taken from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 

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Consider these factors:

• Alabama is playing its first game since moving up to No. 1 for the first time since the 1980 regular season.

• The Tide can clinch the SEC West title and the berth in the SEC championship game that foes with it.

• Oh, and to top it off, Saturday will mark the first time Nick Saban steps foot into Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge prepared to coach against the team he coached to a national championship.

Saban won the 2003 BCS national championship with LSU, and many readily give him credit for assembling the Tigers’ championship team of last year, as 17 of Les Miles’ 22 starting positions were filled with Saban’s recruits.

Now with conference foe Alabama after a two-year stint in the NFL, Saban has led the Tide to the top of the rankings, and Saturday’s showdown with his former team looks to be even more emotional than the typical SEC rivalry usually presents.

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Taken from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

pigskinpress.com

Easy homecoming win for the Crimson Tide this week, right?

Maybe, but Arkansas State poses more of a threat on both sides of the ball than the average fan may realize, and the Red Wolves’ key strength happens to be what hindered Alabama during its cold spell down the stretch last year.

Plus, Alabama could be caught looking ahead to next week’s game at LSU, where a win could clinch the SEC West.

Alabama enters the last month of the regular season having lost nine straight November games dating back to 2005, with the most recent woes being four straight losses to end the ’07 season.

In that four-game skid late last year, the Tide turned the ball over nine times and had a turnover differential of minus 4. In Alabama’s stunning loss to Louisiana Monroe alone, the Tide turned the ball over four times to the Warhawks’ zero.

Now, the next small school team Alabama must play in November, Arkansas State, is tied for 20th in the nation in takeaways with 18 and third in the country in turnover differential.

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taken from The Crimson White

When watching his junior college highlight tapes, Alabama head coach Nick Saban found just what he was looking for in Terrence Cody.

“We watched his freshman tape, we watched his sophomore tape,” Saban said. “We look for guys like Terrence Cody who are nose guard, power guys. And he certainly was that.”

As a 6-foot-5, 365-pound beast of a 3-4 defensive tackle, Cody has anchored Alabama’s No. 2 rush defense in only his first year with the Crimson Tide.

The current weight of the junior college transfer seems rather small, however, when compared to his old self. Coming out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College earlier this year, it was rather generous to use 400 pounds to describe Cody.

“The question was would we be able to manage his weight so that he would be able to sustain performance and get in the kind of condition he needed to be in to play to his capacity,” Saban said. “He’s done a good job of that; he’s working hard at it and he’s maintained a weight where he can be an effective player.”

continue reading at http://www.cw.ua.edu/cody_making_difference_in_first_year_with_tide

taken from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Many games are won and lost in the fourth quarter, but when it comes to the Crimson Tide, a good first quarter can be crucial.

Alabama has outscored its opponents 74-0 in the first quarter this year, 133-20 in the first half.

“We just have the mind-set that nobody can stop us,” running back Glen Coffee said. “We want to physically try to dominate you, no matter who you are.”

The Tide physically dominated the No. 3 team in the country last Saturday, when Alabama scored on all five of its first-half possessions.

The week before, in Alabama’s first Southeastern Conference game of the season, the Tide dismantled Arkansas, practically putting the game away before halftime by building a 35-7 lead.

The Alabama offense looks confident in the first few drives each game, due in large part to the coaching staff’s script for the Tide’s first 10-15 plays.

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taken from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

What seemed like an overthrown ball to many was another ample opportunity in the mind of Alabama cornerback Chris Rogers, whose lone outstretched arm extended just far enough to come down with a spectacular interception to put the Crimson Tide offense back on the field and finish a 49-14 victory.

Rogers’ pick of Arkansas backup quarterback Tyler Wilson last week was the fourth interception of Alabama’s rout, the other three off starter Casey Dick.

On two occasions in the first half, Dick was flat on his back and looking foolish after an Alabama defensive back made an easy juke en route to returning one of his passes for a touchdown.

“We needed (the turnovers), they were big plays in the game,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “It was great to make the big plays, and it was great to score the touchdowns.”

After two quick Tide touchdowns, a miscommunication between Dick and his receiver made a pass look like it was intended for Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas, who snatched the ball out of the air, easily shifted past Dick and 63yards later added six points to give his team a 21-0 first-quarter jump on the Razorbacks.

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 taken from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Coming out of high school in 2006, Earl Alexander stood out as one of the top athletes in his class.

He played quarterback at Central-Phenix City, passing for over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior season while adding 529 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground as a dual-threat.

Alexander was not a polished passer, but his 4.45 speed and raw athletic talent earned him a spot in rivals.com’s top 100 recruits his junior year.

He arrived on Alabama’s campus in 2006 with the expectance of playing wide receiver. The problem for Alexander: he did not know how to play the position that would allow him to maximize his athletic potential.

“Coming in, we knew he had athletic talent, but he wasn’t the best receiver out there, he’ll tell you that,” said Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson.

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taken from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

 Staying consistent was a problem for the Alabama football team last year.

 While sometimes manhandling good Southeastern Conference schools, a 41-17 blowout of a ranked Tennessee team for example, Alabama also struggled at home against small-conference schools such as Houston and Louisiana-Monroe.

 The Tide’s dominance in its 34-10 opener against then No. 9 Clemson, combined with newcomers contributing in the victory, made the start of 2008 look nothing like the disappointing second half of the 2007 season.

 Now, after Javier Arenas’ brilliance in the return game may have saved a devastating upset loss to Tulane, Alabama coach Nick Saban is preaching the importance of becoming more consistent.

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taken from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

 Working under three offensive coordinators in three years usually is too much for a college quarterback to handle.

 But Alabama senior quarterback John Parker Wilson has used the challenge to his advantage, and it appears he finally is running an offense in which he can flourish.

 ”I’m comfortable, and I’m seeing the field really good,” he said. “This is my third year starting, so I think I’m kind of growing up a little bit.”

 Wilson has had to cope with changes in leadership and offensive scheme in every season as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback.

 Entering his sophomore season under offensive coordinator Dave Rader, Wilson faced the pressure of replacing Brodie Croyle, the owner of many Alabama career passing records.

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