Look Out Naysayers, Alabama Is Getting Better Every Week

Some teams wear down as the year goes on. Injuries, fatigue, believing one's own headlines or fixating on problems have cause many a team's demise late in the season.

Look out Auburn, beware Florida, watch out future bowl opponent, Alabama is getting better as the season goes on.      

The season started with one strength for Alabama beyond St. Nick himself, and that was the Alabama offensive line. Everything else was a question mark and no position, not even the offensive line looked to have reliable backups beyond a razor thin first team.

Amazingly though, the first team was able to jump on a top rated heavily favored Clemson 23-3 at the half. The thinness of depth reared its ugly head in the second half however, and though the defense was able to maintain a killer pace using some subs, the offense produced less than half of the first half's output.

The second game against Tulane showed the depth problems in a glaring light.  With all world offensive tackle Andre Smith out and senior standout Marlon Davis out, too, the Alabama offensive output struggled to only score one offensive TD. 

However, in what has now become typical Alabama fashion, someone else stepped up to pick up the slack.  The defense choked Tulane and allowed only two field goals and the special teams provided the scoring with a punt return and a blocked punt, both returned for touchdowns.

Game three proved to be the right opponent at just the right time. The offense regained its swagger using six rushers to gain 286 yards on the ground and 276 through the air.  Second and third teamers all played and were as productive as second string QB Greg McElroy, who went 4/6 for 61 yards.

While nicked up starters got to rest, Saban now had game film on the backups and ordered position coaches to start working closer on the problems he saw there. That would pay off later in the season.

Rested and with some swagger back in its step, 'Bama entered game four against a two and zero Arkansas team. Alabama wasted no time in smacking the hogs right in the mouth and with a 35-7 lead at the half, Saban didn't waste the opportunity to see if the work with the second team would pay off.

It did. 

After four games, Alabama's identity was formed. A team with a magnificent first team, still shaky beyond that, but with a defensive team of exclamation marks instead of question marks. Young defensive linemen and linebackers were moving in and out with the starters with no noticeable drop off. When Mt. Cody was out, 'Bama didn't miss a beat using Josh Chapman.

In the defensive secondary, the Tide's question marks were also being answered with bold exclamation marks. Alabama picked off four passes and returned two for TDs. 

Game five had the press and fans saying the same thing as they are today. Yes, the Tide looks good, but who have they played? But after dismantling Georgia 31-0 in the first half, Georgia's "Black Out" turned into a knockout instead.

Still in the second half, Alabama's subs proved they couldn't hold back Georgia's offense and even with the first teamers in, they proved to have too little gas to sustain the momentum of the first half. 

Though the game was never as close as the 41-31 score might indicate, it did show Alabama had trouble finishing off great teams.

Game six saw the Tide's worst performance. Kentucky came in undefeated and nationally ranked and for the first half, the Tide seemed to be able to contain the cats.

The passing game didn't click, the defense wore down and almost out and only the strong legs of Glen Coffee kept Alabama from becoming an upset victim.

John Parker Wilson sputtered and the defense which had looked so good all year, gave up a big play with 40 seconds to go when Kentucky hit DeMoreo Ford with a 48-yard pass down the right sideline to set up a wild onside kick opportunity for a wild finish.

Fortunately for 'Bama, the onside kick went out of bounds and the Tide had only to take a knee to preserve an undefeated season. But now there were questions about the ability of the Tide to finish off teams.

Those questions were both on the team, throughout the college football world and spouted in the press. Was the Georgia game just luck?

The second half of the season started and in game seven, Alabama was actually behind in a game for the first time when Ole Miss kicked a field goal in the first quarter for a 3-0 lead. That lead lasted less than three minutes, and the Tide rolled off 24 unanswered points for a 24-3 lead at halftime.

However, once again Alabama could not sustain the first half prowess and Ole Miss came back and scored 17 second half points to none by Alabama. The good news was an Alabama win and John Parker Wilson picture perfect long TD passes, but the bad news was Mt. Cody would be out with a bad leg for an indefinite period.

Could Alabama survive with an offense that can't sustain leads and a defense without its middle leader? Now there were many doubting the run could continue.

Game eight, had us going into hostile territory with a team bent on revenge for last year's embarrassing lopsided loss. Tennessee not had revenge on their mind, but bowl implications too, plus Fulmer was once again on the hot seat. Many picked a possible upset, despite both teams records.

Alabama responded with its first complete game of the year.  Domination from beginning to end. It was perhaps Julio Jones breakout game as he pulled in six passes for his first 100-yard game, he finished with 108. Wilson looked like a Unitas Award candidate in a mistake free 17/24 passing game. 

And the second teamers all shined. It was beginning to be hard to tell any drop off and Josh Chapman with a little help from the third string proved he could carry the load with big Terrance Cody on the bench. Third string running back Roy Upchurch even stole the show with his best game of the year leading all Alabama rushers with 86 yards.

It was a game that saw the Alabama Crimson Tide finally arrive in full form and a time for Phillip Fulmer to begin his departure from Tennessee. Alabama had put the nails in the coffin of the man who tried so hard to bring Alabama down.

The irony was sweet.

Still the football world only focused on how bad Tennessee was and not how good the Tide was playing.  All the media could talk about was Bama's inconsistencies and not their way of always finding a way to win.

Game nine was supposed to be a blowout and it was. Even though Arkansas State had upset a Texas A&M team early in the season and scored 83 points against Texas Southern the Tide defense pitched it's first shutout of the season and second teamer Mark Ingram was the leading rusher with 113 yards.

Alabama was hitting on all cylinders going to LSU in a game that equally emotional to both teams, both coaches and both sets of fans. Alabama would not only be playing for a trip to the SEC Championship game, but have a chance to quiet the naysayers once and for all.

Both teams played like the true heavyweights they are. Alabama showed two very important things in that game that many naysayers may have overlooked.  When the Tide was down, it was never out.  When 'Bama was down 14-7 in the second quarter, there was no panic, no finger pointing, no dismay. 

They stuck to their game plan and wore down the Tigers and capitalized on every mistake they made.  With the game on the line in O.T. they simply put the machine back in gear. The defense picked off another pass and the offense made quick work of scoring to finish off the Tigers.

Some may point to the fact that Florida just Killed LSU while Alabama had to go to overtime to finish them off. But this was a win that proved that Alabama could come from behind, play a tough physical team in a loud stadium of fanatical fans and close the deal when they had to. 

It may have been just the kind of game and just the type of win that Alabama needed the most.

The bad news for Alabama's remaining opponents is simple. This is an Alabama team that has gained confidence it itself, in it's back up players and in their coach. They are marching in step with everything Nick Saban has tried to instill in them.

They have dodged major injuries, yet still managed to have second and even third stringers shine and have their experience built up. They have become deeper, stronger and more confident.  This is a team that is still on an upward trend.

This is a Tide that doesn't appear ready to recede anytime soon. In fact, as Florida may have feared, this Tide is still rising.