Alabama/TT
- Thread starter bucket
- Start date
When Tyrone Prothro went down, the offense was able to win their next few games with smoke and mirrors against average teams at best (Ole Miss, UcheaT, Utah St. and Miss. St.). The defense is AWESOME, no doubt about it, and I'm a believer that offense wins games but defense wins championships. But you MUST score SOME points and as good as our defense is, I don't see how we keep Texas Tech off the scoreboard less than 17-21 points. That means the offense has to produce and that was something that didn't happen much the last half of the season.
Now throw in the "possible" suspensions and you have a real pickle. I'm not gonna touch this game until all the facts are out about who is and isn't playing.
Right now I would have to lay the points, but still have some time to sort it all out.
Good luck to all whatever you decide!
Now throw in the "possible" suspensions and you have a real pickle. I'm not gonna touch this game until all the facts are out about who is and isn't playing.
Right now I would have to lay the points, but still have some time to sort it all out.
Good luck to all whatever you decide!
Let me add, I am not playing this game, although I look forward to watching this match-up. I just like Alabama here if they can make this a physical game, and give Darby the ball and let him work.
That being said, if Tech gets up early, it could get ugly. I don't see bama being able to get it done coming from behind. GL on whatever you play.
That being said, if Tech gets up early, it could get ugly. I don't see bama being able to get it done coming from behind. GL on whatever you play.
Last edited:
From Today's Huntsville Times...
From Today's Huntsville Times...
It's academic: Tide task tougher
Friday, December 23, 2005
By PAUL GATTIS
Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com
Simeon Castille's ineligibility leaves hole in pass defense
TUSCALOOSA - Alabama will face the nation's top passing attack when it plays Texas Tech on Jan. 2 in the Cotton Bowl.
And now the Crimson Tide will do it without one of its top pass defenders.
Sophomore cornerback Simeon Castille will not join his teammates in Dallas after failing to meet minimum academic standards for the fall semester, coach Mike Shula announced following Thursday's practice.
Castille's absence figures to make a difficult task for the Tide defense even more daunting against a Red Raiders passing game that averages more than 400 yards per game.
"Yeah, it's pretty bad," Shula said. "The other guys are going to have to step in and play."
But if there was any good news, Shula said that Castille was the only academic casualty - contrary to Internet rumors and at least one television report earlier this week.
Birmingham TV station ABC 33/40 rolled videotape of leading receiver DJ Hall on its Tuesday newscasts while reporting that he was also academically ineligible. Hall had denied the rumors to reporters earlier in the day.
And Hall seemed somewhat exasperated by the rumors again following Thursday's workout.
"If people want me to go to the library and print my grades out for them, I will," Hall said. "That's probably what I'll have to do."
The Tide will conduct its final practice on campus this morning before breaking for Christmas. The team will reconvene at its Dallas-area hotel by 6 p.m. on Monday and will resume practice the next day at SMU's Gerald Ford Stadium.
Though not technically a starter, Castille was a key component in the Tide's pass defense that is statistically the fourth-best in the country. He was the extra defensive back in the game when Alabama switched to what has been an effective 3-3-5 alignment this season.
He is tied with Huntsville's Ramzee Robinson and Decatur's Juwan Simpson for the team lead in interceptions with two.
And Castille's seven passes broken up left him tied with Robinson for second on the team behind linebacker Freddie Roach's nine.
Castille also had 28 tackles with two quarterback sacks, and he blocked a punt this season.
His role as the nickel back will be assumed either by junior safety Jeffrey Dukes or sophomore cornerback Eric Gray of Trinity.
Freshman cornerback Lionel Mitchell is not available after being sidelined for the bowl game with severe headaches.
Dukes has gotten extensive playing time this season and has 13 tackles and one interception. Gray has battled a sore hamstring for much of the season but Shula said he's been healthy now for several weeks.
Playing primarily on special teams, Gray has five tackles in seven games.
Meanwhile, receiver Keith Brown is improving after tweaking a hamstring earlier in the week.
"Keith Brown practiced today," Shula said. "He's still a little bit sore but he did a good job fighting through it. He should be ready to go for the game."
And X-rays revealed that freshman defensive end Bobby Greenwood, who is second on the team with 41/2 sacks, has a broken hand.
"Unless something changes, we think he'll be ready for the game," Shula said. "He'll obviously play with a cast and a pad on but the doctors feel like he can play."
Shula also gave a brief update on receiver Tyrone Prothro, who sustained a grisly compound fracture in his left leg on Oct. 1 in the 31-3 win over Florida. Shula said that Prothro would miss spring practice.
"He's doing better," Shula said. "He's still on crutches.
"He should be on crutches for probably a minimum of three weeks to a month.
"He looks better. He had lost some weight and now he's gained that weight back. It's going to be a long haul for him."
From Today's Huntsville Times...
It's academic: Tide task tougher
Friday, December 23, 2005
By PAUL GATTIS
Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com
Simeon Castille's ineligibility leaves hole in pass defense
TUSCALOOSA - Alabama will face the nation's top passing attack when it plays Texas Tech on Jan. 2 in the Cotton Bowl.
And now the Crimson Tide will do it without one of its top pass defenders.
Sophomore cornerback Simeon Castille will not join his teammates in Dallas after failing to meet minimum academic standards for the fall semester, coach Mike Shula announced following Thursday's practice.
Castille's absence figures to make a difficult task for the Tide defense even more daunting against a Red Raiders passing game that averages more than 400 yards per game.
"Yeah, it's pretty bad," Shula said. "The other guys are going to have to step in and play."
But if there was any good news, Shula said that Castille was the only academic casualty - contrary to Internet rumors and at least one television report earlier this week.
Birmingham TV station ABC 33/40 rolled videotape of leading receiver DJ Hall on its Tuesday newscasts while reporting that he was also academically ineligible. Hall had denied the rumors to reporters earlier in the day.
And Hall seemed somewhat exasperated by the rumors again following Thursday's workout.
"If people want me to go to the library and print my grades out for them, I will," Hall said. "That's probably what I'll have to do."
The Tide will conduct its final practice on campus this morning before breaking for Christmas. The team will reconvene at its Dallas-area hotel by 6 p.m. on Monday and will resume practice the next day at SMU's Gerald Ford Stadium.
Though not technically a starter, Castille was a key component in the Tide's pass defense that is statistically the fourth-best in the country. He was the extra defensive back in the game when Alabama switched to what has been an effective 3-3-5 alignment this season.
He is tied with Huntsville's Ramzee Robinson and Decatur's Juwan Simpson for the team lead in interceptions with two.
And Castille's seven passes broken up left him tied with Robinson for second on the team behind linebacker Freddie Roach's nine.
Castille also had 28 tackles with two quarterback sacks, and he blocked a punt this season.
His role as the nickel back will be assumed either by junior safety Jeffrey Dukes or sophomore cornerback Eric Gray of Trinity.
Freshman cornerback Lionel Mitchell is not available after being sidelined for the bowl game with severe headaches.
Dukes has gotten extensive playing time this season and has 13 tackles and one interception. Gray has battled a sore hamstring for much of the season but Shula said he's been healthy now for several weeks.
Playing primarily on special teams, Gray has five tackles in seven games.
Meanwhile, receiver Keith Brown is improving after tweaking a hamstring earlier in the week.
"Keith Brown practiced today," Shula said. "He's still a little bit sore but he did a good job fighting through it. He should be ready to go for the game."
And X-rays revealed that freshman defensive end Bobby Greenwood, who is second on the team with 41/2 sacks, has a broken hand.
"Unless something changes, we think he'll be ready for the game," Shula said. "He'll obviously play with a cast and a pad on but the doctors feel like he can play."
Shula also gave a brief update on receiver Tyrone Prothro, who sustained a grisly compound fracture in his left leg on Oct. 1 in the 31-3 win over Florida. Shula said that Prothro would miss spring practice.
"He's doing better," Shula said. "He's still on crutches.
"He should be on crutches for probably a minimum of three weeks to a month.
"He looks better. He had lost some weight and now he's gained that weight back. It's going to be a long haul for him."
Guys much props to Auburn this season, I am a LSU guy but as an intelligent football fan I don;t think any team is as good as UA this season. LSU's entire season has been a thinly veiled dibacle. Penalties and turnovers poor coaching and general underachieving. We should have lost to Bama, Fla, and Auburn. Our loss to UGA only exposed what was there all along. If a line comes out on LSU MIA I am going to pound MIA, LSU's 2nd string is a joke and a 1 dimensional team like the tigers will be in big trouble against speedy Miami!
FYI
10:08 PM CST on Sunday, December 25, 2005
By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News
Tech has learned to have a ball in bowls
In last three, Raiders' opponents have had a lot thrown at them.
It wasn't that long ago that teams might have looked forward to playing Texas Tech in a bowl. Not anymore.
After three straight convincing postseason wins, the Red Raiders have become one of the most feared bowl opponents.
Before 2002, Tech was 5-19-1 in bowls. The most recent stretch of futility was 1993 to 2001, when the Red Raiders were 1-6 in postseason games.
Included in that stretch were losses of 41-10 to Oklahoma in the 1993 John Hancock Bowl, 55-14 to Southern Cal in the 1995 Cotton Bowl and 27-0 to Iowa in the 1996 Alamo Bowl.
But in the last three seasons, Tech has dominated its bowl opponents. Last season, the Red Raiders overwhelmed California, 45-31, in the Holiday Bowl. The Bears were ranked No. 4 and considered BCS-worthy by many.
The year before, Tech blew past Navy, 38-14, in the Houston Bowl. The previous year, the Red Raiders romped over Clemson, 55-15, in the Tangerine Bowl.
Granted, the last two wins weren't exactly in major bowls, but that's part of the reason Tech plays so well in the postseason. A program that has yet to win a Big 12 South Division title and shared in only two Southwest Conference titles isn't yet spoiled by the bowl process.
"We love playing in bowl games," offensive lineman E.J. Whitley said. "If we had gotten the Tangerine Bowl this year, we'd love it and be ready to go."
The Jan. 2 AT&T Cotton Bowl will mark the sixth straight bowl for Texas Tech (9-2). The Red Raiders' opponent, Alabama (9-2), is making its record 53rd bowl appearance.
However, the Crimson Tide hasn't seen an offense like Texas Tech's, at least not since Red Raiders coach Mike Leach was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky in 1997. Tech's quirky and complex passing scheme is another factor in postseason success.
"A lot of people don't like to play us because of our offense," Whitley said. "If you haven't seen our offense, it's very, very hard to prepare for."
Leach has found that bowls can be hard to prepare for, too. Before taking over at Tech, Leach's only bowl experience was the 1998 Outback Bowl with Kentucky.
The Red Raiders went to a bowl in Leach's first season as a head coach but were stunned, 40-27, by East Carolina in the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl.
"We learned a couple of things," Leach said. "I don't think I handled it as well as I might have. I think just through my inexperience, we were a little more scattered, maybe not quite as much direction."
The Red Raiders lost the next year to Iowa, 19-16, in the Alamo Bowl, but by then Leach had gotten a handle on all the organizational details that go with making a bowl trip. Since then, the Red Raiders haven't lost a bowl, or even come close to losing one.
Tech has found a balance between using the extra practices to work younger players and preparing to play the game, all while still viewing the bowl trip as a reward.
"It's not hard," Leach said. "Early on, you practice the young guys. Then as you get closer to the game, you practice the old guys. Some teams have two-a-days. We never do that."
Leach said another key to Tech's bowl success is the Red Raiders' top players think bowls are important, which rubs off on the rest of the team. Bowls are seen as an opportunity to improve the profile of an emerging program.
"It's definitely another step for us, another opportunity for us to play and display our talents," running back Taurean Henderson said. "It wouldn't matter who we're going against."
Like California last year, No. 18 Tech will be facing a higher-ranked opponent in No. 13 Alabama. The Crimson Tide also will have the bigger national name, but the Red Raiders won't view themselves as underdogs after dominating their last three bowl opponents.
"I think about halfway into last season, I think we lost that underdog mentality," Whitley said. "I think teams come to play us no matter what now. ... One thing that won't happen anymore is teams won't underestimate us."
Not if they've been paying attention to Tech in the postseason.
10:08 PM CST on Sunday, December 25, 2005
By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News
Tech has learned to have a ball in bowls
In last three, Raiders' opponents have had a lot thrown at them.
It wasn't that long ago that teams might have looked forward to playing Texas Tech in a bowl. Not anymore.
After three straight convincing postseason wins, the Red Raiders have become one of the most feared bowl opponents.
Before 2002, Tech was 5-19-1 in bowls. The most recent stretch of futility was 1993 to 2001, when the Red Raiders were 1-6 in postseason games.
Included in that stretch were losses of 41-10 to Oklahoma in the 1993 John Hancock Bowl, 55-14 to Southern Cal in the 1995 Cotton Bowl and 27-0 to Iowa in the 1996 Alamo Bowl.
But in the last three seasons, Tech has dominated its bowl opponents. Last season, the Red Raiders overwhelmed California, 45-31, in the Holiday Bowl. The Bears were ranked No. 4 and considered BCS-worthy by many.
The year before, Tech blew past Navy, 38-14, in the Houston Bowl. The previous year, the Red Raiders romped over Clemson, 55-15, in the Tangerine Bowl.
Granted, the last two wins weren't exactly in major bowls, but that's part of the reason Tech plays so well in the postseason. A program that has yet to win a Big 12 South Division title and shared in only two Southwest Conference titles isn't yet spoiled by the bowl process.
"We love playing in bowl games," offensive lineman E.J. Whitley said. "If we had gotten the Tangerine Bowl this year, we'd love it and be ready to go."
The Jan. 2 AT&T Cotton Bowl will mark the sixth straight bowl for Texas Tech (9-2). The Red Raiders' opponent, Alabama (9-2), is making its record 53rd bowl appearance.
However, the Crimson Tide hasn't seen an offense like Texas Tech's, at least not since Red Raiders coach Mike Leach was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky in 1997. Tech's quirky and complex passing scheme is another factor in postseason success.
"A lot of people don't like to play us because of our offense," Whitley said. "If you haven't seen our offense, it's very, very hard to prepare for."
Leach has found that bowls can be hard to prepare for, too. Before taking over at Tech, Leach's only bowl experience was the 1998 Outback Bowl with Kentucky.
The Red Raiders went to a bowl in Leach's first season as a head coach but were stunned, 40-27, by East Carolina in the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl.
"We learned a couple of things," Leach said. "I don't think I handled it as well as I might have. I think just through my inexperience, we were a little more scattered, maybe not quite as much direction."
The Red Raiders lost the next year to Iowa, 19-16, in the Alamo Bowl, but by then Leach had gotten a handle on all the organizational details that go with making a bowl trip. Since then, the Red Raiders haven't lost a bowl, or even come close to losing one.
Tech has found a balance between using the extra practices to work younger players and preparing to play the game, all while still viewing the bowl trip as a reward.
"It's not hard," Leach said. "Early on, you practice the young guys. Then as you get closer to the game, you practice the old guys. Some teams have two-a-days. We never do that."
Leach said another key to Tech's bowl success is the Red Raiders' top players think bowls are important, which rubs off on the rest of the team. Bowls are seen as an opportunity to improve the profile of an emerging program.
"It's definitely another step for us, another opportunity for us to play and display our talents," running back Taurean Henderson said. "It wouldn't matter who we're going against."
Like California last year, No. 18 Tech will be facing a higher-ranked opponent in No. 13 Alabama. The Crimson Tide also will have the bigger national name, but the Red Raiders won't view themselves as underdogs after dominating their last three bowl opponents.
"I think about halfway into last season, I think we lost that underdog mentality," Whitley said. "I think teams come to play us no matter what now. ... One thing that won't happen anymore is teams won't underestimate us."
Not if they've been paying attention to Tech in the postseason.
Bama will be trying Antoine Caldwell as their new center in this game. Also, WR DJ Hall has been demoted to 3rd string, but Shula says he will play.
