Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
The indelible images of the 2012 season may have very well come from the five-play, 72-yard drive against LSU in Tiger Stadium, capped off by a 28-yard screen pass from AJ McCarron to T.J. Yeldon for the game-winning touchdown.
McCarron was 4 of 5 passing on the drive with three consecutive completions to Kevin Norwood before lofting the deciding pass to Yeldon.
It proved that McCarron deserved to be mentioned among the game's best, most clutch quarterbacks.
"It was a great drive," McCarron said. "We had a lot of guys injured that game. (Amari Cooper) wasn't 100 percent and ended up not even playing most of the game. We had to play guys in positions that they hadn't played all year, so we had no timing whatsoever in the passing game. It was rough. We turned the ball over and had that fumble. But it was a great drive for us at such a critical time in the game. For us to come out with a score was the difference in the game."
For others, the drive is a blur. Even to the guy who accounted for 44 of the 72 yards.
"Only thing I remember is T.J. scoring on the last one and me taking a knee and like, just basically, 'Oh, thank you,' " Norwood said.
Asked if he remembered any of his catches, Norwood laughed.
"I remember a couple. Yeah, I remember a couple. After ... actually, the only one I remember is the corner route, to be honest."
Buzz in the air
As much as it gets downplayed during the week, the Alabama-LSU game is special to the players. There is a buzz about it.
"Oh, definitely. This is an exciting game," Norwood said. "If nobody's excited about this game, they do not need to be here. It's just the tradition around here, man. It's just awesome, especially playing against these guys."
It might mean more to the Alabama players from Louisiana.
"You always want to go back and be able to say you did good when you played against your home-state teams. It's just one of those weeks," Denzel Devall, from Bastrop, La., said.
LSU coach Les Miles said it's easier to prepare his team for a game like this.
"What it's like is just a little more energy in the step of your team, their attention to detail is greater," Miles told reporters Monday. "Their attention to watching film and extra time is something that they put in. And, yeah, I enjoy it very much. I've always enjoyed the competition with some of the better teams in this country, and certainly Alabama is that."
But not everyone gets caught up in the hype.
"Just another game," McCarron said. "You know me, I don't care who we're playing. LSU, of course, is a great program. A lot of great history there. I've known Coach Miles for awhile. He recruited me while he was at LSU. Sat down and talked to him plenty of times during that whole process. Great guy. Great coach. We know it doesn't matter what their record is. They're always ready to play us, and it's always a tough game."
Defending LSU duo
LSU wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry are having All-America-type seasons for the Tigers.
Beckham leads the team in receiving yards with 1,009 on 48 receptions for eight touchdowns. Landry has 58 catches for 882 yards and eight touchdowns.
UA coach Nick Saban said they present a big challenge for the secondary.
"The combination of these two guys are as good a receivers as we've played against all year long," Saban said. "Not the same style as the Texas A&M guys, but very quick, very athletic. They have the speed to get on top. Very smart in terms of route runners.
"They do a good job of putting them in various positions that makes them difficult to cover and get the kind of matchups on that you'd like. These two guys, to me, are the most challenging group that we've played against all year long."
McCarron a semifinalist
McCarron joined 15 others as semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, the organization announced Monday.
The others are: Blake Bortles, Central Florida; Tajh Boyd, Clemson; Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville; Derek Carr, Fresno State; Brett Hundley, UCLA; Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois; Sean Mannion, Oregon State; Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M; Marcus Mariota, Oregon; Zach Mettenberger, LSU; Braxton Miller, Ohio State; Aaron Murray, Georgia; Bryce Petty, Baylor; Connor Shaw, South Carolina; and Jameis Winston, Florida State.
Mississippi State kickoff time
Alabama's Nov. 16 game at Mississippi State will air at 6 or 6:45 p.m., the Southeastern Conference announced Monday. The game will be broadcast on either ESPN or ESPN2.
CBS has the first choice for the game and will wait to see if Auburn defeats Tennessee this Saturday. If that happens, CBS will likely choose the Auburn-Georgia game for its 2:30 p.m. slot.
http://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1570753
TideSports.com Senior Writer
The indelible images of the 2012 season may have very well come from the five-play, 72-yard drive against LSU in Tiger Stadium, capped off by a 28-yard screen pass from AJ McCarron to T.J. Yeldon for the game-winning touchdown.
McCarron was 4 of 5 passing on the drive with three consecutive completions to Kevin Norwood before lofting the deciding pass to Yeldon.
It proved that McCarron deserved to be mentioned among the game's best, most clutch quarterbacks.
"It was a great drive," McCarron said. "We had a lot of guys injured that game. (Amari Cooper) wasn't 100 percent and ended up not even playing most of the game. We had to play guys in positions that they hadn't played all year, so we had no timing whatsoever in the passing game. It was rough. We turned the ball over and had that fumble. But it was a great drive for us at such a critical time in the game. For us to come out with a score was the difference in the game."
For others, the drive is a blur. Even to the guy who accounted for 44 of the 72 yards.
"Only thing I remember is T.J. scoring on the last one and me taking a knee and like, just basically, 'Oh, thank you,' " Norwood said.
Asked if he remembered any of his catches, Norwood laughed.
"I remember a couple. Yeah, I remember a couple. After ... actually, the only one I remember is the corner route, to be honest."
Buzz in the air
As much as it gets downplayed during the week, the Alabama-LSU game is special to the players. There is a buzz about it.
"Oh, definitely. This is an exciting game," Norwood said. "If nobody's excited about this game, they do not need to be here. It's just the tradition around here, man. It's just awesome, especially playing against these guys."
It might mean more to the Alabama players from Louisiana.
"You always want to go back and be able to say you did good when you played against your home-state teams. It's just one of those weeks," Denzel Devall, from Bastrop, La., said.
LSU coach Les Miles said it's easier to prepare his team for a game like this.
"What it's like is just a little more energy in the step of your team, their attention to detail is greater," Miles told reporters Monday. "Their attention to watching film and extra time is something that they put in. And, yeah, I enjoy it very much. I've always enjoyed the competition with some of the better teams in this country, and certainly Alabama is that."
But not everyone gets caught up in the hype.
"Just another game," McCarron said. "You know me, I don't care who we're playing. LSU, of course, is a great program. A lot of great history there. I've known Coach Miles for awhile. He recruited me while he was at LSU. Sat down and talked to him plenty of times during that whole process. Great guy. Great coach. We know it doesn't matter what their record is. They're always ready to play us, and it's always a tough game."
Defending LSU duo
LSU wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry are having All-America-type seasons for the Tigers.
Beckham leads the team in receiving yards with 1,009 on 48 receptions for eight touchdowns. Landry has 58 catches for 882 yards and eight touchdowns.
UA coach Nick Saban said they present a big challenge for the secondary.
"The combination of these two guys are as good a receivers as we've played against all year long," Saban said. "Not the same style as the Texas A&M guys, but very quick, very athletic. They have the speed to get on top. Very smart in terms of route runners.
"They do a good job of putting them in various positions that makes them difficult to cover and get the kind of matchups on that you'd like. These two guys, to me, are the most challenging group that we've played against all year long."
McCarron a semifinalist
McCarron joined 15 others as semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, the organization announced Monday.
The others are: Blake Bortles, Central Florida; Tajh Boyd, Clemson; Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville; Derek Carr, Fresno State; Brett Hundley, UCLA; Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois; Sean Mannion, Oregon State; Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M; Marcus Mariota, Oregon; Zach Mettenberger, LSU; Braxton Miller, Ohio State; Aaron Murray, Georgia; Bryce Petty, Baylor; Connor Shaw, South Carolina; and Jameis Winston, Florida State.
Mississippi State kickoff time
Alabama's Nov. 16 game at Mississippi State will air at 6 or 6:45 p.m., the Southeastern Conference announced Monday. The game will be broadcast on either ESPN or ESPN2.
CBS has the first choice for the game and will wait to see if Auburn defeats Tennessee this Saturday. If that happens, CBS will likely choose the Auburn-Georgia game for its 2:30 p.m. slot.
http://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1570753
