Tide Tidbits - November 23, 2008

Many factors contribute to Tide’s success
Before winning at LSU, before Tennessee, before Georgia and even Clemson, the preseason perspective at Alabama looked so much different than the current landscape on the Sunday before the Iron Bowl. Remember? 8-4 looked pretty good, considering that would probably mean either a road win over one of those teams or a home victory over preseason SEC West favorite Auburn. So after a 6-6 regular season in his first year, how did Nick Saban bring his team so far, so fast?

Common foes assay Iron Bowl
With only arch-rival Auburn, the team that has beaten it six years in a row, standing between the Alabama Crimson Tide and an undefeated regular season, the Iron Bowl takes on some added importance this year. Several coaches around the SEC whose teams have played both the Tide and Tigers were asked this week to size up the matchup:

A perfect spot to reflect on the Iron Bowl
Of all the things to do in Hawaii, including the inviting option of doing nothing at all, about the most unlikely choice would be pondering the Alabama-Auburn game. Strangely enough, this is not my first opportunity to watch the waves and the whales, smell the ginger and gardenias, and think about Alabama-Auburn football. It isn’t the second time, or even the third. If the Alabama-Auburn series is all about historical antecedents, this has proved to be as good a place as any to sit and think about the rivalry.

Running on faith
Glen Coffee knows what it’s like to step into the huddle, his body battered and fatigued, and hear his number called again. It’s at those times that he remembers what it is, exactly, that he is running for. Until a couple of years ago, the University of Alabama’s junior running back from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., ran for yards and touchdowns. He ran for fame and glory. Now Coffee runs for a higher purpose.

Forever focused: Nick Saban's never-ending drive has Tide closing in on SEC, national titles
After about 15 minutes, that right leg begins to twitch. Slowly at first, then faster, an unmistakable sign there's a rising tide of anxious energy. It's time to wrap this up. Alabama coach Nick Saban has things to do. There are recruits to call, tapes to watch, much more to get accomplished before he relents and heads home for just enough sleep to be able to get up and do it all again — a 15-hour work cycle that is endless, even during a bye week. "I look at this job as a way of life," Saban said. "The only way I can do it is the way that I do it. And if I don't want to do it that way, then I'd rather not do it at all. That's the way I am. I don't know if that's good or bad."

Roll Tide!