TIDE REPORT: The Bye Week Edition

It’s time for another edition of the Tide Report to get you caught up on the latest happenings surrounding Alabama athletics.

With the Crimson Tide having their bye week this coming weekend, Monday was a slow day in football news in Tuscaloosa. Coach Nick Saban’s normally scheduled Monday press conference was moved to today and the team took yesterday off from practice. I guess for today I can just ramble about the Tennessee game and the big showdown coming up against LSU.

The Tide got the win against the Vols but it wasn’t as much as most predicted and I think there were various reasons why. With the combination of Altee Tenpenny’s tragic death, plus so many games in a row without a rest, and the fact that Tennessee isn’t a bad team made the game much closer than what was expected. Like Coach Saban said, the wins are better than the losses no matter how you get them.

Next: Alvin Kamara's Tribute To Altee Tenpenny

Regardless what some full-fledged Gump may have said on Twitter, the offense is getting better in some areas. Quarterback Jake Coker is starting to get more comfortable and starting to look better as the season progresses. He took command on the drive that allowed Alabama to take the lead and that is what you want. To borrow another Saban quote, he took the bull by the horns. The offensive line needs to get a bit better on pass protection to give him just a bit more time, though. The bye week comes at a great time to work on things as well as giving the players time to rest up and recover if they have some nagging injuries.

I was also really pleased with the way wide receiver ArDarius Stewart stepped on Saturday. That’s what I had been wanting to see from him since the first of the season. Calvin Ridley was also outstanding. Just think. We have him for at least two more years after this season.

In a little less than two weeks, LSU comes to town in what will be an extremely important game in the race for the SEC West. This is almost an every year thing. Two brick walls will meet and one will have to win: Leonard Fournette against the Tide’s rushing defense. Early lines have Alabama favored by 6.5 points. The Tigers quarterback Brandon Harris has started looking better but he will have to deal with an improved Tide secondary in an environment that you know will be unlike anything he has experienced this season. That’s not to mention a defense that leads the conference in sacks. Can he cut it? We will find out soon.

Sit back and relax for the next few days. We still got a while before the Tigers come to town and we can actually watch some football this weekend without the threat of a coronary episode. The referee excuses have already started from LSU fans so you can tell that it’s not too far in the future. Let’s make it five in a row.

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