News Article: LSU wrap-up: In contrast to last year, this team fights

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LSU wrap-up: In contrast to last year, this team fights
By Jess Nicholas
TideFans.com editor-in-chief
Nov. 8, 2008

A holding call that negated a potential game-winning touchdown: No problem.

A blocked chip-shot field goal that followed an earlier miss from 42 yards out: No problem.

Overtime on the road in Baton Rouge against a team that played as if it were downright angry at Alabama: No problem.

In the midst of Alabama’s November slide in 2007, it was posited that Alabama wasn’t a team of fighters. It was a team in transition, trying to shake off the last residual elements of the soft Mike Shula administration. It had not yet learned how to be tough – especially mentally tough.

Let there no longer be any question about it: This Alabama team fights. It doesn’t just know how to fight, it goes out and does it. It has become what Nick Saban talked about being when he first took the podium in Tuscaloosa when he was hired: Alabama is now the team no one wants to play.

Relentless, ruthless, virtually unemotional. It is a team of cyborgs, something out of a science fiction movie, unable to be killed and, so far in 2008, unable to be beaten.

The Crimson Tide did what they said they intended to do to LSU: They made quarterback Jarrett Lee try to beat them. Emphasize “try,” because Lee wasn’t up to the task and won’t be in the future unless he improves significantly. Curiously, LSU – able to run on Alabama like no other team has been able to in 2008 – kept giving Lee opportunities. In the process, Lee probably gave Alabama safety Rashad Johnson a nice boost in his NFL Draft status.

Alabama had some weaknesses exposed in this game, but fortunately, it doesn’t appear there will a team that can take advantage of them until at least the SEC Championship Game – which, of course, the process of getting to is no longer a problem. Alabama could lose its last two games and it will still represent the SEC West in Atlanta.

Mississippi State isn’t quite as bad throwing the ball but isn’t nearly as good running it. Auburn, which found itself even with UT-Martin in the second half of its game today, has talent but needs psychiatry right now as badly as does the Manson family.

Offensively, Alabama played one of its best games given the opposition. Aside from a couple of catchable passes dropped by Julio Jones – who more than redeemed himself with the ones he did catch – Alabama’s pass protection in this game was as good as it’s ever been. Alabama ran the ball after committing to establishing it.

Aside from the kicking game miscues, there is just so little to complain about right now – and that in itself is the kind of head-shaking miracle looking back on where this team has come from over the past year. When Alabama slammed Clemson to open the year, people began to believe. When Alabama creamed Georgia, the belief got stronger. The win over Tennessee brought out more hope still, but this win over LSU – this businesslike, adversity-facing, emotional win – there is now no doubt that something special is happening in Tuscaloosa.

It hasn’t happened when anyone expected, and it hasn’t happened on schedule or in the ways such success would typically be scripted. But it is happening nonetheless. Now, two revenge games against inferior opposition remain before Alabama’s biggest test yet – Florida in the SEC Championship Game, provided the Gators dispatch with Vanderbilt.

To quote the venerable Al Michaels: Do you believe in miracles? Or maybe it’s not a miracle. Maybe it’s just the work of a great football team.