An oral history of the University of Alabama’s football season, as told by the people who lived it
Low Tide
Alabama defensive back Geno Smith (24) reacts to an Ole Miss touchdown in the final minutes of the Alabama vs. Ole Miss football game at VaughtHemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Oct. 4, 2014.
staff photo | Michelle Lepianka Carter
By D.C. Reeves Sports Writer
Unfamiliarity would be the theme of the University of Alabama’s trip to Oxford, Miss. It was the first true road start for quarterback Blake Sims. It was the first time new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin would be sending plays into this team in a hostile environment. And in the end, it was a loss, an unfamiliar feeling for the program in the first week of October. It was the earliest loss for a Nick Sabancoached Alabama team since his 7-6 campaign in 2007. Alabama took a 14-3 lead, but two fourthquarter turnovers and defensive lapses in the final eight minutes would prove too much to overcome. With ESPN’s College Gameday in
For a video look back at the middle portion of Alabama’s 2014 football season, go to www.tuscaloosanews.com or www.tidesports.com
town, the postgame scene was raucous as the goalposts were carried out of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Nick Perry, senior safety: I think we were just going through the motions because you know sometimes you can be overconfident. I think that was very humbling to us and we just found out, yeah, we can be beat. You know, teams aren’t scared of us. We’re going to get every team’s best shot.
Nick Saban, head coach: This was our first game on the road, and Landon Collins, it affected us. And we did not play as well junior safety: as what we have been playing and we Bad things happened. We didn’t make didn’t continue to improve. I didn’t know key plays, and we just didn’t stay sound. if it was the atmosphere, the bye week, I continued We didn’t play all four quarters.
don’t know specifically what created it, probably that they played really well. It was an ugly effort — seven penalties and a fumbled kickoff in crunch time — but Alabama still put itself in position to win with the ball while trailing 23-17 and driving in Ole Miss territory. The comeback was thwarted when Blake Sims’ end-zone pass to O.J. Howard was intercepted in the waning seconds. The ball floated to the wrong shoulder of Howard and into the hands of Ole Miss’ Senquez Golson. Blake Sims, senior quarterback: I made a mistake. ... I made the wrong decision, and O.J. did the best he could do. O.J. Howard, sophomore tight end: I went up to go for the ball and ward (Ole Miss safety Cody Prewitt) off and catch it, but I didn’t see (Golson) behind me and he bumped me down, and I slipped and didn’t get to make a good play on the ball. Senquez Golson, Ole Miss cornerback: I had just blew that coverage probably the series before. My coach came down and he said, “You gave up one so you owe me one.” Brian Vogler, senior tight end: I think going into the last drive, we all knew we had a chance. We were all confident. It just didn’t shake up the way we expected it. The final result wasn’t the only big loss in Oxford. Running back Kenyan Drake, one of the team’s most dynamic players, suffered a gruesome leg injury early in the second quarter. Kenyan Drake, junior running back: I’ve never been hurt like that before in my life. Jonathan Allen, sophomore defensive end: I couldn’t hear him screaming from the field, but it didn’t look too good from the sideline.
staff photo | Robert Sutton
Ole Miss defensive back Senquez Golson (21) intercepts a pass intended for Alabama tight end O.J. Howard (88) in the fourth quarter. Howard caught three passes for 81 yards. Howard said he didn’t see Golson behind him and was not able to make a good play on the ball.
Drake: I didn’t know what to think to be honest with you. I kind of went into shock, the trainers came out there, took real good care of me instantly on the field and after that I really didn’t feel it anymore. Drake was immediately flown back to continued
Birmingham for surgery. Many wondered what kind of impact seeing an injury like that could have had on Drake’s teammates in the midst of UA’s first road game. Jalston Fowler, senior fullback: Everybody was just sad because they knew how hard Kenyan worked during the week and we also know that he’s a big part of our offense. How big a part? According to statistics compiled by TideSports.com, in the 51 offensive snaps Drake played this season – about 13 percent of Alabama’s overall snaps before the injury – UA accrued 481 yards of offense, an average of 9.4 yards per play: a significant boost over the 6.8 yards per play the offense averaged without Drake in the game. Lane Kiffin, offensive coordinator: You really just become kind of normal. I look at it as there aren’t that many Reggie Bush, Kenyan Drakes in the world. So when you do have one, now you can do things that you don’t normally do. T.J. Yeldon, junior running back: It would be a lot different. We use him out wide, we use his speed, a lot of different plays. Kiffin: There aren’t many running backs that run staff photo | Robert Sutton
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Above: Alabama
running back Kenyan Drake (17) had one carry for 10 yards. Drake was carried off the field in a cart after being injured on the play. Left: Drake is helped onto a cart after being injured. UA accrued 481 yards of offense, an average of 9.4 yards per play, a significant boost over the 6.8 yards per play the offense averaged without Drake in the game.
staff photo | Michelle Lepianka Carter
staff photos | Michelle Lepianka Carter
Alabama linebacker D. J. Pettway (57) tackles Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace (14) during the second quarter. Pettway’s tackle brought the Rebels back three yards on the drive.
4.3 that can catch the ball and run routes. Well, Kenyan can and Reggie could, so you can run slant-and-go’s with the running back. Most tailbacks can’t do that. So losing him, it was tough.
doing with him, I think he would have probably went to the NFL. But at 1-1 in conference play after the loss to Ole Miss, there was no time to worry about smarting losses and key injuries.
With no true replacement for his skill set, Drake’s injury shelved Fowler: a chunk of the Kiffin playbook. So Everybody was just mad, evAlabama had to make adjust- erybody was just saying we ments. should have played better and work e d ou r t a i l o f f, we Kiffin: shouldn’t have been bull-stuffI think it also made more ing all week like that. balls go to Coop because now there wasn’t a running back Austin Shepherd, you could do that with that you senior offensive tackle: just don’t usually have. There Everyone was down, wished are probably four or five of we could have done more. But them in all the NFL that do we pulled together. We were that. reminded every day by those But on a bright side, too, I g uys who have been here don’t think he would be here awhile that we have won nanext year if he wouldn’t have tional championships with one gotten hurt. I think that way loss. We told them to practice that he was preforming in the your hardest and it will work system and the things we were out, and it did.