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Notebook Alabama's Milons changes offense's direction
Posted: Sunday December 05, 1999 01:37 AM
By Stewart Mandel, CNN/SI ATLANTA -- The SEC in the '90s may have belonged to Florida, but the 20th Century belonged to the school that won its final title. Alabama captured its 21st conference championship -- all since 1933 -- Saturday, most of any school. The result may be the same as so many before in Alabama's storied history, but the 1999 Tide are unquestionably a different team than the traditional-style crews that used to capture titles for Bear Bryant. National perception for much of the season has been that Alabama's offense is "give the ball to Shaun" -- as in Heisman contender Alexander. Though the senior did gain 97 yards against Florida, it was game MVP Freddie Milons that best encapsulated new-look Alabama. Milions, a sophomore, is a receiver, but he caught only one pass on Saturday. Instead, the shifty Milons lined up in the backfield six times -- sometimes taking the snap directly -- and gained 116 yards in the process. His 77-yard, change-of-direction dart to the end zone in the third quarter broke open what was then a fairly close 15-7 contest. "It's a pretty good plate," said Alabama coach Mike DuBose, "when you can pitch the ball to Freddie Milons and he has the option of either running with it or pitching to Shaun Alexander." At a school that's always been more about the off-tackle than the play-action, Milons broke Alabama's single-season record with 65 catches this year. The sudden change-of-direction ability he showed against the Gators is matched only by Florida State's Peter Warrick in college football today. Yet most of the year he has managed to remain a secret weapon for DuBose. "I was just running where the defense wasn't," said Milons. "Sometimes their defense overcompensates, and that leaves a cutback lane." Used only in spot duty as a freshman last year, Milons' enhanced role began in a 35-28 defeat of Arkansas on Sept. 25, when he caught seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Not coincidentally, that was also the week after 'Bama was upset by Louisiana Tech and when DuBose gave his offensive staff the green light to open things up. Since then, 'Bama has consistently done such "un-Bearlike" things as rotate QBs Andrew Zow and Tyler Watts -- they played every other series Saturday -- or line Milons up behind center, or, as they did on the first play against Florida, stack three receivers behind one another on the left side of the field. "I'd say two games were the turning points for us, the Louisiana Tech game and the Tennessee game [a 21-7 loss on Oct. 23]," said Alexander. "It was after that we realized we've got a superstar team, a championship team that we're on, we just have to make a couple plays. Guys like Freddie, you just have to come to realize they're playmakers, it gives your team a whole new dimension."
Big guy up frontA not-so secret ingredient to Alabama's success has been All-American left tackle Chris Samuels. The four-year starter has persevered through NCAA sanctions and coaching controversy, and may just be the most appreciative of the team's accomplishment of any Tide player.In the moments after Saturday's game, he waved the huge "A" flag at midfield. When pulled aside outside the locker room later to answer reporters' questions, the future NFL first-rounder asked if he could take one more lap around the field first. "This is beautiful," he said, surveying the scene afterward. "My first one ... I'm just so happy. We didn't play that well together at the beginning of the season but we we went out there and got it done the rest of the year." Samuels is a big reason Alexander had the success he did at Alabama, becoming the school's all-time leading rusher in his previous game against Auburn. The two are also close friends, and Alexander said one reason he came back for his senior year rather than going to the NFL was because "Chris told me he'd kill me if I didn't." "A lot of guys ask me if I'm left-handed, and I'm not, and I always ask them, 'Why do you think that?'" said Alexander. "They say, because I always run to the left side, always carry with my left hand. Well, if you had one of the best linemen ever to play at Alabama, ever to play college football, lining up on the left side, what would you do?"
Orange crushWith its win, 10-2 Alabama earned a spot in the Jan. 1 Orange Bowl against 9-2 Michigan. For two such storied programs, it will be Alabama's first Orange Bowl appearance since a 13-11 loss to Notre Dame exactly 25 years ago, and Michigan's first-ever trip to Miami."It's Christmas time, so I'll probably send them some gifts and hope they'll go easy on me," Alexander said of the fierce Wolverines defense. The two schools last met just three years ago in the Outback Bowl, with 'Bama beating the Maize and Blue 17-14 in Gene Stallings' last game as Tide coach. Alexander, then a freshman, had a 46-yard touchdown run in the game.
If you had to pick one ...Florida's lone bright spot was return man Bo Carroll, who set an SEC championship record with 108 yards on five returns.Other marks set by the Gators weren't so appealing. Jesse Palmer's three interceptions were a championship game record. The team's 20 rushing attempts were the least ever, as were its six first downs, eight completed passes, 83 passing yards, 114 yards of total offense and 44 total plays. The 19 points Alabama scored against the Gators in the fourth quarter were the most ever in one period of an SEC title game.
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