2008 Alabama Crimson Tide - Recruiting Class

2008 Alabama Crimson Tide Head Coach: Nick Saban

 

Alabama Crimson Tide

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Julio Jones WR  6-4  210  Foley, Ala. (Foley) 
Parade All-American … USA Today All-American … SuperPrep’s No. 1 wide receiver nationally and No. 2 prospect overall … ESPN.com Top 150 … The Mobile Press-Register’s Super 120 Team (No. 1) … “Mr. Football” in the state of Alabama … five-star wide receiver by Scout.com … rated as No. 1 wide receiver in the nation by Scout.com … Scout.com All-American selection … No. 2 player on the Scout.com Southeast 150 list … SuperPrep/Scout.com Top 30 Alabama selection (No. 1) … capped off high school career with six catches for 97 yards in the game … two-time Birmingham News and Alabama Sportswriters Association All-State selection … named to 2007 Birmingham News Super All-State Team … named to 2007 ASWA Super 12 All-State team … had 194 career catches for 3,287 yards and 42 touchdowns … also added three rushing touchdowns, two kick return touchdowns, two punt returns and two fumble returns for scores … scored 52 touchdowns in his prep career … set Foley school record for career receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and total touchdowns … holds the top three single-season receiving records at Foley with 75 receptions (2006), 68 receptions (2007) and 51 catches (2005) … also holds single-season record with 1,306 yards in 2006 … as senior, tallied 68 catches for 1,181 yards and 16 TDs … finished the year with 18 total TDs … led the Lions to a 12-1 record and a Region 2 title before losing to Prattville in state quarterfinals … hauled in a career-high 75 passes for 1,306 yards and 16 TDs as a junior … concluded the season with career-high 20 TDs … recorded 51 receptions for 805 yards and 12 TDs as sophomore in 2005 … an outstanding track and field athlete … named 2006-07 Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year (Alabama)

Potential Instant Impact Players

Terrance Cody  DL  6-5  380  Perkinston, Miss. (Gulf Coast C.C.) 
Massive defensive line prospect with good agility … a Scout.com four-star recruit … the No. 45 junior college player in the nation according to SuperPrep Magazine … starred at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and recorded 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks in helping lead his team to an 11-0 regular season record last year.

Kerry Murphy  DL  6-4  315  Hoover, Ala. (Hoover/Hargrave) 
Spent the 2007 season at Hargrave Military Academy after originally signing with Alabama in 2007 … a Parade All-American as a senior at Hoover in 2006… The Birmingham News All-Metro Team … rated as the top prospect on The Birmingham News Super Senior list … one of 11 defensive tackles on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Super Southern 100 … rated No. 3 by The Mobile Press-Register’s Elite 18 players in the state of Alabama … rated as the 15th-best defensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com … rated No. 68 by The Mobile Press-Register’s Super Southeast 120 … selected to play in the 2006 Alabama North-South All-Star Game … a dominant force in the middle, Murphy made 142 tackles and 16 sacks in junior and senior seasons … as a senior, had 77 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks … added 77 tackles and recorded eight sacks as a junior while leading Hoover to its second straight Class 6A State Championship.

Rest of the Class

Mark Barron	DB	6-2	215	Mobile, Ala. (St. Paul's)
Undra Billingsley	DL	6-3	275	Birmingham, Ala. (Woodlawn)
Devonta Bolton	TE/WR	6-4	220	Norcross, Ga. (Norcross)
John Michael Boswell	OL	6-5	300	Northport, Ala. (Tuscaloosa County)
Marcel Dareus	DL	6-3	280	Huffman, Ala. (Huffman)
Robby Green	DB	6-0	180	River Ridge, La. (John Curtis)
Glenn Harbin	DL	6-6	245	Mobile, Ala. (McGill Toolen)
Jerrell Harris	LB	6-3	215	Gadsden, Ala. (Gadsden City HS)
Don'ta Hightower	LB	6-4	250	Lewisburg, Tenn. (Marshall County)
Destin Hood	WR	6-1	200	Mobile, Ala. (St. Paul's)
Mark Ingram	RB	5-10	215	Flint, Mich. (Southeastern Academy)
Chris Jackson	WR	6-1	180	McDonough, Ga. (Henry County)
Star Jackson	QB	6-3	195	Lake Worth, Fla. (Lake Worth)
Barrett Jones	OL	6-5	280	Memphis, Tenn. (Evangelical Christian)
Chris Jordan	RB	6-2	220	Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy)
Alonzo Lawrence	DB	6-1	190	Lucedale, Miss. (George County)
Robert Lester	DB	6-2	210	Foley, Ala. (Foley)
Brandon Lewis	DL	6-3	275	Pleasant Grove, Ala. (Pleasant Grove)
Tyler Love	OL	6-7	290	Mountain Brook, Ala. (Mountain Brook)
Ivan Matchett	RB	5-10	215	Mobile, Ala. (St. Paul's)
Wesley Neighbors	DB	6-1	200	Huntsville, Ala. (Huntsville)
Jermaine Preyear	RB	5-11	205	Mobile, Ala. (Davidson)
Melvin Ray	WR	6-3	195	Tallahassee, Fla. (North Florida Christian)
B.J. Scott	WR	6-0	195	Prichard, Ala. (Vigor)
Brad Smelley	ATH	6-3	218	Tuscaloosa, Ala. (American Christian)
Corey Smith	K/P	6-0	195	Bunker Hill, W.V. (Musselman)
Damion Square	DL	6-2	290	Houston, Texas (Yates)
Courtney Upshaw	LB	6-2	230	Eufaula, Ala. (Eufaula)
Michael Williams	DE	6-6	270	Reform, Ala. (Pickens County)

- 2007 Alabama Season
- 2007 Alabama Preview
- 2006 Alabama Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2007 Record: 7-6

Sept. 1 West. Carolina W 52-6
Sept. 8 at Vanderbilt W 24-10
Sept. 15 Arkansas W 41-38
Sept. 22 Georgia L 26-23 OT
Sept. 29 Florida St  L 21-14
Oct. 6 Houston W 30-24
Oct. 13 at Ole Miss W 27-24
Oct. 20 Tennessee W 41-17
Nov. 3 LSU L 41-34
Nov. 10 at Mississippi St L 17-12
Nov. 17 UL Monroe L 21-14
Nov. 24 at Auburn L 17-10
Independence Bowl
Dec. 30 Colorado W 30-24

2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: Second half collapse aside, Nick Saban set the foundation in a decent first season, and now the pieces are in place for a huge year with nine starters returning on offense and six on defense including building blocks Andre Smith on the O line and Rashad Johnson in the secondary. If the Tide can get past Clemson in the season opener in Atlanta, the chance is there for a big first half of the year playing Tulane, Western Kentucky, at Arkansas, Kentucky and Ole Miss, along with a rough trip to Georgia, before the end of October.
Why to be grouchy: Yeah, the schedule isn't bad early, but it gets rough late going to Tennessee and LSU along with the date against Auburn. The passing game was explosive at times, but it was rarely consistent. John Parker Wilson has the potential to be a quarterback to win big things with, but he'll have to do it without top targets D.J. Hall, Keith Brown and Matt Caddell.
The number one thing to work on is: Scoring. The attack was able to put points up on the board against Tennessee, LSU, and Arkansas, and then things fell off the map scoring 12 against Mississippi State, 14 against UL Monroe and ten against Auburn. The 30-24 win over Colorado in the Independence Bowl gives hope, but there were problems in the second half showing how the scoring has to come on a consistent basis. It starts with Wilson. If he's not efficient on a regular basis, the offense is going to struggle.
Biggest offensive loss: WR D.J. Hall
Biggest defensive loss: CB Simeon Castille
Best returning offensive player: OT Andre Smith, Jr.
Best returning defensive player: FS Rashad Johnson, Sr.

2007 Recap
Recap: The Tide ended the year with a convincing Independence Bowl win over Colorado, but at mid-season, it looked as if it could be playing for a whole lot more.  At 6-2, new head coach Nick Saban had quickly raised expectations in Tuscaloosa, guiding ‘Bama into the Top 25 with a rout of Tennessee.  However, a lack of depth and consistency, especially at quarterback, brought the program back to Earth with a thud that was attributed to a four-game losing streak to close out the regular season.

Offensive Player of the Year: WR D.J. Hall

Defensive Player of the Year: DE Wallace Gilberry

Biggest Surprise: It wasn’t so much that Alabama beat No. 20 Tennessee on Oct. 20, but how easily it did it.  The Tide stormed past the unsuspecting Vols, 41-17, getting a career day from unpredictable QB John Parker Wilson and 13 receptions and a pair of touchdowns from Hall.      

Biggest Disappointment: The low point of the Tide’s four-game losing streak came in a stunning home loss to Louisiana-Monroe, an also-ran in the Sun Belt Conference.  Making ULM look like LSU, Alabama lost the turnover battle 4-0 and the game 21-14, failing to score a point in the second half.    

Looking Ahead: With Year One of the Saban era in the books, there should be a greater sense of normalcy around the program in 2008.  The coach will have plenty to work with in 2008, including a bunch of returning regulars on both sides of the ball and a recruiting class that’s shaping up as one of the best in the country.

Dec. 30
2007 Independence Bowl
Alabama 30 ... Colorado 24
Alabama was unstoppable early on as QB John Parker Wilson hit 13 of his first 15 passes with a 15-yard touchdown throw to Keith Brown, and 34-yard play to Matt Caddell, and a 31-yard strike to Nikita Stover on the way to a 27-0 lead early in the second quarter. And then the Tide took its foot off the gas as Wilson went ice cold for the rest of the first half allowing the Buffs to get back in the game with two Cody Hawkins touchdown passes. Colorado pulled within ten on a 39-yard Kevin Eberhart field goal, but Alabama got up 13 on Leigh Tiffin's third field goal of the game coming with just under five minutes to play. Colorado wouldn't go away as Hawkins hit Tyson DeVree from 14 yards out for his second score of the game. The Buff D held, but there was only one second left on the clock. Alabama had to sweat out a few laterals on a final play, but got out with the win.
Offensive Player of the Game: Alabama QB John Parker Wilson completed 19 of 32 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns with an interception, and ran four times for 24 yards
Defensive Player of the Game: Alabama S Rashad Johnson made 13 tackles and broke up a pass, and DE Wallace Gilberry made eight tackles, a sack and five tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 19-32, 256 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Glen Coffee, 19-72. Receiving: Matt Caddell, 4-76, 1 TD
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 24-39, 322 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 14-69. Receiving: Tyson DeVree, 9-94, 2 TD
Thoughts & Notes ... For about 20 minutes, Alabama QB John Parker Wilson showed why he has the potential to be one of the SEC's best offensive weapons, and then for the last 40 minutes he showed why there might be a big battle for the starting job going into next year. Consistency is his problem, but when he's on, the Bama offense hums. ... Colorado QB Cody Hawkins wasn't always sharp, but he's a gamer, and was tough as nails against a good Tide pass rush, which showed up with decent pressure for one of the few times this year. He did a fantastic of spreading the ball around and taking what the Tide defense gave him. He'll be an interesting player to keep an eye on over the next few years. He's only a freshman. ... This is a young Buff team that's still rebuilding, and while ending the season with a loss is never a positive, it was a good showing after a rough start. ... Nick Saban can breathe a big sigh of relief. Of course he's not an any sort of a hot seat, but after the way the team finished out the regular season with four straight losses, including the gaffe to UL Monroe and the defeat at Auburn, this would've been a disaster had the Tide blown a 27-0 lead. Saban hand the coaching staff had the best of all possible worlds getting the win, but being able to rail on the team all offseason for not putting it away earlier.

Nov. 24
Auburn 17 ... Alabama 10
Auburn struggled to put the game away in a defensive struggle as Ben Tate ran for a three-yard score and Wes Byrum nailed a 37-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead, but it took a one-yard Brandon Cox sneak with just under four minutes to play to pull ahead for good. Bama got a two-yard John Parker Wilson run in the second and a 49-yard Leigh Tiffin field goal with 2:11 to play, but the Tigers were able to run out the clock. Auburn gained 282 yards of total offense to just 225 for Auburn.
Player of the game: Auburn DT Josh Thompson made 12 tackles
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 12-26, 113 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Glen Coffee, 20-60. Receiving: D.J. Hall, 3-29
Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 12-22, 117 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Brad Lester, 22-98. Receiving: Rodgeriqus Smith, 3-46
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... All Bama fans will see is a sixth straight loss to Auburn, and an 0-for-November to close out a once-promising regular season, but the team battled well even though the offense was struggling in the Iron Bowl. There were chances to turn the game around and the offense couldn't take advantage of them. John Parker Wilson simply didn't move the chains well, but the defense had a nice game with Rolando McClain putting up an All-SEC performance. Remember, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but now Nick Saban will be on high alert next year.

Nov. 17
UL Monroe 21 ... Alabama 14
UL Monroe stunned Alabama with an 11-yard touchdown catch from Mary Humphrey in the third quarter, and then stop after stop as the Tide offense had several chances with no luck. Bama went four and out on its final two drives, lost a fumble on a fourth quarter drive that got to the ULM 19, and got a field goal blocked. ULM got 14 second quarter points on a touchdown runs from Calvin Dawson and Frank Goodin, while Bama scored in the first quarter on a 17-yard Keith Brown catch and in the second quarter on a 12-yard Terry Grant run. The Tide got just four first downs in the second half, but outgained the Warhawks 409 yards to 282 for the game.
Player of the game: UL Monroe S Quintez Secka made five tackles and picked off two passes.
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 21-31, 246 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Terry Grant, 21-96, 1 TD. Receiving: Keith Brown, 6-97, 1 TD
UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 14-24, 161 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 33-91, 1 TD. Receiving: Zeek Zacharie, 5-56
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Talk about bottoming out. Either Alabama had big-time problems looking ahead to Auburn, or the offense really is that bad. UL Monroe's offense was held in check, but it was opportunistic and got just enough from the running game to keep things moving. It wasn't like the Bama offense had things working and just couldn't catch a break; it was just awful in the second half and now has to deal with a rested and revved up Auburn D. Uh oh. A four-game losing streak to close out will sour the first tear of the Nick Saban era in a big hurry.

Nov. 10
Mississippi State 17 ... Alabama 12
Up 9-3, Alabama was driving for an apparent late first half score, but Anthony Johnson picked off a John Parker Wilson pass in the end zone and took it 100 yards for a touchdown to change the game. Anthony Dixon ran for a three-yard Bulldog touchdown early in the second half, and MSU had all the points it would need to pull off the upset and become bowl eligible. Alabama only managed four Leigh Tiffin field goals, hitting from 39, 51, 29 and 50 yards out. Alabama only gained 274 yards of total offense, but MSU only came up with 215.
Player of the game: Mississippi State DB Antony Johnson made two tackles, broke up a pass, and and picked off a pass for a 100-yard score.
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 16-34, 121 yards, 2 INT
Rushing: Terry Grant, 19-75. Receiving: D.J. Hall, 5-46
Mississippi State - Passing: Wesley Carroll, 9-21, 100 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 26-84, 1 TD. Receiving: Tony Burks, 2-29
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Mississippi State had two weeks to prepare for an Alabama team that appeared to be still beaten up and battered after the loss to LSU. Even so, the defense played extremely well throughout, and the offense had its chances early on to all but put the game away. Settling for three field goals, and the pick six at the end of the half, meant it was 10-9 MSU instead of a mega-lead for Bama. Now it's time to regroup, blast UL Monroe, and focus on the task at hand, Auburn. To win that game, the O will have to take advantage of every opportunity.

Nov. 3
LSU 41 ... Alabama 34
Down seven late in the fourth quarter, LSU got a 32-yard touchdown catch from Early Doucet on fourth and four. On Alabama's ensuing drive, QB John Parker Wilson was sacked and spun around causing a fumble that eventually led to a one-yard Jacob Hester touchdown run with 1:26 to play. With one final drive, Wilson appeared to have completed a fourth and ten pass, but LSU's Craig Steltz separated Keith Brown from the ball to seal the Tiger win. Penalties and three Matt Flynn interceptions hurt the Tigers throughout, and the Tide took advantage of mistakes with Brown catching touchdown passes from 29 and 14 yards out, and D.J. Hall taking a pass for a 67-yard score. LSU, despite all the problems, stayed in it with Doucet making a ten-yard grab and Demtrius Byrd taking a pass for a 61-yard score, but the Tide appeared to take control late with a 61-yard Javier Arenas punt return for a touchdown. That's when Flynn took over, leading the way to an 84-yard drive in ten plays for the tie. The Tigers came up with seven sacks.
Player of the game: LSU QB Matt Flynn completed 24 of 44 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions, and he ran for 19 yards
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: Matt Flynn, 24-44, 353 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Jacob Hester, 16-47, 2 TD. Receiving: Demetrius Byrd, 6-144, 1 TD
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 14-40, 234 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jonathan Lowe, 10-31. Receiving: Matt Caddell, 3-55
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... While the loss to LSU might have been a tough pill to swallow, it goes to show just how close the program is to being really, really special. It took a big fourth down conversion for the Tigers to pull it off, otherwise it would be all about the Tide coming out of this weekend. Now it's time to really focus and avoid the possible letdown at Mississippi State next week. Losing to the possible national champion isn't that big a deal. Losing to MSU, and in three weeks, to Auburn, would be. Getting the running backs on track again will be job one.

Oct. 20
Alabama 41 ... Tennessee 17
Alabama started out the game with an onside kick, leading to the first of four Leigh Tiffin field goals, but got down 14-10 on a three-yard Luke Stocker touchdown catch early in the second quarter. And then the Tide passing game took over, as D.J. Hall caught second quarter scoring passes from 16 and two yards out to start a 31-3 run to close out the game. Tiffin connected from 39, 20, 42 and 44 yards out, and Terry Grant, in for a suspended Glen Coffee, ran for an eight-yard touchdown. Bama outgained Tennessee 510 yards to 362.
Player of the game: Alabama WR D.J. Hall caught 13 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 22-35, 243 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster, 13-91, 1 TD. Receiving: Chris Brown, 5-28
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 32-46, 363 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Terry Grant, 26-104, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Hall, 13-185, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Talk about putting it all together at the right time. If Alabama can throw against LSU like it did against Tennessee, and if it can stiffen up against the run like it did this week, it should be able to pull off the upset. Now the Tide can reasonably dream about winning the West, and now all the focus and all the attention can be on the Tigers. The key is keeping John Parker Wilson upright. Tennessee couldn't get any pressure on him, and he threw for 363 yards. Considering the suspensions this week, this was a shocker.

Oct. 13
Alabama 27 ... Ole Miss 24
In a wild game, Alabama scored ten points in the final 7:11 on a three-yard Terry Grant touchdown and a 24-yard Leigh Tiffin field goal, and then had to hold on, as a big Ole Miss pass play in the final seconds was called back after replay ruled that Shay Hodge had stepped out of bounds before making the grab. The Rebels got two Seth Adams touchdown passes, with Dexter McCluster making an eight-yard scoring grab in the first, and Michael Hicks scoring from 17 yards out in the third, while Alabama kept pace in the first half with short scoring runs from Glen Coffee and John Parker Wilson.
Player of the game: In a losing cause, Ole Miss DE Greg Hardy made 13 tackles, three sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, forced two fumbles, and broke up a pass
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 26-40, 265 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Terry Grant, 16-62, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Hall, 11-140
Ole Miss - Passing: Seth Adams, 22-40, 284 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 20-131. Receiving: Dexter McCluster, 7-75, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Talk about getting by on the slimmest of margins, last week, Bama barely hangs on in a win over Houston, and this week, it needs a full sixty minutes and a big comeback to get by Ole Miss. At the end of the day, 5-2 is 5-2, and with Tennessee and LSU coming up next, the team needs all the confidence it can get. However, to have a shot at winning those two games, the offensive line will have to do a better overall job. The running game got decent days from Terry Grant and Glen Coffee, but they didn't get enough room to move. John Parker Wilson was under pressure almost all game long.

Sept. 29
Florida State 21 ... Alabama 14
After a 0-0 defensive slugfest at halftime, the two offenses woke up in the second half with Xavier Lee taking over at quarterback for Florida State and working with DeCody Fagg for touchdown passes from seven and 70 yards. Antone Smith ran for a five-yard score for a 14-0 Seminole lead held late in the game, but the Tide got a seven-yard D.J. Hall touchdown catch with just over five minutes to play, and Keith Brown caught a 17-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute left to pull within seven. The Tide recovered the onside kick, but it was ruled FSU ball since the ball bounced off a Tide player.
Player of the game: Florida State QB Xavier Lee completed 12 of 19 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and ran 11 times for a team-leading 59 yards
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 28-53, 240 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Terry Grant, 9-36. Receiving: D.J. Hall, 7-83, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 12-19, 224 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Xavier Lee, 11-59. Receiving: Greg Carr, 5-107
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... John Parker Wilson might be a good talent, and he might have played relatively well over the last few weeks, but the offense can't revolve around him. Against Florida State, Terry Grant only ran the ball nine times and the ground game was never established. The biggest problem was the secondary, that was put in a bad position on the big 70-yard DeCody Fagg touchdown that ended up sealing the game. Bama guessed run and got burned. Next week's game against Houston is now vital to getting a groove back before jumping back into SEC play.

Sept. 22
Georgia 26 ... Alabama 23 OT
Bama's Leigh Tiffin connected on a 42-yard field goal in overtime, but Matthew Stafford connected with Mikey Henderson on a 25-yard touchdown pass on Georgia's first play in overtime for the win. The Dawgs had a shot to win in regulation, but Brandon Coutu missed a 47-yard field goal as time ran out. Coutu connected on field goals from 45 and 47 yards out, and Thomas Brown and Knowshon Moreno each ran for short touchdowns, but the Tide was able to tie it up late on a ten-play, 88-yard drive ending with John Parker Wilson's second short rushing touchdown of the game.
Player of the game: Georgia QB Matthew Stafford completed 19 of 35 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 17-35, 185 yds
Rushing: Terry Grant, 11-80. Receiving: Mike McCoy, 6-47
Georgia - Passing: Matthew Stafford, 19-35, 224 yds, 2 TD, 2 iNT
Rushing: Thomas Brown, 20-74. Receiving: Sean Bailey, 5-74
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Give Bama credit for fighting back for a second straight week when things weren't quite going its way, but the secondary struggled in crunch time against Georgia on both the final touchdown pass and the drive at the end of regulation that almost led to the game-winning field goal. To be fair, Lionel Mitchell had Mikey Henderson covered as well as expected on the game-winner, and the D did a fantastic job throughout, but the second half lull that required the come back has to be a big concern. Can the defense keep it together for a full sixty minutes? Remember, this Tide team is supposed to be a work in progress.

Sept. 15
Alabama 41 ... Arkansas 38
John Parker Wilson lofted a four-yard touchdown pass to Matt Caddell with eight seconds to play to avoid a massive collapse. The Tide got out to a 31-10 lead helped by two D.J. Hall touchdown catches and a two-yard Nick Walker scoring grab, but Arkansas came roaring back with 28 straight second half points on two Darren McFadden touchdown runs and two short Casey Dick scoring passes, with a seven-yard play to Peyton Hillis giving the Hogs a 38-31 lead with just over eight minutes to play. Leigh Tiffin nailed a 42-yarder to pull the Tide to within four. The defense came up with a stop, giving the Tide offense one last shot with 2:13 to play and no time outs remaining. Wilson took the offense 73 yards in seven plays for the win.
Player of the game: Alabama QB John Parker Wilson, completed 24 of 45 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions.
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 24-45, 327 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Terry Grant, 20-96. Receiving: Matt Caddell, 9-91, 1 TD
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 11-23, 145 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Darren McFadden, 33-195, 2 TD. Receiving: London Crawford, 3-47
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... John Parker Wilson might not have had the most consistent game against Arkansas, and he might have struggled for stretches when D.J. Hall, who came up with an All-America caliber performance, was out in the second half, but the game-winning final drive might have made him a legend. He hung tough against the Hog pas rush and coolly, calmly delivered strike after strike before putting the ball exactly where it needed to be for the game-winning touchdown. Arkansas is going to run on everyone, so there's no need to get too worried about the collapse of the run defense in the second half. Now the bar has been raised. Beating Georgia next week is a must to officially declare the Tide a true SEC contender.

Sept. 8
Alabama 24 ... Vanderbilt 10
Terry Grant ran for a one-yard score off an early turnover, Leigh Tiffin kicked three field goals, and Alabama coasted. A two-yard Grant scoring run early in the fourth made it 24-3 before Vandy finally got in the end zone on a 15-yard George Smith catch. The Commodores managed just 57 yards rushing, but got a nice day defensively from corner D.J. Moore, who made 13 tackles and broke up two passes.
Player of the game: Alabama RB Terry Grant ran for 173 yards and two scores on 24 carries, while catching three passes for 26 yards.
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 14-28, 150 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Terry Grant, 24-173, 2 TDs. Receiving: DJ Hall, 3-67
Vanderbilt - Passing: Mackenzi Adams, 13-23, 108 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 6-32. Receiving: Earl Bennett, 4-52
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Nick Saban has wanted to run the ball from the beginning, and while Terry Grant had a nice first day against Western Carolina, that was Western Carolina. Vanderbilt has a veteran defense that's better than it'll probably get credit for, and Grant ran through it without a problem to now give defensive coordinators something major to worry about; However, now John Parker Wilson has to get on track. He wasn't bad against Vandy, but he was a bit off. The defense was excellent at clamping down on the dangerous Earl Bennett. Now the real test comes against the Arkansas running game.

Sept. 1
Alabama 52 ... Western Carolina 6
Alabama outgained Western Carolina 575 yards to 247 and never allowed it to be a game as Terry Grant tore off first quarter touchdown runs from 47 and one yard out and ripped off a 21-yard dash in the second quarter. Western Carolina managed two field goals off long drives, but never threatened to ruin Nick Saban's debut. Glen Coffee, Nick Walker and Jimmy Johns each added one-yard runs for the Tide.
Player of the game ... Alabama RB Terry Grant ran 18 times for 134 yards and three touchdowns and caught two passes for 13 yards.
Stat Leaders: Western Carolina - Passing: Todd Spitzer, 9-20, 90 yds
Rushing: Mike Malone, 11-38  Receiving: Eddie Cohen, 4-84
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 17-25, 189 yds
Rushing: Terry Grant, 18-134, 3 TD  Receiving: Nick Walker, 5-40, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Alabama fans got what they wanted from their opening day from Nick Saban against Western Carolina. The running game, thanks to a big game from Terry Grant, was strong, the defense dominated, and the Tide was never threatened. This was a true preseason warmup before the SEC showdowns against Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Georgia over the next three weeks. To nitpick, there wasn't quite enough of a pass rush and there were a few too many third down conversions allowed, but this was a nice debut.