Closing the book on McFadden and the Hogs

A few more notes about Alabama's 41-38 win over Arkansas before we move on to talking about Georgia ...

* How good was Darren McFadden's 195-yard performance against the Crimson Tide on Saturday? It was the best individual yardage total for an Alabama opponent since Auburn's Carnell Williams rushed for 204 yards in the 2003 Iron Bowl in Auburn.

Arkansas' Cedric Cobbs also rushed for 198 yards against the Crimson Tide in 2003. The only other back in the last 10 years to total that many yards against Alabama was Mississippi State's J.J. Johnson, who torched the Tide for 237 yards in Starkville in 1998 and 198 yards in Tuscaloosa in 1997.

Arkansas also rushed for 301 yards as a team (with Felix Jones rushing for 96) Saturday, the first team to rush for 300 or better against the Crimson Tide since the Johnson-led Bulldogs piled up 371 yards in a 32-20 win in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 15, 1997.

The biggest difference between Saturday and those other four games, the ones involving Williams, Cobbs and Johnson? Alabama won.

* Surely you noticed a few low snaps from Antoine Caldwell to John Parker Wilson during the Crimson Tide's game-winning drive Saturday night.

The reason? Caldwell was playing with an injured right thumb, which got worse as the game went along.

"I kinda tweaked my thumb early in the game, you know, it bothered me a little bit, but everything was fine," Caldwell said. "Toward the end of the game, I could hardly feel it, so I was just snapping with these four fingers (the ones other than his thumb) right here, trying to get it back there to him. I feel better now, I'm fine. But winning cures a lot of it."

* Many were surprised to learn that Matt Caddell had no receptions this season before his 9-catch, 91-yard showing against Arkansas, which included the game-winning touchdown. Wilson said Caddell is different from most other receivers in that he doesn't complain when he doesn't get the ball thrown his way:

"Most receivers do that," Wilson said. "Receivers are open on every play. Every time they go out there, they're wide open. It doesn't matter if they've got three guys on them. He' doesn't do that, really. He'll go out there and he'll tell me what he's seeing, but he's not like, 'You have to throw me the ball. I'm open,' which most guys do."

* The thrilling finish to Saturday's game created an air of excitement at Bryant-Denny Stadium not seen in quite some time. Running back Terry Grant said that head coach Nick Saban encouraged the Alabama players after the game to enjoy the victory, but only for the prescribed 24 hours.

"He told us 'go celebrate hard and get it over with," Grant said. "Because when we come in here (Monday), we come back and focus on the next opponent."

And how did Grant celebrate at the end of a long, hard day?

"Going to bed," he said.

Speaking of Grant, he needs just one more rushing touchdown to tie Shaun Alexander's Alabama freshman record of six, set in 1996.

The Alabama freshman rushing yards record is 693 by Kerry Goode in 1983. Grant already has 403, good for fifth in Alabama freshman history.

* Alabama linebacker Darren Mustin was in rare comedic form on Monday, two days after he had missed the second half of Alabama's win due to a shoulder stinger suffered when a teammate collided with him as he was trying to tackle McFadden.

Among Mustin's highlights:

On fellow linebacker (and roommate) Keith Saunders also suffering a shoulder stinger in the second half: "I’m like, ‘Keith, man, do not come out. They won’t let you back in.’"

On why he missed the second half while Saunders was able to return to the game with a similar injury: "(The trainers) stole my helmet. They took my pads off. They took my helmet. All I had was my jersey — and I can’t go in there with a jersey. I wasn’t friends with the doctors and trainers. Still not, but they’re doing their job, so I can’t complain."

On tackling McFadden: "It’s an experience you’ll never forget. I mean, he’s a solid boy. It says he’s 6-2, 220, but he’s really solid. I don’t think I’ve hit anybody that solid lately. Feels good when you hit him in the hole and you go down with him. It gives you some confidence, like, ‘OK, he’s a Heisman candidate, but I can play with him; I can play with the best in the country.’"

On true freshman linebacker Rolando McClain: "I’m proud of him. True freshman. He’s just turned 18 years old. I have a little brother that just turned 18 years old. I would not trust him at all out there."

On a dropped interception by Zeke Knight late in the game, and his own interception in the first quarter: "The former wide receiver can’t catch. But he knocked it down. I’m proud of Zeke. Mine was a lot easier. Wallace (Gilberry, who tipped the ball) just said, ‘Here.’"

On Nick Saban's speech to the defense before Arkansas' final possession: "There were words said, and they weren’t pretty words said, but they were words that needed to be said. The words that were said were said."

Couldn't have said it better myself ...