2007 Tide better than last year’s

TUSCALOOSA — I hate to put down Vanderbilt and Western Carolina, but it was about time we saw Alabama get tested.

The Catamounts put up a fight for a few minutes, and the Commodores, well, they are in the Southeastern Conference literally, though some may they’re not in it figuratively.

But Arkansas is a cat — or hog — of a different color. The Razorbacks came into Bryant-Denny Stadium with the Heisman trophy favorite in Darren McFadden and a solid core of players returning from the 2006 SEC Western Division champs.

Vanderbilt had a nice squad with Earl Bennett at wide receiver, but Bennett is no McFadden, and the Commodores are, well, the Commodores.

All season, we haven’t seen what Alabama could do when it is playing a tough opponent at full force, clicking on all cylinders.

After the Western Carolina game, players said that the coaches hadn’t opened up the playbook. Against Vanderbilt, quarterback John Parker Wilson said he was off target with his throws.

And after talking to Tide players after they beat Vandy, it felt more like Alabama had come out of Nashville with a loss, rather than a win.

Right out of the gate Saturday, you could tell that Alabama was up to the challenge against Arkansas. The swarming defense we have seen throughout the season was there and then some.

McFadden got yards, but it felt like he was making a difference. The Razorbacks weren’t converting their chances, and Alabama was creating turnovers, specifically the Darren Mustin interception in the first quarter.

Looking at that one play, maybe you could see a microcosm of the intensity Alabama’s defense brought. Defensive end Wallace Gilberry got in Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick’s passing lane, knocking the ball up in the air, right where Mustin needed it to make the play.

That sort of aggressiveness in going after turnovers was missing a year ago, and the play set the tone for how Alabama was going to play against Arkansas.

If the Crimson Tide couldn’t contain the Razorbacks for the whole game, at least it was going to throw a lot at the Hogs.

On offense, we’ve heard the same buzzword all season that we heard a year ago — balance.

The Tide wants to run the ball and pass with efficiency. But the main difference between this year and last year is the way Alabama balances the pass and the run.

All week, Alabama talked about increasing its long-yardage plays, and it made a statement on its first offensive play of the game.

Wilson found wide receiver DJ Hall down the field for a 43-yard gain that not only broke Ozzie Newsome’s Alabama career yardage record, but also showed Arkansas that it was going to test its defensive backs all night.

On another drive, Wilson hit Hall for gains of 31 yards and 35 yards, the second one going for a touchdown.

Now take what we saw from Alabama’s passing offense and its defense, add it to the other games this season and we’ll see a clearer picture of the 2007 squad.

On offense, Alabama scored 52 points against Western Carolina. Not bad. Then add the 10-play, 86-yard drive at Vanderbilt, which featured nine running plays, to the explosiveness that the Tide showed against Arkansas, and you have a team that can beat you in the short and long yardage.

The defense was supposed to be Alabama’s weak link at the start of the year, and at worst, it’s not terrible. Linebacker Rolando McClain has been better than expected, and the front seven isn’t as soft as we thought.

It is a long season, yes, but Saturday showed that the identity of this Alabama team is at least better than last year.