Crimson Tide Football Thursday Practice
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| Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
Thursday afternoon
The University of Alabama football team conducted their 22nd of 28 practices prior to the start of the 2016 college football season. The practice was a two-hour session that began at 3:30 p.m. with the team dressed in
full pads yesterday afternoon at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility.
Graduate transfer Gehrig Dieter was sporting a new jersey number. He was wearing the number 11 instead of the number 14 yesterday.
On the injury/recovery front, receiver Cam Sims still had the sleeve over his left knee during yesterday's practice session. Cornerback Tony Brown was wearing a bandage over his right knee.
Today's practice will be at 3:30 p.m. CT, with Saturday's practice scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The Crimson Tide will take Sunday off for a little rest and relaxation, then back at it on Monday for game week practice sessions to begin.
Alabama will open the season Saturday, September 3rd in the AdvoCare Classic doing battle with the Trojans of USC. The game will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, a venue that has become almost a second home for the Crimson Tide. Game time is 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ABC.
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Nick Saban watching, thinking, calculating...
Photo Credit: AL.com/Vasha Hunt |
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Alabama Places 13 Players On Coaches All-SEC Teams
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2016 University of Alabama Football Team
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Photo Edit: BRS |
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football program has placed a total of 13 players on the 2016 Preseason Coaches All-Southeastern Conference
Football Teams. The announcement came yesterday from the SEC offices. Alabama's 13 selections equals those of LSU for the most players selected from one SEC team on the 2016
squads.
Alabama, however, had the most players of any of the 14 schools to make the first team, with that being a total of seven players. Earning first-team honors for the Crimson Tide are defensive lineman
Jonathan Allen, linebacker Reuben Foster, defensive back Eddie Jackson, tight end O.J. Howard, offensive lineman Cam Robinson, wide receiver Calvin Ridley and punter
JK Scott. Making the second team are offensive lineman
Alphonse Taylor, linebacker Tim Williams, defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick and kicker Adam Griffith. Those making the third team are center Ross Pierschbacher and defensive back
Marlon Humphrey.
All 14 of the Southeastern Conference schools placed at least one player on the SEC squads, including
eight schools with six or more selections each. Nine of the SEC schools had at
least one first team All-SEC selection.
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Bama Women's Basketball Offers Donation Ticket Option
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| Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
A new ticket option is being offered by the Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball program this year. Now a donation ticket option is available for the 2016-17 season.
Here's how it works. Donation tickets for the women's basketball season are being offered at the
discounted group rate of just $35. As an added incentive, customers will
receive one Total Tide Priority Point for every four donation tickets
purchased.
Tickets purchased will be given to local 501(c) 3 agencies and/or
military personnel. It should be noted that donation tickets will not be mailed to the account
holder but will be donated directly to the participating agencies.
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Why Not Ask Nick Saban Who QB Starter Will Be Vs USC?
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Crimson Tide Football Head Coach Nick Saban
Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
Oh wait, Alabama head coach Nick Saban HAS been asked which quarterback will start the game when the Crimson Tide takes the field on September 3rd in the season-opener with the USC Trojans.
The problem is, Saban has not yet decided. At least publicly. In fact, he hasn't yet decided if he will use one, two, or any certain number of quarterbacks in the 2016 season-debut of the Crimson Tide football team.
When asked about the starting position, or the possibility of using multiple quarterbacks in the opening contest, Saban said, "We haven't had any discussion about that yet.
Of course that famous impish grin then appeared as reporters continued to ask questions concerning the start. He added, "Like I'd tell you if we were going to."
Speculation has abounded, as it has for the past several seasons, as to who will start in the first game of the year for the Crimson Tide. This season it's a question of Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett or Jalen Hurts. Many expect, though as you can see not confirmed, that a combination of two of them will participate in the Bama-USC contest.
Saban did say that the time to decide on plan has arrived, commenting, "It's time now that it's judgment day in terms of who we are going to coach and what we are going to do."
Of course Saban is very much aware the interest that abounds by the media as well as the fans concerning the starting position of quarterback. He commented, "I know the only one you guys care to talk about is probably
quarterback. It is what it is. We shared the reps with the
guys, we tried to give guys a little bit more rhythm in terms of the
number of reps they got to see how they respond to it. As of right now,
no decision has been made on anyone in particular.
"We're going to continue to do that until somebody sort of takes the
bull by the horns and does what we think he needs to do to have a chance
to play winning football for us on offense. I'm not disappointed at all
in the progress that any of the guys have made, but at the same time,
no one has really, I think, sort of forged ahead either."
Saban loves that "bulls by the horn" analogy. How many years now has he used that one?
Alabama kicks off the 2016 season on Saturday, September 3rd in Arlington, Texas in the AdvoCare Classic inside AT&T Stadium with the USC Trojans. Game time is 7 p.m. CT.
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Tide Places Nine On Lombardi Award Watch List
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| Graphic/Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
You know, when Academy Awards nominations are announced, the actors selected usually like to use the line, "It's an honor just to be nominated." And I agree with that. It is truly an honor to be nominated to something that showcases your talents, and you get to see how highly-thought of you are to others. But in the case of athlete's on watch lists, you still have to go out there and perform. The performance for actors has already been done.
An honor has been bestowed upon nine members of
The University of Alabama football team. Defensive linemen
Jonathan Allen,
Da'Shawn Hand,
Da'Ron Payne and
Dalvin Tomlinson; linebackers
Ryan Anderson,
Reuben Foster, and
Tim Williams; tight end
O.J. Howard and offensive lineman
Cam Robinson
have been named to the 2016 Rotary Lombardi Award watch list
announced Thursday by the Rotary Club of Houston. Alabama's nine candidates ties with Clemson for the most nominees in the country.
A total of 158 college football players from around the country have been named to the
preseason list that now recognizes the nation's top college football
player. Back in 1986 Alabama's Cornelius Bennett won the award.
Beginning this year there has been a change in the criteria to be nominated for the Rotary Lombardi Award. Now the award is open to college football players regardless of position, who
"demonstrate outstanding performance and skill in offensive or defensive
positions and best exemplify the discipline, virtue and wisdom that
defined Vincent Lombardi's exceptional brand of leadership." The award
is of course named in honor of former Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi.
Jonathan Allen is considered one of the most productive defenders on the Crimson Tide's defensive. He chose to return for his senior season instead of entering this last NFL Draft. Allen was named to the All-SEC First Team defense by the
conference coaches and the Associated Press as a junior after having ranked 17th nationally and second in the SEC in sacks with .80 per game (12.0
sacks). Allen recorded 36 tackles in his junior season with a
team-leading 14.5 tackles for loss (-92 yards total) while adding four pass
breakups as well as six quarterback hurries. All 12 of his sacks came against
Power 5 competition, 11 of which were against ranked teams.
Defensive end
Da'Shawn Hand is indeed a skilled pass rusher who has played in 24 career games with 23 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. As a sophomore in 2015, he collected 6.5 tackles for loss (-17 yards) and three sacks (-10 yards) to go with his two quarterback hurries. He was named one of the UA coaching staff's defensive players of the week for his efforts against ULM.
A freshman All-American in 2015,
Da'Ron Payne returns as a true heavyweight in the Bama defensive line. He played in all 15 games last season as a true freshman, starting three games at nose guard in the base 3-4 formation. Payne finished the 2015 season with 13 tackles with half a sack and one forced fumble. As last season progressed, Payne worked into a more expanded role along the defensive front.
One of the returning veterans for theTide defensive front, Dalvin Tomlinson serves as a disruptive force that will be looking for a breakout season. Tomlinson has played in 29 total games recording 60 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and six pass breakups. He was the first defensive lineman off the bench to backup the line in 2015, and led the team with six pass breakups from a down lineman position and added 34 total tackles and four quarterback hurries.
Ryan Anderson will enter his senior season as one of the top pass rushers in the country, as well as one of Bama's most reliable linebackers. He had 37 tackles last season, with 11.5 of those for a loss (-50), while adding six sacks (-41 yards), two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and nine quarterback hurries.
Reuben Foster returns for 2016 as a senior to anchor the Alabama defense. Foster earned the starting job at inside linebacker a
season ago, and finished second on the team with 73 total tackles,
eight for a loss (-24 yards), with two sacks (-7 yards), three
quarterback hurries and nine pass breakups in 2015.
Tim Williams returns for his senior season, having played in all 15 games as a junior and ranked second on the team with 10.5 sacks (-78 yards) to go with 12.5 tackles for loss (-92 yards), four quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. Williams recorded 11.0 of his 12.5 tackles for loss (-61 yards) during that time, and added 7.0 of his 10.5 sacks (-60 yards). He was a terror to Tide quarterbacks during practices, scrimmages and back during the spring game.
O.J. Howard begins his senior season with the eyes of Bama Nation, as well as the entire country, upon him presenting himself as one of the most dynamic tight end options in all of college football. He had a break-out game against Clemson in the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship earning MVP honors, and brought in five receptions for a career-high and national championship game high 208 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers. All five of his catches converted first downs and went for 15-plus yards with a career-long 63-yard reception in the fourth quarter. He recorded an Alabama bowl record in receiving yards in the contest. For the 2015 season, Howard recorded 38 catches for 602 yards and a team-high 15.8 yards per catch average. A total of 24 of his catches converted first downs for the Tide with nine of 20 yards or more.
Cam Robinson has the distinction of being the first true freshman to start at left tackle for Alabama since
Andre Smith in 2006. In fact, he started all 29 games during his two
years at the Capstone. One of two returning starters on the Tide's
offensive line, Robinson was named to the All-SEC first team by both the
conference coaches and the Associated Press following the 2015 season.
Robinson had 46 knockdown blocks, ranking third
on the team. For his career, Robinson has blocked for 17 100-yard
rushers, including 10 in 2015.
The Rotary Lombardi Award has been presented annually since 1970 by
the Rotary Club of Houston (Texas). Prior to 2016, the award recognized the top
offensive or defensive lineman or linebacker in college football. The
award ceremony date is to be announced sometime later this season.
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Tide Soccer Puts Undefeated Record On The Line This Weekend
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| Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide soccer team will participate in a pair of matches this weekend, with one being an away game, the first of the season. This evening Bama hosts the Campbell Camels at the Alabama Soccer Complex. Match time is set for 7 p.m. CT. Bama will then head to Chattanooga, Tennessee on Sunday to take on the Chattanooga Mocs. Game time Sunday is noon CT at the Finley Soccer Stadium.
Tonight's contest will be the first meeting between the Crimson Tide and Camels. Alabama has faced Chattanooga five times previously, making Sunday their sixth meeting. The Tide is 4-1 against the Mocs.
Friday's game is the only one available for broadcast. You can see the Alabama-Campbell match this evening on SEC Network +.
Admission for tonight's contest is free for all fans and students. This particular match is
being promoted as a Luau/Greek night, as all fans in attendance are
encouraged to wear a Hawaiian shirt. All members of a Greek affiliation
will receive Greek points. At halftime the Alabama staff and
faculty will be recognized for the impact they have on the Crimson Tide soccer
program. There will also be a giveaway of Alabama leis for those in
attendance.
The Crimson Tide leads the Southeastern Conference in six major categories after
just one weekend of play. Bama leads the league in shots (62), goals
(9), assists (8), points (26), goals per game (4.50) and assists per
game (4.0). The Crimson Tide is tied for third with Vanderbilt in corner kicks
with 19. Individually, the Tide has two players that are second in
league play in four crucial offensive categories.
Lacey Clarida is involved a
four-way tie for goals (3) and goals per game (1.50), while
Abbie Boswell is
tied with Arkansas's Alexandra Fischer for assists (3) and assists per
game (1.50).
