12.7.12 The Crimson White

ldquoItrsquos a dream come true

This is the stage I dreamed of being on in

high school

Thatrsquos why I came to Alabama

mdash wide reciever AMARI COOPER

ldquo

Few programs tran-scend a sport and few rivalries are able to

incite the masses outside of its own backyard

For these two teams though itrsquos different even personal Two of college footballrsquos most storied pro-grams are set to collide

and national supremacy is on the line The ultimate prize is the BCS National Championship but for those of these fan bases who remember the previous six meetings itrsquos about pride

It doesnrsquot get more com-pelling than Notre Dame and Alabama Itrsquos Touchdown

Jesus going toe-to-toe with the Heart of Dixie

ldquoItrsquos kind of like LakersCeltics or YankeesRed Soxrdquo said ESPNcomrsquos Notre Dame blogger Matt Fortuna ldquoThe rivalry may not be as intense but when you think about col-lege football these are the

two programs that come to mindrdquo

Both teams found a way to get it done when it mattered most taking two completely differ-ent paths to the national championship game

By Marquavius Burnett | Sports Editor

SEE CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE 3

26 Number of passing touchdowns thrown by AJ McCarron a school record

500 Number of points scored by the Alabamarsquos offense a school record

62 Number of Alabama offensive touchdowns a school record

1000 Number of yards rushed for by TJ Yeldon an Alabama freshman

running back record

9 Number of receiving touchdowns for Amari Cooper a freshman receiving record

2 Number of running backs to eclipse 1000 yards this season a first in Alabama history

28 Number of turnovers forced by Alabamarsquos defense this season eight more than last year

33 Number of sacks by Alabamarsquos defense three more than last year

4 Number of shutouts by Alabamarsquos defense one more than last year

7997 Average rushing yards for Alabama opponents this season best in the nation

246 Average total offense per game for Alabama opponents this sea-son best in the nation

MVP

center Barrett Jones

Jones is the heart and soul of Alabamarsquos 2012 team His move from tackle to center was nearly seamless and hersquos played every position on the line during his career when needed Jonesrsquos trophy case will need some cleaning off as the senior is up for the Rimington and Lombardi awards and was already named winner of the William V Campbell Trophy

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

quarterback AJ McCarron

McCarron led an Alabama offense that averaged 385 points per game while limiting his mistakes McCarron set school records for most consecutive completions without an interception (289) and passing touchdowns in a season (26) while lead-ing the country in passing efficiency

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

linebacker CJ Mosley

Mosley was the spirit of an Alabama defense that led the nation in scoring defense and total defense He stepped in for linebacker Dontrsquoa Hightower who was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots

FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

wide receiver Amari Cooper

Cooper starred in a big way for a receiving corps decimated by injuries He led the team in receiving with 895 yards which was more than double the second-leading receiver (Kenny Bell 431) His touchdown grab in the SEC Championship Game punched Alabamarsquos ticket to the national championship game

MOST IMPROVED

defensive back Dee Milliner

Milliner mostly played as the third cornerback during his first two years at Alabama behind Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie who are both playing on Sundays But given the number one spot his junior year Milliner has been the shutdown corner of Alabamarsquos secondary

STAFF AWARDSkle to center was nearly when needed Jonesrsquos ington and Lombardi

ophy

EAR

while limiting etions without ad-

AR

ring wer nd

EAR

s He led the team in ing receiver (Kenny Bell abamarsquos ticket to the

g y

rs at Alabama Sundays But given orner of Alabamarsquos

CW | Austin Bigoney

CW | Jingyu Wan

Page 2bull FridayDecember 7 2012

The Crimson White is the community newspaper of The University of Alabama The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students The University of Alabama cannot influ-ence editorial decisions and editorial opinions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opinions of the University Advertising offices of The Crimson White are on the first floor Student Publications Building 923 University Blvd The adver-tising mailing address is PO Box 2389 Tuscaloosa AL 35403-2389 The Crimson White (USPS 138020) is published four times weekly when classes are in session during Fall and Spring Semester except for the Monday after Spring Break and the Monday after Thanksgiving and once a week when school is in session for the summer Marked calendar provided The Crimson White is provided for free up to three issues Any other papers are $100 The subscription rate for The Crimson White is $125 per year Checks should be made payable to The University of Alabama and sent to The Crimson White Subscription Department PO Box 2389 Tuscaloosa AL 35403-2389 The Crimson White is entered as peri-odical postage at Tuscaloosa AL 35401 POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Crimson White PO Box 2389 Tuscaloosa AL 35403-2389 All material contained herein except advertising or where indicated oth-erwise is Copyright copy 2012 by The Crimson White and protected under the ldquoWork Made for Hirerdquo and ldquoPeriodical Publicationrdquo categories of the US copy-right laws Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed written permission of The Crimson White

PO Box 870170 Tuscaloosa AL 35487 Newsroom 348-6144 | Fax 348-8036

Advertising 348-7845Classifi eds 348-7355

ADVERTISING

EDITORIAL

Will DeShazo 348-8995Advertising Managercwadmanagergmailcom

Tori HallTerritory Manager 348-2598

Classified Manager 348-7355

Coleman Richards Special Projects Manager

osmspecialprojectsgmailcom

Natalie Selman 348-8042Creative Services Manager

Robert Clark 348-8742

Emily Diab 348-8054

Chloe Ledet 348-6153

Keenan Madden 348-2670

John Wolfrom 348-6875

Will Whitlock 348-8735

Amy Metzler osmspecialprojects2gmailcom

Jake Morrow osmspecialprojects2gmailcom

Will Tuckereditor-in-chiefeditorcwuaedu

Ashley Chaffinmanaging editor

Stephen Dethrageproduction editor

Mackenzie Brownvisuals editor

Daniel Rothonline editor

Melissa Brownnews editor newsdeskcwuaedu

Mazie Bryantassistant news editor

Lauren Fergusonculture editor

Marquavius Burnettsports editor

SoRelle Wyckoffopinion editor

Ashanka Kumarichief copy editor

Shannon Auvilphoto editor

Anna Waterslead designer

Whitney Hendrixlead graphic designer

Alex Clarkcommunity manager

SEASON BY THE

NUMBERS

NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS Friday December 7 2012 | Page 3

Fighting adversityDespite losing eight starters

from its 2011 national cham-pionship run the BCS-or-bust expectations were the same in Tuscaloosa as they have been for the past several years The most glaring holes were on defense but a new crop of leaders emerged to reinvent the Alabama defense as some-thing possibly less dominant but more stingy The Tide cre-ated more takeaways and sacks than a year ago and practiced a bend-but-donrsquot-break men-talit in the biggest games

The Crimson Tide opened the season with what was billed as a top-10 showdown but quickly turned it into a beat down of Michigan The Tide steamrolled its next seven opponents in similar fashion setting up a showdown with LSU

LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger torched the Tidersquos secondary and had the Tigers in position to win but Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron executed one of

the most dramatic drives in Alabama football history to keep the Tide undefeated

The emotionally and physi-cally draining victory against the Tigers cost the Tide though which slipped up against Texas AampM in Bryant-Denny Stadium the following Saturday Heisman Trophy finalist Johnny Manziel and the Aggies jumped out to a 20-point lead ultimately knocking off the vaunted Alabama team

The talks of repeating halted for seven whole days For the second year in a row Alabama needed help to make it back into the top-two of the BCS and got it This time Kansas State and Oregon lost in the upset chaos that ensued on Nov 17

ldquoYou have to look at what they learned from that loss and how it helped them refocusrdquo Alex Scarborough reporter for ESPNcomrsquos TideNation said ldquoAlso just the luck of having teams fall and lead the way for Alabama to get back in the national championship gamerdquo

Motivated once more and refocused Alabamarsquos final opponent of the regular sea-son Auburn stood very little chance The result was the most lopsided Iron Bowl in 60 years After that came the

Georgia Bulldogs and an SEC Championship clash for the ages The Tide was able to hang on to its 32-28 lead by stopping Georgia 5-yards away from the goal line as the clock showed zeroes

ldquoI donrsquot know what it is about this team but we always find a way to respond to adversityrdquo wide receiver Amari Cooper said after the game

If Alabama is ultimately able to defeat Notre Dame its sea-son will be defined by three key moments ldquoThe Driverdquo against LSU ldquoThe Lossrdquo to Texas AampM and ldquoThe Stoprdquo in the SEC Championship against Georgia

Alabama is looking to become the sportrsquos first con-sensus back-to-back national champion since Nebraska in 1994 and 1995 USC claims to have won in both 2003 and 2004 but there was a split with LSU in 2003 Alabama had a shot but couldnrsquot do it in 2010 However the Tide is one of just four other programs to claim back-to-back titles since 1960 (1978 and 79) The win would give Alabama its third national championship in four years

Luck of the IrishItrsquos been a long time coming

for the Fighting Irish to return to national prominence Off-season injuries a murderous schedule and uncertainties at quarterback appeared to doom the Irishrsquos season before it started Now Notre Dame has gone from being unranked in the preseason to the only bowl-eligible team without a blem-ish in its loss column

Head coach Brian Kelly ditched his flashy spread offense he showcased at Cincinnati in favor of an SEC blueprint featuring a strong run game and a stout defense Kellyrsquos flexibility coupled with a few breaks throughout the season has the Irish back atop the college football world for the first time since Lou Holtz roamed the sidelines

Kelly has history on his side The previous Notre Dame coaches to win national cham-pionships all did so in their third season Kelly hopes to do the same this year his third at the head coaching position

Defense was the Irishrsquos call-ing card throughout the sea-son particularly at the start when Kelly searched for his starting quarterback A defin-ing moment for Notre Dame came against Stanford in over-time when the Irish stuffed the

Cardinal trying to run it in from a yard out The goal-line stand kept the Irishrsquos undefeated hopes alive but it was the win against Oklahoma in Norman Okla that made pundits seri-ously consider the Irish as a title contender The unit was led by Heisman Trophy final-ist Manti Tersquoo Tersquoo despite the tragic deaths of his girlfriend and grandmother played every game for the Irish

ldquoLike Derek Jeter of the Yankees or Bill Russell of the Celtics itrsquos hard to measure his value to the program in statsrdquo Fortuna said ldquoHe means so much to this team Hersquos the real dealrdquo

On the other side of the ball Everett Golson was finding his way at quarterback Golson who was pulled several times for his performance slowly gained the confidence of his teammates and more impor-tantly of Kelly Golsonrsquos devel-opment has fueled the Irishrsquos rise

ldquoHersquos got a lot of poise and moxierdquo Fortuna said ldquoI donrsquot think hersquoll be bothered by the bright lights or the big stagerdquo

Even with wins over Stanford and Oklahoma some still ques-tioned if the Irish were legit A triple-overtime struggle

with Pittsburgh turned those whispers to shouts as the Irish narrowly escaped with a three-point victory But a win over rival USC in the regular season finale quieted critics

The CollisionHistorically speaking col-

lege football couldnrsquot have gotten a better matchup Both teams have eight Associated Press National Championships making this a tie-breaker for the ages

Alabama is trying to become a modern-day dynasty Notre Dame hopes to reclaim some of the magic it had before 1990

In one corner therersquos the luck of the Irish surging backinto national prominence In the other corner therersquos the tenacity of the Tide taking everyonersquos best shot and still managing to fight through adversity and remain standing in the end

ldquoYou canrsquot ask for much more in terms of tradition name recognition fan bases and the lovehate dynamic between America and both of these programsrdquo Fortuna saidldquoEveryone wants to see the SECrsquos reign come to an end butIrsquom not sure if they want NotreDame to be the team to end itrdquo

CHAMPIONSHIP FROM PAGE 1

Tide Irish set to play for national title

Left A screen pass to TJ Yeldon late in the fourth quarter helped Alabama overtake LSU and left less than a minute on the clock

Right Another overtime win came when TJ Jones scored on a 7 yard pass that left things up to the Irish defense to make a goal line stand

The Observer | Julie Herder Photo Illustration by CW | Austin BigoneyCW | Jingyu Wan Photo Illustration by Austin Bigoney

M I C H I G A N

4 1 - 1 4By Marquavius Burnett Sports Editor

The 2012 Alabama football team spent its off season battling the com-placency that took over in 2010 and suppressing the joy the team felt after winning it all in 2011

The Crimson Tidersquos season opening 41-14 romp of No 8 Michigan was a microcosm of the praise and criticism the team faced all off season

ldquoThe whole summer and camp we talked about setting an identity for this defenserdquo said linebacker CJ Mosley who lead the team with six tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown ldquoEverybody was talking about 2010 and 2011 Today we came out with great intensity and great tenacity We showed the world what the 2012 defense is going to dordquo

Coming into the game the biggest story was whether Alabamarsquos reloaded defense ndash which lost nine starters including three first-round draft picks ndash could slow down or stop Michigan dual-threat quarter-back Denard Robinson Robinson was known for terrorizing opposing defenses with his big-play ability leaving defenders who tried tackling him in the dust

But from the start it was apparent Robinson was in over his head against the defending national champions Alabama planned to make Robinson one-dimensional forcing him to be a pocket passer and not allowing him to get into the open field Robinson carried the ball a total of 10 times for a mere 27 yards with his longest run going for 9 yards

ldquoItrsquos an Alabama standard to play great defenserdquo said safety Vinnie Sunseri who finished with 35 tackles and one tackle for loss ldquoOur pass rush was phenomenal and we were expecting him to run more but we did a good job of containing himrdquo

Alabama set the tone early jumping out to a 31-0 lead in the first half and never looked back The Tide punished Michigan with its stable of running backs combining for 232 yards on 42 carries True freshman TJ Yeldon anchored the backfield rushing for 111 yards and a touch-down on just 11 carries

Yeldon became the first true freshman in Alabama history to rush for more than 100 yards taking advantage of added playing time due to the nagging injuries of regular starter Eddie Lacy

ldquoWersquore used to freshman running backs around here having an impactrdquo center Barrett Jones said ldquoThatrsquos exactly what I expected from him Certainly I think he may be the next great one in a long line of running backsrdquo

The strong running game helped set up Alabamarsquos passing game which looked explosive at times Quarterback AJ McCarron threw two touchdowns early including a 51-yard bomb to wide receiver DeAndrew White who beat his defender with a double move

But like any team vying for a championship there is always room for improvement Robinson connected with his receivers on two long passes one that set up a rushing touchdown and 44-yarder that went for a touchdown

As with any Nick Saban team Alabama took the win with a grain of salt already thinking about preparation for the next opponent

ldquoIt builds a lot of confidence anytime you come out and play a top-10 team and win like we didrdquo cornerback Dee Milliner said ldquoIt felt like we did great but there are a lot of things that we can work on and get better atrdquo

WESTERN KENTUCKY

3 5 - 0

4 Quarterback AJ McCarron threw four touchdowns a week after toss-ing two against Michigan

4 Alabamarsquos defense forced four turnovers ndash three fumbles and an interception ndash in the win

2 Christion Jones and Kevin Norwood each caught two touch down passes

1 Freshman Kenyan Drake got his first carry of the season taking it 32 yards for a score

CW | Caitlin Trotter

CW | Jingyu Wan

Page 4 | Friday December 7 2012 NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS

RUN A SOCIAL MEDIA

CAMPAIGNWITH THE

CONTACT YOUR AD REPRESENTATIVE

ASK YOUR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

A R K A N S A S

5 2 - 0By Marc Torrence Assistant Sports Editor

Alabamarsquos 52-0 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks didnrsquot shock many people a byprod-uct of the machine head coach Nick Saban has built What was supposed to be a top-10 matchup before the season started turned into a blowout all too familiar to the Crimson Tide and its fans

But even still Alabama remained unsatisfied The Tide got off to a slow start on offense for the second week in a row scoring in the first quarter only after a botched snap on an Arkansas punt gave Alabama the ball at the six It committed an uncharacteristic seven penalties for 74 yards

ldquoThis group has to continue to challenge themselves to demand morerdquo Saban said after the game

The slow starts and penalties would be Sabanrsquos focus in the next few weeks but the rest of the country admired the way Alabama put away its first SEC opponent with ease while attempting to find a way to stop it

It didnrsquot matter who played quarterback for Arkansas Tyler Wilson sat on the sidelines with a concussion but was likely thanking his coach for keeping him off of the field as he watched Alabamarsquos defense swarm his two replacements

The Razorbacks used a combination of Brandon Allen and converted wide receiver Brandon Mitchell to run their offense Neither were able to establish any sort of rhythm

Arkansas head coach John L Smith used Mitchell to run an option offense but was stymied for just 29 yards on six carries Meanwhile Mitchell a more traditional drop-back passer was under fire all afternoon Alabama was finally able to unleash its edge rushers after facing two teams that demanded a more conservative approach and Mitchell was intercepted twice in the first half under the pressure Alabama turned both into touch-downs and the fans at Razorback Stadium streamed out of the exits with 30 minutes still left to play

ldquoItrsquos exciting to get [the offense] crunk to get them turned uprdquo said safety HaHa Clinton-Dix who returned one interception 46 yards to the 1-yard line

On offense Alabama which gave up six sacks a week before established the line of scrimmage early giving quarterback AJ McCarron plenty of time to throw for 189 yards and a touchdown

But the running backs were the primary beneficiaries of Alabamarsquos offensive line play Starter Eddie Lacy ran as well as he had all season after dealing with ankle and toe injuries during the off season and fall camp He found the end zone three times while true fresh-men TJ Yeldon and Kenyan Drake as well as junior Blake Sims all added scores on the ground

ldquoThey were locked in all of themrdquo Lacy said of the offensive line ldquoThey came in with the right mindset and dominated the whole gamerdquo

It seemed as if No 2 LSU was the only team left on Alabamarsquos schedule that could match the Tide blow-for-blow on the field Michigan and Arkansas were supposed to be early tests for this young team but instead turned into mismatches before halftime But Saban wouldnrsquot tell you that this is after all the coach who challenged a fumble up 38-0 in the third quarter

Instead he and his players turned their attention to Florida Atlantic A 35-0 win against Western Kentucky two weeks before was considered a letdown week and Saban expected more against a similarly matched opponent

ldquoWersquove really been fighting with this group ever since the Michigan game about allow-ing ourselves to accept average and getting them to believe more in themselvesrdquo Saban said ldquoThis group is still learning to motivate themselves every week and demand to be the best that they can berdquo

CW | Shannon Auvil


FLORIDA ATLANTIC


Alabama used another strong performance from its defense and a rejuvenated Eddie Lacy to defeat the Florida Atlantic Owls 40-7 in Bryant-Denny Stadium It was Alabamarsquos fourth win of the season and came in its last game before it got into the meat of its SEC schedule with six straight conference opponents ahead

ldquoWe still can get betterrdquo wide receiver Kenny Bell said ldquoWe donrsquot need to take our foot off the pedal If we want to be great wersquove got to play like wersquore great and continue practicing like wersquore greatrdquo

The lone Owls touchdown came with 249 left in the fourth quarter and snapped a scoreless streak that spanned 177 minutes and 25 seconds dating all the way back to Alabamarsquos season-opener vs Michigan

Despite the crowd cheering as loud as it had all game Florida Atlantic scored on a six-yard touchdown pass while the first-string defense cheered on the backups from the sideline The Crimson Tide was looking for three consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1966 when Alabama finished undefeated under head coach Paul ldquoBearrdquo Bryant

ldquoWe were excited We were wanting them to get the stop like they were the first string and it was the beginning of the gamerdquo safety Vinnie Sunseri said

ldquoWe never talk about [the scoreless streak] As coaches wersquore just trying to get the guys to play as well as they can playrdquo head coach Nick Saban said ldquoTo the players it probably meant something probably meant a lot hellip A lot of those players were rooting for the guys out there playingrdquo

Despite giving up the late score Alabamarsquos defense put on another dominant display The Owls didnrsquot get a first down until there was 431 left in the first half and had just 23 yards of total offense at the half They finished the game with just 34

ldquoOur goal is to dominate and I feel like we didrdquo linebacker Trey DePriest said ldquoRegardless if we gave up the score or not I feel like we did our job and dominatedrdquo

On offense running back Eddie Lacy continued to improve after dealing with ankle hamstring and toe injury through spring practice and fall camp He finished with 107 yards on 15 carries He7 cut well didnrsquot shy away from contact and even showed off his signature spin move a few times

ldquoItrsquos getting thererdquo he said of his spin ldquoI feel like it was slower than I would normally did it But I did it and it worked so itrsquos all right in my bookrdquo

ldquoEveryday hersquos getting better and betterrdquo left tackle Cyrus Kouandjio said ldquoHersquos going to blow up sooner than laterrdquo

Alabamarsquos offense opened the scoring when quarterback AJ McCarron hit Bell on a quick slant route across the middle that Bell took 85 yards for a touchdown on the Tidersquos first possession of the game

ldquoIt was a great touchdownrdquo Bell said ldquoI felt it was time for me to make a big play to get the offense goingrdquoAfter forcing an Owls three-and-out Alabama drove down the field behind the strength of Lacy and

true freshman running back TJ Yeldon McCarron hit wide receiver DeAndrew White in the back of the endzone on a play similar to Whitersquos touchdown grab last season against Vanderbilt White made a leaping grab and a replay showed he kept his feet in bounds

In the second quarter Alabamarsquos offense stalled on three consecutive drives and the Tide was forced to settle for field goals Cade Foster made the first one from 52 yards out a career-high for Alabamarsquos desig-nated long field goal kicker Jeremy Shelley added 26 and 30-yard field goals of his own McCarron added another touchdown just before halftime on a four-yard pass to wide receiver Christion Jones that made the score 30-0

The closest Florida Atlantic got to scoring on Alabama in the first half was in the first quarter when Jesse Williams blocked a field goal that would have broken the scoreless streak

ldquoI just saw the gap and tried to hit it and jump as high as I could to stick my hand uprdquo Williams said ldquoI know where theyrsquore going to try and kick it to I canrsquot really take the time to look for the ball I just jump up and make the biggest body I can to stop itrdquo

Foster added a 46-yard field goal and true freshman Kenyan Drake scored on an eight-yard touchdown to cap off the UA scoring

ldquoWe didnrsquot finish some drives We turned the ball over a couple times We didnrsquot get any turnover on defenserdquo Saban said ldquoWhen we play against better teams the consequences will be greaterrdquo



O L E M I S S

3 3 - 1 4

By Marc TorrenceAssistant Sports Editor

It was an ominous sign when Alabama wide receiver DeAndrew White had to be helped off the field by two trainers But as has become the norm under head coach Nick Saban an injured starter was replaced by another top talent who didnrsquot miss a beat

True freshman receiver Amari Cooper played an integral role in Alabamarsquos 33-14 win over the Ole Miss Rebels The four-star from Miami Fla hauled in eight catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns account-ing for more than a third of quarterback AJ McCarronrsquos completions

ldquoWe really had high hopes that Amari Cooper would one day find himself and do the things like he does in practice all the time in the game and I think that happened todayrdquo Saban said after the game ldquoHe played very very well so thatrsquos a guy that can be an explosive player for us and help us out down the roadrdquo

He provided a go-to threat against a Rebel defense that committed to stopping the run first often stack-ing the box with eight defenders Six of Cooperrsquos eight receptions went for a touchdown or first down

Cooperrsquos most impressive stretch came at the end of the first half He caught four passes on a possession that Saban called Alabamarsquos only true drive of the game Cooper accounted for 37 of the Tidersquos 68 yards on the drive and his fourth reception went for a touchdown after an acrobatic catch in traffic in the end zone His score capped a 21-0 Tide run after Ole Miss took a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter

ldquoHe did a great jobrdquo said wide receiver Christion Jones whose 99-yard kick return sparked the 21-0 run ldquoAmari stepped up as a freshman coming in Hersquos done a great job all year coming in playing X and Z But hersquos doing a great job He did a great job tonight converting third downs getting first downsrdquo

Cooperrsquos breakout game was hardly unexpected however He drew high praise from coaches and team-mates after enrolling in January and working his way through spring practice and fall camp Playing in a receiving corps that may be Alabamarsquos deepest unit Cooper was a standout in spring and fall scrimmages Where other freshmen could get lost in the mix he made a name for himself

In his first touchdown game against Arkansas a 26-yard screen pass allowed him to show his speed and vision with the ball He added four receptions against Florida Atlantic and was the ldquolone bright spotrdquo on offense against Ole Miss center Barrett Jones said

ldquoItrsquos a great thing when you recruit a player who can come in and start right offrdquo Christion Jones said ldquoNow hersquos bought into the unit and how we play and how we do things around here So now itrsquos all what he does on the field and hersquos doing a great job at itrdquo

Cooper would be needed in a big way in the coming games The outlook did not look bright for White who returned from the locker room in street clothes and on crutches

McCarron wasnrsquot optimistic about Whitersquos return but said he knew he could rely heavily on his replace-ment

ldquo[Cooper]rsquos done a great jobrdquo McCarron said ldquoAmarirsquos a very good receiver a good teammate He pro-gresses every day And thatrsquos what wersquore going to need now that DeAndrewrsquos out Wersquore going to need more guys to step up for usrdquo



227 McCarron extended his streak to 227 passes with-out an interception break-

ing the school record

321 Running backs Eddie Lacy (177) and TJ Yeldon (144) combined for 321 yards and

five touchdowns The two became the first rushing duo to go over 100 yards each since Trent Richardson and Jalston Fowler did it against Mississippi on Oct 15 2011

3 Alabama held Missouri to 3 rush-ing yards on 28 carries the lowest total the team allowed all season

M I S S O U R I

4 2 - 1 0

CW | Shannon Auvil


T E N N E S S E E


While No 1 Alabama looked like world beaters against Tennessee two true freshmen grabbed all of the headlines after the Crimson Tidersquos 44-13 clobber-ing of the Volunteers on Saturday

Running back TJ Yeldon and wide receiver Amari Cooper each had big games this season but finally put their talents on display on the same stage in front of 102455 fans at Neyland Stadium

The young stars for Alabama showed fans and opponents why Alabama is more than just a defensive juggernaut It also provided a glimpse of how good Alabama can be when these two actually become sea-soned and figure the game out

The Alabama offense (7-0 4-0 SEC) steam rolled Tennessee (3-4 0-4 SEC) for 539 total yards in large part due to the play of Yeldon and Cooper

Yeldon exploded on the scene against Michigan rushing for 111 yards and a touchdown becoming the first true freshman to rush for over 100 yards in his debut

His numbers declined in the coming weeks but he hit his stride against at Missouri with 144 yards and two touchdowns

The 6-foot-2-inch 216-pound Daphne Ala native was second on the team in rushing with 565 and six touchdowns He rushed for over 100 yards in consecu-tive games and Saturday marked the third time this season

He piled up 129 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries for an otherworldly average of 86 yards a carry against the shaky Volunteer defense

Yeldonrsquos running style is a blend of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson He has the wiggle neces-sary to make defenders miss and to not take any big hits like Ingram He also has the power and decep-tive speed Richardson displayed during his career at Alabama

On Alabamarsquos second scoring drive Yeldon touched the ball every play gaining 32 yards and punching it in from a yard out for the touchdown Yeldonproved he can be a work horse for the Tide if needed

ldquoHersquos awesome and so fun to watchrdquo center Barrett Jones said ldquoWhen he gets the ball in space hersquos extremely dangerousrdquo

Cooperrsquos explosive big play ability was expect-ed Saban raved about the 6-foot-1-inch 198-pound Miami Fla native throughout spring practice call-ing him one of the young guys who showed ability to make plays

But his talents were put on display for fans and the rest of the college football world against Ole Miss when he caught eight passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns Now Cooper is leading the team in receiving with 425 yards and five touchdowns

ldquoHe is showing everybody what I have been seeing since the offseasonrdquo tight end Michael Williams said ldquoHe can be one of the greatest You see it You can see the talent that he hasrdquo

Cooperrsquos play has drawn comparisons to Julio Jones who also burst onto the scene as a true fresh-man Like Jones Cooper has the ability to make catches in traffic and fend off defenders for chunks of yards after the catch

Cooper caught seven passes for two touchdowns and a career-high 162 yards setting a school record for the most receiving yards by a freshman He also became the fourth consecutive Alabama receiver to have a 100 yard game at Tennessee Cooper had three catches for 20 plus yards including a long of 54 yards

ldquoHersquos a really explosive receiver and we need one of those to emergerdquo center Barrett Jones said ldquoHersquos done a great job of filling that role Even after he catches the ball hersquos extremely dangerousrdquo

Cooper scored the first points of the game on a 23-yard strike from quarterback AJ McCarron His second touchdown came in the third quarter on a 42-yard bomb with two defenders draped all over him

The only thing in Neyland Stadium that stopped Cooper were the referee penalty flags which called back one of his touchdowns on an illegal formation by Alabama

Although no one will admit it Cooper has become McCarronrsquos favorite target the same way Julio Jones was for John Parker Wilson and Greg McElroy Like Saban McCarron wasnrsquot surprised by Cooperrsquos play

ldquoHe can be as good as he wants to berdquo said McCarron who had a career-high 306 passing yards and tied his career-high with four touchdown pass-es ldquoAs long as he keeps working and puts forth the effort the sky is the limit for that kidrdquo

CW | Shannon Au


Proudly supporting the Crimson Tide with

23 SEC and 14 National Championship Flags

We look forward to 15

Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE

3 8 - 7By Zac Al-KhateebSports Reporter

If you were to ask any random college football fan on the street what conference the Alabama Crimson Tide played in yoursquod probably get the answer of ldquothe Southeastern Conferencerdquo

And while thatrsquos technically true th 38-7 win against a 7-0 Mississippi State Bulldogs squad proved Alabama to be in a league of its own

The game certainly wasnrsquot a perfect performance the Tide offense stuttered midway through the game the defensive second-ary gave up too many long pass plays and the Tide committed a few unnecessary penalties

But after jumping out to a 21-0 lead shortly into the second quar-ter it wasnrsquot necessary for the Tide to play lights out the entire game

To put it simply Alabama was just better ndash against MSU and every other opponent they faced The Tide is bigger faster more physical and more athletic than any of its opponents so far

Remember when people thought Alabama-Michigan had a chance to be competitive Remember when people said Alabama-MSU would be a tough game It seems so long ago now

It just seems like Alabama has an answer for everything their opponent throws its way If opponents want to throw the ball the secondary can pick one off at any time as shown by safety Robert Lesterrsquos pick in the end zone from near the goal line

If opponents try to run it well they can just forget about it Itrsquos a lot like running into a brick wall yoursquod be better off not doing it Just ask MSUrsquos LaDarius Perkins who before the game was the SECrsquos leading rusher He gained 38 yards on the ground against the Tide

Offensively if opponents want to drop eight in preparation for an AJ McCarron aerial assault all Alabama has to do is hand the ball off to Eddie Lacy or TJ Yeldon and watch as they gash the defense ndash Yeldon had four rushes of over 10 yards against the Bulldogs

If opponents want to load the box McCarron has one of many

talented wide receivers to throw to make defenses pay as proven by his 57-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Bell Johnthan Banks widely regarded as MSUrsquos best secondary defender was in coverage

Even on special teams Alabama is proving its dominance Punter Cody Mandell is playing lights out for Alabama booming it upwards of 50 yards every time he touches the ball He also has great touch always giving his defenders a chance to down the ball deep in the opponentsrsquo own territory

Landon Collins has been making big tackles on kick coverage Cyrus Jones is proving to be an able returner for the Tide and opposing kickers and punters need to be on the lookout for the Tide rush Alabama has blocked two kicks on the season one of them against MSU and blocked a punt as well

All in all the game against Mississippi State epitomized the playing style of the Crimson Tide this year Outside of the moments Alabama struggles in the game itrsquos nearly impossible to beat them


0 | Friday December 7 2012 NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS

ldquoldquo


ldquoReality I donrsquot know about a dream but this is realityrdquo said quarterback AJ McCarron when asked about Les Miles calling Death Valley a place where opponentsrsquo dreams go to die

The reality is that No 1 Alabama (9-0 6-0 SEC) had all but locked up the Southeastern Conferencersquos Western Division and still con-trolled its own destiny of making the BCS National Championship Game in January

The reality is that No 5 LSU (7-2 3-2 SEC) had its national cham-pionship dreams squashed by Alabama for the second year in a row

The reality is championship teams find a way to winThe Crimson Tide needed all 60 minutes to escape Death Valley

with a 21-17 victory over the Tigers This game was a heavyweight slugfest dominated by LSU for 58 minutes of play

Alabamarsquos vaunted defense was gashed for more than 400 yards LSU possessed the ball for nearly 40 of the 60 minutes Zach Mettenberger shredded Alabamarsquos secondary for 298 yards and a touchdown Everything fell into place for LSU to pull the upset But just when it looked like Alabama was knocked out the Tide gathered its footing for a standing eight count and had a Rocky-like comeback

ldquoI told our guys we would have to overcome a lot of adversity to win a game hererdquo head coach Nick Saban said

Overcome they did Alabama hadnrsquot trailed a game in the fourth quarter since the 2010 Iron Bowl Each game has been essential-ly over by halftime this season so there were questions of how McCarron and company would respond to adversity in a tough road environment

Those questions were answered as Alabama went 72 yards in five plays for the go-ahead touchdown

ldquoI just love moments like thatrdquo McCarron said ldquoI like having the ball in pressure situationsrdquo

McCarron led a surgical final drive and never let the pressure get to him The junior found wide receiver Kevin Norwood for 18 yards on the first play 15 yards on the second and 11 yards on the third He went to him a fourth time but the pass sailed out of the back of the end zone The incomplete pass was a blessing in disguise

LSU played soft zone coverage on first downs but sent pressure on second and third downs for most of the game when Alabama was behind in the down and distance Alabama countered with runs up the middle and quick passes

So when the offensive play came down the pipeline every Alabama coach anticipated what the Tigers would call on defense

ldquoThey blitzedrdquo Saban said ldquoWhen we called that play everyone on the headset was saying lsquoI hope they pressurersquordquo

LSU predictably sent pressure with cornerback Jalen Mills who didnrsquot get there in time McCarron floated the ball over Millsrsquo head to running back TJ Yeldon who took care of the rest Yeldon outran linebacker Kevin Minter juked safety Craig Loston and crossed the goal line as a diving Barkevious Mingo fell to his feet

Yeldonrsquos legend continued to grow at Alabama He led the team with 725 rushing yards and had eight total touchdowns He fin-ished with 104 total yards and a touchdown After the fumble at the goal line on the exchange between him and McCarron the duo bounced back to save the day for Alabama

As Yeldon crossed the goal line he took away the Tigersrsquo chance of making the national championship and gave Alabama fans even more reason to believe this team is built to repeat

ldquoI saw one guy coming towards him but Irsquoll take TJ one-on-onerdquo McCarron said ldquoThat kid is a freak of nature and Irsquoll take him one-on-one any dayrdquo

A Tiger Stadium record of 93374 screaming fans went from deafening to silent in a matter of seconds ndash all except a small pock-et of crimson lovers that exploded as Alabama took the lead

ldquoI kept looking around like is there a flag or somethingrdquo center Barrett Jones said ldquoIt felt so unrealrdquo

Only it was real Just as real as Alabamarsquos chances of making trips to Atlanta Ga and Miami Fla for the postseason

CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4


There was a team in Bryant-Denny Stadium that jumped out to a big early lead over-came a sluggish start to the second half and ultimately came away with a win It wasnrsquot Alabama

The No 1 Crimson Tide fell to Texas AampM 29-24 sending most of the 101821 fans in attendance home stunned The Aggies exploded for 20 unanswered points in the first quarter led by true freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel and outlasted a comeback attempt to give Alabama its first loss of the season and take it out of the driverrsquos seat for a second straight appearance in the BCS National Championship Game

ldquoWe probably dug a ditch that we couldnrsquot quite dig out ofrdquo head coach Nick Saban said ldquoThey certainly outplayed us in the game today Their offense is a very difficult offense to stoprdquo

ldquoTexas AampM was a good teamrdquo wide receiver Kenny Bell said ldquoThey played their hearts out tonight We always plan on finishing the game and we came up short tonight It was heartbreakingrdquo

Trailing 29-17 Alabama came 2 yards short of putting together what would have been an epic comeback for the second week in a row Quarterback AJ McCarron hit true fresh-man Amari Cooper for a 54-yard touchdown to bring the deficit to just five injecting a burst of life back into Bryant-Denny

After forcing a three-and-out Alabama took over with 427 left in the game in position for another thrilling finish McCarron once again completed a deep pass this time to junior Kenny Bell ndash a 54-yard strike to the 6-yard line

On first down McCarron scrambled in the pocket trying to find an open receiver but was tackled for no gain Eddie Lacy rushed for a yard to the 5-yard line on second down On third down McCarron ran around again this time thinking he could make a dash for the endzone He ended up down at the two

ldquoIf that guy wouldnrsquot have tripped me up I think I would have gotten inrdquo McCarron said ldquoBut stuff happensrdquo

On fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line Alabama decided to go to the air for the third time on the drive McCarron rolled left and fired a quick pass that was intercepted by Deshazor Everett

ldquoI wished we would have run it just like you because passing it didnrsquot work If we didnrsquot run it then yoursquod be asking me why we didnrsquot pass itrdquo Saban said about the play call ldquoIrsquom not going to criticize the call but Irsquom like everybody else When it doesnrsquot work I wish we had done something elserdquo

Alabama forced the Aggies to punt one more time with 40 seconds left in the game But the Tide jumped before the snap giving AampM a first down that sealed the game

The loss left Alabama on the outside looking in to the national championship picture The Tide needed two of Oregon Kansas State and Notre Dame to lose before the end of the season and a little bit of help from the BCS rankings

A trip to Atlanta Ga for the SEC Championship Game remained very much alive however

ldquoThatrsquos football Things are going to happen your way and things arenrsquotrdquo McCarron said ldquoAnd everything didnrsquot go our way and itrsquos over and done with now Wersquove got to fight through a little bit of adversity wersquore facing and like I said finish out strongrdquo

Manziel was the catalyst of an explosive Aggie offense that had its way with Alabamarsquos defense for much of the first half He dazzled a national television audience with his abil-ity to extend plays and make defenders miss

Manziel completed 24 of 31 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 107 yards in the win

ldquoGuy is very good man He created a lot of great plays for his teammatesrdquo defensive end Damion Square said ldquoWhen you go get him yoursquove got to be sound in your skill or hersquos going to expose yourdquo

After a three-and-out to start the game by Alabamarsquos offense Manziel led the Aggies 73 yards down the field in nine plays to give his team an early 7-0 lead

Alabama got its only first down of the first quarter from Eddie Lacy on the subse-quent drive but it was stalled when McCarron threw his first interception in 289 passing attempts

On the ensuing play Manziel faked an option run then fired a pass down the middle of the field that landed on Kenric McNealrsquos fingertips down to the nine Two plays later he danced away from Alabamarsquos pass rush and found Ryan Swope wide open in the end zone for a touchdown

After another three-and-out Manziel led a 14-play 73-yard drive that ended with the Aggiesrsquo third straight touchdown to start the game But a missed extra point meant only a 20-point lead

ldquoThatrsquos the kind of player he isrdquo Saban said of Manziel ldquoThe players have to know that they have to contain him that theyrsquore gonna scramble That hersquos very elusive hersquos instinctive in the pocket and hersquos also fastrdquo

Alabama appeared to settle in following the trifecta of opening blows It scored twice before halftime to cut the score to 20-14 going into the intermission

ldquoThe best way to defend [Manziel] is when he wasnrsquot out thererdquo Saban said ldquoWhen we kept the ball and we put some drives together it changed the momentum of the game and it changed how we played defense We played betterrdquo

The two teams traded field goals after halftime and Alabama had two chances to take a one-point lead with a touchdown in the fourth quarter The first time it went three-and-out The next with 910 left in the fourth quarter ended when true freshman TJ Yeldon fumbled on the Aggiesrsquo 30-yard line

Manziel then completed two straight passes for 66 yards and a touchdown but missed the two-point conversion giving AampM the 29-17 lead

ldquoWersquore disappointed obviously Just so many missed opportunitiesrdquo center Barrett Jones said ldquoWe settled in and really started to move the ball but the difference in the game we turned the ball over and they didnrsquotrdquo

ldquoWe donrsquot have an optionrdquo McCarron said ldquoWersquove got to get back to what we do Wersquove got to win and let everything fall in placerdquo

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil


for more information email

even he started somewhere

Apply at the Office of Student Media

start your advertising career

cwcreativeservicesgmailcom

design internship crimson white

with a

at the

Featured at

Located on the strip 1218 University Blvd

205-752-2990 wwwlocker-roombiz

CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA

4 9 - 0By Billy WhyteStaff Reporter

A 21-0 lead in the first quarter 300 rushing yards on the ground and a record-setting day for AJ McCarron It was back to busi-ness as usual for Alabama as the No 4 Crimson Tide was able to bounce back from their loss last weekend in steamrolling Western Carolina 49-0

Quarterback AJ McCarron one week removed from throwing his first two interceptions of the season set Alabamarsquos single sea-son record for touchdown passes on a 29-yard dart to Christion Jones in the early second quarter It was his 21st touchdown pass of the season surpassing the previous record set by Greg McElroy in 2010

ldquoIt means a lot with all the tradition and all the great quarter-backs that have played hererdquo McCarron said ldquoLike I said and like I will always say none of that would be possible without my great offensive line hellip and my great wide receivers that I have out there making plays for merdquo

McCarron and the offense went back to their efficient play-action attack early as McCarron went 6-for-6 with 133 yards and running backs Eddie Lacy and TJ Yeldon combined for 169 yards and four touchdowns in the first half It was a much needed strong early showing for the Tide after falling behind early in each of its last two games

ldquoIt was a big thing this week that we were focusing on to come out and play Alabama footballrdquo McCarron said ldquoWe started slow last week and I think it was a big key for us to get out to a fast start and get goingrdquo

The Tidersquos defense faced a little trouble in the first quarter after allowing a 28-yard pass that moved the Catamounts to Alabamarsquos 36 yard line The Tide immediately responded with a Vinnie Sunseri sack and a one- and zero-yard gain to force a punt

Later in the second quarter Christion Jones fumbled a punt return giving the Catamounts another opportunity in Alabama territory at the 29 yard line But the defense responded yet again forcing a fumble two plays later that cornerback Deion Belue returned for a 57 yard touchdown

The teamrsquos ability to get out of tough spots on defense was a needed improvement for the Tide which struggled to get off the field on third down the last two weeks Senior offensive lineman Chance Warmack credited the teamrsquos resiliency to the way the team was able to bounce back and come out strong

ldquoOur team is really resilient when it comes to adversityrdquo said Warmack ldquoWe always want to triumph over adversity Thatrsquos what the main goal is and we had a good week of practice this week We knew coming in that we just had to play Bama ball like we did todayrdquo

With the win the Tide improved to 10-1 and became a win against Auburn away from facing Georgia in Atlanta in the SEC Championship Lacy said the team needed to focus on Auburn next weekend and continue to build off Western Carolinarsquos performance

ldquoWe have to do just prepare the way we have been doing all season long because we know they are going to come out and play hard and try to win just like we are going to try to winrdquo Lacy said ldquoSo we have to do everything we can to come out and winrdquo


AUBURN

4 9 - 0

By Marquavius BurnettSports Editor

A storied rivalry quickly turned into a bloodbath in Bryant-Denny StadiumWith two teams heading in completely different directions Alabama used the

moment to make a statement while Auburn looked for the nearest exitThe most lopsided Iron Bowl in 60 years resulted in a head coaching vacancy at

Auburn University for the second time in Nick Sabanrsquos tenureNo 2 Alabamarsquos (11-1 7-1 SEC) 49-0 shellacking of Auburn (3-9 0-8 SEC) was the nail

in the coffin for Gene Chizik and his staff Chizik just two years removed from win-ning a national championship was shown the door by Auburn administrators after the Tigers lost their final three league games by a combined 150-21 He was 33-19 in four seasons and 15-17 in SEC games

Waiting for Alabama after its Iron Bowl drubbing of the Tigers was No 3 Georgia The Bulldogs (11-1 7-1 SEC) made light work of Georgia Tech 42-10 raising the stakes for its pending battle with the Tide

The stage was set for a showdown in the SEC championship when Alabama and Georgia faced off in what became the semifinal for the national championship

These teams had never met in the SEC championship and this would be the first meeting between the two since 2008 mdash the infamous ldquoBlack Outrdquo game

A lot rode on this matchup The winner got SEC bragging rights for 364 days The loser got T-shirts that say they won their conference division The winner got a trip to Miami and a date with No 1 Notre Dame The loser found itself in the Capital One Bowl

And if Alabama needed any extra motivation for the game Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo gave it to them

ldquoI feel like we are more talentedrdquo said Rambo during an ESPN radio interview ldquoWe have better players at each position across the board especially on defense Itrsquos gonna be a great challenge I know itrsquos gonna be a great battle Itrsquos gonna come down to who has the best defense Itrsquos gonna come down to who makes more turnovers Itrsquos gonna be a battle of the defensesrdquo



GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8

CW | Catilin Trotter Photo Illustration by Austin Bigoney


All season long Alabama has been a team of destinyDespite having one loss the No 2 Crimson Tide found itself in position to control

its own destiny to reach the National Championship GameWith its back against the wall and everything on the line Alabama responded to

big play after big play to defeat No 3 Georgia 32-28 for the Southeastern Conference Championship

ldquoI think itrsquos really a credit to the competitive character of the playersrdquo head coach Nick Saban said ldquoWe tell them that this is kind of what we are training you to do to have the mental toughness and the physical toughness to overcome adversity and persevere things when they donrsquot go right in the game and focus on playing the next playrdquo

Whenever things seemed to be going against them Alabama lined up and ran straight at the right side of Georgiarsquos defense amassing 350 total rushing yards After struggling to pass for much of the first half Alabama came out in the second half with two receivers and two tight ends and punished the Bulldogs

ldquoI told my right guard Anthony Steen lsquowe canrsquot be stopped togetherrsquordquo right tackle DJ Fluker said lsquoLetrsquos run this ball down their throatsrsquo and thatrsquos what we did all gamerdquo

Eddie Lacy earned the honor of Most Valuable Player with his 181 yard two-touch-down performance Lacy averaged an otherworldly 91 yards a carry showing speed power and toughness throughout the game

Lacy was spelled by true freshman TJ Yeldon who center Barrett Jones called a ldquo50-50 guyrdquo and not a backup Yeldon racked up 153 yards and a touchdown averag-ing 61 yards per carry

And then there was Cooper With a receiving core decimated by injuries Alabama has leaned on the true freshman for much of the season He showcased his talents on the biggest stage of his young career catching the go-ahead touchdown on a 45-yard strike from quarterback AJ McCarron Cooper was the only receiver to catch more than two passes and go over 30 yards

He finished the game with seven receptions for 162 yards and the biggest touch-down of his life

ldquoItrsquos a dream come truerdquo Cooper said of performing on the big stage ldquoThis is the stage I dreamed of being on in high school Thatrsquos why I came to Alabamardquo

Georgia contained Cooper from beating them deep for most of the game but he managed to get loose when it mattered most

ldquoIt was a post route with inside releaserdquo Cooper said ldquoWhen I released inside I saw him biting hard I saw him running so I stopped and went vertical I didnrsquot really see AJ so I kinda stopped Then the ball was in the air and I was like lsquooh crap I gotta go get itrsquordquo

The game wasnrsquot over yet as Georgia had a final chance to win Quarterback Aaron Murray dropped back and launched a deep pass that was batted around and appeared to be intercepted by cornerback Dee Milliner After further review the play was overturned as replay showed the ball hitting the ground giving Georgia one last glimpse of hope

Georgia got to the 8-yard line when Murray dropped back and had his pass tipped by linebacker CJ Mosley Wide receiver Chris Conley caught the ball inbounds and the clock expired without the Bulldogs being able to run another play

ldquoWe have a hurry up call we use every day against [our offense] and CJ came on it and he batted the ball and the guy caught itrdquo said defensive coordinator Kirby Smart ldquoProbably a good thing the guy caught it because if not it would have given them another snap Catching the ball cost them the gamerdquo

Now after some much needed rest Alabama turns its focus to No 1 Notre Dame The Fighting Irish led by a stingy defense and a strong running game have often been compared to SEC teams

ldquoAnother physical tough-ass gamerdquo Smart said ldquoThey got a great team from what Irsquove seen from themrdquo

CW | Shannon Auvil


NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTSPage 16 | Friday December 7 2012

CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

CW_120712_a008

CW_120712_a009

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CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

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26 Number of passing touchdowns thrown by AJ McCarron a school record

500 Number of points scored by the Alabamarsquos offense a school record

62 Number of Alabama offensive touchdowns a school record

1000 Number of yards rushed for by TJ Yeldon an Alabama freshman

running back record

9 Number of receiving touchdowns for Amari Cooper a freshman receiving record

2 Number of running backs to eclipse 1000 yards this season a first in Alabama history

28 Number of turnovers forced by Alabamarsquos defense this season eight more than last year

33 Number of sacks by Alabamarsquos defense three more than last year

4 Number of shutouts by Alabamarsquos defense one more than last year

7997 Average rushing yards for Alabama opponents this season best in the nation

246 Average total offense per game for Alabama opponents this sea-son best in the nation

MVP

center Barrett Jones

Jones is the heart and soul of Alabamarsquos 2012 team His move from tackle to center was nearly seamless and hersquos played every position on the line during his career when needed Jonesrsquos trophy case will need some cleaning off as the senior is up for the Rimington and Lombardi awards and was already named winner of the William V Campbell Trophy

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

quarterback AJ McCarron

McCarron led an Alabama offense that averaged 385 points per game while limiting his mistakes McCarron set school records for most consecutive completions without an interception (289) and passing touchdowns in a season (26) while lead-ing the country in passing efficiency

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

linebacker CJ Mosley

Mosley was the spirit of an Alabama defense that led the nation in scoring defense and total defense He stepped in for linebacker Dontrsquoa Hightower who was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots

FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

wide receiver Amari Cooper

Cooper starred in a big way for a receiving corps decimated by injuries He led the team in receiving with 895 yards which was more than double the second-leading receiver (Kenny Bell 431) His touchdown grab in the SEC Championship Game punched Alabamarsquos ticket to the national championship game

MOST IMPROVED

defensive back Dee Milliner

Milliner mostly played as the third cornerback during his first two years at Alabama behind Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie who are both playing on Sundays But given the number one spot his junior year Milliner has been the shutdown corner of Alabamarsquos secondary

STAFF AWARDSkle to center was nearly when needed Jonesrsquos ington and Lombardi

ophy

EAR

while limiting etions without ad-

AR

ring wer nd

EAR

s He led the team in ing receiver (Kenny Bell abamarsquos ticket to the

g y

rs at Alabama Sundays But given orner of Alabamarsquos

CW | Austin Bigoney

CW | Jingyu Wan

bull FridayDecember 7 2012

The Crimson White is the community newspaper of The University of Alabama The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students The University of Alabama cannot influ-ence editorial decisions and editorial opinions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opinions of the University Advertising offices of The Crimson White are on the first floor Student Publications Building 923 University Blvd The adver-tising mailing address is PO Box 2389 Tuscaloosa AL 35403-2389 The Crimson White (USPS 138020) is published four times weekly when classes are in session during Fall and Spring Semester except for the Monday after Spring Break and the Monday after Thanksgiving and once a week when school is in session for the summer Marked calendar provided The Crimson White is provided for free up to three issues Any other papers are $100 The subscription rate for The Crimson White is $125 per year Checks should be made payable to The University of Alabama and sent to The Crimson White Subscription Department PO Box 2389 Tuscaloosa AL 35403-2389 The Crimson White is entered as peri-odical postage at Tuscaloosa AL 35401 POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Crimson White PO Box 2389 Tuscaloosa AL 35403-2389 All material contained herein except advertising or where indicated oth-erwise is Copyright copy 2012 by The Crimson White and protected under the ldquoWork Made for Hirerdquo and ldquoPeriodical Publicationrdquo categories of the US copy-right laws Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed written permission of The Crimson White

PO Box 870170 Tuscaloosa AL 35487 Newsroom 348-6144 | Fax 348-8036

Advertising 348-7845Classifi eds 348-7355

ADVERTISING

EDITORIAL

Will DeShazo 348-8995Advertising Managercwadmanagergmailcom

Tori HallTerritory Manager 348-2598

Classified Manager 348-7355

Coleman Richards Special Projects Manager

osmspecialprojectsgmailcom

Natalie Selman 348-8042Creative Services Manager

Robert Clark 348-8742

Emily Diab 348-8054

Chloe Ledet 348-6153

Keenan Madden 348-2670

John Wolfrom 348-6875

Will Whitlock 348-8735

Amy Metzler osmspecialprojects2gmailcom

Jake Morrow osmspecialprojects2gmailcom

Will Tuckereditor-in-chiefeditorcwuaedu

Ashley Chaffinmanaging editor

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Melissa Brownnews editor newsdeskcwuaedu

Mazie Bryantassistant news editor

Lauren Fergusonculture editor

Marquavius Burnettsports editor

SoRelle Wyckoffopinion editor

Ashanka Kumarichief copy editor

Shannon Auvilphoto editor

Anna Waterslead designer

Whitney Hendrixlead graphic designer

Alex Clarkcommunity manager

SEASON BY THE

NUMBERS




































M I C H I G A N















WESTERN KENTUCKY

3 5 - 0






CW | Jingyu Wan


RUN A SOCIAL MEDIA

CAMPAIGNWITH THE




A R K A N S A S
















CW | Shannon Auvil


FLORIDA ATLANTIC























O L E M I S S

3 3 - 1 4





















M I S S O U R I

4 2 - 1 0

CW | Shannon Auvil


T E N N E S S E E























CW | Shannon Au





Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE


















ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

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CW_120712_a010

CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016

NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS Friday December 7 2012 |



































M I C H I G A N















WESTERN KENTUCKY

3 5 - 0






CW | Jingyu Wan


RUN A SOCIAL MEDIA

CAMPAIGNWITH THE




A R K A N S A S
















CW | Shannon Auvil


FLORIDA ATLANTIC























O L E M I S S

3 3 - 1 4





















M I S S O U R I

4 2 - 1 0

CW | Shannon Auvil


T E N N E S S E E























CW | Shannon Au





Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE


















ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

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CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016

M I C H I G A N















WESTERN KENTUCKY

3 5 - 0






CW | Jingyu Wan

| Friday December 7 2012 NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS

RUN A SOCIAL MEDIA

CAMPAIGNWITH THE




A R K A N S A S
















CW | Shannon Auvil


FLORIDA ATLANTIC























O L E M I S S

3 3 - 1 4





















M I S S O U R I

4 2 - 1 0

CW | Shannon Auvil


T E N N E S S E E























CW | Shannon Au





Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE


















ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

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RUN A SOCIAL MEDIA

CAMPAIGNWITH THE




A R K A N S A S
















CW | Shannon Auvil


FLORIDA ATLANTIC























O L E M I S S

3 3 - 1 4





















M I S S O U R I

4 2 - 1 0

CW | Shannon Auvil


T E N N E S S E E























CW | Shannon Au





Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE


















ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



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FLORIDA ATLANTIC























O L E M I S S

3 3 - 1 4





















M I S S O U R I

4 2 - 1 0

CW | Shannon Auvil


T E N N E S S E E























CW | Shannon Au





Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE


















ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

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O L E M I S S

3 3 - 1 4





















M I S S O U R I

4 2 - 1 0

CW | Shannon Auvil


T E N N E S S E E























CW | Shannon Au





Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE


















ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

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CW_120712_a009

CW_120712_a010

CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016






M I S S O U R I

4 2 - 1 0

CW | Shannon Auvil


T E N N E S S E E























CW | Shannon Au





Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE


















ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

CW_120712_a008

CW_120712_a009

CW_120712_a010

CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016

T E N N E S S E E























CW | Shannon Au





Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE


















ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

CW_120712_a008

CW_120712_a009

CW_120712_a010

CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016




Roll Tide

MISSISSIPPI STATE


















ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

CW_120712_a008

CW_120712_a009

CW_120712_a010

CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016

ldquoldquo























CW | Shannon Auvil


TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

CW_120712_a008

CW_120712_a009

CW_120712_a010

CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016

TEXAS AampM

2 9 - 2 4






























CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil

CW | Shannon Auvil








with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

CW_120712_a008

CW_120712_a009

CW_120712_a010

CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016







with a

at the

Featured at



CW | Austin Bigoney

WESTERN CAROLINA














AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

CW_120712_a008

CW_120712_a009

CW_120712_a010

CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016

AUBURN

4 9 - 0














GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

CW_120712_a008

CW_120712_a009

CW_120712_a010

CW_120712_a011

CW_120712_a012

CW_120712_a013

CW_120712_a014

CW_120712_a015

CW_120712_a016

GEORGIA

3 2 - 2 8





















CW | Shannon Auvil



CW_120712_a001

CW_120712_a002

CW_120712_a003

CW_120712_a004

CW_120712_a005

CW_120712_a006

CW_120712_a007

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CW_120712_a009

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NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS | Friday December 7 2012

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12.7.12 The Crimson White

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Transcript of 12.7.12 The Crimson White