Crimson Tide Completes 2nd Scrimmage In Preparation For 2015 Season
All Photos Courtesy Of RollTide.com
Alabama football's defense once again took center stage during the Crimson Tide's final scrimmage before the opening of the 2015 football season. The scrimmage lasted just over two hours on this hot and humid afternoon. With temperature about 94 degrees the Tide ran about 125 plays.
Head football coach Nick Saban said, "I thought there was a lot of improvement out there today. "It took a lot of mental toughness to grind through the conditions we were in. I thought at the beginning of the scrimmage, the two first-teams didn't seem to dominate like they wanted to, but as the day moved on both first-teams played a little better."
Both sides of the ball showed improvement, but didn't keep Saban from stopping practice to have a "discussion" with the team when he got a little unhappy. The chat mainly dealt with the quarterbacks, and things settled in once he was finished. The quarterbacks saw a pretty equal rotation during the scrimmage, giving them all an opportunity to impress the coaches.
Saban provided the numbers on the passes for each of the QBs. "Bateman led with 27 throws, Coker was only one behind with 26, Morris only a little further back with 21, and then Barnett had the least with 11 tosses.
The running backs went through their rotation as well. Coaches had a "targeted" number of carries for the backs, with each one pretty much hitting that mark.
Receivers did a good job. However ArDarius Steward seemed to stand out, leading the way with eight total receptions on the afternoon. Saban commented, "I thought ArDarius Stewart had a really good day today. He had eight catches and made some really good grabs while also adjusting to the ball well. He made some contested plays, too, which was great to see."
And the defense. Indeed, the defense once again stepped up and did their job. They've been ahead of the offense throughout the spring and fall, but that was to be expected. The defense forced some turnovers today, two of which went for scores.
Reggie Ragland looked good, was consistent, which pleased the coaches. J.K. Scott did a better job today, but always provides what is needed from the punter. Cyrus Jones handled the majority of the punt returns for the scrimmage today and did well.
There was an injury today during the scrimmage to report. Ofensive lineman Dominick Jackson strained his shoulder and could be out few days.
Alabama opens the season on September 5th in the AdvoCare Classic when they take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT. The game will be played inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will be broadcast on ABC.
All Photos Courtesy of RollTide.com
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Bear Bryant Quotes
Here are just a few of the many quotes made popular by the late Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
“I’m no miracle man. I guarantee nothing but hard work.”
“I know what it takes to win. If I can sell them on what it takes to win, then we are not going to lose too many football games.”
“Losing doesn’t make me want to quit. It makes me want to fight that much harder.”
“It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”
“Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach it. Never quit.”
“There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success.”
“If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.”
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Lady Tide Drops Opening Soccer Match To Memphis
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Hart said, "It's nice to get the first game under our belts. Obviously I'm disappointed with the result, but not with the effort we got from the girls. I'm incredibly proud of the way they battled tonight. They truly left it all out on the field. They were gutted after the game, which is the reaction I would hope to see after a loss. We need to put this one behind us and focus our attention on Sunday's match vs. Troy."
Junior transfer Celia Jimenez had two shots, and along with freshmen starters Emma Welch and Elena Zang put in over 80-plus minutes, according to RollTide.com. Junior Auburn Mercer got in two shots, with Jordan Meier, Lacey Clarida, Kaylee Semelsberger and Welch getting in one apiece.
Hart added, "I thought collectively we played a solid game. In the second half, we showed a bit more patience. Our movement off the ball was better, which made it easier for the player on the ball to make good choices. Credit to Memphis; they did not make things easy. They are a good team that will win a lot of games this year."
The Tide will play its first home game of the season tomorrow when Troy comes to the Alabama Soccer Complex. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT and will be available live on SECN+.
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