Noah.Dreams
11-02-2005, 10:31 AM
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Huntsville Times
Shula not obsessed with national picture
TUSCALOOSA - With the Crimson Tide in contention to play in the Rose Bowl for the national championship, coach Mike Shula said he doesn't spend his spare time checking scores around the country.
Alabama is fourth in the latest BCS rankings and the top two teams will play for the national title. The Tide will likely need two of the three teams ahead of it to lose to advance to the championship game.
But Shula maintained Tuesday that he doesn't keep an eye on the three teams ahead of Alabama in the hopes that they falter.
"About like I've done every other week since I've been here," Shula said of his scoreboard watching. "We've had some friends over after a game, and they like to watch it, so we'll watch it. We spend a couple of hours to enjoy the wins."
Then Shula talked about the focus which he preaches to his team on a daily basis.
"I try not (study the BCS) because I know if I'm thinking about it (Saturday night), I'll probably think about it the next day and the next day," Shula said. "I'm thinking about it right now, and I'm cheating our team getting ourselves ready for Saturday."
Castille limited: Fullback Tim Castille wore an orange jersey for injured players at Tuesday's practice, and his status remains unclear for Saturday's game at Mississippi State.
"We're taking it easy on Tim," running backs coach Sparky Woods said following Tuesday's workout. "He's a little ginger, and we want to give that ankle a chance to heal. He knows what to do, and he's had a lot of reps.
"But the biggest thing is we want him to be full speed and ready to go into this November deal."
Asked if Castille would be ready for the Bulldogs, Woods said, "I really don't know. I guess it's kind of wait and see."
Meanwhile, receiver Keith Brown said he was full speed in practice after missing last Saturday's game against Utah State with a deep thigh bruise. But Brown disputed Shula's assessment that he could have played if necessary. "To be honest, I don't think I was able to play but I was willing to play," Brown said.
Red zone rising: Statistically, Alabama has the best defense in the SEC when opponents march inside the 20-yard line.
Opponents have scored on 10 of 19 trips into the red zone - a 52.6 percentage rate that's the best among SEC defenses. The Tide has surrendered four touchdowns and six field goals.
"You have to have the mentality that they aren't getting in," linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "Everybody turns it on then."
Number crunching: From the strange-but-true category, Alabama has scored 57 points this season in both the first and third quarters. And it's scored 44 points in the second and fourth quarters.
Kenneth Darby - the SEC's leading rusher with 105.8 yards per game - has gained 67 percent of his yards in the second half. He's gained 309 yards in the first half and 537 yards in the second half. He's also scored all three TDs in the second half.
Finally, with a win over MSU, the Tide would have six SEC wins - one more than it's had in the past two seasons combined.
Huntsville Times
Shula not obsessed with national picture
TUSCALOOSA - With the Crimson Tide in contention to play in the Rose Bowl for the national championship, coach Mike Shula said he doesn't spend his spare time checking scores around the country.
Alabama is fourth in the latest BCS rankings and the top two teams will play for the national title. The Tide will likely need two of the three teams ahead of it to lose to advance to the championship game.
But Shula maintained Tuesday that he doesn't keep an eye on the three teams ahead of Alabama in the hopes that they falter.
"About like I've done every other week since I've been here," Shula said of his scoreboard watching. "We've had some friends over after a game, and they like to watch it, so we'll watch it. We spend a couple of hours to enjoy the wins."
Then Shula talked about the focus which he preaches to his team on a daily basis.
"I try not (study the BCS) because I know if I'm thinking about it (Saturday night), I'll probably think about it the next day and the next day," Shula said. "I'm thinking about it right now, and I'm cheating our team getting ourselves ready for Saturday."
Castille limited: Fullback Tim Castille wore an orange jersey for injured players at Tuesday's practice, and his status remains unclear for Saturday's game at Mississippi State.
"We're taking it easy on Tim," running backs coach Sparky Woods said following Tuesday's workout. "He's a little ginger, and we want to give that ankle a chance to heal. He knows what to do, and he's had a lot of reps.
"But the biggest thing is we want him to be full speed and ready to go into this November deal."
Asked if Castille would be ready for the Bulldogs, Woods said, "I really don't know. I guess it's kind of wait and see."
Meanwhile, receiver Keith Brown said he was full speed in practice after missing last Saturday's game against Utah State with a deep thigh bruise. But Brown disputed Shula's assessment that he could have played if necessary. "To be honest, I don't think I was able to play but I was willing to play," Brown said.
Red zone rising: Statistically, Alabama has the best defense in the SEC when opponents march inside the 20-yard line.
Opponents have scored on 10 of 19 trips into the red zone - a 52.6 percentage rate that's the best among SEC defenses. The Tide has surrendered four touchdowns and six field goals.
"You have to have the mentality that they aren't getting in," linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "Everybody turns it on then."
Number crunching: From the strange-but-true category, Alabama has scored 57 points this season in both the first and third quarters. And it's scored 44 points in the second and fourth quarters.
Kenneth Darby - the SEC's leading rusher with 105.8 yards per game - has gained 67 percent of his yards in the second half. He's gained 309 yards in the first half and 537 yards in the second half. He's also scored all three TDs in the second half.
Finally, with a win over MSU, the Tide would have six SEC wins - one more than it's had in the past two seasons combined.