Casey's Corner: Low Tide for Saban and Alabama

While I sit here trying to write this column, I am experiencing a major case of writer's block.

As one of the poor, unfortunate, crimson-wearing souls who elected to make the trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa to watch what we thought was going to be a confidence-building win for the Tide, I am having difficulty finding words to express how I feel.  

I think I can speak for the entire Crimson Nation when I say that losses like that are unacceptable.

Not to take any credit away from Louisiana Monroe, because they deserve a lot of it.

They showed up to play a football game; Alabama did not.

After what Nick Saban labeled a sub-par week of practice, Alabama looked horribly flat.

Maybe he should have let the Tide players hear what new Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie had to say when his Wildcats were upset by the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb:

"You can't just assume you're going to win just because you wear a certain jersey."

Armed with a gameplan to provide quarterback John Parker Wilson some much-needed confidence, Alabama coaches, players, and fans expected a good day in all phases of the game.

What they got was the complete opposite.

The offense scored on the first drive, but did little else from there on out.

Wilson had a better day than previous weeks, finishing 21-31 for 246 yards and a touchdown strike to senior wideout Keith Brown.

He had two interceptions, one that was tipped by the normally sure-handed Will Oakley and returned to the Alabama 1-yard line, setting up a ULM touchdown.

A giddy, childlike excitement spread across Bryant-Denny Stadium after the opening kickoff, as Jimmy Johns made his long-awaited season debut as the Tide's starting tailback.

The excitement was short-lived, however, as Johns' day was done after only four carries for 34 yards, including a crucial second half fumble. Terry Grant, meanwhile, led the Tide on the ground with 96 yards on 21 carries.

The offensive line must have stayed in the locker room. That's the only reason I can think of as to why they weren't able to keep ULM out of the backfield.

By the second half, the situation was so bad that I found myself feeling sorry for the defense, which was forced to remain on the field for over 34 minutes due to the offense's inability to move the chains on third down. My sorrow quickly turned to anger, as ULM made play after play and continued to move the ball, eventually making three trips into the end zone.

Special teams was lackluster as well. Once again, I give ULM credit. Every time they punted, their coverage team was able to converge on Tide returners with relentless speed.

Leigh Tiffin had a field goal blocked, and to make things worse, punt returner extrordinaire Javier Arenas left the game with a high ankle sprain after only two returns for -3 yards.

All in all, it was a dismal Senior Day at the University of Alabama that left most of the fans, coaches, and 22 seniors playing their final home game confused and at a loss for words.

Alabama has a lot to fix if it wants to avoid dropping six in a row to Auburn in the Iron Bowl next week.

It's time for the Tide to show what they're made of, because I don't believe the morale of the Crimson Nation could get much lower.

Oh wait—the basketball team just lost to Belmont.