We have no valid excuses for our pitiful performance, because if we deserved to beat Utah, we would have had enough depth for Smith's absence to not be a factor.
\n
On the other hand. Andre Smith does not play on defense. 21-0 sounds like a defensive failure. Sure, Andre Smith was a HUGE distraction to all of the Alabama team, as well as the coach, but it should not affect the play that much.
\n
The one thing I complete disagree with is the statement: \"Nick Saban was out coached.\"
\n
When an Andre Smith goes down days before a game, it is nearly impossible to get that off of the players mind.
\n
I have lived through one Alabama national championship, but I had not even said my first words yet.
\n
It is time to wake up and smell the coffee, because this is not even close to the end of the road.
\n
Alabama was stabbed in the leg. It will take some time to heal, but we are not dead.
\n
We are Alabama, and it takes things like this to get motivated.
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I'm sure most of you do not understand the title of this article, but it fits well with the situation. If it were 2005, it would have been a stabbing in the heart, that Alabama would not have been able to recover from...
I'm sure most of you do not understand the title of this article, but it fits well with the situation.
If it were 2005, it would have been a stabbing in the heart, that Alabama would not have been able to recover from. Shula could not have brought the Tide back to domination the following year, simply because he cannot recruit nor coach.
I was sitting in the upper-deck in New Orleans, awaiting for the game to start, when something did not feel right. Utah had a fiery look in them that The Crimson Tide did not.
If Andre Smith had played, who knows what would have happened? Mike Johnson would not have gotten hurt for sure, and we would not have had only two players in their original positions on the offensive line.
Alabama fans, this ones for you.
We have no valid excuses for our pitiful performance, because if we deserved to beat Utah, we would have had enough depth for Smith's absence to not be a factor.
On the other hand. Andre Smith does not play on defense. 21-0 sounds like a defensive failure. Sure, Andre Smith was a HUGE distraction to all of the Alabama team, as well as the coach, but it should not affect the play that much.
The one thing I complete disagree with is the statement: "Nick Saban was out coached."
When an Andre Smith goes down days before a game, it is nearly impossible to get that off of the players mind.
I have lived through one Alabama national championship, but I had not even said my first words yet.
It is time to wake up and smell the coffee, because this is not even close to the end of the road.
Alabama was stabbed in the leg. It will take some time to heal, but we are not dead.
We are Alabama, and it takes things like this to get motivated.
"I was sitting in the upper-deck in New Orleans, awaiting for the game to start, when something did not feel right. Utah had a fiery look in them that The Crimson Tide did not."
So you're saying you love the Tide, bought tickets to the game, showed up and saw something before kick off that made you question if your team could beat a Utah team nobody respected all that much, was a 10 point underdog, and almost 100% of Tide fans were certain Alabama would beat comfortably? I have hard time believing you had a shred of doubt who was going to win when kickoff time came. It sounds like a insight made in hindsight, as a partial excuse for the complete beat down the Tide received.
"If we deserved to beat Utah, we would have had enough depth for Smith's absence to not be a factor."
So the team's depth at o-line is the only reason Utah was able to completely dominate Alabama at every single position on both sides of the ball? Even you saw how ridiculous that claim is, which is why you admitted "21-0 sounds like a defensive failure. Andre Smith does not play on defense". BUT, then you come right back to blaming the loss on Andre Smith's absence by stating "When an Andre Smith goes down days before a game, it is nearly impossible to get that off of the players mind."
What a wild excuse for a loss. Alabama suited up every player at every position except Andre Smith. You just might not have noticed because Utah made them look so bad. Your excuse looks even more damning when you look at what you wrote in your last article - "The Utah defense will not penetrate through Nick Saban's masterpiece offensive line. That may seem to be a biased opinion, but it is fact."
That claim wouldn't look so bad because you had no clue what Utah was capable of on defense at that point, except you wrote it in an article specifically discussing Andre Smith's suspension. You wrote it with full knowledge that Smith would not be playing.
Try this on for size—instead of Utah winning because Alabama played so badly, maybe Alabama looked so bad because they were so outclassed and outplayed, which is exactly what everyone would be saying if Utah's jerseys said Florida on them.
The most inaccurate statement of your whole article is "The one thing I complete disagree with is the statement: "Nick Saban was out coached.""
The thing that Utah beat Alabama the worst on was coaching. Not only did Utah's coaching staff succeed in motivating their team more, but the way they out-coached Alabama's coaching staff was truly a sight to behold.
The confusing and rotating blitz packages, the timing of the blitzes, the way they had the no huddle running so smoothly and quickly to confuse and trap Alabama's defense - it was intense how out-coached Alabama was. If you tivo'd the game, watch it again if you can bear it.
You are a textbook Alabama apologist and are dismissing Utah's superiority by implying that it was Andre Smith's absence weighing too heavily on the player's minds, Alabama's heart wasn't in it, etc, that lost the game for Alabama instead of Utah's superior team that won the game for Utah. You should just admit that Alabama played a superior team that they didn't believe was as good as they were before the game started. Utah proved on the field without a shadow of a doubt who the better team is by the end of the game.
Alabama still had a hell of a year though! Nobody thought they'd go 12-2, but they did. Saban and the Tide had a great year.
Bob, i did not say that cost Alabama the game. Utah's team was superior to Alabama's. HOWEVER, the distractions did not help. Is that a better re-wording?
Most teams that win championships , are the ones who can keep their offensive lines intact for much of the season . Maybe having to replace one at the most. Their line has to be dominate with out saying.
Because if you loose two or more players durning a game and your backups haven't played with the first string offensive. You are going to have major problems. And that is what happened to alabama.
You can't pass or run if your line can't block.
And as far as the defensive goes, not even the trojans fron SoutherCal could have stopped what Utah was doing. Because when you run a spread no huddle offensive , one you can't get the right personnel on the field to stop it.
Take all that into consideration and you see what really happened during the game. And go one step ahead and if you threw out the first quarter points, alabama would have won it 17 to 10.
Yes did Utah out play Alabama , sure they did. And does Utah deserve to be Champs, of course they do. But in all fairness , are the a better football team that alabama? Yes, on that night they were.
A year from now will Utah be back in the national spot light? Probably not, however will Alabama
be back? You better believe they will. And you can take that to the bank.
Hank Good Article!! We are Alabama and we are NOT dead!! We were out -played but NOT out-classed!! Alot of things did go wrong that didn't help any but my friend here's to Gameday Kickoff 2009!! ROLL TIDE!!!!!!
thank you all for the comments. That generic idiot is just glad hes got something to cheer about when Utah finally did something impressive. Props to them, they played a great game. But they are and never will be the Alabama Crimson Tide!!!
thank you all for the comments. That generic idiot is just glad hes got something to cheer about when Utah finally did something impressive. Props to them, they played a great game. But they are and never will be the Alabama Crimson Tide!!!
"That generic idiot is just glad hes got something to cheer about when Utah finally did something impressive."
Finally? Utah has the longest winning streak in all of college football. Utah has the longest bowl winning streak in all of college football - they haven't lost in over a decade. Utah has won 22 of their last 23 games. Utah is the only team in D1 football in the BCS era to go undefeated twice. Utah has won both the Fiesta Bowl and now the Sugar Bowl in a span of 5 years. Utah unquestionably deserves the title this year and has a very good shot at getting the AP vote for a split title. Good thing they FINALLY did something they can cheer about by beating an Alabama program that hasn't been relevant for over 15 years.
Pull your head out of the sand. There are good football teams outside of the SEC that do big things, too. When's the last time you paid any attention to Utah football before they dominated Alabama a few days ago? That's what I thought - NEVER. You have no clue what you're talking about, yet you talk a big game like you follow more of college football than the SEC and whatever else ESPN has scheduled that weekend (read: Big 12). Give me a break.
The funniest part - I live in San Diego; born and raised. I am a rabid Chargers and NFL fan. I started watching college football a while back to have a better knowledge of the year's draft class and because the NFL doesn't play on Saturday. I am not some "Utah fan". Because I live in San Diego Direct TV gives me The MTN network for free (they play Mountain West Conference football games).
I am simply a college football fan that pays attention to more than the SEC and Big 12. Can you say the same? I watched every relevant conference this year - the SEC, Big 12, Mountain West, Pac-10 and Big 10. The Big 12 is way WAY overrated, the Mountain west is WAY underrated, the SEC is the best conference in college football, but is also overrated at the same time, and the pac-10, while weaker than the Mountain West, somehow managed to get underrated this year. (Big 10 left out intentionally, as it should be until they get their act together.)
Expand your mind, pay attention to the reality of college football instead of the constant hype and b.s. polls, and maybe next time you won't be so shocked when a team like Utah beats a team into oblivion they weren't "supposed" to beat.
Good article. I agree that losing Andre Smith and then losing Mike Johnson was a blow. Fact of the matter, Utah was a better team that night. And, when it comes down to it, that's what matters.
The Alabama Crimson Tide is a one of a kind program. I'm proud to be a part of it. Just don't let pride go into arrogance. It's a very thin line. :)
Y'all? I don't have an alma mater. I told you already - I live San Diego; born and raised. I am not some "Utah fan". I am nothing more than an unbiased college football fan.
"How many national championships" is a terribly lame argument to make, Hank. What do past years have to do with this season? If Alabama's titles were relevant to this year than clearly that would mean that Yale, Princeton and Notre Dame are better than Alabama because they have more national championships than Alabama. See how flawed that logic is?
But to answer your question, Utah fans can now lay claim to at least one. And if you ask me, 2009 national champions sounds a lot more relevant than 1992 if you're trying to get in a pissing match with a team that just gave Alabama a colonoscopy.
and also, i was in new orleans and i liked the Utah fans! they were great! Its just you that is not so great. Sit around waiting for an Alabama fan to post an article, and you go tell them it's all wrong. Yall played a great game, and i agree that you should have been in the title game. Maybe yall are better that florida and oklahoma, but you dont deserve having a number 1 ranking when you didnt get a chance to prove yourselves. Thats not yalls fault, you did the best you could do, but thats how the cookie crumbles.
I'm glad to hear that Utah fans are a good bunch. Hopefully when I can plan and take my dream "college football tour" I'll be able to make it up to Utah for a game as well as down to Bryant-Denny. I'm sorry you don't like it when someone calls you out.
Welcome to the internet, where what you say can be seen and contested by anyone. This is a bit more open of a forum than shooting the bull with your friends about how Alabama football is superior to everything. On the internet, people like me can read what you say and break it down using facts and logic instead of Alabama and SEC bias. If that makes me "not so great" in your eyes, then so be it.
15 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
Generic Bob 6 months ago
"I was sitting in the upper-deck in New Orleans, awaiting for the game to start, when something did not feel right. Utah had a fiery look in them that The Crimson Tide did not."
So you're saying you love the Tide, bought tickets to the game, showed up and saw something before kick off that made you question if your team could beat a Utah team nobody respected all that much, was a 10 point underdog, and almost 100% of Tide fans were certain Alabama would beat comfortably? I have hard time believing you had a shred of doubt who was going to win when kickoff time came. It sounds like a insight made in hindsight, as a partial excuse for the complete beat down the Tide received.
"If we deserved to beat Utah, we would have had enough depth for Smith's absence to not be a factor."
So the team's depth at o-line is the only reason Utah was able to completely dominate Alabama at every single position on both sides of the ball? Even you saw how ridiculous that claim is, which is why you admitted "21-0 sounds like a defensive failure. Andre Smith does not play on defense". BUT, then you come right back to blaming the loss on Andre Smith's absence by stating "When an Andre Smith goes down days before a game, it is nearly impossible to get that off of the players mind."
What a wild excuse for a loss. Alabama suited up every player at every position except Andre Smith. You just might not have noticed because Utah made them look so bad. Your excuse looks even more damning when you look at what you wrote in your last article - "The Utah defense will not penetrate through Nick Saban's masterpiece offensive line. That may seem to be a biased opinion, but it is fact."
That claim wouldn't look so bad because you had no clue what Utah was capable of on defense at that point, except you wrote it in an article specifically discussing Andre Smith's suspension. You wrote it with full knowledge that Smith would not be playing.
Try this on for size—instead of Utah winning because Alabama played so badly, maybe Alabama looked so bad because they were so outclassed and outplayed, which is exactly what everyone would be saying if Utah's jerseys said Florida on them.
The most inaccurate statement of your whole article is "The one thing I complete disagree with is the statement: "Nick Saban was out coached.""
The thing that Utah beat Alabama the worst on was coaching. Not only did Utah's coaching staff succeed in motivating their team more, but the way they out-coached Alabama's coaching staff was truly a sight to behold.
The confusing and rotating blitz packages, the timing of the blitzes, the way they had the no huddle running so smoothly and quickly to confuse and trap Alabama's defense - it was intense how out-coached Alabama was. If you tivo'd the game, watch it again if you can bear it.
You are a textbook Alabama apologist and are dismissing Utah's superiority by implying that it was Andre Smith's absence weighing too heavily on the player's minds, Alabama's heart wasn't in it, etc, that lost the game for Alabama instead of Utah's superior team that won the game for Utah. You should just admit that Alabama played a superior team that they didn't believe was as good as they were before the game started. Utah proved on the field without a shadow of a doubt who the better team is by the end of the game.
Alabama still had a hell of a year though! Nobody thought they'd go 12-2, but they did. Saban and the Tide had a great year.
A Reply to Alabama Apologists, and Why The Utah Utes Deserve The Title
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Hank Gray 6 months ago
Bob, i did not say that cost Alabama the game. Utah's team was superior to Alabama's. HOWEVER, the distractions did not help. Is that a better re-wording?
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Brad Messer 6 months ago
Most teams that win championships , are the ones who can keep their offensive lines intact for much of the season . Maybe having to replace one at the most. Their line has to be dominate with out saying.
Because if you loose two or more players durning a game and your backups haven't played with the first string offensive. You are going to have major problems. And that is what happened to alabama.
You can't pass or run if your line can't block.
And as far as the defensive goes, not even the trojans fron SoutherCal could have stopped what Utah was doing. Because when you run a spread no huddle offensive , one you can't get the right personnel on the field to stop it.
Take all that into consideration and you see what really happened during the game. And go one step ahead and if you threw out the first quarter points, alabama would have won it 17 to 10.
Yes did Utah out play Alabama , sure they did. And does Utah deserve to be Champs, of course they do. But in all fairness , are the a better football team that alabama? Yes, on that night they were.
A year from now will Utah be back in the national spot light? Probably not, however will Alabama
be back? You better believe they will. And you can take that to the bank.
Roll tide.
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mindi green 6 months ago
Brad I agree with you!! We'll be scratching our heads over this one for a while!!! LOL
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mindi green 6 months ago
Hank Good Article!! We are Alabama and we are NOT dead!! We were out -played but NOT out-classed!! Alot of things did go wrong that didn't help any but my friend here's to Gameday Kickoff 2009!! ROLL TIDE!!!!!!
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Hank Gray 6 months ago
thank you all for the comments. That generic idiot is just glad hes got something to cheer about when Utah finally did something impressive. Props to them, they played a great game. But they are and never will be the Alabama Crimson Tide!!!
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Hank Gray 6 months ago
thank you all for the comments. That generic idiot is just glad hes got something to cheer about when Utah finally did something impressive. Props to them, they played a great game. But they are and never will be the Alabama Crimson Tide!!!
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Generic Bob 6 months ago
"That generic idiot is just glad hes got something to cheer about when Utah finally did something impressive."
Finally? Utah has the longest winning streak in all of college football. Utah has the longest bowl winning streak in all of college football - they haven't lost in over a decade. Utah has won 22 of their last 23 games. Utah is the only team in D1 football in the BCS era to go undefeated twice. Utah has won both the Fiesta Bowl and now the Sugar Bowl in a span of 5 years. Utah unquestionably deserves the title this year and has a very good shot at getting the AP vote for a split title. Good thing they FINALLY did something they can cheer about by beating an Alabama program that hasn't been relevant for over 15 years.
Pull your head out of the sand. There are good football teams outside of the SEC that do big things, too. When's the last time you paid any attention to Utah football before they dominated Alabama a few days ago? That's what I thought - NEVER. You have no clue what you're talking about, yet you talk a big game like you follow more of college football than the SEC and whatever else ESPN has scheduled that weekend (read: Big 12). Give me a break.
The funniest part - I live in San Diego; born and raised. I am a rabid Chargers and NFL fan. I started watching college football a while back to have a better knowledge of the year's draft class and because the NFL doesn't play on Saturday. I am not some "Utah fan". Because I live in San Diego Direct TV gives me The MTN network for free (they play Mountain West Conference football games).
I am simply a college football fan that pays attention to more than the SEC and Big 12. Can you say the same? I watched every relevant conference this year - the SEC, Big 12, Mountain West, Pac-10 and Big 10. The Big 12 is way WAY overrated, the Mountain west is WAY underrated, the SEC is the best conference in college football, but is also overrated at the same time, and the pac-10, while weaker than the Mountain West, somehow managed to get underrated this year. (Big 10 left out intentionally, as it should be until they get their act together.)
Expand your mind, pay attention to the reality of college football instead of the constant hype and b.s. polls, and maybe next time you won't be so shocked when a team like Utah beats a team into oblivion they weren't "supposed" to beat.
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Cameon Shiflett 6 months ago
Hank,
Good article. I agree that losing Andre Smith and then losing Mike Johnson was a blow. Fact of the matter, Utah was a better team that night. And, when it comes down to it, that's what matters.
The Alabama Crimson Tide is a one of a kind program. I'm proud to be a part of it. Just don't let pride go into arrogance. It's a very thin line. :)
Roll Tide,
Bama Chick
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Hank Gray 6 months ago
thanks. yea im not being arrogant, just stating fact. the main fact is that Utah was the better team.
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Hank Gray 6 months ago
bob how many national championships do yall have?
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Generic Bob 6 months ago
Y'all? I don't have an alma mater. I told you already - I live San Diego; born and raised. I am not some "Utah fan". I am nothing more than an unbiased college football fan.
"How many national championships" is a terribly lame argument to make, Hank. What do past years have to do with this season? If Alabama's titles were relevant to this year than clearly that would mean that Yale, Princeton and Notre Dame are better than Alabama because they have more national championships than Alabama. See how flawed that logic is?
But to answer your question, Utah fans can now lay claim to at least one. And if you ask me, 2009 national champions sounds a lot more relevant than 1992 if you're trying to get in a pissing match with a team that just gave Alabama a colonoscopy.
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Hank Gray 6 months ago
and also, i was in new orleans and i liked the Utah fans! they were great! Its just you that is not so great. Sit around waiting for an Alabama fan to post an article, and you go tell them it's all wrong. Yall played a great game, and i agree that you should have been in the title game. Maybe yall are better that florida and oklahoma, but you dont deserve having a number 1 ranking when you didnt get a chance to prove yourselves. Thats not yalls fault, you did the best you could do, but thats how the cookie crumbles.
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Generic Bob 6 months ago
I'm glad to hear that Utah fans are a good bunch. Hopefully when I can plan and take my dream "college football tour" I'll be able to make it up to Utah for a game as well as down to Bryant-Denny. I'm sorry you don't like it when someone calls you out.
Welcome to the internet, where what you say can be seen and contested by anyone. This is a bit more open of a forum than shooting the bull with your friends about how Alabama football is superior to everything. On the internet, people like me can read what you say and break it down using facts and logic instead of Alabama and SEC bias. If that makes me "not so great" in your eyes, then so be it.
Edit Comment Cancel
Hank Gray 6 months ago
yea, you have more disrespect than anyone i've ever talked to. given, 2009 sounds better than 1992, 12 sounds a lot better than one!!! Roll Tide
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