Columnist Steve Guiremand: Successful month has quieted ‘Bama critics

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Oct. 22, 1999 | 10:06 a.m.

Steve Guiremand's college football column appears Friday. Reach him at 259-2324 or steve@vegas.com

"It's amazing what a month can do."

Those were the words of Alabama quarterbacks coach Charlie Stubbs earlier this week during a phone conversation from Tuscaloosa, Ala., where the SEC West leading Crimson Tide (5-1, 4-0) will host defending national champion Tennessee (4-1, 2-1 SEC East) on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Stubbs, UNLV's quarterbacks coach in 1996-97, wasn't laughing when he made the comment. He was dead serious.

A month ago, following a stunning 29-28 home loss to Louisiana Tech, the pressure was red-hot on Crimson Tide head coach Mike DuBose. Rumors were flying that DuBose, already in hot water for his part in a much publicized sexual harrassment lawsuit, might not last another week if Alabama lost the following week at home to Arkansas.

But the Crimson Tide bounced back for a 35-28 win over the Hogs. Then the following week, Alabama shocked Florida at The Swamp, 40-39, in overtime.

That victory, combined with a 30-24 win at Ole Miss last week, seems to have quieted the DuBose critics for the time being.

A key to the turnaround has been the running of Tide tailback Shaun Alexander, perhaps the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy thanks to Peter Warrick's recent shopping spree. Alexander leads the nation in scoring (17.0 ppg) and all-purpose yards (206.3 yards).

But the offensive influence of Stubbs, a 1978 BYU grad who helped groom Steve Young and Robbie Bosco at the 'Y' from 1982-84, also has played a key part.

It was after the loss to Louisiana Tech that DuBose asked Stubbs to help jump-start what had been a very conservative and predictable offense.

"We were a lot better football team than Louisiana Tech, but we had played a game that kept them close," Stubbs said. "It was a conservative approach. Me and coach (DuBose) sat down and talked. He gave me the opportunity to open it up a lot more, not just throwing the football but being a little bit more unpredictable. All of a sudden we produced very well."

And no one produced better than Alexander, who had two key touchdown runs at the end of the Florida upset and gained 214 yards on the ground last week against a Mississippi defense that entered the game ranked No. 1 in the nation against the run.

"That was one of the concerns with a lot of people," Stubbs said. "We have an excellent player here in Shaun Alexander at running back and I wanted to assure them that his production would be just as much."

With 105 points in three games, Stubbs has made his point.

"That's really why I thought I was brought in here," he said. "I just think you have to prove yourself a little bit out here in the South before you get a chance. It was tough because you knew you could help more. But some people around here had never experienced such a wide-open style of approach before."

Stubbs said the controversy swirling around the program has died down thanks to the Tide's recent win streak. However, he realizes it wouldn't take much to get it going again.

"The winning helps and makes it a lot better," he said. "But people here have short memories on some stuff. You can win, but if you stumble the next week or don't play very well, then (the criticism) all comes right back."

Notes and quotes

USC may have lost to Notre Dame on the field last week, but give the Trojans a slight nod in motivational speakers. The Fighting Irish brought out The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, at Friday night's pep rally at an overflowing Joyce Center. Gretzky, presented with a No. 99 jersey, had the 12,000-plus going crazy when he said he wished he could come back to play one year of college hockey in South Bend. Meanwhile, the Trojans had "The Greatest,", Muhammad Ali, stop by their team hotel for three hours. ...

Trojan coach Paul Hackett, already on the hot seat in just his second year at USC, broke a cardinal coaching rule by pointing fingers at his seniors this week and blaming them for his team's chronic fourth quarter collapses. It also was a not-so-subtle dig at ex-USC head coach John Robinson, who recruited those players. I'm sure Robinson and UNLV fans would mind if Hackett sent those seniors -- such as potential first-round pick R. Jay Soward, wide receiver Windrell Hayes, speedy tailback Chad Morton and offensive lineman Travis Claridge -- to UNLV for the second half of the season.

Once around the MWC

* AIR FORCE: Placekicker Jackson Whiting is perfect this year, hitting all four of his field goals as well as all 12 PATs.

* BYU: Cougs held New Mexico to just 124 yards in total offense in last week's rain-soaked 31-7 win. And that was without Butkus Award nominee Rob Morris patrolling the middle.

* COLORADO STATE: Rams are in the midst of only their fourth two-game losing streak during Sonny Lubick's seven seasons in Fort Collins. CSU, which travels to arch-rival Wyoming on Saturday night, hasn't lost three in a row since 1993.

* UNLV: Rebels pass defense ranks 13th nationally, allowing an average of 98.8 yards per game. Only Utah (95.9) ranks ahead of UNLV in the Mountain West.

* NEW MEXICO: Look for Lobos to work on their ground game during this week's bye week. New Mexico ranks last in the conference and 90th overall in rushing offense with an average 112.2 yards per game. That number would be even lower if not for a 300-yard game against I-AA Northern Arizona.

* SAN DIEGO STATE: Four of Aztecs' last five games have been decided in the final minute of play. San Diego State has suffered three losses by a total of seven points, including two MWC contests by a combined four points.

* UTAH: Utes are converting an excellent 50 percent of the time on third down.

* WYOMING: Saturday night's ESPN2 battle for "The Bronze Boot" with Colorado State will mark only the second time in the 50-year history of War Memorial Stadium that a kickoff has been scheduled for after dark. The first time was on Sept. 1, 1988 when Cowboys beat BYU, 24-14, in ESPN's first-ever Thursday night college telecast.

Once around the nation

* ACC: Saturday's "Bowden Bowl" between Tommy's Clemson Tigers (3-3, 3-1) and dad Bobby's No. 1 rated Florida State Seminoles marks the first ever father vs. son meeting in the history of Division I football.

* BIG EAST: Virginia Tech's 62-0 thrashing of then No. 16 Syracuse last week was even more impressive when you consider the Hokies were forced at the last minute to use a third string walk-on center, Steve DeMasi, because of injuries.

* BIG TEN: Wisconsin's Ron Dayne needs just 16 yards Saturday against Michigan State to move past USC's Charlie White into third place on the NCAA's all-time rushing list.

* BIG 12: Former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said he believes this year's Cornhusker defense may be the best in school history. Nebraska ranks in the top 11 in every major defensive statistical catagory heading into this week's game against Texas and has allowed just seven first quarter and three second quarter points in six games this season.

* BIG WEST: North Texas quarterbacks are completing just 34.3 percent of their passes this season. Still, the Mean Green has been able to post upset wins over Texas Tech and Boise State.

* CONFERENCE-USA: If East Carolina (5-1, 1-1) defeats Tulane on Saturday, Pirates coach Steve Logan will move into a tie for third place for career coaching wins at the school with Pat Dye (48). The school record is 50 by Clarence Stasovich.

* MAC: Fifteenth-ranked Marshall (6-0) has the nation's longest winning streak (10 games) as well as the nation's longest home win streak (28 straight).

* PAC-10: Paul Hackett is 11-8 since replacing John Robinson at USC in 1998, including just 3-4 in his last seven games. And those three wins were over Hawaii, San Diego State and Oregon State.

* SEC: South Carolina (0-7, 0-5) is on pace to become the first 0-11 team in SEC history. Gamecocks host Vanderbilt (4-3) on Saturday and then finish up with games against defending national champ Tennessee, Florida and Clemson.

* WAC: After allowing seven sacks in season-opening 62-7 loss to USC, Hawaii's offensive line has surrendered just four sacks in the last five games.