8:10 p.m.
Oct. 16, 2010
Ole Miss
TV: ESPN2 ESP
AMEDAY G
FOLD or FIGHT? After suffering its first loss since January 2009, the Tide must decide how it will deal with adversity.
2010 ALABAMA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Nov. 6 Nov. 13 Nov. 18 Nov. 26
San Jose State Penn State Duke Arkansas Florida South Carolina Mississippi Tennessee LSU Mississippi State Georgia State Auburn
Tuscaloosa, Ala. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Durham, N.C. Fayetteville, Ark. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Columbia, S.C. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Knoxville, Tenn. Baton Rouge, La. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Tuscaloosa, Ala.
W 48-3 W 24-3 W 62-13 W 24-20 W 31-6 L 35-21
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GameDay
Now that the Tide has one loss in its record, the team will have to show resilience to make the rest of this season successful. Page 6
3 | XBOX 360 SIMULATION
11 | AROUND THE CONFERENCE
After two weeks, Alabama manages to pull out a victory over the Ole Miss Rebels. Alabama’s offense dominates, while the defense creates a few turnovers.
The game of the week is No. 7 Auburn against No. 12 Arkansas. With both teams having a high-powered offense, the game promises to be a shoot out.
By Lake Koelling
By Zac Al-Khateeb
10 | TIDE CAN WIN ALL REMAINING GAMES
12 | Q&A WITH EVAN MATHIS Former Crimson Tide offensive lineman recalls his days with the Tide when Shaun Alexander was the running back, and he helped make the holes.
Though Alabama has one loss, this season isn’t over yet. Alabama can still make a trip to Atlanta and maybe even Arizona by winning the rest of its games.
By Jordan Eichenblatt
By Laura Owens
CW | John Michael Simpson
GAMEDAY STAFF
GAME INFO SATURDAY, OCT. 16
vs Alabama (5-1)
Ole Miss (3-2)
• Field: BryantDenny Stadium • Place: Tuscaloosa • Time: 8:10 p.m. • TV: ESPN2
• Jason Galloway, GameDay editor • Laura Owens, assistant GameDay editor • Victor Luckerson, editor-in-chief • Jonathan Reed, managing editor • Brandee Easter, print-production editor • Emily Johnson, design editor • Chris Jackson, art director • Adam Greene, chief copy editor • Jerrod Seaton, photo editor • Drew Hoover, assistant photo editor • John Michael Simpson, photographer Cover photo: CW |Drew Hoover
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GAMEDAY October 15
|
INSIDE Responding to the loss
2 GAMEDAY October 15
GameDay Picks Leaderboard >1 >2 >2 >2 >2
Alex Austin — 80/94 (85.11%) Sara Elizabeth Matthews — 80/94 (85.11%) John McWilliams — 79/94 (84.04%) Alex Cotter — 79/94 (84.04%)
POLL OF THE WEEK How many more losses will Alabama have this season? Zero (78%)
Wes Hawkins — 79/94 (84.04%) One
THIS WEEK’S WINNERS
Make picks before the games this week at
Ken Porter — 20/22
JASON GALLOWAY GameDay Editor LAURA OWENS Asst. GameDay Editor
— 79/94 (84.04%) gameday.ua.edu. — 73/94 (77.66%)
Leaders will have their names published in GameDay.
studentSECTION what you’re saying...
Did Saturday’s loss kill Alabama’s shot at going back to the national championship? “I feel that the loss on Saturday was devastating since we have not lost a regular season game since I’ve attended the University!” Aeriel Murphy
Junior metallurgical and materials
“Like Nick Saban says, ‘There can be no glory without some pain.’ For the the rest of the season, the team needs to be focused, and we need to support them.” Maggie Espino
Senior English
“Chances of a national championship are slim if teams like Ohio State and Oregon remain undefeated.” Liza Elizondo
Junior American studies
“I still believe we have the best team in the nation. The loss definitely doesn’t help our chances of a repeat.” Noah Randall
Freshman finance Compiled by Jerrod Seaton
(11%) Two (11%) Three or more (0%)
AP POLL
COACHES’ POLL
1. Ohio State (34) 2. Oregon (15) 3. Boise State (8) 4. TCU (1) 5. Nebraska 6. Oklahoma 7. Auburn 8. Alabama 9. LSU 10. South Carolina 11. Utah 12. Arkansas 13. Michigan State 14. Stanford 15. Iowa 16. Florida State 17. Arizona 18. Wisconsin 19. Nevada 20. Oklahoma State 21. Missouri 22. Florida 23. Air Force 24. Oregon State 25. West Virginia
1. Ohio State (49) 2. Oregon (6) 3. Boise State (1) 4. Nebraska (2) 5. TCU (1) 6. Oklahoma 7. Auburn 8. Alabama 9. LSU 10. Utah 11. Michigan State 12. South Carolina 13. Arkansas 14. Iowa 15. Stanford 16. Wisconsin 17. Florida State 18. Oklahoma State 19. Missouri 20. Arizona 21. Nevada 22. Florida 23. Air Force 24. Michigan 25. West Virginia
SIMULATION
3
Who’s
HOT
Who’s
HOT
NOT
LSU – The ball has bounced LSU’s way
GAMEDAY October 15
XBOX 360
all season. Call it luck if you want, but the Tigers are undefeated at 6-0.
Stephen Garica –
Xbox 360 screenshot Alabama wide receiver Marquis Maze scores a touchdown in the Tide’s 30-0 simulated victory over Ole Miss.
ALABAMA 30 OLE MISS 0 CRIMSON TIDE Statistics REBEL Statistics
Total Yards: 432 Passing: 357 yds Rushing: 75 yds Turnovers: 0 Passing: Greg McElroy: 20-of-29, 357 yds, 4 TDs Top Rusher: Mark Ingram: 20 rushes, 71 yds Top Receiver: Marquis Maze: 5 catches, 120 yds, 1 TD
Total Yards: 201 Passing: 178 yds Rushing: 23 yds Turnovers: 2 (2 INTs) Passing: Jeremiah Masoli: 9-of-16, 181 yds, 2 INTs Top Rusher: Brandon Bolden: 17 rushes, 41 yds Top Receiver: Lionel Breaux: 2 catches, 50 yds
Garcia has thrown for 436 yards and six touchdowns in his last two games, both against top-10 opponents.
NOT
AP
John Brantley – Brantley has thrown for no touchdowns and three interceptions in Florida’s last two games, both Gator losses.
Justin Wilcox – Monte Kiffin’s successor as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator has led a unit that has now given up more than 40 points twice this season.
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KEY PLAYERS
4 GAMEDAY October 15
ALABAMA
OLE MISS
Mark Ingram, RB
Brandon Bolden, RB
Last week, Ingram couldn’t make any explosive plays running and didn’t get any touchdowns against South Carolina. Florida was able to contain his explosive plays as well. If the Tide wants to dominate Ole Miss, he needs to have a breakout game and keep the defense honest.
So far this season, Bolden has 773 yards rushing and five touchdowns. In order to help Masoli and the Rebel offense open up the passing game, Bolden needs to find the holes and get those big rushes. Also, against Kentucky two weeks ago he had both a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown, which will keep the Alabama defense on its toes.
Marcell Dareus, DL
Jeremiah Masoli, QB
Dareus forced a tackle for a loss of 10 yards last Saturday, one of the best defensive plays Alabama had against South Carolina. Dareus needs to keep his eye out for a big play from Brandon Bolden in the running game but also look out for opportunities to drop Masoli for a loss in the backfield.
Against Kentucky, Masoli threw for a career-high four touchdowns. And he’s the first Rebel to pass and rush for at least 100 yards in a game since Archie Manning in 1969. The Tide secondary is also pumped up after being burned last week, so Masoli needs to make smart passes and hit his receivers in the right place.
Marquize Maze, WR
Jonathan Cornell, LB
With Julio Jones out of the game due to a fractured hand, Maze will need to step up as one of Greg McElroy’s main targets. Also, against South Carolina, Maze was the only shining star on special teams with a long kickoff and punt return. Again, with Jones out on special teams, Maze needs to make the magic happen to keep field position in Alabama’s favor.
As the team’s top tackler, it’ll be one of Cornell’s biggest jobs to keep Mark Ingram in check. Ingram is due for a big game, and if Ole Miss is going to win this game, Cornell needs to make sure that game isn’t this weekend. For the season, he has eight tackles for a loss, totalling to 27 yards, ranking in the top 10 in the SEC. Ole Miss photos courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
OFFENSIVE STARTERS
LT LG C RG RT TE HB QB RB WR WR
77 65 73 75 76 89 85 12 22 8 4
DEFENSIVE DE DT DE JACK WILL MIKE SAM CB FS SS CB
STARTERS
OFFENSIVE STARTERS
LT LG C RG RT TE QB RB WR WR WR
79 55 62 68 72 87 19 33 83 26 2
DE DT DE OLB MLB MLB OLB CB CB S S
OFFENSIVE STARTERS 77 65 73 75 52 89 85 12 22 15 4
James Carpenter (Sr.) Chance Warmack (So.) William Vlachos (Jr.) Barrett Jones (So.) Alfred McCullough (Jr.) Michael Williams (R-So.) Preston Dial (Sr.) Greg McElroy (Sr.) Mark Ingram (Jr.) Darius Hanks (Jr.) Marquis Maze (Jr.)
DEFENSIVE STARTERS
DE DT DE JACK WILL MIKE SAM CB FS SS CB
57 99 96 41 5 30 55 21 37 4 24
Marcell Dareus (Jr.) Josh Chapman (Jr.) Luther Davis (Sr.) Courtney Upshaw (Jr.) Jerrell Harris (Jr.) Dontʼa Hightower (So.) Chavis Williams (Sr.) Dre Kirkpatrick (So.) Robert Lester (So.) Mark Barron (Jr.) DeQuan Menzie (Jr.)
78 77 76 71 79 83 8 34 5 16 10
SPECIAL TEAMS STARTERS K P PR KR
43 29 4 3 22
DEFENSIVE STARTERS Bradley Sowell (Jr.) DE 7 Wayne Dorsey (Jr.) Patrick Junen (R-Fr.) DT 57 Jerrell Powe (Sr.) A.J. Hawkins (So.) DT 99 Ted Laurent (Sr.) Logan Clair (Jr.) DE 90 Gerald Rivers (S0.) Bobby Massie (So.) WLB 15 Joel Kight (So.) Ferbia Allen (So.) MLB 51 Jonathan Cornell (Sr.) Jeremiah Masoli (Sr.) SLB 9 Allen Walker (Sr.) Brandon Bolden (Jr.) CB 4 Marcus Temple (Jr.) Melvin Harris (So.) CB 6 Jeremy McGee (Sr.) Markeith Summers (Sr.) S 35 Fon Ingram (Sr.) Jesse Grandy (So.) S 1 Damien Jackson (Jr.) SPECIAL TEAMS STARTERS K 81 Bryson Rose (So.) P 97 Tyler Campbell (So.) PR 10 Jesse Grandy (So.) KR 10 Jesse Grandy (So.) 26 Derrick Herman (Jr.)
OFFENSIVE STARTERS
LT LG C RG RT TE QB RB WR WR WR
Cade Foster (Fr.) and Jeremy Shelley (So.) Cody Mandell (Fr.) Marquis Maze (Jr.) Trent Richardson (So.) Mark Ingram (Jr.)
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5 GAMEDAY October 15
LT LG C RG RT TE HB QB RB WR WR
Humbled Homecoming BY MARQUAVIUS BURNETT Sports Reporter msburnett1@crimson.ua.edu
We have all heard head coach Nick Saban talk about how the process is more important than the end result. We have all heard Saban say playing like champions is more important than winning championships.
Crimson tide players sit on the bench during last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 35-21 loss to South Carolina. CW | Drew Hoover
8 GAMEDAY October 15 CW | Drew Hoover Greg McElroy and Julio Jones watch the game from the sidelines as Alabama goes down 35-21 to the Gamecocks. Those theories will be tested more than ever as the Alabama Crimson Tide has to deal with something it has not faced since 2007 – bouncing back from a regular-season loss. South Carolina broke a lot of the Tide’s streaks, including 19 straight wins, which was the longest in the nation and nine straight wins against top-25 opponents. One thing Alabama held onto is its streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher. The streak is currently at 40 games. Despite losing to South Carolina on the road, Saban’s message has not changed. “I’ve always talked about improving as a team, everybody
individually and collectively doing the things that you need to do to make yourself better so you can play to a standard and so you can be the best you can be at what you do,” Saban said. “Sometimes that’s very difficult to do, especially when you are satisfied with the success that you’ve had to that point. It doesn’t become about playing to a standard, it becomes about winning a game.” The players all expressed how much the team will be humbled by this loss. “We put our life into this thing,” senior quarterback Greg McElroy said. “I’m sure a lot of people are
disappointed in the loss, but the guys in the locker room are the ones that put in 12 months of effort, dedication and sacrifice to be able to play on Saturdays.” Running back Mark Ingram said, “Some of the guys who’ve never experienced a loss here at Alabama just thought we could show up, and we would win because we are Alabama. That’s not the case. We have to work hard, practice hard and play with a lot of intensity. We have to grow from this.” The Tide lost more than a game against South Carolina. They also lost wide receiver Julio Jones to a fractured hand. Jones has
since had surgery, but his status is still uncertain. The team also lost offensive lineman D.J. Fluker. Saban said he believes Fluker will be out at least one week. Alabama won’t have much time to dwell on the loss. It’s homecoming for the Tide and the Mississippi Rebels come to town for another Southeastern Conference Western Division showdown. Alabama will look to get back on track this Saturday against Ole Miss. The No. 8 Crimson Tide and Rebels will kickoff at 8 p.m. Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Rebels are the second of six SEC teams to have a bye before playing Alabama.
9
— Running back Mark Ingram Alabama has traditionally dominated this series. This will be the 58th meeting between the two SEC teams. Alabama is 47-8-2 (includes vacated wins) against Ole Miss alltime. The Tide has also won nine straight in the series at BryantDenny Stadium and 23 of 24, with the only loss a 22-12 defeat in 1988. Alabama is 31-1-1 against the Rebels in the state of Alabama. The Crimson Tide beat then No. 19 Mississippi 22-3 a season ago in Oxford. Although the Rebels have had their struggles so far this season, they are still not to be overlooked. Ole Miss plays the Tide tough every year. Four of the last five matchups between these two conference rivals have been decided by four points or less. “Any time you play Ole Miss or a Houston Nutt-coached team, it’s going to be a tough game,” Saban said. “As [Jeremiah] Masoli has gotten more comfortable with their offense, they have been very productive and one of the leading teams in the country in terms of scoring points.” Ole Miss features a duel-threat quarterback in Masoli, a transfer from Oregon, and an explosive offense that has averaged 37 points per game. As the Rebels’ offense has flourished, their defense has struggled, allowing 32 points per game. Ole Miss will be looking to take advantage of the Tide’s inexperienced secondary. Mississippi is
3-2 on the season and 1-1 in the SEC after a 42-35 win over Kentucky at home two weeks ago. “This is a different kind of offense,” Saban said. “There are a lot of options, reads, a lot of different formation variables and personnel groups. Defensively they have five or six guys back [this year] and two really good defensive tackles. This is a team that has gotten better and has bounced back. “From our experience in playing them in the past, it has always been a difficult preparation. The key to it will be how we respond and how we prepare to do the things we need to do to give ourselves a better chance to be successful in the future. Consistency in performance is the key to that.” The Tide will be looking to correct its mistakes and to take full advantage of any miscues the Rebels make on both sides of the ball. So far this season, the Tide’s offense is averaging 35 points per game while the defense only gives up 13 points per game. The Tide’s schedule will not get much easier as the season goes on with five of its last six opponents being SEC games, including games against LSU and in-state rival Auburn, both undefeated. The Tide still controls its own destiny in the SEC West, but it will have to win out and have a little help if it hopes CW | John Michael Simpson to return the national champion- Julio Jones received for 118 yards on Saturday, but his gains were not ship game and defend its title. enough for the Tide to win the game.
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GAMEDAY October 15
Some of the guys who’ve never experienced a loss here at Alabama just thought we could show up and win because we’re Alabama.
10
COLUMN
GAMEDAY October 15
Tide can win all remaining games The very first game of the 2010 college football season was South Carolina versus Southern Misss on a Thursday night. As I watched that game, I realized just how formidable the Gamecocks would be as an opponent. Looking through our schedule, it was the only game I was worried about. Why? There were a few reasons. The first was that it was away. It was the third away game of the season, the halfway point in the five road games. It was also decently far away, about six to seven hours driving time away from Tuscaloosa. It can be mentally exhausting to think how far the team travels on these weekends. Second was that it was the mid-point in the Crimson Tide’s season. By week six, teams have started to take their bye-weeks to recuperate, but Alabama doesn’t get a week off until week nine of the season. It’s another thing that wears and tears. Third, of course, is that South Carolina had a bye week prior to
this game. This last thing is something Alabama is going to have to get used to. But here’s Laura Owens why I think Assistant Sports Editor Alabama isn’t going to lose any more this season. For many of the players on this 2010 team, it’s their first loss ever. They will remember this feeling, and they won’t ever want to feel it again. Motivation to win is one thing; motivation to not lose is another. So now, the Tide has both. There are six games left, and four of them are at home. Currently, Alabama is on a 17-game winning streak at home, dating back to the season opener against Tulane in 2008. The last home loss was in 2007 to Louisiana-Monroe. Since that game, one thing this team has
taken pride in is defending its house. The game against Auburn to end the season will be a big test, but I don’t believe this team will allow the enemy to break that home winning streak. The two road games left are Tennessee and LSU. Yes, Tennessee did give LSU (and Les Miles’ job) quite a scare in Death Valley, but that just shows how beatable LSU can be at home. And UAB gave the Volunteers quite a scare in double overtime at Neyland Stadium, which shows Tennessee only shows up to some of its games. These two teams are rivals, and they will give Alabama their best games. However, motivation from a rivalry can only carry so far. Alabama is better than both of these teams, and when it comes down to the last minute, skill as well as conditioning can outweigh any rivalry. Assuming I’m right and we win out the rest of the regular season, Alabama will make its third trip
in a row to Atlanta to face either Florida or South Carolina for the Southeastern Conference title game. I hope it’s South Carolina so Alabama can get its revenge. And if it’s Florida…I think the Tide can handle them again. Winning out this season isn’t only possible; it’s plausible. Making it to the national championship game again may be out of Alabama’s reach, but even if we don’t bring home number 14, this can still be a successful season. Beating Auburn and being able to take another shot at South Carolina seems like a pretty successful season to me. But if we’re really lucky, Alabama still might have a chance to claim another national title. The problem with that is that our fate doesn’t rest in our own hands on that one. We have to trust teams like LSU and Auburn to stay undefeated until we beat them. As I’ve already said though, it’s not if we beat them, it’s when we beat them.
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11
the
GAMEDAY October 15
Ar und SEC
GAME OF THE WEEK
#12 ARKANSAS
@ #7 AUBURN With Alabamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, the SEC West just became a lot more competitive. Both teams are looking to gain a leg up in conference play. A loss for the Razorbacks would almost certainly knock them out of contention for the SEC West, while an Auburn team wants to prove its success so far this season hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been a fluke. Both teams sport high-octane offenses, but their defenses have struggled a bit thus far, and this game figures to be a high-scoring affair. The Tigers will try to make the crowd a factor as Arkansas travels to Auburn.
AP
LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson runs past West Virginia defender Trevor Demko for a touchdown during the first half of its game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday night.
Arkansas Athletics Arkansas WR Adam Jones returns a kick last week during the Razorbackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victory over Louisiana-Monroe.
MISSISSIPPI ST. VANDERBILT GEORGIA GEO FLORIDA
S. CAROLINA KENTUCKY
Time: 2:30 p.m. on CBS Series: Auburn leads 10-8-1
Dan Mullen has his ďŹ rst homecoming at Florida since leaving for the MSU head coaching job.
terrible play so With Georgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s te far, this game could actually be competitive, unlike most years.
GO CRIMSON TIDE! *$0( CHANGERS NGER RS
The Gamecocks are ready to pull ahead in the SEC East with a win against the Wildcats.
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12 GAMEDAY October 15
Q&A
Reliving the tradition with By Jordan Eichenblatt Contributing Writer
Evan Mathis
Evan Mathis started 47 consecutive games on the offensive line for the Crimson Tide in the early 2000’s and now plays guard for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. The Birmingham native talked with GameDay about his career with the Tide and what he learned from playing during a tough time for the football program.
GameDay: How were you recruited to Alabama? And did your uncle support you no matter where you went? Evan Mathis: Former UA wide receiver coach and current Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney recruited me during my senior year at Homewood High School. Even if I had offers from other big schools and not one from Bama, I was still going to Bama. I was fortunate enough to get a phone call from Coach Swinney as Auburn’s O-Line coach was leaving my house after telling me I was too small to play in the SEC. Coach Swinney offered me a scholarship and I immediately committed to Alabama.
GD: What was your favorite play in your 47 consecutive starts at Alabama?
Bryant Museum Former Alabama offensive lineman Evan Mathis blocks against Arkansas in 2004.
GD: Bryant-Denny stadium now holds 101,821 people. In your wildest dreams, did you think an Alabama home game would have that many people?
EM: It’s hard to call any one play my favorite. It always felt good to help spring big runs in big games. A memorable moment was when Shaud Williams took the first play of the 2002 Arkansas game 80 yards for a TD to set the tone for a great game.
EM: It’s not even fair anymore; 80,000 in that stadium was loud. Now over 100,000 screaming fans really makes it hard for opposing teams. That will always be a key to Bama’s home victories.
GD: What team did you always look forward to playing?
GD: What is one thing you take from Alabama that you use in life
EM: Auburn and Tennessee games always carry that natural rivalry mentality with them. I loved being able to play against the best of the best whenever we had the chance to do so.
GD: What was a bigger rush? Running out of the tunnel for Alabama or for the Bengals?
EM: Playing in the NFL is fulfilling my lifelong dream, but nothing beats running out of the tunnel in Tuscaloosa.
today?
EM: When I was at Bama from 2000-2004, we experienced a rollercoaster of events. NCAA probation, four different head coaches, and all the turmoil I saw was not what I expected when I committed to the school that I expected to be a national title contender. I learned that anything can happen in life and no matter what the situation is, don’t quit. Interview from SportsCampus on 1230am radio. You can listen to SportsCampus every Sunday from 6-8 p.m.
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