Crimson Tide Is Back At Work
It's Game-Week Prep Time!
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team was back on the practice field yesterday afternoon. It was a two-hour workout in hot and humid conditions as the Tide prepared for battle with the Wisconsin Badgers one week from today. Bama worked out in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields.
This was the 23rd practice session of the 28 scheduled prior to kickoff in the Tide's season-opener with the Wisconsin Badgers on September 5th, just one week from today. Yesterday's practice was the first, however, with the workout aimed primarily at the opening opponent, complete with scout team jerseys.
The Tide's quarterback rotation appeared to be pretty much the same as in earlier practices in the week. Senior Jake Coker headed one workout line followed by Alec Morris, while the other was led by Cooper Bateman and David Cornwell. During the shortened, eight-minute media viewing window none of the quarterbacks wore a scout team jersey.
Alabama's season begins with Wisconsin in the AdvoCare Classic in Arlington, Texas one week from today. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. CT and can be viewed on ABC television. Handling announcing duties will be Chris, Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox.
Practice today will be at 3:30 p.m. CT followed by Sunday off. Then it's back to game-week practices before the Tide departs for Arlington on Friday afternoon.
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
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Jansen & Routliffe Victorious Yesterday!
Headed To U.S. Open
The two-time defending National Champions, Maya Jansen and Erin Routliffe, defeated Yasmin Schnack and Katsiaryna Zheltova 6-4, 6-5 yesterday to earn a wild card entry into the 2015 U.S. Open. The contest will be August 31st through September 13th at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
"What an incredible feeling of joy," Routliffe commented. "I look back at my experiences over the last couple of years, and I’m just so extremely thankful to be where I am today. Maya and I have built such amazing chemistry on the court and we’re really confident that if we stick to what we do best, we’ll continue to see positive results."
The duo got off to another fast start in yesterday's championship match with a 6-4 score in the opening set. Jansen and Routliffe fell behind 3-1 in the second but came roaring back with an eventual 6-5 victory.
"The second set was a battle," Jansen said. "The competition throughout this tournament has been elite, but today we were really challenged. They (Schnack/Zheltova) had answers for a lot of things we were trying to do, but we knew if we continued to push our style of tennis we’d be okay. This entire experience has been amazing and the fact that we are leaving tomorrow for the US Open is remarkable. We could not be more honored to represent Alabama at this level."
Jansen and Routliffe will travel straight to Flushing Meadows, New York for the tournament. The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 31.
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Bama Basketball Gets 5-Star Visit Today
Alabama basketball is getting a five-star visit today. Five-star center Marques Bolden from DeSoto (Texas) High School is on campus for an unofficial visit to the Capstone, according to Hoop DFW. He was offered just last month by head basketball coach Avery Johnson.
It has been reported that Bolden is a close friend of Alabama commit Terrance Ferguson. Ferguson has set his sites on getting Bolden to join him at UA.
Bolden stands 6' 10" and weighs in at 235 pounds. He is rated as the number two center, and number 21 player overal in the United States according to 247Sports Composite. And of course a commitment from this young man would be huge for coach Johnson and Bama.
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Tide Volleyball Drops Opener
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Alabama volleyball lost it's first season-opener yesterday 3-1 to Long Beach State. Though opening 1-0, the Tide dropped the next three sets to lose the match.
Errors hampered Bama's efforts throughout the contest. The Tide committed 29 attack errors and 20 service errors.
The Tide plays two today. The first is at 1 p.m. CT against Cal State Fullerton. Afterward, Bama heads to Malibu to take on Pepperdine at 8 p.m. CT.
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Bama Soccer Plays To Scoreless Tie
Alabama senior goalkeeper Emily Rusk produced seven saves last night in her second shutout performance as the Alabama soccer team battled to a scoreless tie with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. This was the Tide's first overtime game of the young season.
There were 22 shots for both teams in regulation without a score, forcing the game into overtime. But finally the game ended 0-0.
Bama travels to Cookeville, Tennessee for a match against Tennessee Tech tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT.
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Men's Track & Field Adds 16
Sixteen new names appear on the roster of the University of Alabama men's track and field team. These newbies combined for 24 individual high school state championships.
Alabama head coach Dan Walters says Bama picks up seven sprinters, four distance runners, three throwers and two jumpers. The Tide welcomes student-athletes from nine states, which are Alabama (3), Texas (3), Arizona (2), Kansas (2), California (1), Florida (1), Illinois (1), Michigan (1) and Tennessee (1). One foreign country is represented, Kenya, with 1 athlete.
Alabama head coach Dan Walters says Bama picks up seven sprinters, four distance runners, three throwers and two jumpers. The Tide welcomes student-athletes from nine states, which are Alabama (3), Texas (3), Arizona (2), Kansas (2), California (1), Florida (1), Illinois (1), Michigan (1) and Tennessee (1). One foreign country is represented, Kenya, with 1 athlete.
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Bear Bryant Quotes
“My approach to the game has been the same at all the places I’ve been. Vanilla. The sure way. That means, first of all, to win physically. If you got eleven on a field, and they beat the other eleven physically, they’ll win. They will start forcing mistakes. They’ll win in the fourth quarter.”
“Little things make the difference. Everyone is well prepared in the big things, but only the winners perfect the little things.”
“The first time you quit, it’s hard. The second time, it gets easier. The third time, you don’t even have to think about it.”
“But there’s one thing about quitters you have to guard against – they are contagious. If one boy goes, the chances are he’ll take somebody with him, and you don’t want that. So when they would start acting that way, I used to pack them up and get them out, or embarrass them, or do something to turn them around.”
“Scout yourself. Have a buddy who coaches scout you.”
“People who are in it for their own good are individualists. They don’t share the same heartbeat that makes a team so great. A great unit, whether it be football or any organization, shares the same heartbeat.”
“I told them my system was based on the “ant plan,” that I’d gotten the idea watching a colony of ants in Africa during the war. A whole bunch of ants working toward a common goal.”
