GAMEDAY PICK ‘EM 11-Way Tie - Taylor Ensign - David Chesnutt - Ryan Poor - Chloe Costner
Results from Week 2 Top Three Season Leaders 2 1 2 Cole Kelley 36/38 94.74 %
Charley Irons 35/38 92.11 %
Joe Hendricks 35/38 92.11 %
- David Moore - Landon Robinson - Charley Irons - Joe Hendricks - Robert Dunn - Trey Jones - John McWilliams
GAMEDAY Staff & 2010 Winner Results Tony Tsoukalas Gameday Editor 32/38 84.21 %
Marquavius Burnett Assistant Gameday Editor 32/38 84.21 %
John McWilliams 2010 Pick ‘Em Winner 33/38 86.34 %
Visit gameday.ua.edu to play in The Crimson White’s college football pick ‘em league. Leaders will get their names published each week. Weekly winners will be given two free movie tickets. The season winner will be awarded with a $100 gift card to the SUPe Store.
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Inside
GameDay
Ground and Pound
The Tide running backs look to hit their stride before the start of SEC Conference play. Page 6
CW | John Michael Simpson
PAGE 3 Tony’s taste of the town
PAGE 5 reliving the tradition: Bob baumhower
PAGE 11 column: PISTOL OFFENSE
Tony goes to Hooligan’s to try the “best burger” in Tuscaloosa.
The CW talks with Bob Baumhower, former Tide defensive tackle.
The pistol offense is just another innovative system in the NCAA.
By Tony Tsoukalas
By Zackary Al-Kateeb
By Brett Hudson
Gameday Staff • Tony Tsoukalas, GameDay editor • Marquavius Burnett, assistant GameDay editor • Victor Luckerson, editor-in-chief • Jonathan Reed, managing editor • Sarah Massey, magazine art director • Jessie Hancock, assistant design editor • Adam Greene, chief copy editor Cover photo: CW | John Michael Simpson
September 16, 2011 GAMEDAY
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Ar und THE
SEC
Game of the Week
AUBURN vs. CLEMSON Gene Chizik gets his first road test of the year against Dabo Swinney. Clemson hasn’t beaten Auburn since 1951, but the last two meetings have gone to overtime. This will be a battle of two potent offenses, with Auburn’s offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and quarterback Barrett Trotter against Clemson’s quarterback Tajh Boyd and running back Andre Ellington. Both teams have had rocky starts to the season.
Auburn will face Clemson in their first road game of the year.
CW Jerrod Seaton
TENNESSEE FLORIDA
OLE MISS VANDERBILT
ARKANSAS TROY
SOUTH CAROLINA NAVY
Will Muschamp makes his SEC head coaching debut against QB Tyler Bray and the Volunteers, who aim to give coach Derek Dooley his first signature SEC win.
Both will make their SEC debuts, with Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt trying to revive Rebel football and Vandy’s James Franklin trying to “change the culture” at Vandy.
Troy will try to slow down Tyler Wilson and the Razorback offense, which scored 51 points on Missouri State two weeks ago and 52 points on New Mexico last week.
Jadaveon Clowney’s performance against Navy’s triple option attack will be one to watch, as the Gamecocks try to get another win before returning to SEC East play.
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GAMEDAY
September 16, 2011
GameDay Editor Tony Tsoukalas chills at one of T-town’s best burger joints
TONY’S TASTE OF THE TOWN
HOOLIGAN’S
T
here is no question that gamedays in Tuscaloosa are hectic. Between tailgating and the hustle and bustle of getting to Bryant-Denny Stadium, many fans lose the chance to sit back and relax on Saturday. Hooligan’s, located at 1915 University Blvd., might very well be Tuscaloosa’s cure to the fast-paced stress of gamedays. “Hooligan’s is awesome, because it has this really great combination of really good and affordable food,” said Alex Hollinghead, a senior majoring in math and philosophy. “They have this whole environment where you can go and hang out with your friends. They have a patio where you always see people hanging out with their friends. It is just really good.” The restaurant that specializes in both Mediterranean and American cuisine offers Alabama fans a more relaxed setting for football Saturdays. But just because Hooligan’s offers a change of pace from the norm does not mean they lose out on any of Alabama’s football traditions. “I think it is just because everybody here loves football,” manager Khalid Ismael said. “90 percent of workers are not American; they didn’t grow up with football, but everybody over here loves football. The atmosphere over
ligan’s has plenty of other options, especially those of the Mediterranean variety. “My favorite thing to get there is the gyro,” WHERE: 1915 University Blvd. Hollinghead said. “It is really savory — if you like the gyros at Tut’s, you will like them at Hooligan’s. They come with a big side of fries, WHAT KIND OF FOOD: American and and the fries have a great seasoning on them. Mediterranean The combination of quality and atmosphere make it my favorite place for Greek food.” On game days, Hooligan’s is the perfect place WHAT TONY ORDERED: Cheeseburger to catch a burger with friends. Unlike some combo with fries other restaurants in Tuscaloosa, Hooligan’s is not too packed before games. Its location on University Boulevard also makes it accessible here is like you are at the stadium.” Just like the Crimson Tide, Hooligan’s has on your way to the game. “It is really not that far from the stadium,” had its share of success in recent years. The restaurant’s burger has been a Tuscaloosa fa- Hollinghead said. “If you are looking for someplace to go on gameday, it would definitely be a vorite for years. “Oh man, their burger is good,” Hollinghead good place to go before or after the game.” So, if you are a fan who is fed up with rushsaid. “They definitely make a mean burger at Hooligan’s. It tastes really homemade; it’s re- ing around on Saturdays, take a change of pace and hit up Hooligan’s for a relaxing homestyle ally appealing.” The juicy, down home burger must have a experience. secret to its success. However, Ismael said he wasn’t about to let his competitors in on the secret. Watch Tony devour a Hooligan’s “It’s our secret stuff, man,” Ismael said. “We burger and talk with patrons at make it with love.” @ cw.ua.edu gameday.ua.edu. If you are not in the mood for a burger, Hoo-
FAST FACTS
September 16, 2011 GAMEDAY
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Alabama players participate in practice earlier this preseason. The Crimson Tide hope to stay fit as they contend for a national championship in 2011. Photos by UA Athletics
INSIDE THE GAME:
TRAINING DAYS A peek inside Alabama’s preparation
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BY MARQUAVIUS BURNETT ASSISTANT GAMEDAY EDITOR msburnett1@crimson.ua.edu
hen the Alabama football team steps onto the field every Saturday, the Crimson Tide players are a mixture of brave, fearless gladiators and graceful entertainers. Bryant-Denny Stadium provides the Tide with an arena that rivals the Coliseum built during the Roman Empire. The 101,000 fans that pack the stadium create an atmosphere that makes Bryant-Denny one of the toughest places to play in the country. Those fans expect a certain level of physicality mixed with finesse from their entertaining warriors. But the product the players and coaches display on gamedays includes an extraordinary game plan and individuals who risk life and limb for the greater good of the team. Those amazing football Saturdays would not be possible without proper preparation throughout the off season and during the week leading up to each individual game. Head coach Nick Saban said you would have to write a book to mention everything included in the Tide’s off season training regime. “There’s a lot of things that go into training for a season – that goes all the way back to February,” Saban said. Facing a new team each week presents its own set of challenges. Senior defensive tackle Josh Chapman said everyday during weekly preparation presents a unique opportunity for the team. “On Mondays, basically it’s just introducing the team,” Chapman said. “Tuesdays are hard days where we get after it, and Wednesday you get after the situational stuff. And Thursdays are way more situational, and Friday’s more mental.” Along with opponent preparation, one of the more important things for any athlete is his diet. For football players, you want to balance being big and strong with the quickness and explosiveness necessary to dominate your opponent.
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GAMEDAY
September 16, 2011
Q
“We have a nutritionist who tries to control the menu, as well as the diet of certain players,” Saban said. “It’s relative to some guys needing to gain body fat and some guys who need to lose body fat. So, we kind of try to address that.” Other elements that go along with the training regime are conditioning and weight training. Just lifting weights and running won’t cut it for Division-I athletes. Lifting weights is a must when trying to gain strength and build muscle, with the key factor being how you monitor your weight training, so as to not fatigue your muscles. “We have a conditioning regiment that we do on a weekly basis,” Saban said. “Whether it’s a minimal amount of weightlifting to maintain strength or the way we condition in practice early in the week. But the emphasis we try to make with our players is if you really practice hard, you will get the number of reps in practice. If you finish the plays in practice hard, then we shouldn’t need to condition. You should be in condition for the game. But if you’re not giving that kind of effort on each play, then we’re going to need to condition more to try and get you ready to play the game.” For Saban, it all boils down to being prepared for the game. He said playing hard every play is not an option if you get tired during the game. “Mental toughness, physical toughness, discipline to execute – those three things are critical factors in being successful, and there’s one prerequisite: you got to be in great physical condition,” Saban said. “‘Because as soon as you get tired, you’re not going to do any of those things very well. You’re going to make mental errors, so you’re going to lose your discipline. Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”
Q&A
RELIVING THE TRADITION
Photo courtesy of the Bryant Museum
with BOB BAUMHOWER
Bob Baumhower played defensive tackle for Alabama from 1973-76 under head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Despite his lack of recruitment coming out of high school, Baumhower would go on to become a two-time second team All-American during his junior and senior seasons, helping Alabama go a combined 31-4 in his three years playing time. Baumhower was drafted 40th overall in the 1977 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, where he played until retirement in 1986. Baumhower now owns a chain of restaurants in Alabama called Baumhower’s Wings. - ZACKARY AL-KATEEB
Gameday: Talk about your recruitment to Alabama. Bob Baumhower: OK. There was none. I really didn’t get recruited by Alabama. I moved to Tuscaloosa when I was a senior in high school. I just started playing football, and I was so-so, didn’t really know what I was doing. I didn’t get recruited by anybody. I only had one official visit, to Auburn, and they didn’t offer me a scholarship. A year came and went. I had a couple smaller schools come after me. I was recruited by Vandy, and I figured yeah, SEC school, Nashville, sounds good to me. So, long story short, I called my parents and told them I would sign, but my mom told me don’t sign, that somebody from Bama wanted to talk to me. So, I got off the plane and went straight to meet Coach Bryant. He was apologetic he hadn’t recruited me and offered me a scholarship right on the spot. Apparently he was reviewing tape of all his signees and saw me playing against one of his top offensive linemen, and I was having a pretty good day, and he was apparently pretty perturbed no one was recruiting me. GD: Did you ever think you’d have the kind of success you did at Alabama? BB: No, because I wasn’t a guy who dreamed about playing football. It wasn’t something that was instilled in me. My parents, they were
FAST FACTS - Two time second team All-American
- Drafted 40th overall by Miami Dolphins - Selected to five NFL Pro Bowls
great, but we just weren’t a sports-minded family. GD: What was your favorite thing about playing football at Alabama? BB: I learned how to love the game. I played it in high school and as a freshman, and I really didn’t play it for the love of the game. I learned how to love the game. It never left me. I still am thankful for that. I never had vision before Bama, and the relationships that came out of that, you just can’t say enough good things. GD: Are there any games that really stick out in your head as a player? BB: A couple games. I remember as a sophomore, we played Florida State, and they had an 18-game losing streak. And they came in, played us in Tuscaloosa, and we eked out an 8-7 win. We probably shouldn’t have won. It shows we weren’t ready to play. Coach Bryant came in before the game, during the pre-game
meal, and told us we weren’t ready to play. And here we are, the No. 1 team in the nation, getting our butts whipped by FSU. And it just shows you that you have to be prepared and be ready to play in all games. So that stuck with me. GD: You played on both Saturdays and Sundays. What game did you prefer playing more? BB: Once you get into the game and you start seeing you might have an opportunity to play pro football, which is the best in the world, it doesn’t get much better than that. But I don’t forget what playing at Bama, what Coach Bryant, what moving to T-Town did for me. I loved Saturdays in Tuscaloosa. But I also enjoyed playing Sundays as well. GD: During your three years as a starter, your team went 31-4 overall. What was your team’s mentality during that stretch? BB: Coach Bryant used to always tell us we were special. He could make you feel like you were special. He had this very unique ability to motivate you to be the best you can be. When you combine all that together, that’s just a great, great formula for success. That just creates a winning attitude, and the last thing we wanted to do was let him down. We all wanted that pat on the back.
September 16, 2011 GAMEDAY
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GROUNDA
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GAMEDAY
September 16, 2011
POUND
AND
BY LAURA OWENS
September 16, 2011 GAMEDAY
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O
ver the past few years at Alabama, everyone has grown accustomed to a running game that always dominates and wears down opponents. So far, the 2011 season promises the same. With the departure of Heisman winner Mark Ingram, a new set of running backs have stepped up to fill the spot.
Junior Trent Richardson served as backup during his first two seasons. This season, Richardson has the starting position, with sophomores Eddie Lacy and Jalston Fowler backing him up. In 2010, Richardson rushed for 700 yards, with six rushing touchdowns on 112 carries. Lacy broke onto the scene last year, playing in 12 games, getting 56 carries for 406 yards and two touchdowns. Fowler also had good freshman year numbers, with 111 yards off 14 carries and running for a 36-yard touchdown against
Georgia State. Against Penn State, Richardson surpassed 100 yards in rushing for the first time this season, getting 111 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. “I think it was pretty solid,” Richardson said. “I know I need to work on my pass protection a little more. I have to punch my holes a little bit more and be more patient. Overall, I think I did pretty well. I went out there and played every play like it was my last.” While Richardson has had 148 rushing yards
I’m
flirty
and five touchdowns this season, he knows he’s also got talent behind him. “Everybody’s going to key in me just because they think I’m the running back, the man of the show, which I like,” he said. “I mean, I’m glad they do, because Eddie Lacy gets his carries, and he does it just as good as me. And he does better than me, so I’m not the one they really have to worry about.” So far in 2011, Lacy has 143 rushing yards and one touchdown, and Fowler has 69 yards on the ground with one touchdown.
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GAMEDAY
September 16, 2011
Trent Richardson breaks through the line against Penn State.
The three running backs each have something different that they bring to the field. Richardson has his experience and his strength. Known for loving the weight room, he’s strong enough to run through tackles. Lacy’s nickname, “Circle Button,” comes from his spin moves, which the fans have seen a few of so far this season. In some plays, he’ll use two or more spin moves to evade defenders. Then Fowler, a converted linebacker, has his size. At 6-foot-1 and 246 pounds, Fowler is both taller and heavier than Richardson and Lacy. He uses his size to power through the defense and get those hard short-yard downs. Opposing defenses try to stack the box to stop Alabama’s run game, but neither Kent State nor Penn State have been successful so far this year. In the first game, the Crimson Tide had 183 rushing yards; they then had 194 rushing yards in the second game. Richardson said the defense stacking the box won’t stop them from running the ball. “They’re always bringing seven, eight, nine, however many they can get in there,” he said. “They’re always bringing it. But it really doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, we win the ball game. That’s what we need.” While the other defenses try to put a lot of pressure on the running backs, Alabama’s offensive line works hard to fight back and make holes. Up front are two very experienced linemen, William Vlachos and Barrett Jones. “Both have done a really good job, from a leadership standpoint, with the offensive line,” said head coach Nick Saban. “I do think as the game wore on at Penn State, we started to win the line of scrimmage, and we started to insert our will as an offensive line.” During the game, Saban said they changed their game plan from game one, when the team ran on the perimeter, to taking it up the middle
CW John Michael Simpson
“I JUST WANT THE BALL. I JUST LOVE TO RUN THE BALL. I TRY AND GET IT ANYWAY I CAN. ” - TRENT RICHARDSON more in game two. “A lot of fans would say, ‘Well, you run the ball inside a lot,’” Saban said. “Well, when you’ve got big, powerful guys, maybe that’s the best way to do it.” Richardson said it doesn’t matter to him if he runs outside or up the middle. “I just want the ball,” he said. “I just love to run the ball. I try and get it anyway I can. Coach [Saban] made the best decision. He put us in the best place for where we can make that decision. I think it’s going to go good, because I’m sure I’m going to get outside next game or down the line. I’m not too much worried about it.” Saban said this past game, the offensive line did a better job of blocking, which created holes for the running backs. “Trent’s done a good job so far,” he said. “When you carry the ball, it’s a little bit of how we block and what we do. I think early in the game, especially in two games in a row, we haven’t done a very good job up front. We did a much better job from an offensive line standpoint this week as the game went on. Trent
took advantage of that, and Eddie took advantage of it as well. Trent had some tough yards.” Another way the running backs get more room is when the wide receivers open up the passing game. “Our receivers get open,” Richardson said. “They’ll back [the defenders] up for us, and we need the big runs. I know our receivers are going to get [the defenders] out the hole for us, go down the field, catch a pass for us.” Defensive lineman Josh Chapman, who has faced these backs in practice, gets good reps in trying to tackle them. “It’s about tackling them the right way,” he said. “It’s hard for me to go against two great backs every day, but it helps you also.” Linebacker Courtney Upshaw said it’s a good challenge for both the running backs and the defense to face each other in practice. “But for other teams, I’m sure it’s pretty hard to try to top them both [Richardson and Lacy], and Jalston Fowler also when he comes in the game, so I feel it’ll be a good challenge for our defense versus our offense,” he said.
September 16, 2011 GAMEDAY
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COLUMN / BY BRETT HUDSON / SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
THE EVOLUTION OF THE PISTOL OFFENSE
The Tide has and will continue to put the new offensive formation to good use
S
ome of football’s biggest innovators include Emory Bellard, Red Hickey, Walter Camp and Amos Alonzo Stagg, for inventing the wishbone, shotgun, Power T and I-form offenses, respectively. The glory may go to these coaches, but most recent of these innovators, Bellard, coached in the 1970s and 1980s, and Camp goes all the way back to the late 1800s. The glory of football’s most recent innovator should belong to Nevada head coach Chris Ault, the inventor of the pistol formation. Ault invented the offense to combine the big play capabilities and aerial attack options of the shotgun formation with the running abilities of the I-formation of the ace singleback formation. He did this by having the quarterback line up four yards behind the center and have a running back behind him, about seven yards from the line of scrimmage, thus letting the QB see the defensive alignment from further back — making reads more easily but having the running back run downhill to the ball in a run play. Ault did this very successfully, as you would know if you watched his Wolfpack last season, who dashed Boise State’s BCS dreams in a big upset on the way to a 13-1 record and a 20-13 win over Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl as the co-Western Athletic Conference champions. This offense was wildly successful on the stat sheet, too. Last year, Nevada running back Vai Taua ran for 1,610 yards and 19 touchdowns. His quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, also ran the ball for 1,206 yards and 20 touchdowns while keeping the aerial attack deadly, throwing for 3,022 yards and 21 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. The offense clearly showcased his talents since the San Fransisco 49ers traded up in the draft to take Kaepernick with the 36th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The offense has spread like wildfire throughout college football and even the NFL, now being utilized by the UCLA Bruins, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and, of course, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Thus far, Alabama has seen success from using the pistol formation, as evidenced by most of the 2009 BCS National Championship season.
Mark Ingram’s go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter against Virginia Tech came out of the pistol. Three touchdowns against Florida International in 2009 came out of the pistol, and North Texas gave up 229 yards to the pistol in 2009, according to a Tuscaloosa News unofficial count. Trent Richardson has had some success out of the formation, too. His run against Arkansas, in which he broke four tackles, two behind the line of scrimmage, and outran at least two more (yes, the one that made the Tradition video), came out of the pistol formation. The pistol is one of the most versatile offensive formations in use right now, and it is more important to Alabama’s success this year and in the future than many fans realize. It starts with head coach Nick Saban’s modern recruiting. In Alabama’s history, all Alabama has needed was an offensive line and a good running back to make national championships possible. National championship quarterbacks Jay Barker (1992) and Greg McElroy (2009) were better game managers than anything else. It has been said that Alabama quarterbacks don’t have to win games, they just have to not lose them. It makes sense, when you think about it. When you have running backs as good as Alabama has had throughout its history, as long as the QB didn’t throw interceptions in obvious passing situations and got a few key first downs through the air, the game was won. Now, under Saban, Alabama has talent at the quarterback position that can win football games, going beyond simply not losing them. This gives Alabama the potential for a very big threat offensively: perfect run-pass balance. Why not use it? Breaking things down, Alabama has the perfect setup to run the pistol offense to perfection. Offensive linemen Barrett Jones, D.J. Fluker and William Vlachos are experienced and show a great level of balance in run-blocking and pass-blocking skills, giving the Tide an edge in the trenches in a balanced pistol offense. This will continue in years to come with upcomers such as Cyrus Kouandjio. In the aerial attack, AJ McCarron is known especially for his deep ball, which works perfectly with the speed Alabama
“BREAKING THINGS DOWN, ALABAMA HAS THE PERFECT SETUP TO RUN THE PISTOL OFFENSE TO PERFECTION.” has at wide receiver, especially in youth such as Marvin Shinn and Danny Woodson, Jr. When the deep ball is covered, McCarron can always go to the play-action pass, which often uses crossing routes to big targets such as 6-foot-4, 210-pound Duron Carter. To compliment the play-action pass, Alabama will always have the running game, the traditional Alabama bread-and-butter with Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy, Jalston Fowler and Dee Hart, when
he returns from his knee injury. With all these weapons that complement each other so well, the pistol is the obvious choice. Balance on offense is extremely hard to defend, since at any time the run or the pass can get the yards necessary to keep the drive alive, and the pistol is the most balanced alignment seen in college football today. If the experts are correct in thinking national championships are in Alabama’s future, it’s safe to say the pistol is in the future, too.
September 16, 2011 GAMEDAY
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NEXTUP
ALABAMA vs ARKANSAS
at home Saturday, Sept. 24 at 2:30 p.m. CBS CW Katie Bennett
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GAMEDAY
September 16, 2011
We got you covered for game day with officially licensed Bama wear and supplies at our on-campus locations: Ferguson Center, Bryant Museum and our tent on the Quad.