Defense delivers on Saban’s promise

TUSCALOOSA - Nick Saban promised and his Alabama offense delivered.

The recent absence of a downfield passing threat was quickly filled by an offense that suddenly looked more like Texas Tech passing spread than an Alabama power running attack. It started with seven straight passes to open the game before star running back Mark Ingram even touched the ball.

The Tide regularly emptied the backfield and spread five receivers across the field in the 24-15 win over No. 9 LSU on Saturday. It was all about keeping the Tigers defense from getting too comfortable in limiting Ingram.

"I think it's important that we utilize players and we attack the middle of the field to make them defend the middle of the field, and you have to have some kind of vertical passing game to do that," Saban said.

Four deep passes in the first three possessions netted just one success - a 37-yard reception made by Marquis Maze who had two defenders draped all over time. It was establishing that threat of a deep pass that was more important than anything, though.

"Even when you don't hit them, and we hit a few, it affects how they play on the next play because I work with those corners all the time and whether they caught it or not, they know when they got beat, and it still scares them," Saban said.

Overall, McElroy completed 19-of-34 passes for 276 yards on a day in which he threw more in the first half than he did in four entire games played earlier this season. His 25 first-half attempts eclipsed totals from games against Florida International (24), North Texas (14), Arkansas (24) and South Carolina (20).

Six different teammates caught passes led by Maze's six for 88 yards. The highlight of Julio Jones' four-catch, 102-yard day, ironically, came on a play that was anything but a deep pass. The 73-yard touchdown catch that gave Alabama the lead for good in the fourth quarter came on a short screen pass that he turned into a sprint for the goal line.

Saturday's game also saw McElroy throw his first touchdown pass since an Oct. 3 trip to Kentucky and the Tide offense's two total scores equaled its total out-put from the last three games combined.

It wasn't all fun and gun for the Tide offense.

Ingram still managed 22 carries and 145 rushing yards - 106 of which came after halftime when the Alabama offense returned to more of its traditional look.

That was all part of the plan, Saban said.

"We knew we were going to come back and try to run the ball at some point in the game and continue to create balance," he said.

Julio not perfect

Sure, Julio Jones will go down as the hero from the LSU win after scoring the game-winning touchdown on a marathon of a screen pass.

His four-catch, 102-yard day wasn't perfect though.

In fact, two of his mistakes cost Alabama mightily at the time they occurred.

First, he dropped a pass that hit him squarely in both hands with Alabama backed down to its own 2-yard line following one of several monster LSU punts. The next play saw Greg McElroy flagged for an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, giving LSU 2 points for a safety. The visitors then scored on the following possession to take a 15-10 lead.

Worse than that, Jones was the 12th man on the field who drew a flag with the Tide facing a third-and-goal from the LSU 2-yard line in the fourth quarter.

Saban spiked his head set to the turf as he chewed out Jones in front of all 92,012 in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Beware of the fines

Just days after Florida coach Urban Meyer was fined $30,000 for publically criticizing officials, Saban was careful to toe the line after the LSU game.

The play in question was the intentional grounding flag McElroy drew in the third quarter that resulted in a safety.

"I thought it was probably a pretty good call," Saban said. "(Referee) Tom (Ritter) does a really good job and he has good judgment and I couldn't disagree with him."

McElroy said he was trying to pass the ball to Ingram when he was hit and the quarterback steered clear of any controversy in the postgame interviews.

"(Ritter) just said it was a judgment call," McElroy said. "And I can't disagree with him."

Replay broken, fixed

The most important rewind button in Bryant-Denny Stadium was not operational when needed early in Saturday's game.

Alabama's first offensive play saw tight end Brad Smelley have a catch ruled incomplete in front of the LSU sideline. But instead of an official review, the Alabama crowd rained boos when referee Tom Ritter announced the replay system was not operational.

Through an Alabama spokesman, the SEC's Mark Womack said the replay equipment malfunctioned right after kickoff. Just plays after the incompletion in question, Ritter announced the system was operational once again.

It came in handy late in the game when a potential LSU interception was confirmed to be an incomplete pass on the Alabama's drive capped by Leigh Tiffin's 40-yard, game-sealing field goal.

Tigers linebacker Harry Coleman said he thought cornerback Patrick Peterson made the interception.

"The play happened really fast, but we all thought he got his foot down," Coleman said. "It looked like there was a mark where he dragged his foot, but apparently not. It was a tough game. We fought hard, so it is a tough loss."

LSU hurry up

Alabama expects a new wrinkle from opponents every week so to keep its defense off-balance.

The innovation LSU used was a hurry-up offense. Alabama appeared rushed several times making substitutions with the Tigers rushing back to the line for the next play.

"Overall, we did well. I don't think we played our best game, but we did enough to win," Alabama Safety Mark Barron said. "LSU's offense did a couple of things we weren't prepared for, so we had to make some adjustments as the game went on. I feel like we did a pretty good job of that."

Injuries

Terry Grant's battle with a pulled muscle kept him from dressing for Saturday's game. He was not listed on the depth chart and Julio Jones filled in for the junior on kickoff return duties.

Also listed as day-to-day coming into the game, tight end Colin Peek played but did not catch a pass against LSU. He suffered a sprained knee in pregame warm-ups two weeks ago against Tennessee.

"Peek played a little bit, but was probably not 100 percent effective," Saban said. "But hopefully he'll continue to improve and we'll get him back next week."

Following a kickoff return, Arenas also went down briefly, but he said he simply got the wind knocked out of him.

Tiffin breaks record

With his 10 points scored on three field goals and one extra-point, Leigh Tiffin became Alabama's all-time leading scorer. He now has 348 career points to pass Phillip Doyle's 345 amassed from 1987-1990.

"All that has been a by-product of us doing our job," Tiffin said. "I don't ever worry about it. Those kinds of things take care of themselves. I just try and go out there and do my job."

Saturday's three field goals leaves the Muscle Shoals product just two shy of Doyle's career record of 78.

The Wildcat offense had been a big part of the Alabama offense recently. Saturday, it was almost non-existent.

Just three plays were run from the new-aged formation and a 3-yard Ingram run was the most successful of the bunch. The first attempt resulted in a high, fumbled snap recovered by Ingram on the first possession.

The Tide went back to the Wildcat in the third quarter when it attempted just its second pass of the season. Ingram took the shotgun snap, pitched to Julio Jones who tossed it back to McElroy. Tight end Brad Smelley was open down field, but McElroy overthrew him for an incomplete pass.