Eye on Bama at Vandy this week.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Bama is soft in the belly. D-line is their weakness. Vandy should make them prove they can stop the run early.

Well, that is the rumor and as we get into SEC games, we'll find out. I thnk that running a 3-4 is a way for compensating for a lack of depth along the D-Line, but they are deep and experienced in LB's and Secondary. In their D-Line they have 2 starters back at DE and their NG played in 7 games last year but he is more of DE size. This may be perceoved to be their Achilles Heel and certainly if there is any spot that might be a weakness, it would be at NG. I think they hope that the DE's and LB's will compensate for that. Time will tell.

[Nashville Fan]

Bama is soft in the belly. D-line is their weakness. Vandy should make them prove they can stop the run early.

Well, that is the rumor and as we get into SEC games, we'll find out. I thnk that running a 3-4 is a way for compensating for a lack of depth along the D-Line, but they are deep and experienced in LB's and Secondary. In their D-Line they have 2 starters back at DE and their NG played in 7 games last year but he is more of DE size. This may be perceoved to be their Achilles Heel and certainly if there is any spot that might be a weakness, it would be at NG. I think they hope that the DE's and LB's will compensate for that. Time will tell.

Saban knows his D. But, Nickson could have a huge day running. For selfish reasons, I want to see how well Vandy can run on them. Grant could be the next freak of nature; but, he made the Bama d look foolish in practice.

[VandyHog]

One thing is for sure, if Nickson, Jennings and Jackson-Garrison can run on them, they are in serious trouble when the Hogs come to Tuscaloosa.

[RypTyde]

i'm not so sure Bama will take Vandy. i think Vandy wins this one.

I just can't see that happening. Vanderbilt may be resurgent, but Alabama has had good talent even when they had down years. They always have great talent and this year is no exception. They would have beat us last year had their FG kicker not been absolutely atrocious. I just gotta believe that Bama takes this one by about 2 TD's.

I'm with you on this one Bama is a train and Vandy is a deer on the tracks woo woo . . .

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Bama is soft in the belly. D-line is their weakness. Vandy should make them prove they can stop the run early.

Well, that is the rumor and as we get into SEC games, we'll find out. I thnk that running a 3-4 is a way for compensating for a lack of depth along the D-Line, but they are deep and experienced in LB's and Secondary. In their D-Line they have 2 starters back at DE and their NG played in 7 games last year but he is more of DE size. This may be perceoved to be their Achilles Heel and certainly if there is any spot that might be a weakness, it would be at NG. I think they hope that the DE's and LB's will compensate for that. Time will tell.

Saban knows his D. But, Nickson could have a huge day running. For selfish reasons, I want to see how well Vandy can run on them. Grant could be the next freak of nature; but, he made the Bama d look foolish in practice.

And he just may do the same to the Vandy "D".

[hawgbawb]

I'm tellin ya, I think Saban is going to have this team playing above their heads all season. Call it the new coach factor. If Nutt did it at Arkansas in his first year then Saban can do it at Bama in his. The difference is that it won't take Saban 9 years to win a 10th game.

Nutt was left with more to work with. Bama has a good QB but the rest of the team is too young and/or short on talent. Saban only wins 7 games this year, IMO.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I'm tellin ya, I think Saban is going to have this team playing above their heads all season. Call it the new coach factor. If Nutt did it at Arkansas in his first year then Saban can do it at Bama in his. The difference is that it won't take Saban 9 years to win a 10th game.

Nutt was left with more to work with. Bama has a good QB but the rest of the team is too young and/or short on talent. Saban only wins 7 games this year, IMO.

I'd be real interested to hear what you base that on. Where is the youth, inexperience and lack of talent on this team?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

One thing is for sure, if Nickson, Jennings and Jackson-Garrison can run on them, they are in serious trouble when the Hogs come to Tuscaloosa.

It should be one of the more interesting games of the weekend, with future implications that directly effect us.

[hawaiianhogster]

If Saban wants to prove he can win this will be the toughest year for him to do it since it is his 1st year there. He will be earning those pay checks for sure.

[ckhawgu]

This will not be the Shula coached Bama team thats for sure! Saban will have those boys fired up and ready to barbacue some pork. Our team better pack a lunch in a big brown sack for this game!

[MuskogeeHogFan]

If Saban wants to prove he can win this will be the toughest year for him to do it since it is his 1st year there. He will be earning those pay checks for sure.

Maybe not as tough as we might normally believe. Shula made some poor coaching decisons but he was a good recruiter and left the cupboard full for his successor. Biggest issue they have on the entire team is the D-Line and if they can find an answer for that.......everyone better look out.

[LSPRazorbac]

I'm picking the upset.  I think Bama lack of depth at the D-line bites them.  The Vandy QB will give them problems all day with his ability to scramble.

24-21 Vandy

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I'm picking the upset.  I think Bama lack of depth at the D-line bites them.  The Vandy QB will give them problems all day with his ability to scramble.

24-21 Vandy

Should be a really good game, but I think Bama comes out in front by about 13 points. I hope I can get it on t.v. over here.

[alextuscaloosa]

The crazy hole in the wall fans who know nothing about building a football program may get pissed if Alabama doesn't beat Vandy Saturday, but i can take an early season L to vandy if it means we get better as the year goes on and we beat the big boys of the SEC. Its all about progress, something we haven't seen at Bama since Stallings was around.

Alex, I hate to say it, but I think progress just slipped up and bit you guys in the butt with the hiring of Saban. Alabama has a lot of talent and they are the "sleeper" in the SEC this year. They will surprise a lot of people, including us, I am afraid.

I'm not sure i follow.

With regards to some of the smack talk , if we've learned anything this past weekend, any team can win on any given Saturday. I think Vandy has a legitimate shot at beating us, but lets look it this way. Some of the most inept coaches in Alabama history didn't lose to Vandy. Dubose and Shula didn't even lose to Vandy, and anyone who football knows that Saban is a better coach than either of those two.

Vandy has some athletes but two i have to guess that Alabama has more weapons on Offense than Vandy does. Defense might be another question, i'm just gonna wait and see on the out come but if i had to guess i'd say that whoever wins will win by less than 10 points.

Alex, my point was, progress has arrived, at least in my opinion. Saban is a good coach and not a miracle worker, but you don't have to be a miracle worker when you have the talent in place that I think Alabama has. They have a deep and experienced O-Line, a very good QB in Wilson, decent receivers and they always have a coule of RB's waiting in the wings that are very talented. On defense, the D-Line may be somewhat circumspect, but they have a great group of LB's and the Secondary is one of the best in the SEC. If they can get some solid play out of the D-Line and get a push up front on pass rushes, I think they stand a good chance of hanging with anyone in the SEC any week.

Vanderbilt may be much improved and I realize that they are capable of showing up and taking it to teams when they seem to least expect it, and though they have a great QB and WR, I don't expect them to go down to the wire against Bama.

I will admit that like Bama, Vandy returns their entire O-Line and they are a good group with 2nd Team All SEC players at both tackles. At WR they have Bennett who is an All SEC player the last 2 years(he accounted for 79% of all their receving yards this past week) and George Smith who is a 4.4-40yd guy. Nickson is a great QB. Jackson-Garrison and Jennings seem to be good RB's though they were utlized very little last week in what amounted to little more than a tune up game. They return 8 starters on Defense including 2nd Team All SEC MLB Goff and they are expected to be a better defensive unti this year than last.

Having said that and having given Vandy their "due", I still believe that Bama just has too much talent. Though this is the first year in 58 years that Vandy has had 8 home games, the magic won't be there this weekend and I still say that Bama winds up taking Vandy by about two TD's(13 pts).

oh okay i see now, its makes sense.

[hogtusk]

If being able to pass effectively is the key, Vandy should have a good shot at an upset.

Vanderbilt WR Earl Bennett is the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week after his record setting 223 receiving yard performance vs. Richmond. Last season vs. Alabama, Bennett caught 5 passes for 45 yards and 1 touchdown.

I think Alabama's weak spot this year will be defending the run, good for us but not so much Vandy.

[VandyHog]

Nickson and Bennett were among the top five in the nation after week one in a ton of categories:

Passing efficiency: Chris Nickson - 4th 224.2 Rating
All purpose running: - Earl Bennett - 3rd 285 Yards
Receiving yards per game - Earl Bennett - 2nd 223 yards per game
Receptions per game - Earl Bennett - 3rd 13 per game
Total Scoring - Earl Bennett - 5th 18 points

It has been a long, long time since that could be said about two Vanderbilt players. Numbers like these would not be possible if the rest of the offense was not clicking very well. Admittedly Richmond was a 1-AA team, but they were a much better 1-AA team than the one Alabama played in week one. If the game were in Tuscaloosa, especially with all the hype that has built up around Saban, I would give Bama the advantage.  But it will be in Nashville against a fired up and (for the first time in years) experienced Vandy team. Alabama showed some vulnerability to the passing game against a very weak WCU team.  Nickson and Bennett, I believe, will light them up.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Nickson and Bennett were among the top five in the nation after week one in a ton of categories:

Passing efficiency: Chris Nickson - 4th 224.2 Rating
All purpose running: - Earl Bennett - 3rd 285 Yards
Receiving yards per game - Earl Bennett - 2nd 223 yards per game
Receptions per game - Earl Bennett - 3rd 13 per game
Total Scoring - Earl Bennett - 5th 18 points

It has been a long, long time since that could be said about two Vanderbilt players. Numbers like these would not be possible if the rest of the offense was not clicking very well. Admittedly Richmond was a 1-AA team, but they were a much better 1-AA team than the one Alabama played in week one. If the game were in Tuscaloosa, especially with all the hype that has built up around Saban, I would give Bama the advantage.  But it will be in Nashville against a fired up and (for the first time in years) experienced Vandy team. Alabama showed some vulnerability to the passing game against a very weak WCU team.  Nickson and Bennett, I believe, will light them up.

But Vandy, let me ask you, what happens to a team(usually) when they have one big play guy to throw the ball to? That guy is going to get double teamed all night long. They are going to dare you to throw the ball to him. Bennett is without a doubt, a great, great receiver and Nickson is a good QB. But, Alabama has one of the top secondaries in the SEC and in the nation. Vandy isn't going to be throwing against a I-AA team this weekend whether they be a good I-AA team or not. This should be a really good game and I am sure, with the D-Line Bama has up front, that Vandy is going to try to run the ball on Bama, and they absolutely should as that seems to be their apparent weakness. But when they throw, Nickson is going ot have to look to other receivers for completions and try to avoid wanting to "force" the ball into Bennett. But I would have thought he would have tried to do that last week against a weaker team if he was going to do it at all. All I am saying is, that if Vandy is thinking of putting all their eggs in one basket(with Bennett-78% of all receiving yards last week) in terms of receiving, it could turn out to be a long day for Vanderbilt.

It should be a great game.......I hope I get to watch it.

[VandyHog]

I think you will find out that Vandy has solid running backs and that the other receivers are quite capable.  That said, I do not believe Alabama's D will be able to shut down Bennett.  If they do, they will have to double team and that is going to open up the other guys in single coverage. WCU was able to pass on Bama last weekend. I expect Vandy will be able to as well (Arkansas could too, if the Hogs had a passing game). 

Jennings and Nickson are outstanding runners as well.  Neither ran much this past weekend, so that's part of the offense that was shown a lot in practice that wasn't shown on the field against Richmond.

You are judging them to be one dimensional based on the fact that Bennett had a hot night.  That's like saying that if McFadden or Jones are having hot nights you shouldn't give them the ball.  But, if you will look at the SEC stats for this week, you will see that Vandy is in the top tier in a lot of categories (punting, punt returns, passing, pass efficiency, etc., etc., etc.).

I expect it may be a long day too, but for the Tide if they can't shut down Nickson.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I think you will find out that Vandy has solid running backs and that the other receivers are quite capable.  That said, I do not believe Alabama's D will be able to shut down Bennett.  If they do, they will have to double team and that is going to open up the other guys in single coverage. WCU was able to pass on Bama last weekend. I expect Vandy will be able to as well (Arkansas could too, if the Hogs had a passing game). 

Jennings and Nickson are outstanding runners as well.  Neither ran much this past weekend, so that's part of the offense that was shown a lot in practice that wasn't shown on the field against Richmond.

You are judging them to be one dimensional based on the fact that Bennett had a hot night.  That's like saying that if McFadden or Jones are having hot nights you shouldn't give them the ball.  But, if you will look at the SEC stats for this week, you will see that Vandy is in the top tier in a lot of categories (punting, punt returns, passing, pass efficiency, etc., etc., etc.).

I expect it may be a long day too, but for the Tide if they can't shut down Nickson.

Either Bennett had a hot night or Nickson suffers from tunnelvision. Against a much weaker opponent, especially in what is just a warm up game, I would have thought that he would have spread the ball around more. Maybe the other receivers just are not nearly as good as Bennett and don't have his nack for getting open? If that was the case last week, I can assure you that will be the case this week against one of the best secondaries in the SEC. And as for Jones and McFadden, you know darn well that them having a "hot night" has nothing to do with whether we get them the ball or not. We would be giving them the ball 80% of the time even if they were running into a brick wall at the line of scrimmage on every attempt. It's good that Vandy is in the top tier of teams in terms of punting and punt returns and all and I would expect them to have good passing stats. I'm not trying to take anything away from them. I know you want to see them win and upset a good Alabama team, but bro, that just isn't going to happen this weekend. Bama by 13.

[VandyHog]

If I were you, I wouldn't put money on that prediction.  You don't know much about this Vandy team if you think they are one dimensional.  I would have thought Wilson would have scored a touchdown against a 1-AA team that only won two games last year, but he didn't. 

[Bama Possum]

Vandyhog,

I am glad you support your teams, and I hold no hard feelings, but if you think that JPW stat you just brought up is a negative, you missed the point of what they were doing with the offense last Sat.

They were working on the things that DIDN'T work last year. They already knew that had a great QB and receiving corps. They needed the running game to step up, which is what they worked on quite a bit. Hence, 3 rushing TD's by Terry Grant rather than 3 receiving TD's.

I wouldn't bet on this game...period, but I have to Roll with the Tide on this one.

[LSPRazorbac]

Interested to see how JPW will do in the red zone this year.  The SEC Preview on ESPNU talked about how bad JPW was inside the redzone last year.  I think over half of his 12 ints last year came inside the 20.

[VandyHog]

Vandyhog,

I am glad you support your teams, and I hold no hard feelings, but if you think that JPW stat you just brought up is a negative, you missed the point of what they were doing with the offense last Sat.

They were working on the things that DIDN'T work last year. They already knew that had a great QB and receiving corps. They needed the running game to step up, which is what they worked on quite a bit. Hence, 3 rushing TD's by Terry Grant rather than 3 receiving TD's.

I wouldn't bet on this game...period, but I have to Roll with the Tide on this one.

You misunderstood my point. I was just using JPW as an example to the other guy to show why he should be careful judging Vandy's total offense based on the Richmond game.  You and I both know that JPW will throw for a ton of touchdowns this year. I also expect Vandy's other receivers to prove quite effective, although Bennett is a superstar without doubt, and the Commodores to have a very solid running game. I do find it interesting that two of the last four Alabama Mr. Football winners play for Vandy. 

Good luck tomorrow and hopefully both teams will play their hearts out and come away with no injuries.  You roll with the Tide and I'll ride the wave with the Dores!