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September 26, 2009

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Volume 2, Issue 5 $3.00

Alabama’sPremierCollegeFootballMagazine

September 26, 2009

Tide SEC Opener

Player SpotlightWilliam VlachosBy: Lauren Moranor

Mt. CodyBrings the “D”

Inside the Fail RoomBy: Jennifer Gorham

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In This Issue

M U L T I M E D I A

All content is the property of Touchdown Alabama Magazine. Touchdown Alabama Magazine reserves all rights to content in both the print and online (www.touchdownalabama.net) versions of the publication. No image or text may be reproduced without written consent from Touchdown Alabama Magazine.

8 Pregame Preview

10 Rosters

14 The Fail Room

18 VisitorProfiles

19 Larry’s Lowdown

21 Pat Raines

22 Player Matchups

25 William Vlachos

26 SEC News

29 Bama Fans

September 26, 2009 | Volume 2, ISSue 5

StaffPresident/Publisher Bennie Bice

Editor-in-Chief Mike Lacy

Managing Editor Jessica Temple

Photography BDL Matt Gaston UA Media Relations

Creative Director Jenifer McCormickGraphic Design Cassandra Johnson Tramayne Wright ChiefInformationOfficer BrianLaShombWebsite Designer Carey Landon

Public Relations Katlyn Clark Drew Franklin

Advertising Director Herb NeuAdvertising Sales Ron Bush Doug Cate Alex Schroyer

Accounting Department Danny Glynn

Marketing Department John Shamblin

Contributing Writers Larry Burton Randal Etheredge Jennifer Gorham Anthony Johnson Amanda Kelly Brad Lake Lauren Moranor Coe Robbins

Next Issue

• Marquis Maze

• John Copeland

• “The Bear Factor”

Web Content

• Post-Game Interviews

• Game Footage

• Press Conferences from Nick Saban

• More From Larry Burton

Weekly Radio Show

• Coming Soon!

6 | TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA September 26, 2009

ON THE COVER62 Terrence Cody DL Sr.Alabama’s2008defensefinishedthirdnationallyintotaldefenseandthe2009teamisofftoagreatstart.Inthefirsttwogames,AlabamaleadtheSECinrushingdefense,sacksandtacklesforloss.At6-5,354CodyisthebigmanandismakingabigimpactontheD.Hewasoneoffiveplayerstoearnpreseasonfirst-teamAll-America honors this year and is on watchlists for the Outland Trophy, Bednark Award, Lombardi Trophy and NagurskiAward.HewasrecognizedbythecoachingstaffasadefensiveplayeroftheweekfollowingtheFIUgame.“MountCody”willcontinuetomakethingstoughfortheopposingoffensethisseason.

SubScribe Today!www.touchdownalabama.net

Hello, Crimson Tiders!Welcome to another weekly issue of Touchdown

AlabamaMagazine!TheTidetakesonitsfirstSECopponent this week in Bryant-Denny before hitting theroadforKentuckyandOleMiss.WhentheTideisaway,don’tforgettovisittouchdownalabama.netfor our digital issues!Ifyouarenewtothemagazine,wearegladyou

picked us up and we hope you enjoy it! Our regular readersmightnoticeafewsubtlechangesthisweek.Let us know what you think!AsAlabama’spremiercollegefootballmagazine,

we strive to bring you the most complete and current coverageoftheCrimsonTide.Ifyouhaveanysuggestions or ideas for things you would like to see in our upcoming issues, please let us know! We are alwaysopentosuggestionsfromourreaders.

If you are rolling with the Tide over the next few weeks, drive safely and do you part to cheer the team on to some wins on the road! We will be back in print on October 17 for Alabama’s homecoming game.FindusatBamaland,theSupeStore,theBryant Museum, Barnes and Noble or our Bryant Drivetent. Roll Tide! Touchdown Alabama Staff Send Letters to:POBOX3251TUSCALOOSAAL35403-3251205-701-1211publish@tdalabama.comAdvertising:ads@tdalabama.com

Letter from the Editor

INDEXThis should be an interestinggame.Both teams have lookedgreatsofar.I see a close game, with Alabama puttingitawaylate.

>>Alabama 24-14Bennie Bice - Publisher

Authentic Mexican Restaurant

(corner of 13th Street)(205) 343-0300

Alabama starts its SEC schedule against a gun-slinging high powered offense.Arkansasisranked in the top 5 nationally in total offense and has two SEC games underitsbelt.Alabamaistwo dimensional in the running and passing game and will exploit Arkansas’ defense by running the ball and controllingtheclock.Defensively,Alabama’sDB’s will be tested over and over with Arkansas’newquarterbackRyanMallett.

>>Alabama 31-21Mike Lacy - Editor-in-Chief

After an explosive performance against North Texas, the Tide gets ready to openSECplay.Itwill be a tough game, but with its swarming defense the Tide will dominatetheentiregame.IliketheTideovertheHogs.

>>Alabama 24-7 Marvin Constant

In the spirit of Leonard Posttosties, noted radio prognosticatorfor30years: Bobby Petrino brings his pet piggies down to T-Town in hopes of snatching an SECWestwin.Thepummelingpachy-derms aren’t likely to go along with those plans, so unless Arkansas sends some advanced scouts with a heavy dose of swine flutoinfecttheTide,theserazorbacksarelikelygonnaenduponabarbecuepit.

Larry’s Loser - ArkansasLarry Burton

Arkansas played surprisingly well last week against Georgia, so they could present Alabama’sfirstchallenge of the season, but the Tide will still take thewin.

>>Alabama 32-14Jessica Temple - Managing Editor

touchdownalabama.net | 7

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Pre-Game Preview

Pre-Game Preview

touchdownalabama.net | 9PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT GASTON

Katie Koenig

TheAlabamaCrimsonTidewillseetheirfirstSEC game when they host the Arkansas Razorbacksthisweek.Alabamaiscomingoff

aneasy53-7victoryoverNorthTexaslastweek,andthey hope to continue their near-perfect level of play againstatougherSECteamthisweek.FanssawGreg McElroy continue to impress as he completed 13of15passeslastweekfor176yards,aswellastwopassingtouchdownsandarushingtouchdown.Alabama had three players who had 75 yards or more in their highest-scoring game since a 56-7 victoryin2001overUTEP.MarkIngramcontinuesto put up big numbers for the Tide with 91 yards and atouchdownlastweek.FreshmanTrentRichardsonsaw a lot of action once again against North Texas as hehad87yardsandatouchdown.FansalsosawTerryGrantscoringtwiceandrushingfor79yards.

Tide fans should be excited that the team managed such a big victory last week without last year’sAPSECFreshmanoftheYear,JulioJones.Jones suffered a bruised kneecap in Alabama’s game against Florida International earlier this season, but he should be fully recovered in time for this week’s conferenceopener.RunningbackRoyUpchurchsuffered a high ankle sprain in the win over Florida Internationalandisstillquestionable.CoachSabansaid last week that both players had been improving steadilyintheirrecoveries.AlabamasawnoadditionalsignificantinjuriesfromtheNorthTexasgamelastweek.

Arkansas is coming off a tough loss in their

SECopeneragainstGeorgialastweek.Whiletheiroffense put up some big numbers, as expected their defenseleftsomethingtobedesired.ManyArkansasfans were hoping a victory in the Georgia game would serve as a springboard for their team to build acaseasaseriouscontenderintheSECWest.Arkansas’ quarterback Ryan Mallett showed last week that he could be a bright spot for the Razorbacks.MallettsettwoschoolrecordsagainsttheBulldogsasherackedupfivetouchdownpassesand broke the single-game passing record with 408 yardsintheair.MalletttransferredtoArkansasfromthe University of Michigan in 2007 and sat out the 2008season,perNCAAregulations. TheRazorbacksstruggledlastweekwith

penalties early on as linebacker Jerry Franklin was ejectedaftertwopersonalfouls.Theysufferedafteran illegal block took away a big gain and saw an unsportsmanlike conduct call a little later in the game.Intotal,Arkansashad11penaltiesfor100yards last week against an undisciplined Georgia team.Penaltiescouldplayapartthisweekaswellifthe Hogs are not more careful in their game against theTide.

This week marks the beginning of a tough road scheduleforArkansas.AsidefromAlabama,theymusttraveltoFlorida,OleMissandLSU.Theteamhad an off week before the Georgia game, so they nowplay11straighttofinishouttheseason.

The game will be aired on CBS with kick-off setfor2:30CST.

SEC Opener to Present Toughest Team So Far

RazorbackChallenge

Pre-Game Preview

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er NO NAME POS CL HT WT HOMETOWN / LAST SCHOOL

82 Earl Alexander WR Jr. 6-4 212 Phenix City, AL/Central32 Eryk Anders LB Sr. 6-2 235 San Antonio, TX/Smithson Valley28 Javier Arenas DB Sr. 5-9 195 Tampa, FL/Robinson49 Jonathan Atchison LB Fr. 6-2 220 Atlanta, GA/Douglass4 Mark Barron DB So. 6-2 214 Mobile, AL/St. Paul’s7 Kenny Bell WR Fr. 6- 1 160 Rayville, LA/Rayville44 Alex Benson LB Sr. 6- 1 225 Trussville, AL/Hewitt-Trussville86 Undra Billingsley TE Fr. 6-2 276 Birmingham, AL/Woodlawn93 Chris Bonds DL Fr. 6-4 280 Columbia, SC/Richland Northeast HS67 John Michael Boswell OL So. 6-5 306 Northport, AL/Tuscaloosa County88 Michael Bowman WR Fr. 6-4 210 Rossville, GA/Ridgeland87 Drew Bullard LB Jr 6-3 238 Florence, AL/Florence77 James Carpenter OL Jr. 6-5 300 Augusta, GA/Hephzibah99 Josh Chapman DL So. 6-1 313 Hoover, AL/Hoover62 Terrence Cody DL Sr. 6-5 354 Ft. Myers, FL/Gulf Coast C.C.57 Marcell Dareus DL So. 6-4 296 Huffman, AL/Huffman16 Thomas Darrah QB So. 6-5 227 Newnan, GA/Newnan79 Drew Davis OL Sr. 6-7 306 Evergreen, AL/Sparta Academy96 Luther Davis DL Jr. 6-3 275 West Monroe, LA/West Monroe95 Brandon Deaderick DL Sr. 6-4 306 Elizabethtown, KY/Elizabethtown51 Michael DeJohn LB Jr. 6- 1 241 Hoover, AL/Hoover85 Preston Dial TE Ir. 6-3 233 Mobile, AL/UMS-Wright40 DeMarcus DuBose LB So. 6-1 232 Montgomery, AL/Jefferson Davis13 Rob Ezell WR Jr. 5-10 170 Athens, AL/Athens97 P.J. Fitzgerald P Sr. 5-11 204 Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas76 D.J. Fluker OL Fr. 6-6 340 Foley, AL/Foley58 Nick Gentry DL So. 6-1 264 Prattville, AL/Prattville11 Brandon Gibson WR So. 6-2 192 Mobile, AL/UMS-Wright6 Demetrius Goode RB So. 5-9 191 LaGrange, GA/Hargrave29 Terry Grant RB Jr. 5-10 190 Lumberton, MS/Lumberton33 Hampton Gray DB Sr. 6- 2 196 Northport, AL/Tuscaloosa County23 Robby Green DB So. 6-0 181 New Orleans, LA/John Curtis Christian34 Jeramie Griffin RB So. 6-2 224 Batesville, MS/South Panola15 Darius Hanks WR So. 6-0 184 Norcross, GA/Norcross54 Glenn Harbin DL Fr. 6-5 257 Mobile, AL/McGill-Toolen5 Jerrell Harris LB So. 6-3 227 Gadsden, AL/Gadsden City30 Dont’a Hightower LB So. 6-4 255 Lewisburg, TN/Marshall County40 Baron Huber RB/TE Sr. 6-4 263 Knoxville, TN/Powell22 Mark Ingram RB So. 5-10 212 Flint, MI/Southwestern Academy3 Kareem Jackson DB Jr. 6-0 193 Macon, GA//Fork Union Military2 Star Jackson QB Fr. 6-3 206 Lake Worth, FL/Lake Worth24 Marquis Johnson DB Sr. 5-11 191 Sarasota, FL/Booker78 Mike Johnson OL Sr. 6-5 303 Pensacola, FL/Pine Forest35 Nico Johnson LB Fr. 6-3 225 Andalusia, AL/Andalusia75 Barrett Jones OL R-Fr. 6-4 289 Memphis, TN/Evangelica Christian8 Julio Jones WR So. 6-4 211 Foley, AL/Foley26 Phelon Jones DB So. 5-11 195 Mobile, AL/LSU/McGill-Toolen36 Chris Jordan LB So. 6-3 230 Brentwood, TN/Brentwood Academy81 Kendall Kelly WR Fr. 6-3 216 Gadsden, AL/Gadsden City20 Tyrone King DB Sr. 5-11 203 Birmingham, AL/Grambling State/Minor21 Dre Kirkpatrick DB Fr. 6-3 185 Gadsden, AL/Gadsden City42 Eddie Lacy RB Fr. 6-0 210 Geismar, LA/Dutchtown

11

alabama Roster

37 Robert Lester DB Fr. 6-2 207 Foley, AL/Foley72 Tyler Love OL R-Fr. 6-6 303 Mountain Brook, AL/Mountain Brook33 Mike Marrow RB-HB Fr. 6-2 240 Holland, OH/Central Catholic4 Marquis Maze WR So. 5-10 179 Birmingham, AL/Tarrant10 A.J. McCarron QB Fr. 6-4 190 Mobile, AL/Saint Paul’s Episcopal School25 Rolando McClain LB Ir. 6-4 255 Decatur, AL/Decatur80 Mike McCoy WR Sr. 6-3 215 Rankin, MS/Northwest52 Alfred McCullough OL So. 6-2 305 Athens, AL/Athens12 Greg McElroy QB Jr. 6-3 220 Southlake, TX/Southlake Carroll56 William Ming DL Fr. 6-3 260 Athens, AL/Athens59 Brandon Moore DL Fr. 6-5 310 Montgomery, AL/Carver66 Brian Motley OL Jr. 6-3 291 Autaugaville, AL/Autaugaville64 Kerry Murphy DL Fr. 6-4 323 Hoover, AL/Hargrave/Hoover46 Wesley Neighbors DB So. 6-1 210 Huntsville, AL/Huntsville83 Kevin Norwood WR Fr. 6-2 180 D’lberville, MS/DiIberville18 Morgan Ogilvie QB So. 6-0 195 Mountain Brook, AL/Mountain Brook2 Tana Patrick LB Fr. 6-3 235 Bridgeport, AL/North Jackson84 Colin Peek TE Sr. 6-6 255 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL/Georgia Tech/Bolles39 Kyle Pennington DB Jr. 5-11 188 Chatom, AL/Washington County68 Taylor Pharr OL Jr. 6-6 290 Irondale, AL/Shades Valley54 Russell Rains OL Fr. 6-2 260 Satsuma, AL/SaWuma13 Cory Reamer LB Sr. 6-4 234 Hoover, AL/Hoover3 Trent Richardson RB Fr. 5-11 220 Pensacola, FL/Escambia8 Chris Rogers DB Sr. 6-0 190 Lakeland, FL/Evangel Christian74 David Ross OL Jr. 6-3 299 Homewood, AL/Homewood1 B.J. Scott DB So. 5-11 196 Prichard, AL/Vigor46 Chris Scott WR Sr. 5-11 170 Birmingham, AL/Ramsay50 Brian Selman SNP Sr. 6-0 210 Vestavia Hills, AL/Vestavia Hills94 Darrington Sentimore DL Fr. 6-3 280 Norco, LA/Destrehan26 Ali Sharrief DB Sr. 5-9 200 Stevenson, AL/North Jackson94 Jeremy Shelley PK Fr. 5-10 170 Raleigh, N.C./Broughton48 Travis Sikes WR Jr. 6-3 198 Nashville, TN/Christ Presbyterian71 Allen Skelton OL So. 6-1 265 Coker, AL/Tuscaloosa County17 Brad Smelley TE So. 6-3 233 Tuscaloosa, AL/American Christian92 Damion Square DL Fr. 6-3 272 Houston, TX/Yates61 Anthony Steen OL-DL Fr. 6-3 305 Lambert, MS/Lee Academy47 Ed Stinson LB-DL Fr. 6-4 240 Homestead, FL/South Dade90 Milton Talbert DL Jr. 6-4 275 Hattiesburg, MS/Hattiesburg99 Leigh Tiffin PK Sr. 6-2 212 Muscle Shoals, AL/Muscle Shoals51 Carson Tinker ST So. 6-1 220 Murfreesboro, TN/Riverdale87 Chris Underwood TE So. 6-4 231 Birmingham, AL/Vestavia Hills5 Roy Upchurch RB Sr. 6-0 205 Tallahassee, FL/Godby41 Courtney Upshaw LB So. 6-2 249 Eufaula, AL/Eufaula73 William Vlachos OL Jr 6-1 294 Birmingham, AL/Mountain Brook65 Chance Warmack OL Fr. 6-3 301 Atlanta, GA/Westlake97 Lorenzo Washington DL Sr. 6-5 290 Logansville, GA/Hargrave91 Alex Watkins LB So. 6-3 225 Brownsville, TN/Haywood55 Chavis Williams LB Jr. 6-4 223 Dora, AL/Dora60 David Williams OL Fr. 6-3 272 Duncanville, AL/Hillcrest89 Michael Williams TE Fr. 6-6 266 Reform, AL/Pickens County9 Nick Williams WR Fr. 5-10 165 Fort Lauderdale, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas27 Justin Woodall DB Sr. 6-2 221 Oxford, MS/Lafayette18 Rod Woodson DB Fr. 5-11 200 Olfve Branch, MS/Olive Branch

NO NAME POS CL HT WT HOMETOWN / LAST SCHOOL

12

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NO NAME POS CL HT WT HOMETOWN / LAST SCHOOL0 Cameron Craig K Fr. 6-1 175 Tulsa, OK (Bishop Kelly)0 Perkins Devrick CB Fr. 6-0 165 Houston, TX (Cypress Creek)0 Garry Grace RB Fr. 6-1 226 Alpharetta, GA (Chattahoochee)0 Telvin Griffin WR Fr. 6-1 178 Texarkana, AR (Arkansas High)0 Blake Gunderson OL Fr. 6-3 290 Rockwall, TX (Rockwall)0 Derek Hatcher QB Fr. 6-0 200 Middleberg, FL (Ridgview)0 Jordan Jacobs OL Fr. 6-2 230 Alexander, AR (Bryant)0 Chris Muncie WR Fr. 6-5 185 El Paso, TX (Montwood)0 Brandon Pyle WR Fr. 6-2 240 Hallsville, TX (Hallsville)0 William Serrano WR Fr. 6-0 200 Nashville, AR (Nashville)0 Brandon Tierney K Fr. 5-11 185 Arlington, TX (Ft. Worth Country Day School)0 Justin Wortman CB Fr. 5-9 170 Cabot, AR (Cabot)0 Dylan Zimmerman K Fr. 6-0 160 Summerville, SC (Summerville)1 Anthony Leon FS Jr. 6-4 230 Miami, FL (Gulliver Prepatory Academy)1 Reggie Fish WR Sr. 5-7 163 Mesquite, TX (Mesquite)2 London Crawford WR Sr. 6-2 205 Mobile, AL (Davidson)3 Joe Adams WR So. 5-11 182 Little Rock, AR (Central Arkansas Christian)4 Rudell Crim CB Jr. 6-0 190 Tallahassee, FL (Rickards)4 Jarius Wright WR So. 5-10 180 Warren, AR (Warren)5 Tramain Thomas SS So. 6-0 187 Winnie, TX (East Chambers)6 Bobby Petrino WR Fr. 5-8 168 Fayetteville, AR (Fayetteville)6 Brandon Barnett TB Sr. 5-8 211 Texarkana, AR (Arkansas High)7 Knile Davis RB Fr. 6-0 213 Missouri City, TX (Fort Bend Marshall)7 Alex Tejada K Jr. 6-0 205 Springdale, AR (Springdale)8 Tyler Wilson QB Fr. 6-3 215 Greenwood, AR (Greenwood)9 Elton Ford S So. 6-0 215 Alpharetta, GA (Chattahoochee)10 Wendel Davis LB Sr. 6-1 230 Sweeny, TX (Sweeny)10 Nick Petrino QB So. 5-11 190 Louisville, KY (Trinity)11 Cobi Hamilton WR Fr. 6-3 209 Texarkana, TX (Texas High School)13 Seth Armbrust S Jr. 5-9 190 Little Rock, AR (Catholic)14 Dylan Breeding P Fr. 6-1 200 Helena, AL (Hoover)14 Jim Youngblood TE Fr. 6-2 225 Camden, AR (Fairview)15 Ryan Mallett QB So. 6-7 238 Texarkana, TX (Texas High School)16 Darius Winston CB Fr. 6-0 180 Helena, AR (Helena-West Helena Central)17 Brandon Mitchell QB Fr. 6-4 220 Amite, LA (Amite)18 Adrian Davis DE Sr. 6-4 252 Rosenberg, TX (Terry)19 Dustin Cain FS Jr. 6-0 190 Coppell, TX (Coppell)19 Carlton Salters WR Jr. 5-11 200 Tallahassee, FL (North Florida Christian)20 Ronnie Wingo RB Fr. 6-3 218 St. Louis, MO (St. Louis University H S)21 Michael Smith TB Sr. 5-9 180 Tallahassee, FL (Rickards)22 David Gordon CB Fr. 6-0 180 Tulsa, OK (East Central High School)23 De’Anthony Curtis TB So. 5-9 215 Camden, AR (Fairview)24 Isaac Madison CB Jr. 5-11 185 Dallas, TX (Carter)25 Terrell Williams OLB Fr. 6-3 225 Tulsa, OK (Union High School)26 Ramon Broadway CB Sr. 5-9 191 Shreveport, LA (Evangel Christian Acad)27 Jerell Norton CB Jr. 6-0 200 Cedar Hill, TX (Cedar Hill)28 Alvin Chambers WR Fr. 6-1 192 Florissant, MO (Hazelwood East)28 Greg Gatson CB So. 5-10 175 Memphis, TN (Germantown)29 Broderick Green RB So. 6-2 248 Little Rock, AR (Pulaski Academy)29 Daniel Baldwin CB Fr. 6-0 185 Piggot, AR (Piggot)30 Mitchell Bailey FB So. 5-11 227 Broken Bow, OK (Broken Bow)31 Jerico Nelson S So. 5-10 205 Destrehan, LA (Destrehan)32 Bret Harris LB So. 5-11 210 Irving, TX (MacArthur)33 Dennis Johnson TB So. 5-9 205 Texarkana, AR (Arkansas High)34 Jerry Franklin LB So. 6-1 241 Marion, AR (Marion)35 Ross Rasner SS Fr. 6-0 205 Waco, TX (Reicher)35 Ronald Watkins RB Fr. 5-9 185 Stafford, VA (Colonial Forge)36 Andru Stewart CB Jr. 6-0 200 Bakersfield, CA (Oaks Christian Acad)37 Cameron Bryan K Fr. 5-10 176 Oklahoma City, OK (Bishop McGuinness)38 Jerry Mitchell FS Fr. 6-1 205 Mandeville, LA (Mandeville)

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SAS roster39 Matt Harris S Sr. 6-2 198 Richardson, TX (Pearce)40 Joseph Henry TE Sr. 6-3 240 Conway, AR (Little Rock Central)41 Ryan Powers LB Jr. 6-1 223 Athens, AL (Tanner)43 Tenarius Wright DE Fr. 6-1 238 Memphis, TN (Whitehaven)44 Van Stumon FB Jr. 6-1 266 North Little Rock, AR (North Little Rock)45 D.J. Williams TE Jr. 6-2 251 Little Rock, AR (Central Arkansas Christian)46 Freddy Burton LB Jr. 6-2 231 Morrilton, AR (Morrilton)47 Matt Marshall DB Fr. 6-1 230 Camden, NJ (Camden)48 John Durmon FB Sr. 5-11 243 Warren, AR (Warren)49 Briton Forester P Jr. 5-10 185 Encinitas, CA (La Costa Canyon)50 Stephen Barnett LB Jr. 6-1 227 Siloam Springs, AR (Siloam Springs)51 Alfred Davis NT Fr. 6-1 326 College Park, GA (Banneker)52 Robert Salinas DE Sr. 6-1 241 La Joya, TX (La Joya)53 Jermaine Love LB Jr. 5-11 230 Garland, TX (North Garland)54 Colby Berna OL Fr. 6-5 293 Fayetteville, AR (Fayetteville)54 Michael Villegas LB Fr. 6-4 230 Springdale, AR (Springdale)55 Austin Moss ILB Fr. 6-3 223 Rockwall, TX (Heath)56 Jelani Smith LB Fr. 6-0 215 Abbeville, LA (Abbeville)57 Robby Campbell OL Fr. 6-4 314 Wildwood, MO (Lafayette)58 Damario Ambrose DE Jr. 6-5 268 Mobile, AL (Davidson)59 Rhett Richardson LS Jr. 6-0 214 Rockwall, TX (Rockwall)60 Seth Oxner C So. 6-4 315 Monticello, AR (Monticello)61 Zach Stadther NT So. 6-1 295 North Little Rock, AR (North Little Rock)62 Nick Brewer LS So. 6-1 215 Austin, TX (James Bowie)63 Adam Pearce DE Fr. 6-2 256 Little Rock, AR (Pulaski Academy)64 Travis Swanson C Fr. 6-5 305 Kingwood, TX (Kingwood)65 DeMarcus Love T Jr. 6-5 305 Lancaster, TX (Carter)66 Mitch Petrus G Sr. 6-4 315 Carlisle, AR (Carlisle)67 Alvin Bailey OG Fr. 6-5 323 Broken Arrow, OK (Broken Arrow)68 Clay Bemberg C Jr. 6-2 295 Little Rock, AR (Central)69 David Hurd OT Fr. 6-6 305 West Monroe, LA (West Monroe)70 Zhamal Thomas OG Jr. 6-5 343 New Iberia, LA (New Iberia)71 Wade Grayson C Jr. 6-4 296 Harrison, AR (Harrison)72 Grant Cook G So. 6-4 322 Jonesboro, AR (Jonesboro)73 Ray Dominguez T Jr. 6-4 329 Bainbridge, GA (Bainbridge)74 Kareem Crowell OG So. 6-4 325 Tallahassee, FL (Godby/Hargrave Military Acad)75 Matt Hall T Fr. 6-9 328 Russellville, AR (Russellville)76 Tyler Deacon T Fr. 6-2 295 Little Rock, AR (Catholic)76 Anthony Oden OT Fr. 6-8 328 Indianapolis, IN (Lawrence N/Hargrave Mil. Acad)79 Grant Freeman T So. 6-7 298 Paris, AR (Paris)80 Chris Gragg TE So. 6-3 230 Warren, AR (Warren)81 Marques Wade WR Jr. 6-3 195 Ellenwood, GA (Martin Luther King)82 Lance Ray WR Fr. 6-3 207 Havana, FL (East Gadsden)83 Neal Barlow WR Fr. 6-6 200 Little Rock, AR (Pulaski Academy)84 Price Holmes WR Fr. 6-3 190 Batesville, AR (Batesville)85 Greg Childs WR So. 6-3 217 Warren, AR (Warren)86 Ben Cleveland TE Jr. 6-4 256 Springdale, AR (Springdale)87 Austin Tate TE Fr. 6-6 230 Harrison, AR (Harrison High School)88 Lucas Miller WR Sr. 6-3 205 Huntington, AR (Greenwood)89 Austin Tucker WR So. 6-1 195 Springdale, AR (Shiloh Christian)90 Colton Nash TE Fr. 6-6 261 Sulpher Springs, TX (Sulpher Springs)91 Jake Bequette DE So. 6-5 271 Little Rock, AR (Catholic)92 DeQuinta Jones DT Fr. 6-5 307 Bastrop, LA (Bastrop High School)93 Chris Berezansky DE Sr. 6-1 252 Hillsborough, NJ (Hillsborough)94 Will Coleman DE Fr. 6-2 240 Helena, AR (De Soto)95 Patrick Jones DT Jr. 6-1 309 Hampton, GA (Lovejoy)96 Malcolm Sheppard DT Sr. 6-2 291 Bainbridge, GA (Bainbridge)97 Ryan Calender OLB Fr. 6-7 226 Caddo Mills, TX (Caddo Mills)98 Caleb Evans DE Jr. 6-4 243 Custer, MT (Helena)99 Lavunce Askew DT So. 6-3 290 Camden, AR (Fairview)

NO NAME POS CL HT WT HOMETOWN / LAST SCHOOL

14 | TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA September 26, 2009

Jennifer Gorham

Imagine stepping off a bus from a nine-hour trip only to be welcomedwithalockerroomdubbed“TheFailRoom.”Along with the fact that your will be facing a ranked team that holds the National Championship record in a few

hours,thatnamecouldbeunnerving.That is just what visiting teams are welcomed with when

they walk into the locker room located under the Alabama studentbleachers.Notonlycantheyheartheelephantsoundeffects,Paul“Bear”Bryant’sthicksouthernaccentfromtheTVscreensand“YeaAlabama,”chantedbythousands of fans, but they have the luxury of seeing grey Alabama A’s patterned into theredcarpet.

Could all of these factors be put in place to confuse, intimidate or scare the opposing team? More than likely not, but sincethisisthefirstseasonthatopposingteams will venture into the newly-named room, no one knows how it will affect the teams,ifatall.

The Fail Room was named after JamesM.FailinDecember2008.Fail,aMobilenativeandanAlabama alumnus, graduated and went on to become a promi-nentfactorinthefinancialsector.Hehasbeenlinkedwith

StoneHoldingsInc.andBluebonnetSavingsBank.FailisalsorecognizedforhisphilanthropiccontributionsthroughoutAlabama and he served in the Navy for three years before attendingtheUniversity. WhilethestudentsandfansfillBryant-DennyStadiumtothe

maximumlimitandTheMillionDollarBandtakesthefield,theopposingteammaynotunderstandthemeaningbehindthename.TheFailRoomsymbolizesarespectforwhatTheUniversityofAlabama has instilled in one man, and because of that The

University of Alabama has given the word “fail”anewmeaning.

Fail waited for the opportunity to give back to the university that taught him about the real world and led him to successinhisbusinessendeavors.Notmany opportunities come around where youcangivesomethingthetitle“fail,”butwhen the opportunity did come along for Failtoleavehisfingerprintsonthecampus that left its mark on him, he could notpassitup.

“AnythingI’vedonewouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthe University of Alabama, but not so much from a ‘making money’standpoint,”Failsaid.“AttheUniversity,Ilearnedhow

Exclusive

More than one meaning for the word FA IL

touchdownalabama.net | 15PHOTOGRAPHY BY UA MEDIA RELATIONS & BDL

tolearn.IlearneddisciplineandhowtoapplywhatIlearnedtotherealworld.Now,manyyearslater,Iamhonoredtogivebacktotheschoolthatmeanssomuchtome.Earlierthisyear[2008],when I saw the visitor’s locker room as a potential naming right, IfigureditwasthemostappropriateopportunityIwouldeverhavetousemyname.”

When a team is on the road, chances are they will not have a fancy or spacious locker room, but while some may be extremely small and others very bland, the visitors’ locker room in Bryant-Dennyisafirst-classspace.Besidesthecrimson carpet and the foreboding name, teamsshouldfeelathomehere.Infact,that same locker room was good enough for Crimson Tide players before the 2006 stadiumrenovationstookplace.Now,theyarehousedinthenorthendzoneontheoppositesideofthefieldfromTheFailRoom.

Fail has contributed to the University before the renaming of the locker room withhisfittingmoniker.“ThisnamingopportunitycameatMr.Fail’srequest,”UA

athleticsdirectorMalMooresaidinastatement.“Mr.Failhas

been such a strong supporter of ours and had already made a significantgifttonameourmediasuiteinmemoryofhislatefather-in-law, former Birmingham Post-Herald sports editor Naylor Stone, but he had always been hesitant to use his unique nameforanamingrightuntiltherightopportunitycamealong.”MooreemphasizesthatFailhasbeenagreatworkpartner

and his donation to The Crimson Tide Foundation will not be forgotten.AdonationforTheCrimsonTideFoundation

includes gifts made to the A+ Incentives Program, athletic scholarship endowments and other athletic gift funds, according to theathleticclub.“Overtheyears,we’vedevelopeda

specialrelationshipwithMr.Fail,”Mooresaid.“Whatajoyhehasbeentoworkwithandgettoknow.We’veallbeenenergizedby being around him, his approach to life, hisgenerosityandhisexcitementforlife.Needless to say, his most recent gift and the way he chose to use it, will be remem-beredformanyyearstocome.”

The meaning of this fail is not to discourage anyone from doing their best, but to give back to a university that meant so muchtooneperson.

Visiting locker room has unique name

Fail with Athletics Director Mal Moore at the dedication ceremony

Jake Bequette, DE, #91

Views From the other sideAmanda Kelly

Considered by many to be one of the top running backs in the SEC, Arkansas senior Michael Smith was forced to wait until last

season to shine.Smith injured his hamstring during the Razorbacks’

fall camp his freshman year and by the time it prop-erly healed, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones had established themselves as starters. Smith took a redshirt for the season and played in relief of McFadden and Felix over the next two years.

Last year, however, Smith started in nine of the 10 games he played in, and finished the year with 207 carries for 1,072 yards and eight touchdowns. He was the team’s leading rusher and second-leading receiver. He is also only the ninth person in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season.

The senior majoring in kinesiology was named to the preseason 2009 All-SEC First-Team, but sets no expectation for the number of plays he’ll participate in this year.

“I don’t how many carries I’m going to have,” Smith said. “Coach Petrino is very situational and every situation requires a different type of back . He’s going to play the running back who will deliver the best result for the situation.”

Born into a family of skilled athletes, Jake Bequette is already starting to stand apart. The defensive end has recorded 28 total career tackles, a statistic

that should impress his father, uncle, and grandfather, all former members of the Arkansas football team.

The 6-foot-5-inch sophomore is majoring in financial management. He played in all 12 of the team’s games last season and received an SEC All-Freshman selection. During last year’s game against Alabama, Bequette recorded an assisted tackle.

As one of four returning starters for the Razorback’s defensive line, Bequette has been a part of the team’s rebuilding process and says he uses the constant adjust-ments as motivation.

“With all the depth chart changes, Coach always wants to promote an environment of competition and we embrace that,” he said.

Although the Razorbacks opened this season with an impressive 48-10 win over Missouri State, it is still early and their defensive line is relatively unproven. Bequette, who recorded two tackles in the season opener, seems positive about the progress of the defense thus far.

“I think with any defense, it takes a little while to see how good you are,” he said. “We are confident. We are miles ahead of where we were last year as a defense.”

Michael Smith, RB, #21

Opponents

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Larry Burton

Being a new writer for Touchdown Alabama, I have access to players and their thoughts after the games with thecredentialsthatcomewiththejob.Itisatimewhenthe players are still in the heat of the moment and they

speakfromtheheartwithouttimetopracticeapatentanswer.It is a time when they don’t know the questions that will be

hurledattheminrapidfireandoftentheiranswersmimiconeanother even though they have no idea of what their teammate has justsaidacrosstheroom.

I witnessed this earlier in the season after the Florida InternationalGame.OnthatnightthetoneeachplayerconveyedwasTEAM.

It was both refreshing and insightful to witness young men of suchcharacter.

I spoke to senior wide receiver Mike McCoy, who stepped up whensophomoreJulioJoneswentoutearly.Hehadoneofhisbestgames, but chose instead to brag about the other receivers who steppeduptotakeuptheirshareoftheslack.

He bragged also on his quarterback, junior Greg McElroy, who allthereceivershadsomuchfaithin.“Weknowifwerunourroutesanddoourjob,theballwillbethere,”hesaid.Theyhavefaithintheirquarterbackandineachother.

I talked to senior offensive lineman Mike Johnson, who said the thing that made him most proud was the fact that the team never missedabeatwhensubstitutelinemenwerebroughtin.Hethoughtthey were a deeper and more athletic line than last year’s notable

line.Hesaidhehadfaithinthemandthatheonlyhadtoconcen-trateondoinghisjobwellandnotlookingoverhisshoulder.

Sophomore running back Mark Ingram told me he was glad to seeseniorRoyUpchurchgethisfirststartoftheyear,evenifitwasbecause he (Ingram) had been, and still was, a little sick with the flu.Hesaidthatthebackswereallaprettycloseknitgroupandthatyes, they all wanted their carries, but there was no jealousy and they allpulledforoneanother.Ingramsaid,“IknewthatwhenRoywentdownthattherewere

otherswhocouldandwouldstepup.”Stepuptheydid,includingIngramhimself,whowasobviouslystillnotfeelingwell.Hiseyeswerewateryandpuffyandhisvoicewasjustaboutgone.“Youdowhatyouhavetodo,”saidIngramabouthisplaying.“I

could go a few plays and then I had to come out, I just had no energy.”Yetheaccountedfor103yardsofrushingandreceiving.Then there was McElroy, who broke an Alabama all-time record

with14straightcompletions.Hedidnotliketodwellonthatandsaidhedidn’tevenknowaboutituntilhehearditovertheP.A.system.Instead,hewantedtotalkaboutthereceivers.McElroyfound

nine different ones that night and went a fantastic 18 out of 24 for 241yards,onetouchdownandnointerceptions.“Wehavesuchagreatgroupofreceiversthatit’seasyformeto

domyjob,”McElroysaid.“LosingaJuliocouldcripplesometeams, but we are fortunate to have a great group of receivers who canstepup.”

He also bragged on the offensive line and running backs and said thiswasateamvictory.

All these stars had great nights of their own, yet each only wanted to talk about his teammates, the accomplishments of others andtheimportanceofhavingotherstorelyon.Itmademecognizantofthefactthatwhilemostcollegeshavea

footballsquad,oursistrulyafootballTEAM.Coach Nick Saban has raised the talent level since he’s been

here, and it’s obvious he has the team focused, but it’s nice that at least one old-fashioned thing still remains on the team since the earliest days of Crimson Tide Football: a sense of team being more importantthananyoneplayer’saccomplishments.Inthisdayof“mefirst”,that’sprettyrefreshing.

20 | TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA September 26, 2009

Week 4

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PRESTON KERES/ THE WASHINGTON POST

Recruiting

The

Coe Robbins

QB Phillip Sims 6’2” 209, Chesapeake, Va. - Oscar Smith rolls past King’s Fork 34-0 with help from Sims who was 17-of-27 for 219 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Rivals No.1 rated QB has garnered scholarship offers from all over the country but is still a very strong commit to Alabama. Sims has two 3,000 yard seasons and has thrown 33 touchdowns as a sophomore and 38 as a junior.

RB Corey Grant 5’10” 186, Opelika, Ala. - Corey Grant had 173 yards and two scores in the first half alone as Opelika defeated Enterprise 27-24 in overtime. Grant finished the ballgame with 201 yards on 26 carries.

Grant runs a 4.4 forty with a 37-inch vertical and bench presses 290 pounds. Grant has said that the coaching staff wants to utilize him in many ways because of his speed mainly as a returner. With Javier Arenas departing next year, he could make an immediate impact come 2010.

WR Keiwone Malone 6’ 1” 165, Memphis Tenn. – Keiwone Malone caught a last second touchdown to cut Mitchell High’s deficit to Melrose 26-25. Mitchell’s coach decided to go for the win, but the team fell short on the two-point conversion, ending the game. Malone caught his last pass from 21 yards out.

Alabama’s first commitment of 2010, Keiwone has what it takes to be a slot receiver. At 6-foot with a 4.4 forty, Malone can make any guy miss tackles in the open field. Malone also had scholarship offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss and Oregon.

DE Alfy Hill 6’4” 222, Shallote, N.C. - Alfy Hill was one of the primary blockers on the offensive line during the final drive as West Brunswick came from behind to defeat Ashley 21-20.

Hill is freakishly fast for his size. At 222 pounds, Hill runs a 4.59 forty according to Rivals. He is also Rivals 10th best DE prospect and is the No. 4 overall player in the state of North Carolina. Hill chose the Tide over his other finalist and home school North Carolina.

DB Demarcus Milliner 6’1” 180, Millbrook, Ala. - Demarcus helped Stanhope Elmore defeat Shaw (Ga.) 35-0, despite having a cancellation of the homecoming parade due to a gun scare. Students reported seeing a

student with a gun in the school. When the police arrived and searched the student, no firearm was found.

The state’s top ranked prospect and No.1 CB in the country by Rivals runs a 4.45 forty and benches 240 pounds.

K Cade Foster 6’1” 215, Southlake, Tx. - Foster’s kicking duties were not needed but connected on extra points as Carroll defeated Mesquite 56-21.

As a junior, Foster was perfect inside of 50 yards who finished on last year’s season 6-of-9. Foster also had offers from Miami, Stanford and Washington.

It has been a long time coming for the Alabama Crimson Tide to return to its dominant status of the Paul “Bear” Bryant era. Some feel like it is finally here and some do not, but one person that thinks Alabama will have a good

season knows a thing or two about those “Bear” essential days of old.

Pat Raines, Dean and Professor of Economics at Belmont University located in Nashville, Tenn., played center on the infamous 11-0 1971 wishbone team at Alabama, and he knows about great team work.

“The reason we started running the wishbone is because of how much smaller we were compared to opposing team’s,” Raines said. “We were smaller, so we weren’t that good at pass blocking, but we were really fast so we converted to the wishbone because it was an effective running formation. Since we were so much faster than the other teams, we could open up those gaps for our running backs to squeeze through, and it was very effective. We didn’t pass much, but when we did we caught the other team off guard.”

Raines played at University of Alabama from 1969 until 1972 and obtained his bachelor’s degree in science and economics in 1973. He continued his academic success, earning a Masters in 1976 and a Ph.D. in 1982. Raines began his teaching career at the University of Richmond in

Richmond, Va., where he spent a happy 23 years. In 2003, Raines moved to Nashville, Tenn., to join the Belmont faculty.

One of the most memorable moments Raines spent on the field was during the 1972 Tennessee game. “One of my favorite games was when we came from behind to beat Tennessee in Neyland stadium with four minutes left on the clock,” he recalled. “One thing people don’t credit Coach Bryant with is the fact that he was such a psychological genius. After we scored with less than four minutes on the clock, [Bryant] decided to kick an extra point instead of going for the win. He did this because he knew, no matter what, that Coach Bill Battle had to beat Alabama. On Tennessee’s next posses-sion, they threw 3 passes and then we sacked them on fourth down. We went on to score another touchdown giving us the 17-10 win on the road.”

Although it is hard to compare with the team that Raines played on, the offensive line now is just as important as it was in 1971.

“I think that if Alabama wants to go all the way this year, their offensive line is going to have to pull it together and become joined at the hip,” Raines said. “When I played we had the mentality that we were not going to lose, if the offensive line this year can obtain that same mentality then they are going to win a lot of games.

Catching Up With Pat Raines

Brad Lake

Wisdom Raines down on Alabama football

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Exclusive

Alabama’s & Arkansas’

Saturday’s western division showdown should feature someofthepremierrunningbacksintheSEC.Arkansassenior running back Michael Smith has been lingering in theshadowofformerrazorbacksuperstarsDarren

McFadden and Felix Jones—both are now making a living on SundaysintheNFL.Smith,the5’7176-poundspeedsterisprimed for a breakout season, considering the experienced offensivelinethatwillbepavinghisway.Smithcarriedtherocklastseason207timesfor1,072yards,boastingasolid5.2yardaverage-per-carry.Smithscoredeighttouchdownsontheyear,and his best day came against Kentucky where he rushed for 192 yards.Alsoareceivingthreat,Smithfinishedsecondontheteamlastseasonwith32catchesfor298yardsandtwotouchdowns.With his incredible speed and hands, Smith could break open a

deadlygroundattackfortheHogsonceagainthisseason.Lastyear,theTidehung328-yardsrushingagainstthe

Razorbackdefenseonitswaytoa49-14rout.Thisseason,Tidesophomore running back Mark Ingram has already erased any doubtsabouta“sophomoreslump”.Ingramhadacoming-outpartyagainstthenNo.7VirginiaTechonhiswaytoa156-yardday.Forhisefforts,IngramwasnamedSECplayeroftheWeek.The following Saturday, Tide blue-chip recruit Trent Richardson showed the Crimson Tide faithful exactly why most recruiting siteslistedhimasthenation’sNo.1runningbackcomingoutofhighschool.Trentexplodedfor118-yardsrushingandtwotouchdowns on his way to being named SEC Freshman of the Week.TherunninggamewillbecrucialSaturdayforbothteamstoopenupthepassingattack.

Anthony Johnson

Tide Rushing Attack V Razorback Michael Smith

touchdownalabama.net | 23PHOTOGRAPHY BY BDL

Alabama’s & Arkansas’

After playing one season for the Michigan Wolverines and seeing limited playing time, highly touted quarterback Ryan Mallett transferred toArkansas.Malletwas61-of-141for892yards

andseventouchdownsinhisfreshmancampaign.Heappealed to the NCAA for eligibility last season, but was denied.Finally,the6’7248-poundsophomorebehemothquarterbackisprimedtoleadtheHogstoglory.Malletwasone of the most highly sought-after quarterbacks in the country out of high school and is already being tabbed as an NFL-caliber quarterback with his tremendous arm strength andsize,despiteonlyoneseasonwiththeWolverines.WithfutureNFLstartightendD.J.Williams,andseniorLondonCrawford to throw to, look for Mallett to drop back and pass

earlyandoftentohisexperiencedreceivers.Junior Quarterback Greg McElroy has made the most of his

opportunitiesthusfarfortheCrimsonTide.Throughtwogames, the Texas native threw for 471 yards and two touch-downswitha61-percentcompletionratio.McElroysetarecord in only his second game as a starter when he completed 14consecutivepassattemptsagainstFloridaInternational.McElroy has silenced the doubts that the passing attack would falter this season after the loss of John Parker Wilson, who is nowplayingfortheAtlantaFalcons.McElroy’spoiseinthepocket and intelligence has been a breath of fresh air for an offense that was so dependent upon the power running game oneseasonago.LookfortheTidetotryandexploittheRazorbacksecondary,whichwassomewhatporousin2008.

Greg McElroy V Ryan Mallett

Traditions

Every home game day, the members of the Million Dollar Band meet on the steps of the beautiful, historic Amelia Gayle Gorgas library to start off

one of Alabama’s most practiced traditions; the Elephant Stomp.

The Elephant Stomp is the parade from the steps of GorgasLibrarytothestadium.Itwasfirstpracticedin1974 and was such a hit with fans that it became a regular Tidetradition.ItisledbytheMillionDollarBandandfansareencouragedtojoinin.TheElephantStompbeginsabouttwohoursbeforekickoffandisaboutanhourlong.It begins with a short pep rally at the library, where the bandperforms“YeaAlabama”andafewothercrowd-pleasingsongs.Whenthebandfinishestheirpeprally,theyproceeded to the stadium in parade formation and fans follow.ExcitementfillstheairasfansnearthestadiumandrealizethatanotheramazingAlabamaCrimsonTidefootballgameisabouttooccur.

The Elephant Stomp has been one of the key sources for

gathering‘Bamafanstogether.Thecrowdstartsformingabout30minutesaheadoftimeandwhenthebandplaysthatfirstnoteof“YeaAlabama”,theygonuts.“RollTides”areshouted,shakersareshaken,andthegame-timecelebrationscommence.“IlovedoingtheElephantStomp!Ilovehearing

everyone cheer along to ‘Yea Alabama!’ and seeing all the shakersmoveinbeattothemusic,”saidUASophomoreHeatherHarbinson.“Ilovewalkingovertothestadiumwith all my other ‘Bama fans and just celebrating this amazingfootballteamwehave.It’sgreat!”

The elephant stomp also serves as a warning to the opposingteam.“IalwaysassumedwedidtheElephantStomp to warn the other team that we were coming for them! They could hear us from the locker room and know theTidehasarrived!”saidUAseniorJamesKelly.

The Elephant Stomp is a Crimson Tide tradition that brings ‘Bama fans together to start game days off right: by celebratingtheirincrediblefootballteam.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT GASTON24 | TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA September 26, 2009

Katie Hall

ELEPHANTSTOMP

Tide Traditions

touchdownalabama.net | 25

Player Spotlight

One of the biggest questions surrounding Alabama’s 2009 season was how the Tide was going to rebuild the offensive line that lost three starters, including

OutlandTrophywinnerAndreSmithandfirstteamAll-Americanandtwo-timeco-captainAntoineCaldwell.Theexperienced o-line that was credited to helping the Tide to its fast starts last year and great quarterback protection had some majorholestofill.ButhavenofearTidefans,juniorWilliamVlachosishereandreadytodohispart.“Thereismoreresponsibilityonmyshoulders.Iprepared

hardlastyearandIpreparedjustashardthisyear,”saidnewstartingcenterVlachos.

Vlachos, pronounced Va-LAY-os, has played in nine career gamesatAlabama.HeplayedbackuplinemanfortwoyearstoformerstarterCaldwell.Vlachossaysthatitwasanhonorto get to learn from Caldwell; however he does not feel any addedpressurehavingtoreplacehim.VlachosstillkeepsincontactwithCaldwell,sayingthatheisverysupportive.“Ihavetakenalotofstufffromhim.Idotrytofollowhis

rollandplaylikehedid.HopefullyIcanbecomeasgoodofaleaderashewas,”Vlachossaid.

Vlachos hails from Mountain Brook High School where he wasnamedMostValuableLineman.VlachoswasnamedtotheSuperAll-StateteambytheBirminghamNews.HewasrankedtheNo.9centernationallybyRivals.comandwasrankedtheNo.16overallbestplayedinthestateofAlabama.

Vlachos’ 6-foot-2 frame has been looked at as a disadvan-

tage for him, being one of the shortest on the offensive line.ButwhatVlachos lacks in height, he makes upforinmanyotherareas.Hehasgreatquickness,healwaysmakes sure he gets all of his assignments and he always plays fast.Hehasacompetitivecharacterandalotofconfidenceinhisabilities.Vlachosalsohasincrediblestrength.Teammatessaythatheisaworkoutfiendandoneofthestrongestontheteam.“Ifyouhaveadisadvantagesomewhere,youhavetomake

upforitwithsomethingelse.Iplayhard,”Vlachossaid.Aversatileplayer,Vlachoscanplaybothcenterandguard.

He is already making a name for himself, helping the offense rackup1,014yardsoftotaloffenseintheTide’sfirsttwogames.ThatisthesecondmostyardsAlabamahasputupinback-to-backgamessince2001.

Vlachos is ready for those tough SEC defenses, after going head-to-head with nose guard Terrence Cody during spring andfallpractice.Hestartedoutthe2009seasononahighnotebywinningtheOzzieNewsomeMostImprovedPlayeraward,afterhavingastrongspringpractice.Vlachosisreadyto help the offensive line go out and set the tone for game and get out to a fast start, something the team was known for last season.“Theyhavepreparedmewell,”Vlachossaid.

Vlachos Helps in Rebuilding

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT GASTON

William Vlachos

Lauren Moranor

News

26 | TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA September 26, 2009

SEC NewsSEC NewsRandal Etheredge

Ball State vs. AuburnBallState,facingtheirfirstSECteamthisyear,ishopingtotaste

victoryforthefirsttimein2009.ComingoffalosstoArmyputsabiglumpinthethroatsoftheCardinals.Withlastweek’sshoot-outon the plains, Auburn received two late-game interceptions to beat West Virginia. Each team combined for well over 900 yards offoffense. Turnovers being the key forAuburn’swin last week, thedefensehopestocontinuethistrend.

Florida vs. KentuckyThe Florida Gators held up their end of the bargain against the

TennesseeVolunteersthispastweek.However,theyshouldn’tlookpast the Wildcats of Kentucky when they travel to the blue grass state tofaceanundefeatedWildcatsteam.FacingtheirfirstSECteamthisyear, the Wildcats are hoping to make some noise around the confer-ence .In last week’s win against the Louisville Cardinals, juniorrunning back Derrick Locke led the charge for Kentucky with his 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Senior quarterbackTimTebow took control of his Gators in a win against rival Tennessee this past week, but rushing for 76 yards and throwing for 115 more wasn’t hismostimpressivegame.Butawinisawin,andbothteamswillbelookingforanother.

LSU vs. Mississippi StateComing off a win against Vanderbilt this past weekend, the

BulldogsofMississippiStatewelcometheBayouBengalstoStarkville.After scoring only one touchdown against the Commodores, head coachDanMullen got his firstwin against an SEC team, the lonetouchdown coming form senior quarterback Tyson Lee after a 22-yard scramble. The Tigers roll into Mississippi with a top ten ranking,hopingtopickuptheirsecondSECwinoftheyear.

Ole Miss vs. South CarolinaMississippi’s starting quarterback Jevan Snead continues to make

noise in regards to his Heisman contention, throwing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns in an impressive game against SoutheasternLouisiana.TheRebels enter thisweekendwith theirhighestrankingsince1970.Withjustshyof500yardsofoffense,theRebles look to overcome head coach Steve Spurrier’s defense when theytakeonSouthCarolinathisweekend.Butdon’toverlooktheoffensefromtheGamecocks.JuniorrunningbackBrianMaddoxranforthreetouchdownsthispastweekagainstFAU.Lookforthisgametobeashootout.

Ohio vs. TennesseeTheheadcoachfortheVols,LaneKiffin,didn’tkeephispromise

inbeatingFloridathispastweek.Maybehewillgethischancetosing“RockyTop”whentheBobcatsofOhiocometotown.Startingquarterback for the Vols, senior Jonathan Crompton, looks to improve as the season progresses. After throwing two interceptions andpassingforonly93yardsthispastweekagainsttheGators,maybehecanimprovethosenumbersagainstthevisitorsformOhio.

Florida LB Brandon Spikes will be placed in a protective boot, but should play this week, after missing most of the second half of lastweek’sgameduetotendinitisinhisAchilles’tendon.

Georgia senior LB Darius Dewberry is questionable again for this week. He has missed two games already following a groininjury.

Junior WR Montez Billings, who has already graduated from Auburn, has decided to leave the team. Billingswas the leadingreturnreceiverlastyear.

Lazarius Levingston is questionable with a knee injury that has kept him out of two games already. The junior DE at LSUsustained the injury, which did not require surgery,inthefirstgameoftheseason.

University of Mississippi’s Greg Hardy is questionable for this week after an ankle injury. The senior DE missed last week’sgame.

Tennessee center Josh McNeill is listed as probable again thisweek.The senior hasn’tplayed since undergoing knee surgery last month, although doctors had cleared him to playforthelasttwogames.

AP TOP 251. Florida2. Texas3. Alabama4. Mississippi 5. Penn State 6. California 7. LSU 8. Boise State9. Miami (FL) 10. Oklahoma11. Virginia Tech 12. USC 13. Ohio State 14. Cincinnati 15. TCU 16. Oklahoma State 17. Houston 18. Florida State 19. Brigham Young 20. Kansas 21. Georgia 22. North Carolina 23. Michigan 24. Washington 25. Nebraska

USA TODAY1. Florida2. Texas3. Alabama4. Penn State 5. Mississippi 6. California 7. LSU 8. Boise State9. Oklahoma 10. USC11. Ohio State 12. Virginia Tech 13. Miami (FL) 14. TCU 15. Cincinnati 16. Oklahoma State 17. Georgia 18. North Carolina 19. Kansas 20. Brigham Young 21. Missouri 22. Michigan 23. Houston24. Nebraska25. Florida State

Sep. 5 VTech W 34-24Sep. 12 FL Int’l W 40-14Sep. 19 N. Texas W 53-7Sep. 26 Arkansas HomeOct. 3 Kentucky AwayOct. 10 Mississippi AwayOct. 17 South Carolina HomeOct. 24 Tennessee HomeNov. 7 LSU HomeNov. 14 Mississippi St. AwayNov. 21 Tenn-Chatt HomeNov. 27 Auburn Away

touchdownalabama.net | 27

UASCHEDULE

CURRENT POLLS

1 In 1927, Paul Bryant earned the nickname that would forever stay with him in Arkansas in by_____

a. Shooting a 500-pound bear on a hunting tripb. Wrestling a bear for a dollar at a carnivalc. Blocking “like a bear” on the offense line at Fordyce High Schoold. Wrestling “like a bear” with his eight siblings

2 Bear Bryant’s infamous hat was _____.a. A straw panamab. A felt fedora

c. A white visord. Houndstooth

3 Alabama was the first associated with elephants - the inspiration for the future mascot - in 1930 when______.a. A local sportswriter wrote that “the earth started to tremble” as the first-team lineup stormed the field like elephantsb. An elephant was used during a halftime promotion, with the band’s drum major riding on his backc. Coach Wallace Wade said he was looking for offensive lineman “the size of elephants”d. The student body voted for the unusual mascot over the more common eagle, wildcat,

4 Alabama did not lose a game for 31 straight years, from 1969 to 2000, on which SEC opponent’s home field?a. Arkansasb. Auburn

c. LSUd. Ole Miss

5 Alabama became the AP’s top-ranked team and was named the 1979 National Champion thanks to what upset in the Rose Bowl that year?a. No. 5 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Texasb. No. 5 Miami beat No. 1 Nebraskac. No. 3 Penn State beat No. 1 Georgiad. No. 3 USC beat No. 1 Ohio State

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TURKEY CALLERS I collect vintage, rare or custom-made turkey calls, as well as other old game callers. Call 205-907-9044 or email: jtommyc@bellsouth.net.2514 Paul Bryant Drive

Tuscaloosa, AL 35401and Surrounding Counties

Local: 205.343.6868205.343.6860

Hablamos Espanol

Demetrius ThomasGeneral Agent

Gale FordManaging Agent

Got trouble?Got trouble?We will help!We will help!

Expires January 2010

Get bail for one offense andSecond one is free (free up to $1,500)

Simplify your move.Customized moving services to fit your needs.

Across the hall, across town or across the country.

205-247-5050

www.twomen.com

610 Skyland Blvd. E.Tuscaloosa, AL 35405

"Highest in Customer

Satisfaction with Full Service

Moving Companies"

J.D. Power and Associates

2008 Full-Service Moving

Company Satisfaction StudySM

For J.D. Power and Associates awardinformation, visit jdpower.com. Each franchise is independently owned and operated.

• Home and business moves

• Apartment moves

• Long-distance moving

• Boxes and packing supplies

John Wayne Plumbing & Drain Services, Inc.

John Wayne George, Owner608 41st Street, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405

Phone: 343-1770

Licensed & Insured

We Cater!We Deliver!

We also accept BAMA Cash!

Midtown

1800 McFarland Blvd. ETuscaloosa, AL 35404

Strip

211 University BlvdTuscaloosa, AL 35405

Free Cookiewith purchase of any combo

205.391.0950 205.349.1800

Bring Ad to store

Classic Italian

Turkey Ranch Swiss

Prime Rib Pepper

Prime rib, mozzarella, sautéed onions, Mild Peppercorn sauce

Turkey, swiss, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Ranch Dressing

Salami, pepperoni, capicola, ham,mozzarella, black olives, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Vinaigrette

Rodney L. GoinsdMd

1434 2nd Court EastTuscaloosa, AL 35401

205.752.5400ROLL TIDE

ROLL