Tide Tidbits - September 16, 2008

Hogs Special teams get extra attention
One special emphasis from last week's Texas Week-become- Bye Week remains especially emphasized this week for Arkansas' SEC opener against Alabama. Petrino said, "one of our biggest concerns is their punt returner and kick returner (Javier Arenas) He has taken it to the house already. One was on a safe punt where they weren't even setting up a return. He made everyone miss. We've got to punt and cover really well. We've got a lot of areas that need to show improvement but certainly the kicking game really stands out."

Excitement running high among Alabama players
"We are not disappointed in where we are, but we are not where we can be," Saban said. "We are looking forward to trying to continue to improve." At a time where some fans of Alabama's archrival may feel as if they've booked a stateroom on the Titanic, Saban then had an interesting analogy. "It's like an iceberg where you can only see a little at the top and there is a lot underneath the water," he said.

Tide tough on run with ‘Mount Cody’
Clemson couldn’t find any running room against Alabama. The Tigers, preseason favorites to win the Atlantic Coast Conference title, had zero rushing yards in their season-opening 34-10 loss to the Crimson Tide at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Tulane and Western Kentucky did a little better against Alabama, but not much.

Former NFL coaches Bobby Petrino, Nick Saban set face off in Fayetteville, Ark.
Ex-NFL coaches Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino each predictably praised the other Monday, five days before Saturday's 11:30 a.m. meeting that will open conference seasons for ninth-ranked Alabama and Arkansas. Petrino remarked that Saban's Crimson Tide "is very well-coached," while Saban said of Petrino, "he's done a fantastic job wherever he's been." The two coaches share a similar track record in that each controversially departed NFL teams to join the Southeastern Conference's Western Division. Petrino's was the most recent. He caught criticism for leaving the Atlanta Falcons before last season ended.


Roll Tide!