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Written by Ell
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Sunday, 28 December 2008 23:21 |
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Bama was in full pads today for the second day of practice in New Orleans. Both coaches had press conferences this morning as a part of their bowl duties, and we'll give you some highlights from Coach Saban's in the body of this report. With just four days until Bama faces Utah, things are beginning to get a litte more intense.
The injury bug has hit. Colin Peek, who was expected to possibly make his Alabama debut is now dealing with a foot injury that he evidently suffered during late season workouts. He was in a black no contact jersey today, and is no longer expected to play. If he does not play, the door will remain open for his appeal with the NCAA to possibly bear fruit - he could potentially be awarded a sixth season due to his circumstances. I don't think that will happen, but I assure you his father (an attorney) will look into it.
Roy Upchurch, Will Oakley, and Tyler Love are also still in black, but the news for Upchurch isn't as bad as many thought. I had begun to think that Roy might possibly be headed for a medical hardship scholarship, but Coach Saban indicated today that there is no guarantee of that:
He's done fine. He's done a really good job in rehab. The critical thing with this type of procedure is even though you don't have a lot of pain you want to allow it to heal. We're talking about bones, so it takes awhile. I had this procedure myself. I felt one hundred times better the next day than I had felt for months prior to that. But still you have to be careful about what you do for two or three months. I think in a few months he'll be able to start working out again and that will be the real key to how much confidence he develops. But everything has gone extremely well to this point.
That's not exactly a ringing guarantee that he'll be ready to go for the 2009 season, much less spring practice. But it is at least encouraging.
The Bama players got a chance to attend the Panthers-Saints game today - a game won by Carolina on a field goal with six second remaining. Coach Saban indicated that this would be the first NFL game for many of the Tide players. The team will have the opportunity later in the week to attend a New Orleans Hornets (NBA) game, along with a visit to a local Children's Hospital. Coach Saban clearly knows New Orleans well, and he's attempting to give his players the full bowl experience.
Star Jackson was at practice today after missing yesterday's practice. His abscence was due to a travel problem, and there is not expected to be any punishment for the true freshman. If you are wondering how this could happen, the answer is pretty simple. Teams typically do not travel to bowl games as a team the way that they would to a normal road game. Instead guys are responsible for making their own way to the game, and the school will reimburse them for their expenses. Some guys choose to fly, but many others choose to drive. Why? A loop hole in the NCAA rules allows for all players who travel by vehicle to be reimbursed for mileage driven. If four guys pile into one car then they all get the mileage. Obviously Star traveled solo, and things didn't work.
After spending yesterday's practice working primarily on fundamental work, the team went into "game" mode today, working on Utah-specific things. For the defense that meant lots of nickel and dime work. The Utes frequently use four and five wide sets, and that means that that Bama will spend most of the game with extra defensive backs on the field. That's good news for Marquis Johnson and Ali Sharrief (as well as potentially Mark Barron), and bad news for Cory Reamer and Don'ta Hightower - the two guys who leave the field in these sets.
Offensively Bama will be looking to do what it has done all year - control the line of scrimmage. The Tide has a significant size advantage on the line, so expect lots of inside runs. If Utah stacks the box, which is expected, then the game could fall into the hands of John Parker Wilson. After several receivers dealt with minor injuries in Tuscaloosa last week, only Oakley is still missing practice time. Bama is still looking to see someone step into the secondary receiver role behind Julio Jones, and bowl games have been good to the Tide in recent years. Two years ago Matt Caddell had a standout game against Oklahoma State, while Nikita Stover put up big numbers last year against Colorado. This game could provide a nice spring board for one of Bama's younger receivers to take a step forward in 2009.
Tomorrow's practice, at 1 p.m., will see the Tide move into the Super Dome. We'll have a report.
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