Crimson Notes 11/29/10: Tide Injury Report

Outside of the obvious injury known as “heartbreak,” the Alabama Crimson Tide did sustain several injuries on Friday afternoon against the Auburn Tigers.

The most evident injury involved Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy. In the closing stages of the game McElroy was sacked and slammed to the Bryant-Denny turf which caused a concussion.

McElroy is on the road to recovery and will be in good health for the bowl game, but the injury was certainly a scary moment for Tide fans.

On the flipside, Tide safety Mark Barron sustained an injury view fans were able to detect.

Barron suffered a torn pectoral muscle while attempting to strip the football from the hands of wide receiver Emory Blake on the initial Auburn touchdown.

Blake juggled the football and in the process of trying to dislodge the ball from Blake’s hands…Barron was injured.



Unfortunately for Alabama, the injury to Barron would later cost the Tide on the scoreboard.

In the third quarter of play Cameron Newton connected with Terrell Zachery for a 70-yard touchdown. Due to the injury, (inability to lift his arm) Barron was forced to stop and wait for Zachery to make the catch, rather than making an actual play on the football.

The Tide safety is scheduled to have an MRI in order to assess the damage.

In a similar fashion to Greg McElroy, both Darius Hanks and Julio Jones were injured during the latter stages of the game.

Hanks suffered bruised ribs, while Jones sustained a bruised knee on a kickoff return.

Jones was able to return to the field for the final series of the game, but the Tide leading receiver stood alone while McElroy and Hanks remained sidelined.

Season Tickets

Guest post by Terrell House

Since moving to Pittsburgh a few years ago, I have slowly been learning all that the city offers. There are museums, amusement parks, aviaries, science centers, and so many other things a person can do. There are so many stores that offer unique items and the restaurants are just amazing. It wasn't until last year that I started to become a true Pittsburgher by following the Penguins. They had just fired their coach mid-season and a new unknown coach was coming in to save the day. Not only did he do that, he also took them to the playoffs. The team was on fire, and the fans were in a frenzy.

People who showed no interest in hockey suddenly became interested. That is how I fell into it. The news stories started getting longer, so I finally tuned into a game one night on my Satellite TV. One thing I can say is it is definitely an addictive game. Those guys have to be in incredible physical shape to take the brutal hits they take and still be able to play. I'd be in bed for a week if I was hit even half as hard by someone. I really enjoy the game now and I have even submitted a request to have season tickets. There is a waiting list for it, so almost 4,000 people are in front of me on it. That's okay though, I am patient.

Teflon Tigers: Auburn, Newton Defeat Alabama

The dream season will continue for the Auburn Tigers as once again they proved that no deficit is too much to overcome.

Cameron Newton threw three touchdowns and ran for another as the Auburn Tigers stormed back from a 24-0 deficit to claim the 75th “Iron Bowl”…28-27.

At this stage in the season it appears the only thing that can stop Auburn…is the NCAA committee on infractions. When all is said and done the Tigers may not be “Teflon,” but from a football standpoint…Auburn can’t be matched.

Call it talent, call it luck or call it a combination of both, the Auburn Tigers are on the verge of a national championship.

In respect to the “Iron Bowl”…Alabama had the perfect scheme on both sides of the ball…for the initial half.

The Crimson Tide stormed out of the gate and took a 21-0 lead before Auburn was able to garner a single first down.

During the early stages of the contest, Alabama held a 314-2 advantage in respect to total yards.



However, when the game ended, the 75th “Iron Bowl” would not be known for the amazing Alabama offensive performance or the defensive scheme that finally put a stop to Cameron Newton and the Auburn offense.

The 2010 version of the “Iron Bowl” will forever be remembered as…”Choke ‘Bama Choke.”

In what has officially been called the greatest comeback in Auburn football history and the biggest collapse in the last 50 years of Alabama football…”Choke ‘Bama Choke” seems like the perfect title.

In what can only be described as a “vanilla” offense (second half) and a series of missed scoring opportunities, the Alabama offensive unit handed Auburn an early Christmas present.

In retrospect, this game was more about what Alabama didn’t do…rather than what Auburn actually accomplished.



The Alabama offense left as many as four touchdowns on the table…and it was certainly the difference in the game.

Alabama scored 21 points in the initial period of play…yet only managed to score 6 points the rest of the game.

Numerous touchdowns squandered, critical turnovers and a very “vanilla/safe” Alabama offense in the second half proved to be the destruction of the Crimson Tide on Friday afternoon.

The Auburn Tigers were “out for the count,” but instead of finishing
the fight…Alabama helped them off the mat.

When the chips were down, the Alabama Crimson Tide didn’t end the Auburn “dream season”…they saved it.

Coming Soon: Alabama Injury Report

IRON BOWL 2010: “Newton Show” Bad for Tigers

On Friday afternoon, the 75th meeting between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide will take place at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Surrounded by a cloud of controversy involving quarterback Cameron Newton, the Auburn Tigers will look to remain undefeated and keep their national championship hopes alive.

The “Iron Bowl” has always been one of the biggest rivalries in the history of college football, but when the stakes are this
high…the intensity and anxiety simply can’t be measured.

Based on simple statistics, the 2010 version of the “Iron Bowl” could very well be a high scoring battle in which the last team with the ball…wins.

However, when it comes to the “Iron Bowl”…expect the unexpected.

Can the Auburn Tigers handle the pressure? Can the Tigers handle the pressure of being on the verge of something special? Can the Tigers handle the pressure of playing in front of 102,000 screaming fans? Can the Tigers handle the pressure of the biggest “Iron Bowl” in recent memory?

In 2009, the Alabama Crimson Tide traveled to Jordan-Hare Stadium and faced the same pressure the Auburn Tigers will face this Friday.

As we all remember, Alabama had to depend on a game-winning drive in order to save the game…and the season.

The Auburn Tigers are good…very good! However, during the course of the season the explosive Auburn offense (which ran up and down the field) suffered greatly due to the lack of an effective defense.

Cameron Newton ran all over the LSU Tigers and the Auburn rushing statistics were off the charts, yet with five minutes remaining in the game…the score was tied.

The Auburn offense has been forced to carry the defense throughout the course of the 2010 season.

The Auburn Tigers have a perfect record and are on the verge of completing a remarkable season, however, the Tigers have yet to prove themselves as a complete team.

The Auburn offense always seems to do “just enough” to allow the Tigers to celebrate another win, but one can’t help but think the Auburn defense…is on borrowed time.

For the first time all season, the Auburn defense will have to be the “gamechanger” and that could spell serious trouble for the Tigers when push comes to shove.

Cameron Newton has been saving the Auburn defense all season, but come Friday...the jig is up.

ALABAMA 34
AUBURN 28