Not even Alabama coach Nick Saban could lower the ever-building expectations throughout the 2008 season. The opening blowout of Clemson. The blackout beat-down at Georgia. The overtime dramatics at LSU. The Iron Bowl thumping of reeling rival Auburn.

It all culminated in a No. 1 ranking and perfect regular season, feeding a starving fan base. Saban worried his team would get full.
“When you get satisfied and fall in love with yourself,” Saban says, “you lose your desire.”
That might not be a problem this season in the wake of two season-ending defeats. The loss in the Southeastern Conference title game to Florida left a bad taste in many mouths. But the Sugar Bowl embarrassment administered by Utah did more than that. There’s motivation aplenty for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama may return nine starters on an already-stout defense and several key members of its offense. The Tide may have a new quarterback in junior Greg McElroy. But it wants to take care of some old business from 2008. And Alabama has a serious opportunity to finish what it started, beginning with the high-powered opener against Virginia Tech in Atlanta on national TV.
“We didn’t do what we were supposed to do last year,” nosetackle Terrence Cody says, “and that’s what made us hungry to come back this year.”
Quarterbacks
A three-year starter, John Parker Wilson exited as the program’s leader in nearly every statistical category. This year, the plan was for an open quarterback competition between McElroy, redshirt freshman Star Jackson and sophomore walk-on Thomas Darrah. But McElroy blew away the field. “Everybody knows who our players have the most respect for,” Saban says, “who has the best knowledge and experience. He’s far and away our best quarterback right now. He knows that somebody’s got to beat him out.” The whiz kid McElroy is used to waiting his turn. He did so in high school behind future Missouri star Chase Daniel. At Alabama, too. His highlight is a 34-yard touchdown pass against Auburn. “I know I haven’t started a game yet,” McElroy says. “I know I haven’t really done anything up to this point that’s proven myself.” While the athletic Jackson and the strong-armed Darrah battle to be his backup, they face another challenge this fall with talented freshman A.J. McCarron.
Running backs
Alabama’s physical ground game produced plenty of big leads and wore down many a defense. The focus of that attack was All-SEC running back Glen Coffee (1,383 yards, 10 touchdowns), who decided to leave school early for the NFL Draft. But there is talent on hand with Mark Ingram, a bruiser who gained 728 yards with 12 scores as a freshman last season, and senior Roy Upchurch, a versatile performer who gained 350 yards with four touchdowns. However, the running back position was blurred this spring because Ingram’s hamstring injury and Upchurch’s pinched nerve held them out of scrimmages. And scatback Terry Grant was inconsistent. Though the picture likely will be clearer this fall when injuries figure to be healing and blue-chip running back Trent Richardson arrives, Saban isn’t buying the notion that this unit is deep. “Just because you have numbers, how does that make you deep?” Saban says. “How many guys do we have that have done anything in the game?”
Receivers
By the end of the Sugar Bowl loss, it was clear that receiver Julio Jones had established himself as one of the top freshman receivers in the country. He finished with 58 catches for 924 yards and four scores last season. But expect improvement this year as offensive coordinator Jim McElwain utilizes the 6'4" Jones all over the field. “Because of his knowledge of the offense,” Saban says, “we can use Julio in more ways now. It makes him a more difficult player to defend.” The coaches are hoping several players will emerge to complement Jones. Among the possibilities are senior Mike McCoy (16 catches, 191 yards), who must be more consistent; the physical Earl Alexander, who must stay healthy; and sophomore Marquis Maze, who must mature. There is ample opportunity for freshmen, including Kenny Bell, Kendall Kelly and Kevin Norwood, to contribute. “We’ve got some speed guys coming in,” Saban says. The Tide will surely benefit from the addition of senior transfer Colin Peek, a former Georgia Tech tight end who immediately becomes Alabama’s top receiving tight end.
Offensive linemen
A sure sign of strength in 2008, the line was one reason Alabama averaged 4.6 yards per rush and possessed the ball for more than 32 minutes per game. Whether this unit can match that unit is a huge question mark. Junior college transfer James Carpenter is the first candidate to replace Outland Trophy winner Andre Smith, though he will have to hold off 6'5", 340-pound recruit D.J. Fluker to gain that opportunity. Junior William Vlachos, a 6'0", 305-pounder and the team’s strongest lineman, looks to take the place of All-SEC center Antoine Caldwell. The right guard spot remained unsettled coming out of spring drills, but the line’s two returning starters are as solid as can be. Left guard Mike Johnson is a sound, workmanlike leader, and right tackle Drew Davis will keep pressure off the edge. But if this unit doesn’t jell, the running game will suffer.
Next week we preview the D.