Smoke 'Em

So I am a little late posting about the Tennessee game...sorry about that. What a game though! There are two things we can take from that game. The first one is that Tennessee is going to be good from here on. They have the talent and coaching to be competitive again in the SEC. They are probably a year or two away from being back in the top 15. The second thing is that our team needed an off weekend like I have never seen before. We looked tired and unfocused. We have had some tough games and thankfully came out on top of those. I don't like the fact that we looked so tired though. We have been the kind of team that wore other teams out...and we just didn't look like that against Tennessee.

Hats off to Terrence Cody though. He vaulted himself back to the top of the NFL draft as a DT. Everyone knows how dominant he is by drawing double teams and busting up the middle...but now that he has two blocked FGs...he is more of a complete DT. Having strength combined with speed and timing is key to being a top notch NFL DT. Daniel Moore has announced his next painting "Maximum Block" so go ahead and get your order in before they are sold out. I still have the two paintings from last year that haven't been framed yet...so getting another one will just add to that list.

Now we look ahead to the Tigers of LSU. They are arguably one of the most talented teams in the nation and their offense has had two great games in a row now. Their defense has been incredible as well. They have had a perfect record in Tuscaloosa this decade and are looking to close it out with another win. The last time the Tide beat the Tigers in Bryant-Denny was November 7, 1999...exactly 10 years prior to this coming Saturday. If you don't remember that one...check this out: 1999 Bama vs LSU Goal Line Stand.

The line as of right now is somewhere between 9 and 10 points in favor of the good guys. Looks like Vegas is trying to get a lot of money for LSU and we should see that number end up around 6 by kickoff. Speaking of kickoff...it will be at 2:30 PM on CBS. Tailgating should be the best of the entire season...and it will be up to us, the Tipsy Tiders, to bring our "A" game. I hope all of you can make it out there. We are going to try to have a nice spread of food that includes some Cajun cuisine as well.

If we want to win a National Title this year...this is the game we must win. You take it one week at a time...and this one is as big as any. We have the talent, coaches, and determination to win...we just have to execute. Big defense on 1st and 2nd down will be key. We'll need to create some turnovers and stop getting penalties on kick returns. As far as our offense...if Ingram can get back to true form...we should be fine. I think McElroy will settle down and get back to his former self we saw in the first 5 games. This is it though...time to man up and dominate.

Roll Tide!