Tide Tidbits - January 1, 2009

Utah reminded of underdog status in Sugar Bowl
Utah quarterback Brian Johnson tuned into the Sugar Bowl last year. He didn't watch it for very long. There were better things on TV than the 41-10 trouncing that BCS buster Hawaii endured at the hands of a Georgia team that was among the best in the Southeastern Conference last season. As fate would have it, Johnson's Utes are preparing to play in the Louisiana Superdome one year later, testing their 12-0 record against one of this season's SEC powerhouses. "It would be huge for our school to beat someone as well known as Alabama," Johnson said.


Saban addresses suspension
“Andre Smith is a fine young man and he did a great job here for us. He may be doing a great job for somebody else in the future; he may doing a great job for us some more. That decision has not been made.” Saban said poor judgment can come with consequences. “It’s unfortunate but hopefully it’s something we can all learn from and other players on our team will learn from,” Saban said. “... When you do things right, things usually work out the right way. And if you don’t, they don’t. And sometimes when you don’t, your actions create consequences and that can go in a positive way or it can go in a negative way. And this one didn’t work out that good.”

No NCAA probe for Tide's Smith
The NCAA is not pursuing any action in the situation that led the University of Alabama to suspend star left tackle Andre Smith for Friday night's Sugar Bowl. NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn said Wednesday, "The NCAA has been in contact with Alabama and the institution is handling the matter." Osburn's statement validated Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who said earlier Wednesday that the Smith investigation is an "institutional matter" and "not an NCAA matter." "So anybody that's out there worried about that doesn't need to really think too much about it," Saban said.

Mike Johnson is getting tips from departed roommate Andre Smith
Alabama offensive lineman Mike Johnson said he has been receiving pointers from suspended teammate Andre Smith as Johnson prepares to replace Smith at left tackle Friday night against Utah. "He's helping me out with the defensive end that we're playing against and giving me some tips," Johnson said.

Roll Tide!