6:00 P.M. CT SEPT. 21, 2013 COLORADO STATE TV: ESPN2 Saban’s previous offensive coordinator, Jim McElwain, returns to Bryant-Denny to face his former head coach. FriendTheCrimsonWhite us FOLLOW US@thecrimsonwhite Get our APP Apple Android PICK US UP ON CAMPUS MONDAY-THURSDAY September 20, 2013 Across the Country EDITORIAL A play-by-play of important editor-in-chief Mazie Bryant games to watch this Saturday. 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Alabama (59) 1. Alabama (61) 2. Oregon (1) 2. Oregon (1) 3. Clemson 3. Ohio State 4. Ohio State 4. Clemson TheTh Bama Gamblers 5. Stanford 5. Stanford 6. LSU 6. Louisville Friday 7. Louisville 7. LSU The Bama Gamblers noo coverccoo er 8. Florida State 8. Florida State 21+ till 11. $2 Bud Light Platinums 9. Georgia 9. Texas A&M & $4 Vegas Bombs all night 10. Texas A&M 10. Georgia 11. Oklahoma State 11. Oklahoma State Saturday 12. South Carolina 12. Oklahoma Open at Noon, free hamburgers & 13. UCLA 13. South Carolina hotdog cookout at 2pm, $1 off all 14. Oklahoma 14. Michigan drinks & beer till 6 pm 15. Michigan 15. UCLA DJ Silence after the game 16. Miami (FL) 16. Northwestern 17. Washington 17. Miami (FL) 18. Northwestern 18. Florida 19. Florida 19. Baylor 20. Baylor 20. Washington 21. Ole Miss 21. Notre Dame 22. Notre Dame 22. Ole Miss 23. Arizona State 23. Arizona State 24. Wisconsin 24. Michigan State 25. Texas Tech 25. Frenso State jupiterbar.com 02 09/20/2013 GAMEDAY From UA to Colorado State, McElwain has experience with the best coaches football has to offer. On this return trip to Tuscaloosa, McElwain once again is meeting with his old head coach Saban – but this time as an opposing force. By Billy Whyte csurams.com ffensive play-calling is in a lot reacting. Too much improvising, though, stifl ed the two-headed running attack of of ways a cross between orches- and the performance becomes sloppy and Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, and trating an opera and performing unpredictable. In essence, offensive play- the offense couldn’t get anything going. a comedy stand-up routine. Leg- calling is a balancing act between what With no running game and an early 14-0 endary head coach Bill Walsh you can and can’t prepare for. defi cit, McElwain turned to quarterback coined the term “scripting” for how to run Few were able to orchestrate this bal- Greg McElroy, who most saw as the weak an offense, as the fewer decisions made ance as well as Colorado State head coach link of the offense. But even with limited during the game and the less left up to Jim McElwain during his time as Ala- play-calling options with the running game instincts, the better. But when the script bama’s offensive coordinator. Against Au- not working, McElwain and McElroy were isn’t working, play-callers have to adapt burn in 2009 in the last game of the regular able to deliver, with McElroy completing and improvise on the fl y based on how the season, Alabama’s undefeated season was his fi nal seven passes and McElwain or- defense, or essentially their audience, is on the brink of ending as the Tigers had chestrating a seven-minute, game-winning 04 09/20/2013 GAMEDAY Auburn West Virginia vs. No. 6 LSU vs. Maryland Tiger Stadium - Baton Rouge, La., M&T Bank Stadium - Baltimore, Md., 6:45 p.m. CT, ESPN 2:30 p.m. CT, ESPNU The SEC is home to current No. 1-ranked and two-time defending This game will ultimately be decided by one team’s ability to slow national champion Alabama, but at the moment it may be the Tigers down the high-powered offense of the other, but the offense in ques- of LSU, not the Crimson Tide, that have been the most complete tion is not West Virginia’s. A year after fi elding the second-worst total team so far in 2013. LSU, as usual, has a top-10 defense and a strong offense in all of college football, Maryland has jumped all the way up running game that should give fi rst-year Auburn quarterback Nick to the 10th in that category, led by dual-threat quarterback C.J. Brown Marshall and his defense its fair share of troubles in Death Valley. The during their 3-0 start. But while Maryland’s offense has signifi cantly added dimension of drastically improved quarterback play from Zach improved, so has West Virginia’s defense, which has yielded just 13.3 Mettenberger, who currently leads the SEC passing effi ciency, only points per game after giving up 38.1 points last season. The Mountain- adds to the tough task Auburn faces in playing LSU. eers have won in their last seven meetings against the Terrapins. No. 23 Arizona State Utah vs. No. 5 Stanford vs. BYU Stanford Stadium - Stanford, Calif., LaVell Edwards Stadium - Provo, Utah, 6 p.m. CT, FOX 9:15 p.m. CT, ESPN2 Both teams are off to a 2-0 start heading into this po- After a two-week hiatus, BYU returns to the fi eld to host Utah in the tential Pac-12 Championship Game preview. Stanford is again proving fi nal Holy War for at least three years. BYU has a strong running to be a well-rounded team with effi cient and emerging leader Kevin game that compiled 550 rushing yards in its last game against Texas, Hogan at quarterback, but Arizona State is looking like much of the but Utah is equally good against the run, limiting teams to under 100 same under second-year starting quarterback Taylor Kelly. Stanford yards on the ground per game. The player to watch, though, will be has lost only once at home in the past three seasons combined, but ex- Utah quarterback Travis Wilson, who leads the Utes in both passing pect the Sun Devils to make it a competitive game. An Arizona State and rushing. Due to the circumstances surrounding it, a close, hard- win could both make the Sun Devils the favorites in the Pac-12 South fought battle should be expected for this game. and signifi cantly damage Stanford’s championship hopes with Oregon being in its division. Tennessee Michigan State vs. No. 19 Florida vs. No. 22 Notre Dame Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - Gainesville, Fla., Notre Dame Stadium - Notre Dame, Ind., 2:30 p.m. CT, CBS 2:30 p.m. CT, NBC Traditionally a rivalry between two top SEC schools, this year’s Flor- Though Notre Dame isn’t the national championship contender it was ida-Tennessee game enters with more question marks than we’ve a year ago, it’s still a ranked team that has the capability to win a lot of grown accustomed to. Dating back to last season’s Sugar Bowl loss, football games. On offense, Fighting Irish quarterback Tommy Rees Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel has turned the ball over 10 times, and wide receiver DeVaris Daniels are gradually becoming one of the with three coming in the Gators’ 21-16 loss to Miami two weeks top quarterback-receiver tandems in the country. That said, they will ago. The keys to the game for Florida will be to get into a rhythm have their hands full against the No. 1-ranked Michigan State defense on offense and limit turnovers against a Tennessee defense that is led by defensive lineman Shilique Calhoun, who has two sacks and second nationally in interceptions with seven through three games. three defensive touchdowns this season. The Spartans should have Conversely, Tennessee will need to keep the Florida offense in check Notre Dame on upset alert come game time. after showing signs of weakness in a 59-14 loss at Oregon last week, where the Volunteers gave up nearly 700 yards of total offense. 09/20/2013 GAMEDAY 03 drive to close out the game 26-21. Alabama what they do,” McElwain said.