After 6 games, Tide still searching for its identity

It’s official: The Crimson Tide is halfway through the season. And where is Alabama coach Nick Saban in his never-ending search for the team’s identity?

Well, it appears to be the one word that Saban despises more than most others: inconsistent.

Looking at Alabama’s first six games, the consistency that Saban constantly talks about hasn’t been there.

In its first two games, Alabama crushed Western Carolina and Vanderbilt. But in its third game against Arkansas, a disturbing trend started. Though the Crimson Tide (4-2, 2-1 SEC) came back to win at the end, it blew a 31-10 second half lead.

This would be only a footnote, if Alabama did not do the almost same last weekend against Houston, almost blowing a 30-10 fourth-quarter lead.

Also, against Florida State and Georgia, Alabama’s performance fluctuated, getting behind early only to come back late and lose.

“That’s what you need — to be able to play with consistency,” Saban said. “But it’s not just happening here. I’m not making excuses.”

Despite that issue, Alabama has showed the mark of a Saban-coached team by playing well during some critical junctures of games.

As the second half of the season gets under way with Saturday’s game at Ole Miss (2-4, 0-3), here are some of the issues the Tide faces:

Who’s running the ball?: Earlier this week, Saban said that losing a starting job isn’t always the byproduct of poor play. In the case of Terry Grant, it’s tough to figure out why he has run the ball for only 48 yards during the past two games.

Grant burst onto the scene at the start of the season, posting 134 yards rushing against Western Carolina and 173 yards at Vanderbilt. But something has been missing the past two games.

Maybe Saban is pacing Grant by resting him and playing the bigger, more physical Glen Coffee, who had a career high 121 yards on 30 carries against Houston on Saturday.

Or Maybe Saban is just taking advantage of his depth at running back with Grant, Coffee and Roy Upchurch.

"We all have a feel for each other and know who is supposed to be in there at the time," Grant said. "There isn't any jealousy between none of us."

Will Greg McElroy play?: Saban defended starter John Parker Wilson at his Monday news conference. But what if Wilson's play sags again?

He doesn't appear to be in danger of getting benched, but what if the offense flames out, like it did in the second half against Houston?

Is Greg McElroy better than Wilson? Only the Crimson Tide coaches know the answer to that for certain.

But if McElroy hadn't started warming up with 10 minutes left in the Houston game, this would be a non-issue.

Offensive-line shuffle: It seems like every week, center Antoine Caldwell is playing some other position on the offensive line.

Last week, he filled in at right guard when Evan Cardwell was moved to center.

This week, Caldwell has been practicing at left guard, replacing Justin Britt who has missed practice all week after his mother was involved in an accident last weekend.

This movement isn't exactly a cause for concern. Instead, it's more fascinating than anything else.

Before the season, we knew Caldwell was a good center, but to watch his versatility in action is borderline captivating.

"It's just something I take pride in," Caldwell said. "When a guy goes down, coach (Joe) Pendry or coach Saban have enough faith to slide me into any position."