Super Cooper: WR Amari Cooper on pace to be the best

While my Alabama/Tennessee postgame blog was scratched due to sinus issues which impacted my concentration, Amari Cooper's concentration has been the picture of perfection.

Another game...another record.

Without recapping the events in Knoxville, I will say, just briefly, that I was very disappointed with Alabama's lack of "foot to the floor" mentality in the second half. However, to write what should be quite obvious, a 14-point victory over an SEC rival on the road will forever be a major accomplishment.

Did someone say accomplishment? Yet another perfect segue for Amari Cooper.

Without beating around the bush, I'll simply let a few tweets tell the story in respect to Mr. Cooper. Before the 2014 season comes to an end, Cooper, who is now a real contender for the Heisman, will likely hold every Alabama school record when it comes to receiving.

Twitterville stat time!

Amari Cooper national rank: No. 2 in yards- 1132 No. 2 in ypg- 141.5 No. 3 in TDs- 9 No. 3 in receptions- 71 No. 4 in rec per game- 8.9
— Marquavius Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 26, 2014

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At 71 catches, 1,132 yards, Amari Cooper needs 8 catches to break single-season reception record & 2 yards to break single-season yards mark
— Marquavius Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 26, 2014

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From career standpoint, Amari Cooper has 175 recs & 2,868 yards. Needs 20 catches for career rec record & 56 yards for career yards mark
— Marquavius Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 26, 2014

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Most every high school football player has dreams and aspirations of becoming a collegiate great. In the case of Amari Cooper, I wonder if anyone could have told him that he'd select the University of Alabama and do nothing but break every school record in respect to his position. Heh.

From an individual standpoint in regards to the school he attended, Amari Cooper is on pace to have the perfect career. Only a select few can say that.

Congrats, Amari. If statistics are the proving ground, you're simply the best.

Congrats to Amari Cooper for breaking Julio Jones' single-game receiving yards record on Saturday. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/YTaunFH9yF
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) October 27, 2014

Alabama annihilates Texas A&M, Saban praises intensity

If winning makes everything better, then winning by the tune of 59-0 must be the equivalent of Christmas morning in the middle of October.

Whatever Alabama did wrong against Arkansas, they did everything right, and more, against the Aggies of Texas A&M.

--Click HERE for complete stats--

Courtesy of an offensive juggernaut and a defensive reminiscent of the days of Gene Stallings and the '92 title team, Alabama was high octane in every facet of the game.

FINAL: Alabama 59, Tex A&M 0. Tide's largest margin of victory since 62-0 win vs Tulane in 1991. Largest SEC margin since Vandy '79 (66-3).
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) October 18, 2014

Click the video below to hear what Nick Saban had to say about his team's performance against the Aggies.



For more postgame information be sure to click your choice of RSS feeds found on the left side of this page.

UA survives Hogs, Saban concerned about "this punt thing"

Mercy.

Last night Alabama survived a scare from Arkansas in what looked like a flashback to the days of Dubose and/or Shula.

With enough mental mistakes to drive a crazy person nuts, Alabama, clearly the better team in terms of talent, decided to open hunting season on their own two feet.

--Click HERE for complete stats--

Courtesy of false starts, missed blocking assignments, missed defensive assignments, and a special teams nightmare that appears to be spawning a horror franchise, the Crimson Tide, while still 5-1 with the top prize still in reach, looks like a wobbly wagon at best.

You certainly don't need me to tell you, but if Alabama plays the remainder of the 2014 schedule the way they did against the Razorbacks, Western Carolina will be the only win the Crimson Tide will enjoy until 2015.

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Click the video below to watch Nick Saban's postgame presser following Alabama's 14-13 victory over Arkansas.



For additional information on the status of the Tide, or quite possibly the additional headache, be sure to visit the RSS feeds of your choosing located on the left side of this post.

Make it or break it time for No. 7 Alabama

Just two months ago one could have never dreamed that Alabama's "test of worth" would come in a road contest against Arkansas, but football, as in life, is quite mysterious.

Playing "tight" against Ole Miss, per the admission of several Tide players, a performance this weekend, similar to that of the contest in Oxford, could find Alabama with two losses and a season on the verge of a downward spiral.

The easy schedule Alabama had in June isn't quite so easy in October. While Alabama's tough road will give them a chance to impress the masses and get back in the national title picture, the same bumpy terrain could stick a fork in every expectation the 2014 squad had for this season. A burnt to a crisp Tide before November is not out of the realm of possibility, unfortunately.



Turnovers, missed assignments, enough mental errors to fill Santa's Christmas bag. The Arkansas game will be a test of fundamentals for 'Bama.

Make no mistake, UA is still arguably the most talented team in the nation, but talent can only take you so far. You can be the best defensive back in the nation in terms of talent, but if your head isn't in the game and you don't know who to cover, then it makes no difference how talented you are.

CECIL HURT: Does Alabama still have same mentality it did in 2008? | http://t.co/HvbgWkYjH5 - http://t.co/0mCTJIHYi0-
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) October 10, 2014

If Alabama can roll through the next two months with one loss, enter the SEC title game, and advance to the new college football playoff, Nick Saban will be looking down the scope of coach of the year honors.

How bad does Alabama want it? We'll find out in roughly 24 hours...

Please check the RSS feeds on the left side of this post for all the latest Crimson Tide news via various respected media outlets.

Rockin' Rebels: Ole Miss upsets Alabama

Let the exhales of disappointment commence.

What was billed to be a close game, and potentially an Ole Miss upset, played out just like most of the media had predicted. The unfortunate script was revealed earlier this evening and Alabama was on the raw end of a victory celebration. Ole Miss turned away the Tide by the score of 23-17.

-Click HERE for complete stats-

Ole Miss made plays that Alabama didn't in the second half. Simple as that. Big win for the Rebs.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) October 4, 2014

Personally, I felt that Alabama's offense was far too vanilla against the Rebels. While I wasn't expecting a circus show, I expected some creativity and far more overall consistency.

In respect to Alabama's defense, the Tide held strong in the first half, but when the chips were down in the second half, the 'Bama secondary simply had no answer for the Ole Miss passing game. A Rebel passing game that sealed the victory in the final minutes of play.

Another note of collapse was that of Alabama's special teams...

Special teams damage for Alabama included 2 missed FGs, bad opening kickoff, fumble on one kick return and block in back on the last one.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) October 4, 2014

Many comparisons were made during today's game to that of Alabama/South Carolina in 2010. Now that everything has been said and done, today's contest was virtually identical to that afternoon in Columbia. A sluggish Crimson Tide team was defeated by a hungry squad with something to prove and a quarterback looking for his moment in the sun.

Once the agony of today's defeat melts away, the picture will reveal that Alabama has a lot to play for in 2014, which still includes the ultimate prize. However, in this moment, the Ole Miss Rebels have slayed the giant.

Be sure to visit your choice of postgame stories found in the various RSS feeds on the left side of the page. Click the video below to hear Nick Saban's thoughts on today's game as well as an injury update on various players, most notably that of Kenyan Drake.

Changes to The Crimson Elephant

Since The Crimson Elephant was born in 2009, the goal of this site has been to provide the reader with practice reports, injury reports, game previews, postgame recaps, breaking news, recruiting updates, etc., concerning the University of Alabama football program.

However, after much deliberation, The Crimson Elephant will now focus on commentary and opinions in respect to the above coverage instead of attempting to actually provide the above coverage.

The Crimson Elephant is simply a blog and because of that fact, with only one person steering the ship, the site will now provide RSS feeds, in the left column of the main page, for all the wonderful content created by the paid beat writers who cover the Crimson Tide.

Want the latest practice report? Scroll the RSS feeds. Want the latest game preview of the Tide's next opponent? Scroll the RSS feeds. Want to know what The Crimson Elephant thinks about the latest news? Read the various blog posts.

That subtle change noted above will be enough to dramatically shift the landscape of this blog. Instead of giving the reader the latest injury news, The Crimson Elephant will now provide first person commentary regarding the latest injury news. Reporting is over. Thoughts and opinions are in.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this blog over the years. Here's to many more adventures together while riding The Crimson Elephant.