Hype, Hoopla, Clutter and Kool-Aide

~ Ken Keller 

   Storylines galore exist as storied football giants Alabama (13-0) and Texas (13-0) are on a colossal collision course for the BCS national championship. It’s #1 versus #2. SEC versus Big 12. Heismann Trophy jinx. Saban versus disciple Muschamp. McElroy against McCoy. David versus Goliath? As anticipation builds to a crescendo in a forthcoming Pasadena showdown, Nick Saban and his players are using words like ‘avoiding the clutter’ and not ‘drinking the kool-aide’ in efforts to stay focused and win their first national championship since 1992. An Alabama victory would give Nick Saban the distinction of being the only coach in NCAA history to win national titles with two different Division 1 teams (LSU 2003).

   ESPN gameday analyst Kirk Herbstreit questioned Alabama head coach Nick Saban on how he was going to mentally prepare his team ‘when 83% of America was picking the Tide to win as opposed to only 17% picking Texas?’ Saban emphatically snarled back at Herbie and responded, “You guys are setting us up! This is a ‘Goliath versus Goliath’ matchup, not a David versus Goliath! Why do you guys always have to tout one team as David and one team Goliath? Why can’t you just say it is two good teams who won their conference championships playing each other?”

   Saban has pulled out all Stoops-I mean stops to pull his Tide out of the clouds after a 32-13 pummeling of the mighty Florida Gators in the SEC Championship. Texas is enraged that Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops flew into Tuscaloosa on December 23 to casually take in a Bama practice session. The probability is significantly higher that Stoops and Saban swapped Texas notes as opposed to Christmas cards.

   Mental toughness has been the mantra of Saban’s success at Alabama. Credit Saban for hiring Pacific Institute, a Seattle based company that has conducted mental conditioning classes for Crimson Tide players since the spring of 2008. The Pacific Institute conducts classes in the off season and stays in touch with players periodically during the season. Alabama’s instructors, former players Nesby Glascow and Antowaine Richardson, attended the Utah, Tennessee, and Florida games and plan to be in Pasadena. Since going 7-6 in 2007 his first season with Shula’s holdovers, Saban is 25-2 the last two years including a sizzling 24-0 in the regular season. Oklahoma and Florida State have taken notice and look to hire Pacific Institute in hopes of replicating Alabama’s recent success.

   Tide QB Greg McElroy’s mental progression relative to this season has been evident. The Rhodes Scholar candidate had this to say regarding Pacific, “They’ve proved to us you can be much more effective if your mind is allowing you to be effective.” How much more effective can you get, Greg? The redshirt junior has patiently waited his turn at Alabama, serving as an understudy to Brodie Croyle and John Parker Wilson. ‘G-Mac’, as he is called by his teammates, displays calmness and leadership under pressure as evidenced by his 7-8 passing against Auburn on the game winning drive at the Plains. Amazingly, he has never lost a game he has started either in high school or at Alabama. McElroy looked like the previous Heismann Trophy winner in the Florida game instead of #15 donned in orange and blue. With his head, his arm, and his feet, McElroy out played Tebow, and had a huge impact in teammate Mark Ingram’s winning the Heismann by giving Alabama’s offense balance and efficiency.

   Now McElroy gets a shot at Texas. The team that did not offer him a scholarship. Deemed ‘too slow’ by Mack Brown and staff, McElroy was Mike Shula’s backup plan after Tebow choose Florida over Alabama with his verbal commitment. Had Tebow signed with Alabama, Shula would probably still be in charge at his alma matter. Tebow’s loss would eventually become Saban’s gain. Sitting on an offer from Texas Tech, Bama beat the Red Raiders in the Cotton Bowl 13-10 as McElroy watched from his living room as a high school senior. When Tebow choose the Gators, McElroy accepted Shula’s offer to become a Crimson Tider. His game is more like Jay Barker’s than Joe Namath’s, but Greg McElroy has his chance to be mentioned with both in Alabama’s Bear Bryant Museum.

   His undefeated streak faces its stiffest foe to date against Texas, a team blazing a trail of its own having won 26 of its last 27 games, its lone loss to Texas Tech by a single point in 2008. Texas signal-caller Colt McCoy is ready for the challenge and poses an imminent threat to Bama’s pass defense. Soon after this year’s Heismann announcement went to Ingram, McCoy reportedly text messaged an assistant coach “Game on.” Eerily similar was ex-Texas QB, current Tennessee Titan Vince Young, who in 2005 lost out to USC scatback Reggie Bush for the Heismann trophy. Young would recoil to lead Texas to a thrilling 41-38 BCS championship victory over the men of Troy. As history shows, that game was played at none other than, you guessed it-Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. Undoubtedly, McCoy has planted that mental parallel in his mind for this game. He has completed an NCAA leading 70% of his passes. The Tide is allowing only a 47.2% completion percentage, and has intercepted 20 passes this season. McCoy must beware Tide sophomore sensation Mark Baron. The‘Red-Baron’ has a nose for the ball evidenced by his SEC leading seven interceptions. Bama has made some good quarterbacks look very bad this season. For Texas to win, McCoy must be closer to that 70% completion mark than the 47% one.

   Longhorn offensive coordinator Greg Davis along with former Texas QB and Tide offensive coordinator Major Applewhite will look to hit big plays against corners Marquis Johnson and Kareem Jackson. McCoy’s favorite target, Jordan Shipley has a propensity to make spectacular plays in clutch situations and will have to make several for Texas to win Thursday. The urgency for Texas’ dynamic duo to connect is paramount because the Longhorn rushing attack is ranked #55 in the nation. Alabama has held 22 of its last 27 foes under 100 yards and is one of only five teams this season not to allow a 100 yard rusher. The last running back to eclipse 100 yards on Bama was Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis on October 13, 2007 at Mississippi. That was 33 games ago.

   Texas and Alabama are the two best, hottest teams in college football. Had they played the week after their conference championships, I would have picked Bama by 14-17 points. Texas is relishing the underdog role and will match the Tide’s emotion and physicality in the trenches. Saban has done everything right to prepare his team amid the clutter. However, the flavor of the day here says that Nick has ‘overmixed the kool-aide’, and that Texas is the team that comes in with swagger stemming from a historic 7-0-1 record against Bama. Mack Brown will have his players more relaxed and the Longhorn special teams will make a big play. To ward off enemy sneak attacks, Nick Saban had a privacy fence erected around Alabama’s Costa-Mesa practice facility at Thomas-Drew field for bowl practices. The Tide’s vaunted defense will not be able to close the curtain on the Texas endzone in Pasadena. The gatorade bucket spills on the winning coaches’ sidelines Thursday night: that color will have an orange hue. Prediction: Texas 31, Alabama 27 in a game that lives up to the hype.