SEC West Notebook: September 3rd
Associated Press
2008-09-03 19:01:13.0
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ALABAMA: Terry Grant only seems like the forgotten man in No.
13 Alabama's offensive backfield.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said the straight-ahead, power
running of Glen Coffee and freshman Mark Ingram simply fit better
against Clemson's speedy defense. Ingram and Coffee both carried 17
times and Roy Upchurch had eight rushes, while Grant lost 3 yards
on four runs.
Grant, last year's leading rusher, is more of a fast, shifty
runner.
Saban said he tries to manage the situation by communicating
openly with the players.
"I talked to (Grant) this week and told him that he needs to be
ready to take advantage of the opportunity when the opportunity
comes in the future, and it certainly will," Saban said. "That's
what he needs to look at."
Ingram was especially impressive, gaining 96 yards in his
college debut and showing the ability to bounce off defenders and
break tackles. Alabama beat Clemson 34-10 last weekend.
Like Saban, Coffee said the backs have to handle it well in
games when they don't get many carries.
"We are all grown. If you aren't getting carries, you know why
and if you are getting carries you know why," he said. "You just
have to approach it as a grown man."
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ARKANSAS: One game into Arkansas' season, and already the
difference is obvious between 2007 and 2008.
The Razorbacks beat Western Illinois 28-24. Their passing game
was solid, but their running game was mediocre - when's the last
time you could say that?
Coach Bobby Petrino expects Arkansas' offense to be more
balanced this weekend against Louisiana-Monroe at Little Rock's War
Memorial Stadium.
"Our running game will improve," Petrino said. "There's no
question in my mind that we'll come out next week and run the ball
a lot better."
Junior Michael Smith is expected to return from a one-game
suspension. He's the man who is supposed to step in for departed
stars Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, and without him, the
Razorbacks struggled in the opener. Freshmen Dennis Johnson and
De'Anthony Curtis averaged over four yards per carry, but their
inexperience was obvious, especially as Arkansas tried to protect
quarterback Casey Dick.
Dick was sacked four times in the first half.
Arkansas rushed for only 76 yards and had a hard time stopping
the run. Herb Donaldson rushed for 157 yards against the
Razorbacks, and the line is their most experienced defensive unit.
Arkansas' defense had only one sack.
"We have to get to the quarterback on passing situations and
stop the run on third and short," junior defensive end Adrian
Davis said. "We need to be more physical on that."
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AUBURN: Say, did anyone notice that No. 9 Auburn's defense
pitched a shutout?
That performance against Louisiana-Monroe was overshadowed by
the offense's lack of a passing game, but first-year defensive
coordinator Paul Rhoads said the 34-0 win gave his players
something to celebrate.
"You work so hard and shutouts are hard to come by," Rhoads
said. "Any time you can walk away with one, you feel pretty good
about yourselves. Certainly we wanted the kids because of the
effort that they had expended at that point, to walk away with
that."
He found plenty to like about the performance, from the players'
hustle to being able to let freshman cornerbacks D'Antoine Hood and
Neiko Thorpe play the whole second half.
What Rhoads didn't like: eight missed tackles.
"We tackled decent, not great. And if you're going to be a
great defense, you've got to tackle great," he said.
Thorpe, who also played in the first half when the Tigers had
extra defensive backs on the field, led the team with seven tackles
and also broke up two passes. Hood had three tackles.
"I thought you could see them growing up during the game,"
Rhoads said. "They were physical. They didn't back down from
anything. They made some mistakes certainly, but they got their
feet wet fast."
The Tigers had six first-time starters - three on defense - and
19 players in their first college action. For veteran Antonio
Coleman, Thorpe especially stood out.
"I think he's going to be a really great player for us," the
defensive end said. "I like him playing behind me any day."
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MISSISSIPPI: The Rebels could get defensive tackle Peria Jerry
back just in time for their game at No. 20 Wake Forest on Saturday.
Jerry returned to practice this week after arthroscopic knee
surgery Aug. 18. He isn't expected to play a lot, but his return
has buoyed a unit beset with injuries this summer.
"He's just been awesome," coach Houston Nutt said.
The 6-foot-2, 290-pound senior from Batesville, Miss., was
expected to anchor a dominant defensive line this season. But his
operation to repair torn cartilage in his right knee and the loss
of Greg Hardy with a broken foot possibly through September left
the Rebels with holes to fill.
Jerry has made a quick return from surgery, perhaps quicker than
expected. He had an injury-plagued 2006 season and 2007 preseason
before finishing with 14 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last year,
so his return should improve Ole Miss' defense in a difficult road
game. But Nutt still isn't sure how much he'll contribute.
"You just don't know how really close he is to full speed,"
Nutt said. "I don't think he's 100 percent. I still think there's
a little ways to go."
The Rebels cobbled together a line in the absence of Jerry and
Hardy. Coaches had hoped Lawon Scott and Jerrell Powe, among
others, could make up for the losses along the line. But that group
didn't get high marks from Nutt.
"They can do better," Nutt said. "I have seen them do so much
better."
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MISSISSIPPI ST.: The Bulldogs took two crippling blows last
weekend.
First they lost to lightly regarded Louisiana Tech 22-14, then
they learned starting middle linebacker Jamar Chaney is out for the
season.
Chaney broke his left leg in the fourth quarter. Trainers
originally hoped he might be able to play later this season, but
the fracture continued to grow when he put pressure on his leg. He
had surgery Sunday.
"That's definitely a blow to us," coach Sylvester Croom said.
"That guy was definitely a good football player for us, he played
well the other night and his leadership will definitely be
missed."
The 6-foot-1, 236-pound senior from Fort Pierce, Fla., led the
Bulldogs with 89 tackles last season. He's made 27 starts at
Mississippi State and could return for a final season because he
has yet to take a redshirt.
Going into Saturday's home game against Southeastern Louisiana,
Croom will try to replace Chaney with a pair of reserves who will
get an assist from starting linebacker Dominic Douglas in passing
situations.
Jamie Jones, a redshirt freshman from Springdale, Ark., has been
working as Chaney's backup, and Croom said he played well Saturday.
Karlin Brown, a sophomore from Tallahassee, Fla., also will see
time.
"Between the two of them we hope to get the effectiveness we
need out of the position," Croom said.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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