Tide Tidbits - September 1, 2008

Preparing for Tide just got a little tougher
As if Bob Toledo didn't have enough to worry about in getting the Tulane Green Wave ready to play the University of Alabama this week, he's got to do it a long way from home. Tulane vacated its campus Friday due to Hurricane Gustav, with the football team relocating to Birmingham. The Green Wave will practice this week at Samford, but Toledo said the full squad won't make the trip. Tulane will have to work without its scout teams, for instance, which will making preparing for a season opener against the Crimson Tide more difficult.

Jones draws double-teams
The overwhelming hype surrounding freshman receiver Julio Jones made him a valuable decoy in his first college game. Clemson's secondary shifted much of its attention on Jones - holding him to four catches for 28 yards - while allowing other Alabama players to shine. Senior tight end Nick Walker was the prime benefactor, catching seven passes for 67 yards, many of them short tosses with the Tigers' safety backing to double-team Jones.

Looking ahead, Saban says 'it'll be interesting'
Nick Saban may face his toughest task yet: Holding down runaway expectations for his inexperienced Alabama team.Crimson Tide's coach gave Alabama fans a reason to think big Saturday, leading 'Bama to a thorough 34-10 beating of No. 9 Clemson 34-10 at the Georgia Dome. "Nobody can be satisfied with a one-game performance," Saban said. "This will be a challenge for our team and it'll be interesting to see how they respond."

Roll Tide!