Homecoming 2008 Set

Ian Rapoport is reporting that Alabama has set its opponent for Homecoming 2008 – Arkansas State.

My first thought of Arkansas State?  I think back to the Indians (is that still their nickname?) visiting the Tide during the 1982 season. I believe Larry Lacewell was the Indians’ coach at the time.

My second thought is that I hope this doesn’t turn into another cupcake nightmare like Duke (’06) and La.-Monroe (’07), et al.

Hopefully, we’ll start (or renew) the tradition of eating cupcakes on fall Saturdays, rather than wearing them.

Real Clear Sports

I’ve read Realclearpolitics.com on and off for several years. Today I noticed Realclearsports.com. It should quickly turn into one of your daily reads.

ready for the inside trap

Looks like former Bama defensive coordinator Joe Kines will be hired as the new defensive boss at Texas A&M. Kines was a real asset to the Tide, except for that 4th and 19 call against UT, and generally is known as a nice guy, so I’m glad to see him back in the game.

If Kines is hired by Mike Sherman it will also probably serve to salve some of the wounds (at least among the fans) between Alabama and Texas A&M.

Mercedes Half Marathon

After months of training, Bryant Drive laid it on the line this morning. That’s right, I laced up the Nikes and headed to downtown Birmingham for the 8th annual Mercedes Marathon. Well, that’d be the half marathon for yours truly.

My training partner, a local high school football coach, and I have been training since late September. That has meant rising by 4:40 a.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for a short to medium run and then heading out for a long run each Saturday. At the peak of our training that meant about 11 to 15 miles through the week and up to 13 on the weekends. We maxed out at 16 miles on MLK day and my partner also pulled up lame that day with a calf injury that wound up preventing him from running today.

My goal for today’s run was a total time of two hours. That equates to a pace of nine minutes per mile. That’s not setting the woods on fire, but it’s also not too bad for me. I finished about nine minute ahead of schedule with a time of 1:51 and some change.

The race course pretty much mirrors Birmingham. Some flat stretches, lots of rolling hills and some pretty big climbs as well.

I would critique my race like this: I ran too fast too soon. In most races I like to push the pace (adrenaline usually helps that out), but also save some for a final push to the finish line. Not so today. I pushed early, my first three miles were around 8:30, 8:10 and 8:10, but by mile four I knew I had pushed too much. Miles 4-6 were pretty much a climb and by the start of mile 7 the mental battle was on. Around miles 9-10 we went up the biggest climb of the day and though miles 10-13 were downhill or flat, I was spent. I crossed the line with a time just over 1:51.

I really didn’t worry about finishing the race. I had put in the miles and had gone over 13 before, but the hills were a little tougher than I figured they would be.

So, I thank the Lord for being able to run and finish. And now I contemplate retiring while my running buddy makes plans for our assault on the Nashville marathon in April.

Bryant Drive Lives

I’m sure there were never any regular Bryant Drive readers - heck, I’m not even sure if the writer was regular - but Bryant Drive does indeed still live.

It was not an easy fall for Bryant Drive.  A four game losing skid and some family issues made regular blogging almost impossible and not a priority.

But today is a new day and the Tide is loading up, so there should be some fun stuff to talk about over the next few years.

Roll Tide.

Beat Down in T-Town?

Eight in the Box: “Could things get ugly on Nov. 3rd?”

Bama vs. Bulldogs Set for Lincoln Financial Sports

From The Clarion-Ledger:

The Nov. 10 Mississippi State-Alabama football game at Scott Field in Starkville will be televised by Lincoln Financial Sports and start at 11:30 a.m., the Southeastern Conference office announced today.

The Bulldogs (5-4), who don’t play this Saturday, are coming off a 31-14 upset victory last Saturday over then No. 14-ranked Kentucky. One more victory will make give MSU the six wins needed to be eligible for a bowl trip for the first time since 2000.

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Ole Miss Suspends Hardy

From Espn.com:

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi coach Ed Orgeron said Monday he has suspended defensive end Greg Hardy for a violation of team rules.

Orgeron said the suspension is indefinite and offered few details, though he did say later that the Southeastern Conference’s sack leader was not in legal trouble.

“I think I have a very, very disciplined team,” Orgeron said. “I think the guys know if they violate team rules there are consequences.”

Hardy, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound sophomore from Memphis, leads the SEC with eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. He was left home and did not play in Saturday’s 17-3 loss at Auburn. The Rebels play Northwestern State of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) on Saturday in Oxford.

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Sorry for the Pause

Sorry for the pause in blogging.  Mrs. Bryant Drive and I were sent out of town last week on business.

Vols Pick Up Intensity for Tide

From The Tennessean and WBIR.com:

KNOXVILLE - Sometimes the magnitude of a college football game can be summed up without words.

A muted scene took place earlier this week in the Tennessee football offices. It silently spoke to the seriousness of the UT-Alabama rivalry, which resumes Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Vols’ quarterback Erik Ainge was studying film of Alabama by himself when UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe walked by. Cutcliffe, a typically-cordial man, looked at Ainge, gave a quick head nod and kept walking.

No time for small talk. No time for niceties.

There was work to be done.

“It was Tuesday morning,” Ainge recalled. “And it was straight business.”

Tennessee-Alabama week is a serious seven-day stretch when coaches get a little quieter, players work a little harder, and fans get a little feistier. Books have been written about it, weddings are scheduled around it, and births have been induced early because of it. It’s always called the “Third Saturday in October,” even in those rare instances when it’s not actually played on the third Saturday in October.

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