Game Day, Part II

The No. 2 ranked team in the country, Alabama entered this week with expectations not seen in Tuscaloosa since the early 1990s. But the Crimson Tide did not look like the nation’s second best squad during a sluggish 17-14 win over Kentucky.

“This was our first chance to go out and play after the team had been recognized on a national level, and that’s a different kind of psychological management to handle success. And I would say that we didn’t handle it extremely well today,” said coach Nick Saban, following his team’s disappointing effort.

“When you get satisfied, you lose your intensity, you lose your focus, you get more penalties, you miss more assignments, you don’t finish things and you don’t do things exactly right.”

As has been the case all season, the Crimson Tide got off to a fast start, taking a 14-0 lead over the Wildcats in the first quarter. Alabama has outscored its opponents 88-0 in the first quarter this season — blanking Clemson (13-0), Tulane (13-0), Western Kentucky (17-0), Arkansas (21-0), Georgia (10-0) and now Kentucky (14-0) in the first stanza. Unlike previous games, however, Bama was unable to build on its early momentum and was outscored 17-3 in the second half.

“We’re certainly happy to win, but we also put on a clinic today on how to keep the other team in the game,” said Saban. “We didn’t finish drives, we fumbled the ball inside the 10-yard-line, we missed a field goal. … We had a season-high number of penalties — 10 for 92 yards, which is not indicative of our team.”

Luckily, running back Glen Coffee did his best Shaun Alexander impression, running the ball 25 times for 218 yards and a 78-yard trip to paydirt. Coffee’s strong effort was the sixth-best rushing in school history and the most rush yards in a single game since Alexander ran for 291 yards at LSU on Nov. 9, 1996.

Even more impressive, Coffee was able to produce those numbers against a Kentucky defense that entered Bryant-Denny Stadium as the fifth-best run defense in the nation, allowing just 50.3 yards over four games prior to Coffee’s hot afternoon. As a team, the Tide rushed for 282 yards on 49 carries, good for 5.8 yards per carry as well as a 35:45-to-24:15 time-of-possession advantage.

The Bama defense also had another big day, scoring the third defensive touchdown and fifth non-offensive score of the season on a four-yard fumble return to the house by linebacker Rolando McClain. The Tide also held the Cats to only 35 rushing yards, the stop-unit’s sixth straight game holding its opponent to less than 100 yards — joining Clemson (0), Tulane (86), Western Kentucky (42), Arkansas (92) and Georgia (50).

On a day where senior quarterback John Parker Wilson struggled to complete 7-of-17 passes for 106 yards and one interception, every score counted. Kicker Leigh Tiffin was able to put the game away on a 24-yard field goal with 2:12 remaining in regulation.

Still, for an Alabama team with a No. 2 ranking and a 34-2-1 all-time record against Kentucky — including a 20-0-1 mark in UK games played in the state of Alabama — this was not the type of performance many expected.

“There’s a lot of lessons for us to learn today,” said Saban, who now has a 13-6 overall record and 7-4 record in the SEC during his two seasons leading the Crimson Tide.

“And it’s great to be able to learn those lessons and not have to lose. Our focus needs to be on how we can get better as a team and how we can play with more consistency.”

Scouting Combine

The annual Sunshine State showdown between Miami and Florida State is always a great place to scout future NFL talent. The Hurricanes lead all schools with 46 players currently on an NFL roster, while the Seminoles are in second place with 37 players paid to play on Sundays.

This year’s game may not have featured a Deion Sanders or Ray Lewis game-changer, but there were flashes of a possible Warrick Dunn or Devin Hester during a 41-39 shootout win by FSU at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

Seminole sparkplug Antone Smith had 27 carries for 92 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, using his 5’9”, 190-pound frame to run over and around the Canes defense. Dual-threat quarterback Christian Ponder added 19 carries for 144 yards on the ground, making up for his lack of passing efficiency, completing 14-of-31 for 159 yards, one score and two interceptions.

FSU’s ground game outgained Miami 281-to-51 rush yards, while taking a 39:23-to-19:44 advantage in time of possession during a South Florida rainstorm that contributed to seven total turnovers (4 by FSU, 3 by Miami) in the game. Since 1988, the team that wins the battle on the ground has an 18-5 record.

Meanwhile, U true freshman triple-threat runner-receiver-returner Travis Benjamin had an 18-yard touchdown run to go along with three catches for 71 yards and a career-long 51-yard touchdown reception on a halfback pass from Graig Cooper. Another true frosh from coach Randy Shannon’s top-ranked recruiting class, linebacker Sean Spence, intercepted a wounded duck for a three-yard pick-six.

Despite a losing effort today, Miami leads the all-time series 30-23 against Florida State. On the winning side, FSU coach Bobby Bowden earned win No. 377 in the 501st game of his Hall of Fame career.