Alabama Weekly
November 18th, 1998 -- Issue #18 -- Volume #1
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Auburn Preview
written by Jess Nicholas

Whatever your opinion about National Championships, SEC Championships,
national rankings, or national prestige, there is one thing that cannot
be avoided: The Auburn game is, and will always be, the biggest game of
the year for Alabama football.

Viewing the season in retrospect, the biggest game in a logical sense may
have been the LSU game. The win the Tide received in Baton Rouge
qualified the team for bowl eligibility. Still, the Alabama-Auburn game
is for bragging rights, a commodity that is valued in this state more
than gold or silver.

Auburn comes into this game 3-7 on the season. There has likely never
been another team that experienced such a wide range of problems as has
the 1998 Auburn Tigers. At one time, Auburn was playing a 6th team center
and 4th team fullback together at the start of a game. Coach Terry Bowden
resigned after the sixth game of the season, and rumors that rivaled
those of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal have popped up under every
overturned stone. Now, school officials are in the process of hiring a
new coach, and interim coach Bill Oliver has threatened to retire if he
does not get the job. Auburn is emotional soup right now, and it will be
interesting to see how this game will turn out.


OFFENSE

Unlike recent years, Auburn is now a running team. Although the Tigers
have opened up the offense since Oliver took over, they still are
successful only when the running game is effective. Alabama must get
something going early, as the Tide has gone scoreless in the first half
in the last two games. Here's how they matchup:


QUARTERBACK
Auburn will go with true freshman Gabe Gross, a very mobile quarterback
with a decently strong, but currently inaccurate arm. Gross was 20-of-45
for 245 yards and a touchdown against Georgia last week, but threw three
interceptions. For the season, Gross is 74-of-163 (45.4%) for 1,014 yards,
six touchdowns, and ten interceptions. Backing up Gross is now
apparently freshman Meiko Collier, who completed the only pass he
attempted this season, which came in the season opener against Virginia.
Sophomore Ben Leard, the starter for the early part of the season, is
54-of-114 (47.4%) for 703 yards, 4 TD's, and 7 INT's on the year. Alabama
counters with Andrew Zow, who needs just 222 yards passing to reach 2,000
for the season. Zow has completed nearly 55% of his passes and has
performed better in the clutch than any of Auburn's quarterbacks.
However, Zow was banged up (left shoulder) against Mississippi State last
week and may be slowed by the injury. Still, Zow has come through in the
big games this year, something that the Tiger QB's have definitely not
done. Advantage: Alabama


RUNNINGBACKS
Auburn will attempt to establish the run using mainly four players.
Starting tailback Michael Burks, a true freshman, has carried the ball
151 times for 480 yards (3.2 avg), but has yet to score. Burks has decent
speed and size, but is not considered superstar material. Reserve
Demontray Carter (87-for-304, 3.5 avg, 2 TD's) has better speed and the
ability to make the big play, but he is severely fumble-prone and got
only six carries last week. Quarterback Gabe Gross has carried 61 times
for 104 yards this year, which includes negative sack yardage. He has
scored two touchdowns. Heath Evans, who started the year at fullback
before missing a chunk of games with injury, is back now. He has only 33
yards on 11 carries, but he is an able blocker and receiver (6 catches
for 128 yards, 21.3 avg, 1 TD). Alabama counters with all-world Shaun
Alexander, who collected over 160 all-purpose yards against MSU. Fullbacks
Dustin McClintock, Marvin Brown, Montoya Madden, and slotbacks Arvin
Richard and Shontua Ray form the supporting cast. Alexander is well over
1,000 yards now on the season, and can break a game open just on his own
ability. Advantage: Alabama


WIDE RECEIVERS
For the first time in quite a while, Alabama has the better bunch. Auburn
will use mainly two wideouts, Karsten Bailey (35 catches for 578 yards,
17.8 avg, 5 TD's) and Clifton Robinson (38-for-580, 16.5 avg). Bailey was
the star of the Georgia game, netting 114 yards on 9 receptions. Also
around are the aforementioned Heath Evans, along with receiver Erick
Lowe (10 catches for 90 yards, 9.0 avg, 1 TD) and slotback Markeith
Cooper. Like Alabama, Auburn uses the tight end mainly for blocking, and
this is another area weakened by injury. Starter Jack Schwieger is out,
and reserve Reid Tankersley is not the blocker that Alabama's Terry
Jones is. Tankersley has one catch on the season. Alabama counters with
the dangerous trio of Freddie Milons, Quincy Jackson, and Michael Vaughn.
Eric Locke, Tim Bowens, and Jason McAddley all provide depth, and
tailbacks Shaun Alexander and Arvin Richard have found themselves
utilized as receivers a lot lately. Advantage: Alabama


OFFENSIVE LINE
Neither team has gotten consistent play from the offensive line this
year, but Alabama is something that Auburn is not...healthy. Auburn has
some good players; tackle Jeno James is a tough blocker and Kendall
Simmons is tough inside. Cole Cubelic, one of Auburn's many centers this
year, has recovered from his injuries and will start. Depth is very shaky,
however, and Coach Oliver has been disappointed by the performances of
Kendell Mack and DeMarcus Curry. Alabama has gotten hot-and-cold
production from their group, the most trying of times occurring against
big, physical defensive lines. Auburn has such linemen, but will be
without Jimmy Brumbaugh. In addition, Auburn's defensive line is really
only one-deep, so Alabama's line shouldn't incur the level of difficulty
it had against LSU and Mississippi State. Auburn has better potential,
but the running game is averaging only 2.6 yards per carry this year,
which means they haven't played anywhere near that potential.
Advantage: Alabama


DEFENSIVE LINE
When Jimmy Brumbaugh went down with an injured knee early this season, it
was thought that Auburn might not be able to pick up the slack. However,
the Tigers have enjoyed good line play, especially from Leonardo Carson
(82 tackles and 7 sacks, which leads the team) and Charles Dorsey (58
tackles). Brumbaugh's injury created an opening that was filled by Jeff
Dunlap, who has 27 tackles. However, starting Dunlap meant that Auburn
lost its "swing" lineman, and Josh Weldon (12 tackles) and Jeremy Banks
(6 tackles) haven't completely filled that void. Alabama counters with a
group that has had three bad games in a row. The Tide has not recorded a
sack in 12 consecutive quarters of football, and they face another mobile
quarterback this week. Cornelius Griffin is playing solidly right now,
but Kenny Smith, Reggie Grimes, Kindal Moorehead, and the reserves must
take it up a notch this week. As of right now, Auburn is playing better.
Advantage: Auburn


LINEBACKERS
Formerly an area of deep concern, Auburn's linebackers have done a good
job of answering the bell this year. Still, injuries have reared their
ugly head, claiming James Callier, who was leading the linebackers with
64 tackles. Still, Auburn is not devoid of playmakers. Tavarreus Pounds
(58 tackles), Marcus Washington (46 tackles), and Quinton Reese (35
tackles) are all solid players. Callier's absence will be filled by a
combination of Ryan Taylor, Haven Fields, Whit Smith, and Roderick
Chambers, each of whom has played well in spots this year. Alabama will
probably have Travis Carroll back this week, after sitting him out
against MSU. Trevis Smith is a workhorse, and Tito Smith and Chris Horne
have played well. This unit will likely be a key to success for Alabama,
and they must increase the success rate of both their pass rush and their
coverage responsibilities this week. Again, however, the Tigers have
played better as a group. Advantage: Auburn


DEFENSIVE BACKS
Whenever Bill Oliver is associated with a program, two things are
certain. One, coaching changes. Two, good defensive backfields. Auburn
has been especially effective in pass defense this year, and Rob Pate (66
tackles, 2 INT's), Brad Ware (58 tackles, 3 INT's), and Antoine Nolan (48
tackles, 1 INT) are the leaders of this group. In addition, Jason Bray
(38 tackles, 3 INT's) and Larry Casher (35 tackles, 3 INT's) are around,
making this the best defensive backfield Alabama has faced this season.
Alabama counters with Fernando Bryant, likely the conference's best
defensive back, but the rest of the cast is hanging on by threads.
Safeties Tony Dixon and Marcus Spencer have had their moments, and
freshman cornerback Reggie Myles is promising. However, the quality of
play by the reserves has been decreasing, and the loss of Kelvin Sigler's
leadership qualities is still being felt. Auburn is better both in terms
of overall quality of starters and depth. Advantage: Auburn


SPECIAL TEAMS
If one of these teams had both Auburn kicker Robert Bironas and Alabama
punter Daniel Pope, they'd have the best combination in the country.
That's not to say that Bironas is the nation's best by any means (both
Kansas State's Martin Grammatica and Tennessee's Jeff Hall are probably
better), but the possible combination of Bironas and Pope is
mouth-watering. Bironas has only missed two field goals this year, and one
came as the result of a blocked kick, meaning that he has only missed one
kick (a 55 yarder) that was his own doing. However, the same cannot be said
for punter Jeremy Zills, who nearly lost his job to freshman Damon Duvall
earlier this season. Alabama counters with punter Pope and placekicker Ryan
Pflugner, who has a strong leg but lacks accuracy. In addition, Alabama has
done a poor job of kick protection this year, resulting in several blocks.
Auburn also boasts kick returners Bailey, Robinson, and the especially
deadly Markeith Cooper. Alabama counters with Arvin Richard, who has been
very sure-handed this year, and lightning-fast Freddie Milons. Kick
coverage is in Auburn's favor, however, and the expertise of Bironas
cannot be ignored. Advantage: Auburn


OVERALL

Alabama and Auburn each hold the advantage in four categories. If the old
adage about winning with defense and good special teams holds true,
Auburn will win this game. Still, these things were true last year, and
it took a boneheaded play call by Alabama's Bruce Arians for Auburn to
win on their own turf. And this year, the Tigers don't have Dameyune
Craig, either.

Still, Auburn does have several things going for them, not the least of
which is the desire to salvage their entire season by beating Alabama.
For better or worse, Auburn will always judge their season first and
foremost by how they fared against the Tide. While a win here is only the
difference between 3-8 and 4-7, it might as well be the difference
between Heaven and Hell for Auburn fans. Add to this the team's desire to
win this one for Coach Oliver, coupled with Oliver's desire to beat the
team he once played and worked for, and what you get is a white-hot
maelstrom of emotion and stress. Good luck dealing with it, Alabama
players and coaches.

Alabama is not devoid of incentive, though. While the Tide is eligible
for a bowl berth, it is by no means guaranteed. A win here gives Alabama
seven wins and would very much guarantee a bowl trip, considering the
proclivity of Tide fans to travel with their team and to spend gobs of
money once they get there. In addition, some Tide players were once
coached by Oliver, and would like to get him back for deserting the team.
And then there is the whole Alabama-Auburn thing again, which only adds
to the drama and pressure.

So who will win? The whole thing comes down to play along Alabama's
offensive line. When Andrew Zow has time to work, he is as deadly as a
rattlesnake. When he is under severe pressure, he makes the mistakes
associated with his freshman status. While Alabama has struggled on
defense, it is still unlikely that Auburn will experience an offensive
awakening this late in the season. Auburn simply has no depth on that
side of the football and the offensive line has all the consistency of
skim milk. Still, stranger things have happened. See 1997 for details.

Finally, there is the subject of home field advantage. While Alabama
hasn't won in Auburn, Auburn has failed to scratch a win against Alabama
since the split-ticket days, either. That includes 1991, a year in which
Alabama played in Legion Field in front of an Auburn crowd. The game is,
of course, in Legion Field again, and Auburn absolutely hates that place.
Be certain in the knowing that Alabama fans will be out in droves to make
sure Auburn hears all about their losing season and troubles of the past
year.

Even though this could go either way, and even though there are plenty of
reasons to expect an upset, I won't pick one. Alabama knows what's riding
on this game, and they simply have a better team. Even though Auburn
holds the advantage in four categories, the differences are smaller than
they are in the categories Alabama leads in. Alabama has the home field.
Alabama has bowl aspirations. Alabama has better coaches and, more
importantly, stability. Therefore, the Tide should roll in Birmingham.

Alabama 21
Auburn 17

-- Jess Nicholas
Alabama Weekly Columnist



Iron Bowl Special
written by John Hinds

It’s hard to believe but the 63rd Iron Bowl is Saturday. I don’t know about you but for me that was a very fast season.

Seems like only a couple of weeks ago that we were looking forward to playing BYU and opening the latest edition of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Now we can reflect back on a season of triumph and tragedy. One that was filled with both smiles and sadness. Finally one that will see 33 seniors take the field in their Crimson jerseys in Legion Field for the final time.

Last Saturday was another of those disappointing days for a team that is growing weekly. We let James Johnson run roughshod over us for 237 yards and two touchdowns.

Just when it looked like we were going to come back on the road and claim another victory, Andrew Zow hit Shaun Alexander with a touchdown pass to close the score to 20-14 with 2:09 left in the third quarter, Wayne Madkin led Mississippi State to the clinching TD.

Unfortunately that’s three straight losses to the Bulldogs and it’s two weeks in a row that a back has run for over 200 yards against the Tide.

Many people are saying that this year’s Iron Bowl doesn’t have anything at stake. That might be true if you are strictly looking at it from the perspective of the SEC championship or the national rankings. But that’s hardly the case if you are a resident of Alabama or fan of either team.

For Auburn this will be their bowl game. The Tigers defense is second in the SEC and despite the fact that they have an anemic rushing attack their passing game is improving every week. Freshman quarterback Gabe Gross has found Karsten Bailey open frequently behind the defense. Bailey has six TD catches this year.

With only five rushing touchdowns all season look for Auburn to try and turn this game into a defensive struggle.

Alabama on the other hand will never forget Ed Scissum’s fumble in this game last year with only 48 seconds on the clock. The Bama fumble and resulting Auburn recovery leading to the winning field goal was a horrible nightmare for 12 months. The incentive this season for Alabama is quite apparent. First they must exercise the ghosts of 1997. Then they can position themselves into a decent bowl game with the win.

First the Tide has to cut down on their penalties. They have 76 this season for 692 yards. Then they can’t turn over the ball, which they have done seven times this season on fumbles and six times by interception.

Zow has thrown 10 touchdown passes this season. Alexander has run for 11 and caught three more. The combination of Quincy Jackson and Michael Vaughn has combined for seven touchdown receptions.

This is a bounce back game for Bama. The Tide took it on the chin from Arkansas and Florida but bounced back to beat Ole Miss and Eat Carolina. They were beaten by Tennessee but bounced back for wins over Southern Miss and LSU. After losing to Mississippi State they will bounce back and beat Auburn.

My guess would be Bama 24 Auburn 21.

-- John Hinds
Alabama Weekly Columnist



Alabama falls to MSU for
Third Straight Year
written by J P

For the third straight year Mississippi State has beat Alabama, something that hasn't happened since 1914. Mississippi State running back James Johnson ran all over the Tide as he rushed for 237 yards on 36 carries. The Tide defense was hurt by the loss of defensive leader Travis Carroll, but the defensive front was man handled by the Mississippi State offensive line.

Alabama didn't help themselves much either as they gave up 75 yards on 7 penalties. The number of penalties was not the problem though, it was the timing of the penalties. Fernando Bryant got called on pass interference and defensive holding many times.

The Tide actually out scored the Bulldogs in the second half but, that was after a 17 - 0 start for Mississippi State. Bama had several chances in the first half to put points on the board but failed to convert on a late second quarter field goal. Bama also had a chance in the first quarter to score but Andrew Zow made a rare mistake when he forced a pass that was intercepted.

The stat that tells the complete story of the game is the rushing statistics. Mississippi may have had more attempts than Bama but they clearly dominated the line of scrimmage. Every time I looked up James Johnson had busted throw the Bama defensive line jucked a linebacker and broke into the secondary where he was forced out of bounds. James Johnson rushed for 237 yards on just carries 36 and Mississippi State rushed for 264 yards on 53 carries.

Alabama on the other hand, struggled. Shaun Alexander did get much of a chance to do anything, as he only touched the ball 20 times. The reason for this was because Alabama was behind most of the game and had to get points quickly. Even so, Alabama must get Shaun Alexander the ball 30 + times a game if he is going to have a big impact. Also getting Alexander the ball gives Zow more time and more to work with. As a team Alabama only gained 39 yards on 31 carries. Bama is extremely lucky they didn't lose by more than they did. You won't beat many teams with only 39 yards rushing.

There weren't many possitives in this game, but Andrew Zow had a nice game as he threw for 256 yards on 16-32 passing, he did throw an interception in the endzone though. Zow did this all with a injuried left arm that bothered all game.

Now Bama must put this game away and get ready for the first of hopefully two bowl games. The Iron Bowl is this week and if Alabama is to continue their season and for recruiting purposes and of course bragging rights, Bama MUST win this game.

Roll Tide Beat Auburn!

-- J P
Alabama Weekly Editor

SEC Preview 11/21
written by Jess Nicholas

Last week's record: 4-1 (.800)
Total season record: 43-18 (.705)

Unfortunately, the only game I missed on was the one that counted the
most. The Tide played hard, but got overpowered by a physical MSU Bulldog
team. Considering that the Tide has gone contrary to my picks for two
weeks in a row, I'm inclined to pick Auburn to win just for insurance's
sake. Here are all the games involving SEC teams:


FLORIDA AT FLORIDA STATE
At the beginning of the season, everything looked to be in the Seminoles'
favor for this contest. FSU had the home field advantage, the seven
returning offensive starters, the superior special teams. Now, however,
Florida looks to be the better team. Florida State suffered the loss of
quarterbacks Dan Kendra and Chris Weinke, and sophomore Marcus Outzen
hasn't stepped up to the plate as expected. Florida has improved each
week and has more momentum. The winner of this game will go to an
Alliance Bowl with an outside chance at a National Championship, while
the loser not only faces an end to championship hopes but also a year of
ragging at the hands of the winners' fans. This one usually goes the way
of the home team, but Florida is playing much, much better right now.
Florida 30
Florida State 21


AUBURN AT ALABAMA
Check our extended preview!


OLE MISS AT GEORGIA
Georgia looked like worldbeaters last week against Auburn, while Ole Miss
has looked like Dr. Jeckyl or Mr. Hyde, depending on the week. Tommy
Tuberville has found a way to upset Georgia in the past, but Ole Miss
doesn't have the defense necessary to shut down Quincy Carter. The Rebels
will make it close, but the Bulldogs will get them in the end.
Georgia 28
Mississippi 21


KENTUCKY AT TENNESSEE
Talk about a pressure cooker. Tennessee wins over Arkansas by either divine
intervention or voodoo, and now must face a Kentucky squad reeling from
the death of defensive lineman Arthur Steinmetz and the loss of center
Jason Watts to injury in the same car accident. This is the game that
Kentucky has been anticipating all year. Tennessee is still playing good
enough to win, but they have sputtered starting with the second half of
the Alabama game. If they fail to properly prepare for Kentucky, the Kats
are capable of handing UT a staggering defeat. Still, the Vols hold the
home field advantage, and they possess something that Kentucky does not:
A defense.
Tennessee 30
Kentucky 24


SOUTH CAROLINA AT CLEMSON
1-9 South Carolina versus 2-8 Clemson. Who knows?
South Carolina 24
Clemson 20


ARKANSAS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE
Big game here. If Arkansas gets upset by both MSU and LSU to finish the
season, Mississippi State could find themselves playing for the
conference championship, their first since 1941. Arkansas is sure to feel
some letdown after gift wrapping the game for Tennessee last Saturday
night, and State is riding the high of victory over rival Alabama. State
has the home field advantage, but that doesn't mean as much in Starkville
as it does in other places. Houston Nutt has shown the ability to get his
troops up consistently this year; he must now rally their spirits after a
tough loss.
Arkansas 27
Mississippi State 24


LSU AT NOTRE DAME
For the third time in a year, the Fighting Irish take on the Tigers, this
time in South Bend. An LSU loss means the Tigers are home for the
holidays. An LSU victory means a likely return to Shreveport. Question
is, is a trip to Shreveport really motivation for a team that fell so
short of expectations? Notre Dame comes in having a good season, but the
Irish are probably a little overrated. The off week should have helped
LSU, but I'll take my bets with the home team anyway.
Notre Dame 27
Louisiana State 23

-- Jess Nicholas
Alabama Weekly Columnist


Depth Chart for Auburn

OFFENSE

SE 7 Quincy Jackson 83 Calvin Hall 80 Jason McAddley
WR 15 Freddie Milons 8 Tim Bowens 88 Michael Vickery
FL 22 Michael Vaughn 2 Eric Locke 81 Wes Allen
TE 82 Terry Jones,Jr. 85 Rhett Crutchfield 86 Joe Yount
RT 72 Will Cuthbert 63 Sage Spree 56 Kenric Lott
RG 70 Jason McDonald 69 Michael Moore 71 Marico Portis
C 74 Paul Hogan 55 Brooks Brodie 57 Ty Babcock
LG 75 Griff Redmill 68 Sam Matthews 62 Mal Waldrep
LT 60 Chris Samuels 78 Michael Barfield 77 Bart Raulston
QB 5 Andrew Zow 12 John David Phillips 14 Tyler Watts
FB 30 Dustin McClintock 6 Marvin Brown 21 Montoya Madden
RB 37 Shaun Alexander 26 Arvin Richard 33 Shontua Ray
PK 42 Ryan Pflugner 32 Mark Wisniewski 95 Brian Cunningham

---
DEFENSE

RE 98 Reggie Grimes 91 Clint Waggoner 92 Shaun Williams
RT 88 Kenny Smith 90 Jamie Carter 50 Rob-E Staten
LT 97 Cornelius Griffin 51 Carlos Stennis 67 Kelvis White
LE 54 Kindal Moorehead 38 Shawn Draper 53 Granison Wagstaff
RLB 48 Trevis Smith 1 Chris Horne 10 Miguel Merritt
MLB 89 Tito Smith 44 Travis Carroll 59 Chris Edwards
LLB 4 Steve Stanley 58 Canary Knight 99 Darius Gilbert
RCB 23 Reggie Myles 3 Michael Feagin 16 Chris Reier
FS 24 Tony Dixon 35 Owen Winston 19 Jason Jones
SS 41 Marcus Spencer 39 Antoine Hunter 17 Warren Foust
LCB 25 Fernando Bryant 13 Kecalf Bailey 34 Chad McGehee
P 40 Daniel Pope 29 Patrick Morgan ## Lane Bearden

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