Not excited about the Peach Bowl...

Let's see....... 2 top 10 powerhouses........... 2 teams with something to prove.........throw in the intrigue of the highly touted backup making his first start.........2 coaches that know their teams have yet to put together a solid game...........a national stage..........YEAH........I'M EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!! :geauxtige

 

I'm not as excited as 99-04. I think in those years, we had been down so long, and we could see our program building. Each year, recruiting classes got better, execution got better, and we learned we had a right to believe "we'd be in every game". It didn't work out that way all the time, but usually it did. We became accustomed to seeing a well schooled and discliplined team execute well and play hard on every down. We had some breakdowns, notably on special teams and in the defensive secondary, and they cost us some games. But on a percentage basis, we didn't usually beat ourselves. Plus our expectations were low in 99, and we frequently exceeded out own expectations. We didn't love Saban, but we respected him.

Now, our expectations are high, and we will not generally exceed them. The team has not looked disciplined, with all the penalties especially. Our "best receiver corp in the nation", wasn't, they had the drops. Our ground attack lost more than we figured when Broussard went down, and injuries hobbled Addai. And while Miles is likable, he has not earned our respect yet, in general (and I am in the "give him some time" camp). We've played without passion and crisp execution in the last two games, and we don't have the confidence that "we'll be in the game to the end" every time, after the SECCG.

My .02.

 

I wish JaMarcus was starting because I think we would have beaten these guys. Not taking anything away from Matt Flynn but starting your first game against one of the best defenses in the country is not the way you want to start your college career as a starter.

Unfortunately for us the JaMarcus factor will be too much to overcome is the "prestigious Peach Bowl".

I still contend we got jobbed by the bowl games. A top 10 team playing in a lower tiered bowl game(and oh by the way the payout is much different than a Jan. 2nd bowl)