Without Smith, Alabama's line was vulnerable

Jan 3, 2009 - 5:39 PM By Chris Bellamy PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) - For Alabama, the absence of starting left tackle Andre Smith was just another excuse - one of many - for Friday's stunning 31-17 loss to Utah in the Sugar Bowl.

As excuses go, however, this one at least had some merit.

The Crimson Tide lost Smith before the game even started, as the 2008 Outland Trophy winner was suspended for violating team rules - reportedly for having made contact with an agent.

To make matters worse, his replacement, Mike Johnson, went down with an injury in the first quarter.

Then again, it didn't seem to matter who was protecting John Parker Wilson's blind side - the Utes battered him all night long no matter who was in their way.

"We're still building quality depth on our team," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "We lost two of our three best offensive linemen in this game. "And we struggled to block their pass rush and their pressure. We didn't give our quarterback here a chance too many times in the pocket to be able to throw the ball effectively."

With Alabama's front five missing its anchor, the Utes utilized a variety of shifts and stunts to take advantage of their speed and versatility.

It worked ... and it worked right away.

Utes junior linebacker Stevenson Sylvester put the kibosh on the game's opening drive, drilling Wilson on third down for the first of his three sacks.

"We were prepared for it," Alabama center Antoine Caldwell said. " We just didn't get it done. We practiced it all week. We did it in every drill, every situation we had in practice. We just went out there today and for whatever reason we weren't focused in and made some key mistakes at key times in the game, and you just can't do that in a big game like this."

On the Tide's next drive, Sylvester did even more damage. The speedy junior linebacker charged through the middle of the line and hit Wilson as he threw, forcing a wobbly pass that was picked off and set up the game's second score, giving Utah a 14-0 lead.

"We wanted to start off on the right foot," Utah linebacker Mike Wright said. "(The coaches) came up with a great scheme and we were able to get after the quarterback. We played outstanding."

The Crimson Tide never fully recovered after that. After being sacked just 17 times all season, Wilson was taken down eight times Friday.

"It starts up front," Saban said. "I don't think we did a very good job up front in this game, and we've done a great job all year up front. And that's been sort of the trademark of our team."

The Tide still had a fighting chance in the fourth quarter - and once again it was a leaky offensive line that ended Alabama's hopes. Sean Smith came around on a cornerback blitz, nailed Wilson and forced a pivotal fumble with 5:23 remaining. Game, essentially, over.

"They're just a good football team, play hard and are very athletic," Alabama sophomore lineman Drew Davis said. "We didn't play our best game tonight and we should have been a lot better."

Smith's absence and Johnson's departure ultimately could have made the difference on the line of scrimmage. Still, the Tide didn't want to use that as a reason for their loss.

"It's football and injuries happen," said Alabama running back Glen Coffee, who was held to a season-low 36 rushing yards. "The great teams always have guys that can fill in when injuries happen. It was adversity that as a team we needed to fight through."

That inability to fight through adversity ultimately turned the tide for the Tide. For the first time all season, they failed to rush for 100 yards and managed a paltry 208 yards of total offense.

The eight sacks allowed were also a season high.

For a "real" BCS team that just a few weeks ago was the consensus No. 1 team in the country, the Crimson Tide simply didn't have enough weapons to overcome an emotionally-charged opponent - despite what the scouting reports may have suggested.

"We didn't come out of the locker room ready to play," Davis said. "We got out of position several times and they capitalized. We lost a few guys on the line early, but we can't place the blame on that. We had a lot of faith in our offensive line and we're very disappointed we didn't finish strong."