SEC Round-Up: Pressure and criticism starting to ramp up in Tuscaloosa
We’ve all seen angry, spoiled children.
They’re accustomed to getting everything they want. But on the rare occasion they’re denied, they become irate, yell, curse, cry, stomp and roll around on the floor at Wal-Mart.
Kind of like Alabama football fans. Roll on the floor, Tide?
Victories are taken for granted. But in the event of a loss, the spoiled Alabama fan population loses its collective mind.
Such was the case after Florida State dealt Alabama a 31-17 season-opening defeat last week.
An al.com columnist immediately called for the firing of second-year coach Kalen DeBoer, even though that reportedly would require a whopping $70 million buyout.
Still, radio call-in shows get flooded with calls demanding DeBoer’s ouster. Message boards overflowed with complaints.
A caller to the Andy and Ari On3 podcast, who claimed to be a major Alabama donor, vented the frustration of so many Alabama fans.
“We’re spoiled. Always have been,” the anonymous caller said. "But when we put a team out there that looks uninspired, like we have far too many times these past two years, and lose to teams that we’re clearly more talented than, that’s when it becomes a problem… and not just a bunch of spoiled fans griping.”
Even former Crimson Tide players were quick to criticize.
“We’re not disciplined,” Heisman Trophy-winning former running back Mark Ingram said on his “The Triple Option” podcast. “We’re soft. We don’t have great effort. We don’t have 11 people pursuing to the ball.
“We’re not running the football. We’re not stopping the run. These are all things that don’t correlate to winning football.”
That may seem like an overreaction to one season-opening loss. But the issue is deeper.
DeBoer, of course, is the successor to Nick Saban, arguably the greatest college football coach of all time.
Saban had 16 consecutive seasons with no more than three losses — and in that span, he had just one of those (10-3 in 2010).
Last year, under DeBoer, Alabama was 9-4. That’s bad enough. But those four losses… oye.
The Tide lost to Vanderbilt for the first time in 40 years. They fell to hated rival Tennessee. A blowout loss to previously struggling Oklahoma knocked Alabama out of the College Football Playoff. Then, Alabama lost to a mediocre Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Then came the loss to Florida State, which was 2-10 last season. So, of course, Alabama fans are pissed.
DeBoer is, too.
“We all are pissed off about what happened on Saturday,” he said on his weekly radio program. “We are. Just flat-out, that’s what it is. Starting with me, and to our staff, and to our team. There’s only one thing you can do is learn from it, and you have to respond. These guys have responded and done it in a great way. It’s one that I would have expected, and I’m proud of them.”
They’d better respond. A couple more losses, and that $70 million buyout won’t seem so expensive.
Around the SEC
This week’s games: Utah State at No. 19 Texas A&M; San Jose State at No. 8 Texas; Austin Peay at No. 4 Georgia; No. 20 Ole Miss at Kentucky; East Tennessee State at No. 22 Tennessee; Kansas at Missouri; South Florida at No. 13 Florida; Arkansas State at Arkansas; South Carolina State at No. 10 South Carolina; Louisiana Tech at No. 3 LSU; No. 12 Arizona State at Mississippi State; No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma; Ball State at Auburn; Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech; Louisiana-Monroe at No. 21 Alabama
Who’s hot: OK, it’s just one game, but the Rebels scored 65 points and averaged 8.58 yards per play in destroying Georgia State last week. New starting QB Austin Simmons threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, and Ole Miss rushed for 295 yards and four scores. Presumably, Kentucky’s defense will put up more of a fight this weekend and be a more accurate gauge. Ole Miss has playoff designs, but a loss to UK basically would end those hopes.
Who’s not: In one game, Texas quarterback Arch Manning went from Heisman favorite to social media punchline. He was…well, bad…in a loss to Ohio State. After sidearm throws, throws off the back foot, overthrows, under throws, he was being compared more to Uncle Rico rather than uncles Peyton and Eli. He’ll likely bounce back in a big way vs. San Jose State.
Keep an eye on: Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula. Mizzou’s plan was to play both Pribula, a transfer from Penn State, and holdover Sam Horn. But Horn got hurt in last week’s beatdown of Central Arkansas, meaning the job is Pribula’s. This week’s opponent is Kansas, which is a lot better than Central Arkansas. Pribula’s passing acumen was his issue at Penn State. Expect Kansas to load up to stop the run and force Pribula to throw the ball. Can he come through?
The pressure is on: As was stated earlier, it’s on DeBoer. Alabama was physically overpowered along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball last week. The loss was DeBoer’s fourth against an unranked team in 14 games. Alabama is now 4-4 in its past eight games. A couple of more losses, and Alabama may have a fundraising drive to afford DeBoer’s buyout. At least DeBoer gets a break this week. The Crimson Tide plays Louisiana-Monroe, but then again, ULM defeated Saban’s Tide in 2007.
Best matchup: Michigan’s offensive line vs. Oklahoma's defensive line. Michigan prides itself on being able to manhandle opponents up front, but that wasn’t always the case last season. This season’s offensive line returns three starters, and the two new guys are experienced. That group paved the way for 201 rushing yards in last week’s win over New Mexico (the Wolverines ran for more than that just twice last season). Oklahoma coach Brent Venables figures to have some wild blitz packages to throw at true freshman QB Bryce Underwood, but if the Wolverines effectively run the ball, that changes things. Oklahoma was good against the run last season and returns three starting defensive linemen. Keep an eye on the middle of the line when Michigan is on offense: The Wolverines need to be able to run between the tackles if they’re to win in Norman. The flip side: If the Sooners can’t hold up inside, they’re not going to win.
