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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — If there were symbolism in the pregame hug between Greg McElroy and his high school coach, no one would have dreamed it would be positive for the University of North Texas.
McElroy, Alabama’s junior quarterback, took a break from a busy warm-up session Saturday to meet briefly with Mean Green coach Todd Dodge, his mentor at Southlake Carroll. The two embraced on the 50-yard-line, but they were standing on the large "A" in the center of the field.For Dodge, it was the epicenter of enemy territory — definitely bad karma. He might as well have stepped into a lion’s den for a brief squeeze with the primary inhabitant.Surprisingly, however, the first mauling came on the first play of the game when the feisty coach’s defense stormed in on McElroy, who got popped by Sam Owusu-Hemeng and lost the ball. North Texas recovered and the 92,000-plus at Bryant-Denny Stadium grimaced.Their discomfort was brief. The Mean Green players got a sample of what it was like to play the No. 4 team in the country and at the end of the day, they were fortunate to leave with all their limbs intact.McElroy recovered nicely after his opening fumble as he completed 10 of his first 11 passes with two of them going for touchdowns.He ended the day 13-of-15 passing for 176 yards and also ran for a TD as he led the Crimson Tide to a thorough 53-7 victory over the Mean Green.After the game, McElroy and Dodge met again on the field."He said, 'Congratulations on y’all’s start. Y’all are so improved,’ " Dodge said. "And I said, 'I’m so proud of you, what you have done and what you’re gonna do.’ I told him to stay focused and go after it because it’s kind of stating the obvious, but they have all the makings [of a national championship team]. They are a complete football team."No one of minimal sanity expected North Texas to shock the football world and somehow defeat Alabama.Yes, there are those once-in-a-lifetime moments such as Appalachian State defeating Michigan, but most major upsets are either against BCS teams that aren’t that good or are by non-BCS teams that are very good.Alabama is very good. Very, very good. The Crimson Tide has two running backs — Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson — who will one day play on Sundays. Ingram had eight carries for 91 yards and a TD. Richardson had 11 carries for 88 yards and a TD. Ingram is a sophomore and Richardson is a true freshman. Third-stringer Terry Grant is a junior and with the game out of hand, he got 19 carries for 79 yards and two TDs.The offensive line is huge, the defense is strong up front and quick in the backfield and, well, that’s how you get to be No. 4.Still, the game represented an opportunity for Dodge to at least see how much better his defense was than last year when it gave up 482 yards per game.In the first two games this season, the Mean Green gave up an average of 270.5 yards per game to Ball State and Ohio U.Comparing Alabama to Ball State and Ohio, however is like comparing Walter Cronkite to Ahmad Rashad. Alabama had 352 yards by halftime and ended the game with 523.The good news for the 1-2 Mean Green is there are no more Alabamas on the schedule, which features teams with partial names that include "Middle, Atlantic, Western," and "International."For Dodge, it was a chance to see one of his protégés up close. If Riley Dodge, who has an injured shoulder, had been healthy, both starting quarterbacks would have been from Southlake Carroll. As it turned out for Todd Dodge, there were one too many Carroll exes on the field. But he still found the silver lining."He has turned out to be a really solid, and I think by the time the year’s over [he’ll be] an outstanding college quarterback," Dodge said of McElroy. "I’m very proud."Jan Hubbard, 817-390-7760
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