Saban might need some more rabbits

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Well, it finally happen.

Those textbooks finally beat Alabama. Well, not literally, but Saturday’s 17-12 loss to Mississippi State was the first time we saw Alabama’s situation involving five players and their “impermissible receipt of textbooks” haunt the Tide.

With time running out in the first half and Alabama up 9-3 with first-and-goal on the Mississippi State 3, you would figure the Crimson Tide would go with its biggest running back.

Well, in this case, that happened to be 5-foot-10, 188-pound Terry Grant. Yes Grant is a tight package of speed and strength, but not the kind that you want in a short-yardage situation.

Who else could Alabama have turned to? Jonathan Lowe? All 5-foot-7 of him.

Lowe did an excellent job of running the ball Saturday, but is he the guy you want going shoulder to shoulder with giant defensive end Titus Brown?

You may ask about Roy Upchurch. Well, he hurt himself before the game.

That goal-line situation called for Glen Coffee. Alabama needed a running back with size, and at 6-2, 197 pounds, Coffee is the biggest the Tide has. But he was sitting out as one of the five players suspended the last three games because of textbook-gate.

So there was Grant asked to pound the ball 3 yards against an entire defensive front stacked up against him. As good as Grant can be in the open field, it was no surprise that he was stuffed two straight times.

One play later ... bam. Alabama’s John Parker Wilson threw a pass that MSU’s Anthony Johnson picked off and returned 100 yards for a touchdown. Mississippi State went ahead 10-9 and never trailed the rest of the game.

When Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked whether his team could benefit from a bigger running back, he looked at the reporter asking the question, and said one powerful word: “Absolutely.”

Along with a more sizable runner, do you think Alabama could have been better off with Antoine Caldwell or Marlon Davis on the line to get a little more push? Both were out because of the textbook situation.

Right guard B.J. Stabler was hurt, and Mike Johnson moved to his position from right tackle. Chris Capps then was put at right tackle.

I don’t care what Saban says about how well Capps played — the further you get into your depth, the worse your team is going to be.

Following the game, Wilson was as stoic as his coach, using the simple mantra that the team just needs to deal with the hand it’s dealt.

“We’ve got to play with the guys who are here,” he said.

Now Alabama is at a point where it should take a long, hard look at how the season will play out if the suspended players never see the field again.

Saban did a great job motivating his players for the Tide’s 41-17 win over Tennessee. That was the day following the textbook suspensions, but it seemed like Alabama’s play in that game was based on adrenaline. Now, reality is setting in.

As LSU did the week before in a 41-34 win over the Tide, Mississippi State pressured Wilson into one of his worst games of the season. The running game didn’t get much accomplished, and the Bulldogs dominated the line of scrimmage from a defensive standpoint.

Are there any more rabbits that Saban can pull out of his hat with this group? Can he force his team to play like it did against Tennessee or will the Tide play like it did against Mississippi State?

The answer will tell how the rest of the season will play out. And by the rest of the season, I mean the Iron Bowl in two weeks.