Alabama was unbeaten at home last season and takes a nine-game winning streak at Bryant-Denny Stadium into Saturday’s SEC opener against Arkansas.
But Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban doesn’t want his players to need the advantage of a friendly crowd to win a game.
“As much as I appreciate our home crowd, our stadium, our venue, and the great job that they do in their part of this team for helping to create a wonderful atmosphere for our players to compete in, I don’t want our
players to ever rely on them, think that’s going to be an advantage to
them,” Saban said after practice Wednesday. “Because the advantage is getting your tail ready to play, working
like you need to do, studying so you don’t make mistakes. Go out there and
execute and do what you need to do to take care of business.”
But veteran players have said the atmosphere around a home game has changed dramatically over their careers.
Senior guard Mike Johnson, who I talked to for my Thursday story in the Dothan Eagle, said Tide fans are as noisy as any in the league.
“I think our fans are just excited about where this program’s headed,” said Johnson, who talked about the biggest change in the Nick Saban era.
“I was talking to James Carpenter the other day,” Johnson said. “He was telling me about all his official visits that he went on. He went to Oklahoma and Ole Miss, this place had great facilities; this place had great places to hang out.
“I said, ‘Well, James, why’d you come here?’ He said, ‘Well, I wanted to win.’
“That just kind of tells the story about where we’ve come since I was a freshman here. We’ve come so far. Coach Shula did a good job getting this program back around and on its feet.
“Coach Saban’s kind of come in and taken over and given us a whole new mindset to take off running with. We’ve done a good job of adjusting to his philosophies and his staff. I think the fans have really caught wind of that and really gotten excited about this football team.”
Antonio Langham is Alabama’s representative in the 2009 SEC Football Legends Class, which will be honored at this year’s SEC Championship Game weekend in Atlanta.
The league began honoring one standout from each school beginning in 1994.
Langham, a two-time All-America pick, played defensive back for the Crimson Tide from 1990-93. He is the school’s only winner of the Jim Thorpe Award, which is presented to college football’s best defensive back.
He was the MVP of the inaugural SEC Championship Game in 1992. His interception and 27-yard return for a touchdown lifted Alabama over Florida. He holds the school record with 19 career interceptions.
Langham is in this SEC Legends class with Arkansas running back Gary Anderson, Auburn linebacker Quentin Riggins, Florida receiver Reidel Anthony, Georgia tackle Matt Stinchcomb, Kentucky linebacker Jim Kovach, LSU linebacker Michael Brooks, Ole Miss quarterback Jimmy Lear, Mississippi State quarterback Billy Stacy, South Carolina quarterback Tommy Suggs, Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler and Vanderbilt linebacker Jamie Duncan.
Other Alabama players in the SEC Legends are Lee Roy Jordan, Harry Gilmer, Billy Neighbors, John Hannah, Holt Rast, Johnny Musso, Dwight Stephenson, Joe Namath, Vaughn Mancha, Jeremiah Castille, Bob Baumhower, Cornelius Bennett, Steve Sloan, Ken Stabler and Bart Starr.
My story in Thursday’s Dothan Eagle is about Terry Grant, who is one of four running backs that Alabama coach Nick Saban has at his disposal.
One of Grant’s closest friends, receiver Mike McCoy, shook his head when asked about the weapons on offense.
“We just have so many playmakers,” McCoy said. “So, given time, anybody can do their thing.”
That is especially the case in the backfield. McCoy talked about a play in which freshman running back Trent Richardson caught a pass in the flat last week.
“I was waiting on Trent,” said McCoy, who added there were two defenders in the area. “And as he was coming out he made a move and both of them fell and I was just standing around looking for somebody to block. … I mean, it’s just we have all the talent in the world. They are all talented. I would hate to be on the other side of the ball.”
Grant has started to transition to a receiver position, although played at running back last Saturday and broke off a 42-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
“Man, they’re just trying utilize him,” McCoy said. “Whatever helps the team, I’m all for. He’s actually not a bad route runner. He does pretty good. He asks a whole lot of questions. That’s my boy. Me and Terry were roommates my freshman year. He’s a guy I’m really close to. Every time he touches the ball I get excited. … We just have a connection. We play together, have Bible study meeting with other guys. We just had the chemistry.”
Quarterback Greg McElroy said the running backs don’t get credit for what they do without the football.
“The great thing about them is they’re not just running the ball,” the quarterback said. “They do a lot of things behind the scenes as far as picking up blitzes, understanding protections, things like that that go unnoticed by a lot of the media guys and a lot of the sportscasters.
“What those guys do as far as protections is really outstanding. If you go back and look at a couple of the clips, you’ll see Roy Upchurch just clean the clock of a couple of guys early in the first quarter. And that’s really pleasing for quarterbacks, guys that are willing to sacrifice themselves. And knowing they’re getting the runs they’re getting, you can’t help but be happy for them because they’re breaking a lot of arm tackles and getting downfield.”
Saban, too, said the depth in the backfield is a good thing.
“If you have three backs that can play at all times, I think you’re fortunate and should feel fortunate,” Saban said. “We feel like we have four (Mark Ingram, Richardson, Upchurch and Grant), and Demetrius Goode didn’t do a bad job when he was in there. I feel like if he had to be the third back in the game, we would be OK with that as well. Hopefully we can keep these guys healthy. I think that is going to be important because that is one of the strengths of our team, is the collective groups of running backs that we have.”
The coach went down the list of the big four.
“Mark has probably played as well as anybody on a consistent basis,” Saban said. “We were very pleased with his performance having three days of illness prior to the game to be able to come back and play in the game. He actually played in the game more than we anticipated that he might.
“Roy got hurt early on, Trent stepped up and did a fantastic job. We have been really confident that Trent would be a contributor at this position at some point and time in the season when the opportunity presented itself. He has practiced well. He is a really a fine young man and works hard and has good understanding of what he is supposed to do. Terry is very capable and Roy is very capable.”
Terrence Cody made an immediate impact last year for Alabama’s defense. He continues to get better and his impact on an opponent’s game plan can’t be overstated.
He talked about Alabama’s front seven in my story for Wednesday’s Dothan Eagle.
But the All-American nose tackle has branched out a bit. Cody is on the extra point and field goal team.
“It’s OK,” Cody said about the special teams duty. “You see how the O-linemen feel when you’ve got three guys hitting you at one time and stuff. I’m like, yeah, I see how they’re feeling now.”
Cody also lined up in the backfield and was a lead blocker when Mark Ingram scored on a 2-yard touchdown run last Saturday night against Florida International.
He said he liked pushing his way toward the goal line.
Nick Saban laughed after the game and said Cody has been lobbying for playing time on third downs. He hates to come off the field in passing situations.
Cody was asked if he lobbied more for playing time on third down on defense or getting the ball on offense.
“Third down,” he answered quickly. “I haven’t asked them about getting the ball. I don’t know if I want to risk that.”
The 6-foot-5, 354-pound Cody is an athlete. He wasn’t kidding when he said he could dunk a basketball.
Writers told Cody that teammate Mike McCoy said he’s lying about the dunks, but Cody said, “He hasn’t seen me play basketball.”
And he wasn’t joking when he said he played some point guard at Riverdale High in Fort Myers, Fla.
Asked about opponents’ reaction, Cody laughed and said, “I mean, they were surprised because I could dribble the ball and stuff. I was pretty quick.”
Could you shoot?
“Ummm, mid-range. Ain’t got long-range.”
How would you like to take a charge from Terrence Cody?
So he doesn’t know when — or if — he’ll be a running back.
