Alabama vs UcheaT Notes

[RollTide72]

From 3rd Saturday in Blogtober:

As of now, Derek Dooley said today he considers sophomore defensive tackle Montori Hughes out for Alabama with an ankle injury. If you?re scoring at home, that means UT?s starters at DT this week would be [on paper] 265-pound redshirt freshman walk-on Joseph Ayres and senior career bench player Victor Thomas, who at least hasn?t been horrible this year. Also as an option, UT could shift DEs Corey Miller and Malik Jackson inside and start Jacques Smith or Willie Bohannon at the other end opposite Chris Walker.

Our best offensive lineman ? redshirt freshman JerQuari Schofield ? likely will miss his third consecutive game, and if he plays, Dooley said he expects him to be limited. Also, junior center Cody Pope is expected to miss another game, meaning redshirt sophomore and JUCO transfer Darin Gooch will get the start. Dooley said senior guard Jarrod Shaw could get to see his first action of the year at center. Kicker Daniel Lincoln will be re-evaluated in the next couple of days, though the thoughts of him kicking against Alabama ? regardless of the fact that he hasn?t missed a field goal this year ? scares me. On the bright side, right tackle Dallas Thomas is close to 100 percent.

 

[RollTide72]

TUSCALOOSA - Alabama did not come out of its 23-10 victory over Ole Miss in any better or worse shape from an injury standpoint.

"I don't know if we have any new, really significant injuries," coach Nick Saban said today at his news conference. "But we do have a few guys that will be limited today."

He mentioned defensive backs DeQuan Menzie and DeMarcus Milliner, backup running back Eddie Lacy and outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw.

"Mostly guys just bruised up, dinged up, whatever," Saban said. "They should be able to go tomorrow and may be able to do some things today."

Right tackle D.J. Fluker did not play Saturday because of a groin injury. He will continue to be limited this week as seventh-ranked Alabama (6-1, 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference) prepares for a 6 p.m. CDT game Saturday at Tennessee (2-4, 0-3).

"I think his status is still very questionable as to whether he'll be able to get back and do enough this week to be able to play in this game," Saban said.

Notably, Julio Jones' name did not come up until Saban was asked about the junior wide receiver, who saw limited action against Ole Miss. Jones suffered a broken hand the previous week at South Carolina and had surgery. He started against Ole Miss and caught one pass for 8 yards, but three plays later he missed a pass, appeared to re-injure his hand and sat out the rest of the game.

"He's fine," Saban said. "He's practicing today, and he's going to do everything all week in practice. We re-X-rayed his hand. He doesn't have any problems. What happened is he got hit on his index finger and it stretched the stitches, probably the underneath stitches as much as anything. But he's fine."

Junior Alfred McCullough started in Fluker's absence against Ole Miss and is likely to start again at Tennessee. If you're wondering how McCullough did in his first college start, this says it all: He and running back Trent Richardson were named the offensive players of the game by Alabama's coaching staff.

Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy had his right hand stepped on by 320-pound Ole Miss defensive tackle Jerrell Powe late in the second quarter but shook it off.

"That thing hurts, man," McElroy said today. "It was pretty swollen yesterday. That hurt pretty bad. I'm not going to lie. I was pretty mad about that. I could feel it, but it's just a bruise. It's a little painful. It's nothing out of the ordinary."

 

[RollTide72]

Tide Players Respond to Saban Questioning Their Toughness

Tide Players Respond to Saban Questioning Their Toughness

TUSCALOOSA - They don't make football players like they used to, Alabama coach Nick Saban says. Most recently, he said so Saturday.

"That's what I tell the players all the time, and they hate to hear it, but now I'm going to say it publicly so they can really get upset about it," Saban said after his team's 23-10 victory over Ole Miss.

He was complaining about players who stay on the ground after a play, come off the field, then return the next play.

Do the players get tired of hearing their coach question their toughness?

"Back in his day, he'd make it sound like they were robots," junior defensive end Marcell Dareus said.
"When I hurt my ankle in the Arkansas game, he said, 'I would have never laid out there on the field.' He said, 'I broke my leg in three places, and I still got up and ran off the field.' I said, 'OK.' If I break my leg in three places, y'all might as well bring a stretcher."

Junior wide receiver Marquis Maze agrees that they don't make players like they used to.

"They don't really, because those guys are slower than we were," Maze said. "They don't make guys like they make them now. That's how I joke back with him. Back in their day, they played with leather helmets. Didn't have much protection."

Saban wasn't joking after Saturday's game when he went off on a tirade about mental toughness.

"You're telling the other guy you're beating me up, I'm hurt and I'm going to stay down here," he said. "It's just like a boxer. If you go down, get up. If you've got to come out for a play, come out for a play. But that's just me. I'm old-fashioned. I know they don't make 'em like they used to. ...
"But a guy lays on the ground and eight trainers go out there and everybody thinks he's hurt and he gets up and runs off the field. When I played, my coach, you wouldn't want to meet him on the sideline. So if you stayed down, you'd better really be hurt."

Running back Mark Ingram isn't going to argue.

"He's our coach," the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner said. "Whatever he says, whatever he does, we're always behind him."

So players aren't as tough as they used to be?

"If that's what he says, then that's what's right," Ingram said.

Ingram was asked if he thinks Saban is challenging certain players.

"Definitely," Ingram said. "They just need to step up and play more physical, execute more. We've just got to play Alabama football."

 

[RollTide72]

Is Ingram's Knee Still Hurting?

Is Ingram's Knee Still Hurting?

Ingram missed Alabama's first two games because of minor knee surgery but ran for 308 yards in his first two games, against Duke (151) and Arkansas (157). In the past three games, he has run for 143 yards. He gained 42 yards against Florida, 41 yards against South Carolina and 60 yards against Ole Miss.

Is his knee still hurting?

"I still have to ice it and take care of it to keep it from swelling up," Ingram said.

He was asked if the issue is limiting his performance in any way.

"When Saturday comes, I feel good," Ingram said.

 

[RollTide72]

Dooley Plans to Give QB Bray Some Early Work

Dooley Plans to Give QB Bray Some Early Work

The plan isn?t set, but it?s certainly in the works.

Coach Derek Dooley said Monday he didn?t know how much or how little freshman quarterback Tyler Bray would see the field Saturday against Alabama. But Bray, fresh off an impressive drive against Georgia second- and third-teamers, is definitely going to play, and it?s likely going to happen sometime in the first half.

?We?ll figure it out,? Dooley said. ?Let?s watch this week of practice and see where we go ... I don?t want to get to halftime and we haven?t, but you never know how the game goes.?

Bray has spelled starter Matt Simms on two separate occasions this season, neither of which came when the game was in balance.

Against UT Martin in the season opener, Bray was an unimpressive 3-of-6 for 24 yards and an interception. In the Vols? ugly loss to Georgia, though, Bray was one of the few bright spots, completing 8-of-12 passes for 81 yards and nearly leading the Vols to a touchdown.

Now, he?ll be hoping to recreate that success against one of the SEC?s most feared defenses.

?I?ve heard commentators say they?ve never seen it work when it happens,? senior wide receiver Gerald Jones said of rotating quarterbacks. ?Shoot, we?re going to have to do something. It?s worth a try. We?re 2-4. Why not look at somebody else??

Simms, who has stood tough in the pocket and remained relatively healthy despite taking more sacks than any quarterback in the SEC, said Dooley?s decision didn?t bother him.

?In fact, it?s actually pushing me to practice harder and prepare more just for that little added competition going on,? Simms said. ?I love competition and I?m going to battle with whoever tries to take my job.

?I try not to worry about it ... Hey, he?s going to play a little bit but he hasn?t taken my job.?

Center Of Attention: Jarrod Shaw has six or seven games left in his career at UT, but it?s apparently not too late for him to learn a new position.

Since the Georgia loss, Shaw has received extra repetitions at center, and could very well be playing there against Alabama.

Shaw said his experience at center is limited to one day in the spring and a little work over the summer because ?I didn?t think I was going to be there this season.?

The move would likely be expedited if guard Jer?Quari Schofield (foot) returns to the rotation Saturday.

?It?s kind of challenging being the guy that has to make all the calls and has to be 100 percent on assignments,? Shaw said. ?It?s more of a big responsibility. As far as a physical challenge, it?s not that different.?

Darin Gooch has had his ups and downs since he came on to replace Cody Pope (stinger) for the third game of the season against Florida. His bad snap against Georgia lost the Vols 23 yards and pinned them close to their own end zone.

 

[RollTide72]

Will Extra Time Off Help Vols?

Will Extra Time Off Help Vols?

The extra time allows for all the scheming a team could ever need.

But it might come at the expense of over-thinking an opponent.

It can produce a far healthier roster, but the players on it might no longer be used to the contact of a game after a week away.

The Tennessee coaches can stress fundamentals and run a midseason training camp to stress the basics all over again. Even that comes with the risk of a squad not responding and coming out flat once it's back on the field.

It might seem like a no-brainer that a bye would be a positive for the Vols as they regroup for the second half of the season, which starts Saturday (TV: ESPN, 7 p.m.) against No. 7 Alabama. But Derek Dooley can find just as many negatives from the brief interruption in the season, which the UT coach equated to a coin flip on Monday before returning to the practice field.

"It can be an advantage and a disadvantage," Dooley said. "I think the (Wall Street Journal) did the stats, and the statistics shows that there's no advantage. It's like 50-50. You can break it down. It can be an advantage because you obviously have more meeting time, you have more time to work some fundamentals.

"The obvious things tells you it's an advantage. The disadvantage is you get out of your routine."

The break from the norm could possibly provide UT (2-4, 0-3 SEC) with some significant help in getting lineman JerQuari Schofield, defensive tackle Montori Hughes and a couple others healthy and back in the lineup, and it also gave film junkies like Nick Reveiz an extra week to break down film of the rival Crimson Tide (6-1, 3-1).

That's no guarantee it will pay off for the Vols with a win over Alabama, which represents a test study all by itself with six consecutive conference games against teams coming off a bye week. According to the study by the Wall Street Journal, SEC teams coming off an open week were an even 53-53 since 2002 before Alabama beat Ole Miss on Saturday - and coupled with a loss the previous week to South Carolina, the Crimson Tide is right at .500 facing those teams through two tries this year.

"Sometimes you can overcoach them, you feel like you have all this time and you put in all these plays, put in these great schemes and you go out there and then we look terrible," Dooley said. "I've seen (tough practices) work and then sometimes you grind them so hard in the bye week they come out flat. I've seen it every way, across the board.

"I've seen us coming out of the bye week ripping it. I've seen a team look unprepared and everyone in the stands goes 'What did they do for two weeks?' "

To some extent what a team didn't do is equally important, particularly for one trying to recover from injuries to a handful of starters and consecutive tough tests on the road before the bye.

For the most part the Vols were content to put their feet up over the weekend and settle in to watch a few upsets on television. Despite having to deal with another fresh team on Saturday, Alabama wasn't one of the upset victims - but it did clearly have the attention of the next team waiting on its schedule.

"You definitely get a head start on them," Reveiz said. "I did do a little bit of cheating (last week), went down and broke down the South Carolina film and tried to write down some tendencies that I thought and tried to get a head start.

"I think the biggest thing is on the weekend when everybody's gone, are you resting your body or are you out doing something else? I think a lot of guys were smart, stayed here and rested. I think we've done a pretty good job so far, but the results, we won't know until Saturday."

 

[RollTide72]

King's Season Likely Over After Knee Surgery

King's Season Likely Over After Knee Surgery

Tennessee may have had the weekend off, but the extra rest didn?t do much for the overall health of Derek Dooley?s undermanned team.

If anything, it somehow got worse.

Linebacker Greg King?s season is likely over, Dooley said at his Monday press conference. The sophomore has dealt with lingering pain in his knee, an injury that was originally sustained in the spring and has given him problems throughout an unproductive season.

King played in four games, the most recent against Georgia on Oct. 9, and picked up eight tackles.

?Greg?s got a great future here but he hasn?t been full go since I?ve gotten here,? Dooley said. ?We went in and scoped him, cleaned it out a little bit and it needed it.?

Senior LaMarcus Thompson said he talked to King when King was ?a little out of it from the surgery.? His spirits were high, Thompson said.

?He has potential to be one of the great linebackers,? Thompson said. ?That?s why we?re trying to get him 100 percent healthy because he can definitely be a key player for us.?

Dooley said defensive tackle Montori Hughes (ankle) likely won?t play Saturday against Alabama. Malik Jackson, a defensive end by trade, is slotted to fill Hughes? place, according to the depth chart UT released Monday.

Hughes dressed out for Monday?s practice, but appeared limited during the open media window.

Center Cody Pope (stinger) is also expected to miss his fifth consecutive game.

The status of left guard JerQuari Schofield (foot) and kicker Daniel Lincoln (quadriceps) will be determined by their performances in practice this week, Dooley said. Schofield has not seen the field since the loss to Florida on Sept. 18.

?My history has been whether he?s available on Saturday or not, the reality, if so, is it will be a limited role,? Dooley said. ?Even if he is back, I?m kind of assuming he?s out and it?s gravy (if he does).?

Guard Jarrod Shaw said Schofield was ?bouncing around? at Monday?s practice.

?He looked pretty good to me,? Shaw said.

Left tackle Dallas Thomas (ankle) wouldn?t have played if UT had a game last week, Dooley said.

The rest has apparently helped.

?He looked a lot better than he did the past week, which is good,? quarterback Matt Simms said. ?He kind of got rid of that limp, that ?feel bad for me? kind of look. He?s a tough kid.?

Strong safety Prentiss Waggner (neck) will wear a red, non-contact jersey in practice for the third consecutive week.

?That?s not good,? Dooley said. ?You?re about to play two of the best backs in the country and we got to tackle.?

Waggner was optimistic that he?d be wearing a normal jersey by the end of the week.

?I?ve been trying to get out of the red jersey but the trainers have done a good job of limiting me and to get me back at full speed,? he said. ?I think I should be back at full speed pretty soon.?

Dooley wrapped up his injury roundup at Monday?s press conference with a bit of facetious humor.

?So,? Dooley said, ?other than that we?ve got a pretty healthy squad that we?ll be fielding on Saturday.?

 

[Skipper]

Dooley cannot count. Until that happens, all this other BS doesn't matter.

Get 11 players on the field for every play of the game and it will be an improvement.

Also - great idea to put Bray in against Bama. Since Simms has taken more sacks than Tiger Woods mistresses, let's put the freshman in there so his confidence will be shattered for the rest of his life.

That would be like starting Colt McCoy against the Pittsburgh Steeler...wait a minute. Nevermind.

 

[RollTide72]

Dooley cannot count. Until that happens, all this other BS doesn't matter.

Get 11 players on the field for every play of the game and it will be an improvement.

Also - great idea to put Bray in against Bama. Since Simms has taken more sacks than Tiger Woods mistresses, let's put the freshman in there so his confidence will be shattered for the rest of his life.

That would be like starting Colt McCoy against the Pittsburgh Steeler...wait a minute. Nevermind.

Oh Paul, you just made me spit out my coffee! Still working on coming down this weekend. Think I might have found a ticket. Will let you know by Thursday.

 

[Skipper]

Reckon Saban called Count Dooley and said, "Listen, I basically got you the job dipshit, throw that damn freshman in there for good measure. I'll make sure not to put up 50."

 

[Skipper]

Dooley has been a little "low rent" for my taste thus far. He has no problems throwing players and groups under the bus, but I haven't heard him say that the coaches lost the LSU game.

As a former coach, there is nothing that hits players harder than when you don't step up for them.

 

[RollTide72]

Yeah, as a player you don't need to hear your coach throw more dirt on ya.

I'm 70/30 in favor of coming down this weekend by the way. Waiting to hear back from a few folks on ebay regarding tickets. Then it's a matter of finding a hotel room. Might drive down Friday night but more than likely leave very early on Saturday morning. If I spend the night on Saturday maybe we can play golf on Sunday with Nole?

 

[THE KOD]

TUSCALOOSA -

he was complaining about players who stay on the ground after a play, come off the field, then return the next play.

Do the players get tired of hearing their coach question their toughness?

""You're telling the other guy you're beating me up, I'm hurt and I'm going to stay down here," he said. "It's just like a boxer. If you go down, get up. If you've got to come out for a play, come out for a play. But that's just me. I'm old-fashioned. I know they don't make 'em like they used to. ...
"But a guy lays on the ground and eight trainers go out there and everybody thinks he's hurt and he gets up and runs off the field. When I played, my coach, you wouldn't want to meet him on the sideline. So if you stayed down, you'd better really be hurt."[/B]

.................................................................

This goes on way too much in college and NFL

I think some of the players are just grandstanding for their familys in the stands. Moms and girlfriends would top the lost.

Oh he is down. My baby is down. Is he ok . Oh my God oh my God.

oh he is ok .

There he is waving to us and going back into the game.

:facepalm: :facepalm:

 

[Skipper]

Yeah, as a player you don't need to hear your coach throw more dirt on ya.

I'm 70/30 in favor of coming down this weekend by the way. Waiting to hear back from a few folks on ebay regarding tickets. Then it's a matter of finding a hotel room. Might drive down Friday night but more than likely leave very early on Saturday morning. If I spend the night on Saturday maybe we can play golf on Sunday with Nole?

Any excuse to play golf is a good one for me:00hour

I might be able to hook you up on a deal at a Holiday Inn Express. Great manager and one of my customers, but it is in Kodak(Exit 407). Still only about 15 min. to game.

Let me know and I will give him a call if you need me to.

 

[RollTide72]

Nole looks to be out for the weekend. Has family in town and will be in Franklin for the weekend, or has family in town from Franklin. :shrug:

Think I've found a great seat in Section Y10 Row 1. Trying to work out an arrangement to buy and pick the ticket up in person.

 

[Skipper]

OK - let me know about the hotel

 

[RollTide72]

Hey Skip, just sent you a text. See if your hotel friend can help me out. Think I've found a few places north of Knoxville. Nothing special but it doesn't need to be. Any particular golf course you want to play on Sunday?