Alabama lands in national rankings

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Posted 8:33AM on Monday, September 30, 2002

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - New quarterback, new tailback and new ranking. Alabama brushed off injuries to quarterback Tyler Watts and tailback Ahmaad Galloway to resurface in the national rankings at No. 22 after a nearly 13-month absence with a 30-12 road thrashing of Arkansas. The Crimson Tide's new ranking comes just in time for a Southeastern Conference showdown with No. 7 Georgia (4-0, 1 (0)-. The teams haven't met since 1995. Alabama 4-1, 1 (0)- entered last season ranked No. 25 but dropped out with an opening loss to UCLA. Coach Dennis Franchione said he's too "locked in" on the Bulldogs to worry about rankings. "I know that all glory is fleeting and I know we must prepare this week as much as we have the last few weeks," Franchione said Sunday. "I have felt like all along this team had the potential to be a good football team, and I think they're proving that." The Tide are also proving resilient. They lost quarterback Tyler Watts (sprained left foot) and Ahmaad Galloway (torn knee ligaments) in the Southern Miss game, but the subs were super. Redshirt freshman Brodie Croyle was 12-of-24 passing for 285 yards with a 50-yard touchdown pass and no interceptions. Tailbacks Shaud Williams (119 yards) and Santonio Beard (134) more than picked up Galloway's slack. Williams scored on an 80-yard run on the game's first play from scrimmage to set the tone. "When you start the game with a touchdown on the first play, it gives you the opportunity to play ahead all night," Franchione said. "And on the road, I think that was a big issue. "It seemed to take almost two weeks of emotional preparation out of Arkansas for awhile." Franchione told Croyle last Sunday he would get the nod against the Razorbacks, but kept it quiet from the media and fans. And this week? Good question. "That's not an announcement I'm ready to make today," said Franchione, adding that he in fact hadn't made a decision yet. "I'm pleased with the way (Croyle) played and it's certainly given us a secure feeling about our position. "It will be much later in the week before we'd even be ready to think about that." Franchione said the offensive coaches only scaled the offensive gameplan back a little bit for Croyle, cutting out most of the option plays. "I think we've put our focus on putting Brodie in as many positive situations as we could," Franchione said. TIDE BITS:@ Proof that Alabama is hot again: ESPN Game Day will air from Tuscaloosa for the second time. The show also set up shop at Alabama in last year's season opener with UCLA ... Beard, Croyle and Williams shared offensive back of the week honors. Other players honored were Wesley Britt and Justin Smiley (offensive line), David Scott (special teams), Jarret Johnson and Derrick Pope (defensive line), and Gerald Dixon (defensive back).