(The good news: every time Missouri plays on television, it results in thousands of texts and jokes related to "The Outlaw Josey Wales." Whooped 'em again, didn't we Josey? Whooped 'em again, boy.)
I'm telling you this for a reason: rain may affect your favorite team this Saturday. The good news for 'Bama: it's supposed to quit before kickoff Saturday in Oxford. That's all we need is to play Houston Nutt in the pouring rain. I'd rather drink gasoline.
(One other note before we go on: Nebraska's defense is playing way too well to lose this game. Seriously. They're going to lose because they can't move the ball on offense, and that's a damn shame.)
Anyway, I owe you guys links and some Derek Webb, since it's about to be Friday. Today's entry comes from his second album: "I Want a Broken Heart."
And with that, we move on with links to close out the week:
— Yesterday I pondered whether Julio Jones' injuries and the special attention paid him by opponents was hurting his production thus far this season. According to OTS, that's not the case, at least not against Kentucky. Shows what I know. The good news: we're still producing on offense, and a number of different guys are getting involved.
— Interestingly, the nation is taking notice of McElroy's fast start: he's one of three 'Bama players on an early-season watch list. Also, I'm told Mark May said something about him and the Heisman Trophy tonight. That ain't happenin, Mark.
— More player features: Rolando McClain said this week he's "not thinking about" the NFL right now, which is fortunate. McClain looks every bit the part of a seasoned veteran thus far this season — he flows to the ball on nearly every play, calls every defensive formation and does tons of stuff that isn't immediately obvious to a casual football fan. I'm glad he's on our side; he's basically been what DeMeco Ryans was in 2005.
— While we're on the subject of linebackers, Alabama did some shuffling this week in its linebacking corps, and word is Cory Reamer will be back outside when the D takes the field Saturday in Oxford. Probably for the best.
— Dr. Saturday has an interesting post about Ole Miss' need to perform Saturday against Alabama, even if it doesn't win.
I don't mean that Ole Miss necessarily has to win to save its season, which would be a pretty dire thing to say before the halfway point. But I do think the Rebels have to play well and stand toe to toe with the Tide into the fourth quarter to avoid the sense that they're just another middle-of-the-pack outfit sitting at 1-2 in the conference. We know what we're going to get from 'Bama -- disciplined, aggressive defense that doesn't offer any big windows for Jevan Snead, opposite a pounding running game backed up by the occasional big strike downfield -- which is what makes the Tide such an effective measuring stick; they're one of a very small handful of the most consistent teams in the country so far, as effective against Virginia Tech as they are against Kentucky. If Ole Miss can legitimately compete with that, then perhaps its fate can still be more Virginia Tech than Kentucky.
(Note: While I was typing these last few paragraphs, Nebraska scored twice in 2 minutes to take the lead. Once again, shows what I know.)
— Regardless of what happens Saturday, the (simulated) BCS should have an extra dose of the SEC on Monday. But, as B&B reminded us last week, target="_blank"it may not last.
— Two other posts of interest: Jerry deals frankly with Ryan Pugh's thuggery; and Mr. CFB throws water on any of us trying to concoct a scenario with Boise St. in the BCS title game.
(Aw, c'mon, Tony ... we can dream, can't we?)
No comments:
Post a Comment