Pay for Tailgating Plan at Alabama

You may have seen this yesterday over at Blutarsky's blog. According to the Tuscaloosa News, Alabama will start charging for premium tailgate spaces on The Quad, their version of our North Campus or Ole Miss' The Grove.

The plan doesn't encompass the entire Quad, but it does involve 155 tailgate spots that are being sold for $729 each. Each spot "comes with a tent, electricity and a parking spot near the engineering buildings."

I'm with Blutarsky on this one in that I saw it coming. When the new "family friendly" tailgate rules were announced -- particularly those involving large "corporate" tailgates, I thought the auctioning off of tailgate spots on North Campus was inevitable. I'm only shocked that Bama beat UGA to the punch. As yet, no plans in this area have been announced from our guys.

In Bama's Defense:
Alabama officials estimated in other articles that approximately 35,000 fans attended the Georgia and LSU games without tickets last year. They simply showed up, tailgated and partied all day.

With modern tailgate enhancements such as portable generators, "bag" furniture, satellite TVs, and light weight tents, tailgating continues to explode in the SEC. Anyone who saw the chaos surrounding The Quad last year for our match-up could see that more structure was needed there.

Their Pricing:
For groups who tailgate with 4-8 people, $729 for a tent, roughly 10x10 worth of reserved premium tailgate space for the season, power, and a premium parking spot isn't that bad of a deal. If they were to throw in cable access, it would be a sweet setup.

It would never work for my group as we need 6-7 times as much space for our configuration, and that price per square foot would cost us $6000 or so. But I digress.

My Beef with These Types of Plans:
My real issue with selling tailgate spots isn't the cost. It's the continual fleecing of the fan base. Much of the affection I feel for The University of Georgia is wrapped up in the entire game day experience. It's not just what happens on Saturday Between the Hedges. It's the complete experience, and that starts with the way we tailgate.

I don't mind more tailgate structure, and I recognize that clean-up and policing of an expanded tailgate experience costs money. But isn't the simple answer to fine or punish people who abuse the rules, generate outrageous amounts of litter (this is bad fan issue #1 that pisses me off), set-up too early or behave boorishly rather than price loyal givers out of the market?

If they would enforce existing rules, some of the problems surrounding tailgating would fix themselves.

PWD

Saban trying to muscle into Atlanta?

According to the Virginia Tech Athletic Department, Alabama and Virginia Tech are in discussions to open the 2009 football season in a "made for television game" at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The announcement presents VT as squarely on board with the arrangement with or without the Tide.

This is a deal that makes a ton of sense for Bama. The Tide is already set to play Clemson in '08 and Duke in '10 in the Dome. The three games at the Dome would make four neutral site games in four years for Bama as they also played FSU in Jacksonville last year.

Why the Neutral Site Emphasis (My theories):

• Recovering from Instability -- During the late 90s, UA booked a series of exciting home and home match-ups with UCLA, Oklahoma, Penn State and I think Nebraska. During the coaching instability that followed the Dubose reign -- four coaches in four years -- Alabama postponed or cancel several of those marquee match-ups. From 2004-2006, Alabama didn't play a single BCS team in 10 non-conference games.
  
  Saban has said, he wants to ramp up the non-conference schedule. However, home and home series are complicated to book...especially with less than 4+ years notice. Booking a neutral site game can happen much quicker. I think some of the neutral site scheduling is Bama filling in the gaps until the PSU (2010/2011) and later the GT series (2013/2014) start.
  
  *Note: the Duke game is different. Bama did a 2 for 1 deal with Duke several years ago with the assumption that Duke would sell its home game to some venue. The Dome smartly entered the picture there and beat out Mobile, Charlotte and others.
  
  
• Recruiting -- For all the jokes about Nick Saban not "having time for this sh*t." The fact remains that the guy can really recruit. To me, one puzzling thing about Alabama's recruiting prior to the Saban regime was the lack of heavy emphasis on the ultra fertile, easily accessible Atlanta market.
  
  When Bama ventured out of state, they seemed to prefer to get nastier and head to Memphis where cash payouts, strip clubs and cold sores are an integrated part of the recruiting landscape. Last year, Saban pulled two kids out of the Greater Atlanta area as well as a couple of Georgia Tech transfers. This year, three of his first eight commits are from the Atlanta area.
  
  The Dome visits can only help him open doors in Georgia's backyard.

Personally, I don't begrudge the Atlanta Sports Council's efforts to bring a season kickoff style big game to the city/Georgia Dome. These games are good for college football, and it's good for Atlanta.

However, I would like to see them spread the participants around a bit more. Let's get teams other than Alabama in there. If you're only playing one game every 3-5 years in town instead of three (or more) years in a row, it's tougher to raise your permanent exposure in the area.

Regardless, Bama's recruiting in Atlanta, and their use of the Georgia Dome is definitely something to keep an eye on for Georgia fans.

(Update: Not so fast my friend. Bama says they haven't inked anything yet. I'd still like to think it'll get done if at all possible. It just makes too much sense.)

PWD

Barnhart Gets this "blogging" thing

I've said many times that I think Tony Barnhart is the #1 reason to subscribe to the Atlanta Journal. Unfortunately for the AJC, I don't think there is a #2 reason. Don't get me wrong, I really like Chip Towers' stuff. However, it's all free on the cyberwebs...so really...paying for the hard copy gets me what? Isn't buying a hard copy newspaper just an arbitrage game centered around coupon clipping?

But I wildly digress.

Barnhart gets the blogging thing. He's all about quick hitters that generate discussion and keep the reader coming back for more. He's especially good at the "5 Things" format. Today's edition gives us an update on the UGA vs. ASU Ticket situation and the news of College Game Day coming to Atlanta for the Clemson vs. Bama game at the Dome.

PWD

Reasons Furman Bisher Blows

Apparently, the Birmingham News ran an article a few weeks back about the infamous Saturday Evening Post article in the early 1960s that accused Bear Bryant and Wally Butts of fixing an Alabama vs. Georgia game.

Bryant and Butts were both vindicated in the libel law suits following the story, and the resulting back lash and legal payments bankrupted the paper. The suits are still studied in Law and Journalism School for the ground breaking decision regarding libel in regards to "public officials" vs. "public figures."

The story revolved around a phone conversation between Butts and Bryant that was apparently over heard by a third party. That third person took notes of the conversation and accused a drunken Butts (serving as AD of UGA at the time) of giving up the Georgia play book to Bryant. The third person sold his story to The Post for $5,000.

In their rush to bring down UGA, Alabama and College Football, the Birmingham News says that magazine didn't bother to look at the notes from the phone conversation. It was a hastily assembled story that didn't hold up under investigation. And frankly, Bear Bryant didn't need Georgia's play book to obliterate Johnny Griffith's team.

I throw Bisher into this because he helped Frank Graham Jr. write the story.

Fall out from the story:

• The Saturday Evening Post went bankrupt Georgia and Alabama stopped playing every year to avoid the story. We moved to playing about twice every 8-10 years in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
  
• Bryant was so enraged by the incident that he came to hate Atlanta. If memory serves, his team packed a lunch when they came to Atlanta after that. He refused to spend a nickel in town.
  
• The scandal helped push Butts out as Athletic Director.

PWD

Spring is in the Air

Some articles that caught my eye tonight...

• Spring Practice - As you've probably already read, the big scrimmage on Friday was sort of all over the place. We're still struggling along the offensive line, yet we're making big plays. It's your basic spring freak show. I think some of the OL issues will sort themselves out when Clint Boling returns from his battle with Mono.
  
  
• Richt landed a safety for the 2009 signing class. It's the 6th commitment of the year. I have no idea how good the kid is, but we're so strapped with limited scholarship numbers this year (only 15 graduating seniors) that he must be good to get an offer this early.
  
  
• The Hottness - Some web site has ranked the schools with the hottest co-eds (click with a bit of caution). I don't get why they used such an overwhelmingly trashy photo of the Auburn girl. AU has its issues, but its Arizona State that has the porn star rep. Anyway...we'll get a chance to gauge the ASU level of human attractiveness on Sept. 20th of this year. My biggest issue with the ranking is South Carolina coming in at #6. As. If. I've been there 11 times, and there's no comparison between Cola's talent and Athens' finest. Also, any list that has Ole Miss at #5 was constructed by dudes that have never visited their campus.
  
  
• Clemson Recruits - The innerwebs have been abuzz after the photos of a kid who appears to be Clemson recruit Kenneth Page surfaced on MySpace. In the pics, he's holding a big wad of cash and the immediate assumption is that CU is back up to their old "Danny Ford 'Cruitin(TM)". The estimates on the cash stack put it at $5,000-$20,000. I'm of the opinion that positively nothing comes of this. First off, why would you assume that it's recruiting related? There's no NCAA Compliance Rule against having sketchy friends, riding dirty or being a dumbass. There are laws against some of those issues, but what's he going to do ... confess? Short of a confession or a wire transfer receipt accidentally handed to the NCAA, this is a non-event.
  
  
• Hunker Down You Hairy Horses - Apparently, we rode 'em hard. No insight into whether or not we put them up wet. UGA won the Southern Equestrian Championship over the weekend.


• Richt's Trip - Richt's upcoming trip to the Middle East is landing good press all over the place.
  
  
• Spring Games Gone Wild - I sent an email to the folks at Butts-Mehre asking "Why doesn't UGA have blow out spring games with big concerts and shenanigans like other schools are planning?" Well, it turns out those things might not be in NCAA Compliance. Bama has canceled the Alan Jackson concert that was tied to the A-Day game because of NCAA questions. Speaking of Spring Flings in the state of Alabama...Auburn picked an odd choice for their spring concert. Tuberville probably doesn't approve.
  

So there's that. Oh yeah...and Furman Bisher is very old (warning: profanity).

PWD

Top SEC Plays of the Year Series

Get the Picture is running a series of articles recapping the Top 10 SEC Games of 2008 2007. They recently unveiled #7 on the list....UGA vs. Bama in the overtime thriller.

In a couple of hours, the hoops team takes on UK in Rupp. In case that doesn't go well, you could always seek solace in this football video:

PWD

Finebaum Loves Richt

Paul Finebaum took precious minutes out of his Alabama recruiting droolfest radio show yesterday to interview Coach Richt. I think Coach Richt hit every radio show in the southeast yesterday, so if you heard him elsewhere, some of the Finebaum interview may be old news to you. In any case, here's the interview. They briefly discuss recruiting and then get into the outlook for next season. Typically, Richt downplays the hype by saying after seeing the first day of mat drills, we'll be lucky to beat Georgia Southern.

Finebaum, who has made his considerable reputation on frenzied criticism of football coaches, seems absolutely smitten with Richt lately. He wrote a glowing piece on Richt last week in his weekly column. Last month, he rated Richt as the best coach in the SEC. Do Finebaum's fangs retract after he crosses the Alabama state line?

Quinton

Hawaii vs. the SEC in the last three meetings....

Welcome to the Sugar Bowl?
2006: Hawaii at Alabama
-- Bama won 25-17 in the season opener. Colt Brennan went 30-44 for 350 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT against a pretty solid Tide defense. The 2006 Tide squad which couldn't score in a Whore House during the Dentist Convention in Vegas out gained the Warriors 378 total yards to 372. Hawaii was held to 22 yards rushing. Key to the game: Bama had zero turnovers, and they forced Hawaii into 3 turnovers. An 11-3 Hawaii team couldn't beat a 6-7 Bama team.

2003: Alabama at Hawaii
-- Bama lost 37-29. The Tide was banned from bowls, but they found a loop hole which allowed them to finish their season in Hawaii. The NCAA let's (or used to anyway) you play 1 extra game per season in years that you go to Hawaii. So the Tide scheduled two games at Hawaii (2003 and 2002) to function as bowl games for the probation stricken team. Bama went 4-9 on the season in a transition year that saw Mike Shula take over after Spring Training was already completed. In typical "Don't Play Games In Hawaii b/c the Refs will KILL You" fashion, Bama had 10 penalties to the Warriors 4. Total yardage was identical, but the Tide had 3 turnovers to Hawaii's 1. Bottom line: A very bad Bama team lost to a pretty decent Hawaii team in an anti-climatic post-Auburn debacle.

2002: Alabama at Hawaii
Alabama won 21-16. Much like the 2003 game, this was played after the regular season was complete so that they probation riddled Tide would have a de facto bowl game. Bama ran for 280 yards as they finished the game with comparable net total offense yards. Much like the 2003 game the penalty flags fell to the benefit of the Warriors (12 Bama Flags to 5 Hawaii Flags). The "Don't Call us Rainbow" Warriors had 5 turnovers to Bama's one. Bama finished the season 10-3 while Hawaii finished with 7 wins. Bottom line: A good Bama team barely beat a mediocre Hawaii squad in front of wildly partisan officials.

The Moral of the Story:
We can't just throw our helmets out there and expect to win. We have to play smart and protect the football. If we do, we'll win a game that has the ball moving up and down the field at a brisk pace for both squads. Frankly, this game should be very entertaining. Our DBs aren't exceptional and their passing game (gimmick or not) is effective. The Warriors will score points on us, but we have the talent and offense of our own to win by 10+...if we take them serious.

I'm looking forward to this.

PWD

Dog Bites "Next Hand"

For those of you who didn't watch the Iron Bowl last night, Auburn won it 17-10. This gives the Aubs six wins in a row, meaning they will now taunt the Bammers with two hands to show them how many consecutive wins they have in the rivalry. (Evidently, Alabama residents can only communicate in primitive hand gestures.) Last year, Tuberville warned Alabama to "fear the thumb," and this year the Aubs have moved on to the "next hand."

An Alabama state police K-9 unit tried to insure that Auburn DB Jerraud Powers wouldn't taunt anyone when it bit Powers Saturday night in the waning minutes.

Such an impromptu amputation might actually make the taunt more effective. The Aubs could flash a middle finger paired with another five digits.

Quinton

Stay Classy LSU

Warning. Barely safe for work. But funny in a guy humor sort of way.

Daddy didn't hug me enough.

PWD

Moreno a Front Runner for SEC Freshman of the Year?

Knowshon Moreno (Image: Hipple)

With yesterday's announcement that Knowshon Moreno was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, I think he moves into the front runner spot for overall SEC Freshman of the Year status.

His current stats include:
-- 619 yards rushing (88.4 yards/game) and 3 TDs
-- 15 receptions for 195 yards and 0 TDs

From skimming the latest SEC Stats, his chief competition for top SEC honors appears to be
Terry Grant (RB) from Alabama. Grant has 593 yards rushing with 6 TDs, and he has 12 receptions for 92 yards with no TDs via the air. The biggest difference in their numbers appears to be the fact that Moreno has been accelerating while Grant's numbers have slowed a bit since a very fast start.

With Thomas Brown still nicked up and Lumpkin likely out for the season, Moreno should get the ball in the end zone more often. That's the only hole in his resume so far.

Nationally:
The two backs are fourth and fifth nationally among freshman rushers behind some dude at Idaho that you've never heard of, LeSean McCoy at Pittsburgh and Harvey Unga at BYU. (Source: NCAA). Moreno and Grant are on better teams, and they will both have bigger stages to try and earn first team All-American honors among runners.

At other positions, Michael Crabtree (WR) at Texas Tech will win every overall national freshman of the year award. He already has 78 catches, 1244 yards and 17 TDs. As a point of comparison, all of those would be career records at Georgia, and he has roughly half the season left. Any award nationally that Crabtree doesn't win will go to Sam Bradford (QB) at Oklahoma.

PWD

What if Munson had Called the Bama Game?

UGAMummaRa edited up a version of Munson calling the game winner at Alabama. It's a neat "what if".

Thoughts on Ole Miss a bit later.

PWD

Bryant Denny Wallpaper: Peace Offering for Bama Fans

IronChefTurducken took this shot from the cheap seats in Tuscaloosa. I'm mainly posting it here because it's such a quality shot. Click to enlarge and get the wallpaper sized version of Bryant-Denny Stadium at night.

PWD

Dear Wallace Gilberry

Before the game, Alabama defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry said the following:

Gilberry was asked about Stafford. He said he didn't know a thing about Stafford, but said to ask him after the game. "[Then] I can tell you anything you want to know. His birthday, his telephone number, his home address. I will know," Gilberry said. When asked why he would know so much at that point, Gilberry replied, "I've got to know where to send the flowers."

In light of that, The Dean (no really...a Dean from a well known University outside the SEC) sent me the following Thank You Note on behalf of Matt Stafford...

Dear Wallace,

Thank you for the lovely flowers you sent this afternoon. You didn't have to go to all of that trouble, since we didn't really get that acquainted last night.

Sorry I didn't stop to say bye at the end of the game. I just got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I apologize for my rudeness.

Have fun in Nashville at Christmas.

You friend,
Matthew

Comedy. On a completely unrelated note, you should check out the post-game article from Walter Geiger. Walt is the editor of the Barnesville Herald and Gazette. He wrote about his religious experience on Saturday Night in Tuscaloosa. Good read.

PWD

Empty Bleachers

First of all, if you haven't been to Tuscaloosa, you need to go. The Dawgs and Tide play classic games there. Their fans, despite their mixed reputation, are great. Every Bama fan that I talked to was very cordial, even when discussing what was going to happen that night. After I stopped cheering for a while because my wife said I was being "obnoxious," several Bama fans encouraged me to keep yelling for my team. Even after the game, they really didn't say anything other than we had played better and deserved to win. I doubt we would be as gracious after a swift kick to the guts like that.

The Bama fans were right. Despite the drops, despite the missed kicks, despite the spotty play at times, we should have won that game big. Bama played a bad first half and we couldn't seem to make them pay for it like we should have. I thought the Tide woke up a little bit in the second half, but we still had our opportunities. We're young, we're still inconsistent, but the trend line is headed up. The receivers didn't drop the ball, despite his shortcomings Chandler made a clutch catch when we needed it on the final drive in regulation, and I thought our young defensive backs played well. I know Bryan Evans got burned on that deep route on Bama's final drive, but Jones and Allen had their moments of brilliance.

There is nothing sweeter than a big SEC road win, especially one you gut out at the very end. When there are only a few sections still left in the stadium as "Glory, Glory" blares out and you're left alone with the rest of the Dawg people, it's a feeling that is transcendent and hard to match in the realm of sports. It is also a feeling that has now become common under Mark Richt, but it shouldn't devalue the experience. It never gets old.

Quinton

Scott Howard's Call with Video

UgaMummaRa has posted the video of Mikey Henderson's catch with Scott Howard's call.

Thanks to one of our readers who sent me the high quality audio of the call that I forwarded to UgaMummRa for the video. Check his other videos.

PWD

Still Man Enough: Georgia vs. Bama

Official Post-Game T-shirt (Click to Buy)
First off, God Bless Mikey Henderson. Now, some rambling thoughts from Saturday night.

The Good:

• Counter Punching: The hardest thing to do when punched in the mouth is to get back up and throw another punch. When Alabama tied the game 10-10, the Bulldogs immediately responded with a long TD drive. When the Tide tied the game 20-20, we again immediately drove down the field without flinching. To counter punch a physical team like Bama on the road is a very good sign for the program's future.
  
  
• Guts: Our defensive ends and linebackers were completely worn out in the fourth quarter. You couldn't completely see how tired they looked on TV, but from up close it was evident. When Andre Smith leans on you for 60 minutes, it takes its toll. Richt's timeout with around 3 minutes left wasn't just to let the defensive "regroup" as Todd Blackledge pointed out on television. They flat out needed a blow. Richt, Fabris and Martinez were constantly encouraging them to dig deep for just a few more plays. Great show of guts by those guys to keep digging. I didn't think we could get a three and out in Overtime with them so tired, but they did it. Like I said last week, tougher team wins it. Our guys were just flat out tougher.
  
  
• Offensive Line: Georgia started three freshmen offensive linemen on the road in front of 92,000 blood thirsty fans, and they didn't give up a sack. Incredible. Granted, the Bama defensive line isn't the greatest we'll play this year, but the work that Coach Searels has done with this group is amazing. By the way, I found out that his name rhymes with "girls" or "squirrels" not "quarrels." (Per his extended family)
  
  
• Linebackers: Washington and Ellerbe made a bunch of plays, and they showed much more aggression and violence than in weeks past.
  
  
• Sean Bailey: He is quietly having a great year. I see a lot of clamoring for Knowshon to get more touches (which I'm all for) over Thomas Brown, but Saturday their stats were almost the same. Where is the screaming for Bailey to get more catches? He's dropped two this season, but so what? He's making more plays than any UGA wideout since Reggie Brown's senior year. Get this guy the ball!
  
  
• WR blocking: Mo Mass absolutely crushed Bama's best CB early in the game. He's another guy having a quiet yet effective year.
  
  
• Kickoff Coverage: our best job of stopping the return that I can remember in years.
  
  
• Asher Allen: Allen made some real whiffs on the tackling front in recent weeks, but that wasn't an issue on Saturday. His tackling was so strong that Martinez used him on corner blitzes to offset Bama's stretch running plays behind big Andre Smith.

The Bad:

• Painful TE Drops: I don't want this thread to turn into a Tripp Chandler bashing fest because I don't think that's a fair response to a game that we won. But as Richt said in his Sunday press conference, Chandler has to improve. Or someone else needs to play.
  
  
• Killer Penalties: The penalties we earned on offense were brutal, and the ones we didn't earn (but still got flagged for) like the pass interference call on the uncatchable ball in the fourth quarter nearly cost us the game. We have to play smarter than that.

The Ugly:

Traffic Post-Game: the residents of Tuscaloosa, the Alabama fans, the City and County Governments of the Tuscaloosa area, Mal Moore, the Alabama Department of Transportation, the US Department of Homeland Security and Forrest Gump should all be kicked in the balls for letting the post-game traffic problems continue. They've been playing football in T-town for almost 120 years. Are you seriously telling me that they haven't figured out how to get people out of town yet? Do you honestly not have a disaster evacuation plan by now that can be applied to post-game traffic? At least partially if not fully. The crazy thing...that WAS their new and improved plan! I guess the money that should be spent on new traffic plans is all being spent on Nick Saban's salary. Hopefully, Cordy Glenn (OT recruit) found himself in the same post-game traffic that I did. That would've been enough to decide between UGA and Bama for me.

Overall:

I've been to Tuscaloosa three times ('94, '02, and '07). Each trip has been just that drama packed. Their fans were great, the environment was amazing and the rain mostly held off. Everything great about college football was on display for the world to watch. I'm loving our chances for a 10-2 season entering the bowl. Let's get Haverkamp healthy, destroy Ole Miss and head up to Knoxville for a a shot at a fourpeat.

See Also:

-- Scott Howard's Call - some fan uploaded this
-- Stafford's moment in T-town - Tony Barnhart
-- Dog Pile fun, but Hairy - AJC
-- Sunday Teleconference Transcript - David Ching
-- A defining Moment - ABH
-- A last look back - UGASports.com
-- 142z Takeoff - Get the Picture
-- An Open Letter - DawgSports.com

PWD

Bama thoughts a little later, but start with this...

Image; Rob Carr AP/AJC.com (for full photo library)

Kevin Scarbinsky is a columnist for the Birmingham News. He wrote a lengthy article in today's paper about last night's game which is mostly a love letter to the future of the Alabama program. However, the end of the article is a gem for Georgia fans. Excerpt:

We should've known the first reality check of the Saban era would happen in his house with Mark Richt as the special guest. If you're having a party at your house, do not invite Richt. Don't do it. Not under any circumstances.

He will spoil the party. He will step in your flower bed and wipe his Nikes on your carpet. He will clean out your fridge and leave you with a very empty feeling.

Of all the football coaches of all the teams in all the world, none walks into a hostile environment and owns the place like the Georgia coach.

Whether he closes practice from start to finish the week before or not.

Richt has taken Georgia into a true road game 26 times and returned home with a win 23 times. One of those road losses came to the 2004 Auburn team that went undefeated. Another came to the 2003 LSU team - coached by Saban - that won the BCS title.

So you have to be really, really good to beat Richt on the road.

Helluva game.

PWD

Bama Bangs, The Hush, and Bourbon Throws

As an exiled member of Bulldog Nation, it is always a big deal when I get to travel to an away game. Because of my current location, the easiest games to get to are those where the Dawgs travel west to play an SEC West opponent. This means I've been to every SEC West venue and have picked up a few things along the way. I'm heading to Tuscaloosa this weekend and wanted to give those of you who maybe going there for the first time a heads up about a few things.

1) Bama Bangs - As detailed by Clay Travis, there is only one hairstyle for Alabama males under thirty. It's Bama Bangs, here demonstrated by John Parker Wilson:
When I was in high school, I admit that I wore the Bama Bangs. At some point though, the hair begins to either annoy the wearer's forehead or it causes insurmountable neck problems from the constant head swinging/flipping used by Bama Bangers to adjust their hair without touching it. UGA frat boys have a version of Bama Bangs they often wear, but UGA Bangs are usually cut before they completely cover the wearer's eyebrows. This weekend, when someone yells at you about your red pants, tell them their bangs are bangin'. It is highly probable that they are head flipping at that very moment.

2) If you have tickets in the Georgia section, be glad. It would seem that one of the traditions of the Alabama student section is throwing their bourbon drink when the Tide scores. A crucial touchdown elicits a shower of amber liquid and plastic cups. Is it that easy to get large quantities of alcohol in the stadium?

3) I've attended a number of Alabama games in Tuscaloosa and I'm constantly amazed at the lack of emotion when the crowd leaves a game. You really can't tell if they won or lost by looking at the fans walking down those long, circular ramps. An Alabama friend of mine called it "The Hush." To me it sounds like some sort of fan purgatory, constantly expecting victory so that when it arrives it is not a cause for joy, so that the only surprise is defeat. I suppose the expectation of eternal glory is every Bama fan's notional birthright, but from the outside it seems a bit sad that they can't really enjoy an unexpected win. Let's hope they don't get a chance to prove me wrong after Saturday's game.

There are a few serious things you need to see in Tuscaloosa:

1. The Bear Museum - A holy shrine to all things right and good about the Crimson Tide.
2. Denny Chimes - It's the trademark building of Alabama's campus. To give you an idea of where the priorities in Bama are, the sidewalks below the Chimes have the hand and cleat prints of all of Alabama's football captains.
3. The north entrance to Bryant-Denny Stadium - This is the new addition to the stadium and it is palatial. The area outside the addition is an homage to former coaches who brought glory on the Tide, including the Bear (he's a big deal there). Bama does their rendition of the Dawg Walk here called the "Walk of Champions" (That name isn't so special because Ole Miss has a Walk of Champions too).

For those of you headed to the game, have a safe trip and Go Dawgs!

Quinton

Q&A with a Bama Blogger

Terrence Edwards vs. Bama 2002 (Image: Dawgbone.net)
Yesterday, we swapped questions with the folks at RollBamaRoll.com. My take on the game is here and Doug from HeyJennySlater talks about the game here.

Below you'll find my questions and their answers:

PWD: Are you concerned about a psychological let down after the ARK win?
RollBamaRoll (RBR): Not really. That's something that would have happened the last four years, but this team seems like it's bought into the "24 Hour Rule" and have focused on nothing but Georgia since Monday. I'm really more concerned with a physical let down. The Arkansas game was a very physical one, and the defense's lack of depth was really exposed in the second half while the offense struggled to stay on the field, so it's kind of up in the air on how long it will take our guys to recover physically. Emotionally and psychologically, though, I think the circumstances of the win (getting that last stop and driving the field to win with :08 left) was probably a boon for this team.

After four years of second half collapses, this is exactly what this team needed to exorcise those demons, and what the staff really needed to show illustrate their point that, if you go out and put every ounce of effort into every down and play 60 minutes of solid football, you're going to come out on top.

PWD: What are you most worried about Georgia doing to Bama?
RollBamaRoll (RBR): The Dawgs are the first team we've face with a truly balanced offensive attack. Even though we gave up a lot of yardage in the second half last week, it's really likely that most of it came because our defense was on the field repeatedly because of two turnovers and a three and out that had them tired and unable to keep up physically with that massive o-line of Arkansas. So containing the run is something we'll be decent at, so long as the offense will give the D a little rest between drives.

We've seen some busted coverage in the secondary every week, though, and my biggest fear would be Stafford picking us apart in the passing game. Our best bet there is to really blitz the living daylights out of him and force him to make bad throws and hopefully get some turnovers.

PWD: What are the keys to a Bama win?
RollBamaRoll (RBR): Controlling the game like we did in the second half against Vandy will be big for us. The ground game never really got going against Arkansas, so if Grant, Coffee, and Johns can get going and shorten the game while keeping the defense fresh I think we have a better than average chance for the win. If they can't, though, the burden falls square on the shoulders of John Parker Wilson. He's shown improvement week to week, but he's still making some boneheaded mistakes (costly turnovers and taking sacks), and if he can't get hot then we might find ourselves in too deep of a hole this week.

See Also
-- My Comments on the Game for the Wizard of Odds - Wiz
-- Bama Smack Talk List - DawgBone.net

PWD