here in Big 12 country seem somewhat baffled by this. When they
hear “Roll, Tide, Roll,” most Longhorns and Aggies think I’m
calling for the Charmin and washing powder. My pastor, Ron Corzine, also
asked if I was planning to teach another Bible study lesson on Alabama
football. I wasn’t planning to, but a few ideas come to mind lately.
Bama should roll at high tide in 1998 for two reasons. First, the
history of Alabama football verifies the old saying “it’s often
darkest before the dawn.” My dad loves to tell about an incident
during the 1964 Sugar Bowl game. The heavily favored Ole Miss Rebels
appeared to be headed for a go-ahead touchdown when my younger brother,
Jeff, decided to taunt me about it. I retaliated verbally, but tangled
my words: “Why is your flap always trapping?” Everyone laughed, but
the Tide held on to win.
I claimed a moral victory when the best athlete in my high school senior
class, Wayne Rhoads, saw the light and signed to play defensive end for
Alabama, which recompensed me for all the persecution I experienced
while growing up as a Bama fan in Mississippi. The Tide finished with
back-to-back 6-5 records during our junior and senior years but
rebounded with an 11-0 regular season the following year.
My dad and I accompanied two other Tide fans to the 1989 Bama vs. Ole
Miss game in Jackson, Ms. Daddy always supported Mississippi teams when
playing “outsiders,” so we bought four tickets in the Alabama
section in hopes of neutralizing him. Since he was outnumbered about
10,000 to one, I figured we were about even. The Rebs built a 21-0 lead
in the first seven minutes, and Daddy whooped it up. Momentum swung, and
quarterback Gary Hollingsworth’s aerial assault produced 62 unanswered
points. Daddy didn’t say much on the way home.
My two favorite games occurred in the 90’s. Jay Barker, Sherman
Williams and Company dismantled the heavily favored and previously
number one ranked Miami Hurricanes 34-13 in the 1993 Sugar Bowl for the
national championship and in 1994 came from behind to stun highly touted
quarterback Eric Zeir and the Georgia Bulldogs 29-28.
Alabama’s tradition, mystique, and ability to beat the odds are well
documented, but another factor also points to better things in 1998, the
underlying faith of a significant nucleus of the football team. Many
people know about Alabama’s twelve national and twenty Southeastern
Conference championships, but few know that the UofA has the longest
running active Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter in the country.
My friend, Wayne Atcheson or “Mr. A” as he’s known to the
athletes, works in the University’s Tide Pride department and serves
as FCA sponsor. He’s optimistic about next year because “we’ve
recruited not only good athletes, but [athletes who are] good people.”
Champions may again wear crimson because Alabama’s men of character,
such as quarterback John David Phillips and running back Shaun
Alexander, live by the principle of Proverbs 21:31: “The horse is
prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord.” Roll
Tide, Roll!
Bart Cannon
C&BA ‘71
1998 ALABAMA SCHEDULE
09/05 Brigham Young Tuscaloosa (ESPN)
09/12 Vanderbilt Birmingham (JPSPORTS)
09/19 OPEN
09/26 Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
10/03 Florida Tuscaloosa
10/10 Ole Miss Tuscaloosa
10/17 E. Carolina Birmingham
10/24 Tennessee Knoxville, TN (CBS)
10/31 S. Miss Tuscaloosa
11/07 LSU Baton Rouge, LA (CBS)
11/14 Mississippi St. Starkville, MS
11/21 Auburn Birmingham
11/29 OPEN
12/05 SEC Championship
TTBA
UPDATED 3-DEEP ROSTER
written by: Jess Nicholas
OFFENSE
Offense
SE 83 Calvin Hall 80 Jason McAddley 1 Ananias Carson
WR 7 Quincy Jackson 8 Tim Bowens 27 Sam Collins
FL 22 Michael Vaughn 15 Freddie Milons 2 Eric Locke
TE 82 Terry Jones,Jr. 85 Rhett Crutchfield 86 Joe Yount
RT 72 Will Cuthbert 56 Kenric Lott 63 Sage Spree
RG 70 Jason McDonald 68 Sam Matthews 71 Marico Portis
C 74 Paul Hogan 55 Brooks Brodie 58 Ty Babcock
LG 75 Griff Redmill 69 Michael Moore 61 Todd Whitmore
LT 60 Chris Samuels 77 Bart Raulston 78 Michael Barfield
QB 12 John David Phillips 5 Andrew Zow 14 Tyler Watts
FB 30 Dustin McClintock 21 Montoya Madden 6 Marvin Brown
HB 37 Shaun Alexander 26 Arvin Richard 33 Shontua Ray
PK 18 Ryan Pflugner 15 A.J.Diaz 49 Mark Wisniewski
---
Defense
RT 90 Jamie Carter 98 Reggie Grimes 92 Shaun Williams
NG 51 Carlos Stennis 67 Kelvis White 38 Shawn Draper
LT 88 Kenny Smith 97 Cornelius Griffin 54 Jerome Moorehead
END 58 Canary Knight 91 Clint Waggoner 59 Chris Edwards
RLB 48 Trevis Smith 47 Eddie Hunter 9 Victor Ellis
MLB 44 Travis Carroll 89 Tito Smith 11 Chris Horne
LLB 4 Steve Stanley 10 Miguel Merritt 57 Darius Gilbert
RCB 39 Antoine Hunter 13 Kecalf Bailey 2 Chris Reier
FS 20 Kelvin Sigler 17 Warren Foust 35 Owen Winston
SS 24 Tony Dixon 41 Marcus Spencer 19 Jason Jones
LCB 25 Fernando Bryant 3 Michael Feagin 23 Reggie Myles
P 40 Daniel Pope 24 Patrick Morgan ## Lane Bearden
Newsletter by: JP and Brett Young
Special Article by: Bart Cannon
Special Thanks to: Jess Nicholas, Mick Chang, John for their articles
PLEASE VISIT BAMANATION AND ALABAMA WEEKLY.
BamaNation: http://members.aol.com/BamaNation/
Alabama Weekly: http://TideFans.com
Thanks for subscribing; next newsletter September 8th, Roll Tide see ya
next week!!!
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