Tide Continues Prep For Bulldogs; Basketball Season To Open With Men's/Women's Double Header; Rachael Reddy Named SEC Freshman Runner Of The Week; Tide Women's Cross Country Ranked 29th Nationally

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Tide Continues Prep For Bulldogs

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     The Alabama football team was back outside yesterday afternoon for a two-hour practice session in full gear on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields preparing for their game this Saturday with the nationally-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

     The Tide continued fine-tuning their game plan, as well as working on fundamentals such as blocking, pass defense, and better concentration to help against the mental errors causing penalties and turnovers.

     Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen was back working out with the Tide. He was injured this past Saturday during the game with ULM. He left the field with a bad shoulder and was later sporting a sling and did not return to the game. This was his second straight day at practice and should be ready to go against the 'Dogs, according to Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

     Safety Jabriel Washington was also participating in his second consecutive day of practice. He had previously suffered a knee injury. He had missed the first four games because of the sprain. Saban says Washington should be good to go this Saturday also.

     Bo Scarbrough is also back. Not only had Scarbrough sustained an injury, but he was also suspended for the first four games of the season as the result of an undisclosed NCAA violation. Saban says he will work to get him a role but that it could take awhile to get him ready.


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Basketball Season To Open With Men's/Women's Double-Header

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     In his first ever game as head coach, Bama' men's basketball coach Avery Johnson will share the "stage", as it were, with the Alabama women's basketball team with a season-opening double-header scheduled for Friday, November 13th in Coleman Coliseum. The women will be the opener beginning at 4:30 pm CT when they host Alabama A&M, followed by he men's game with Kennesaw State scheduled for 7:30 pm CT.

     This will be the collegiate debut of Avery Johnson as the new head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Johnson joined the Tide after an extensive search, and comes directly from ESPN where he served as a basketball analyst after having coached more than seven seasons in the National Basketball Association.

     The Alabama women are coached by Kristy Curry, who is now entering her third season leading the Lady Tide. She will lead a team with most of the starters returning from last season as well as a great group of incoming freshmen.

     This will be the second season in a row the basketball programs have opened with a double-header. Last year the women defeated Florida A&M 60-44 in their opener while the men downed Towson 82-54.

     This would be a great time to watch both teams in action, as the athletic department has a special rate on tickets for this opener. Tickets good for both games are going for a paltry $5. Yes, that $5 ticket will allow fans to watch both the women's and men's season-opener. Single-game tickets will go on sale Tuesday, October 13th.

                                               

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Rachael Reddy Named SEC Freshman Runner Of The Week

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     This girl is for real. Redshirt freshman Rachael Reddy has been selected as the Southeastern Conference Women's Freshman Runner of the Week for the second time this season. The announcement cam yesterday from the SEC office. Reddy was named the SEC Women's Runner as well as the Women's Freshman Runner of the Week back on September 8th.

     Just this past Saturday the Mountain Brook, Alabama native won her second race of the season at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She took the individual title on September 26th. Reddy is the first runner for the Tide since 2008 to earn the Freshman Runner honor multiple times in one season. Sara Vaughn was the last runner to do so.

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Tide Women's Cross Country Ranked 29th Nationally

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     The Alabama women's cross country team is now not only regionally ranked, but also nationally ranked as well. The ladies broke into the top 30 this week, debuting at number 29 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches Poll. The poll was released yesterday, and is the first time the program has been nationally ranked since the 1995 season.

     Alabama and Vanderbilt are the only two teams from the South Region making the national poll. While Bama comes in at 29, the Commodores are ranked at number 22.

     The highest ranked Southeastern Conference team is the Arkansas Razorbacks. Having been nationally ranked since the preseason, they remain at number 10 for the second consecutive week.

     Next up for the Alabama women is the annual Crimson Classic on Friday, October 16th.  

Alabama Preps For Georgia; Saban Addresses The Press; Coaches Recognize 11 Players For The Week; Men's & Women's Cross Country Continue Ranking

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Alabama Preps For Georgia

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     It was another two-hour practice yesterday for the University of Alabama football team. Bama worked in shells in the outdoors on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields. This week's practices will be geared toward working out the kinks in the offense, such as better receiver selection and not making throws into coverage for the quarterback, not dropping the ball for the receivers, and pass protection for the offensive line.

     Returning as a full-practice participant is freshman Bo Scarbrough, who has been medically cleared according to Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Scarbrough suffered a torn ACL in the spring, and then was later suspended for four games due to an undisclosed NCAA issue. Saban said he would try to create a role for the freshman. Though he has practiced with the team since the preseason he's been limited because of his health.

     Also back practicing on Monday was Jonathan Allen, who had injured his left shoulder in last Saturday's game with ULM. Saban said the injury is day-to-day but plans to play him this week against Georgia.

     Backup safety Jabriel Washington was also practicing yesterday. He has missed all four games this season with a sprained knee, but according to Saban "should probably" play this week. He was seen with a brace on his knee at practice.

     This is the week that most thought would be Bama's first opportunity to lose a football game, but alas that went by the wayside two Saturday's ago via Ole Miss. This week it's a trip to Athens, Georgia where the Crimson Tide will take on the Georgia Bulldogs for their second SEC contest of the season.

     Georgia is 4-0 on the young season, and is ranked 8th or 6th, according to the poll on which your trust is based.  And this top-10 team has already won 3 games at home, and looking to make it four when Alabama comes to town. Georgia ranks near the top of every offensive category, giving the Tide defense a very strong opponent for which to prepare.

     The last time the two teams met was in the 2012 SEC Championship, with the Tide coming away with a 32-28 win. Bama leads the series with the 'Dogs 37-25-4.

     The game will air live on CBS. Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Allie LaForce will be making the call. Game time is 2:30 pm CT, with a 2:39 pm kickoff scheduled.

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Saban Addresses The Press

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Alabama head coach Nick Saban addressed reporters, talking about last Saturday's game with Louisiana-Monroe and looking forward to the contest with Georgia this Saturday over in Athens.

     In his opening statement Saban said, "Comments on the last game, it was obviously a good one for our team. It's great defensively when you have a team effort where we put together a shutout. I was really pleased with the way our guys responded in that game. We got to play a lot of players in that game, which I think helps the development in a lot of young players at certain positions, and now we have quite of few young players involved in the game so that's good for them. I have a lot of faith in this team; we are certainly a developing team right now. We have got to play with more passion and aggressiveness on a consistent basis and be confident in what we are doing. We need to focus on what we need to do to play well down in and down out. We have just got to be aggressive, that's the most important thing for our team to do right now."

     Saban commented on the coaching staff's selections for players of the week this week, saying, "We had our players of the week: Calvin Ridley and Kenyan Drake on offense. Seven guys on defense, I think you've got them all. (See related story following.) It was an entire defensive team effort, and we should of given it to all the guys, but we played so many players we just gave it to the guys who had 10-plus production points. On special teams, Adam Griffith and Cyrus Jones did a really good job."

     Concerning injuries Saban said, "Jonathan Allen will be at practice today, so we don't really have any injury updates. Jabriel Washington will probably be available for this game. He practiced some last week, and we are hopeful he will be okay to play in this game as well.

     Saban then got down to the nitty-gritty of the game coming up this Saturday with the Georgia Bulldogs. He said, "This game is obviously an exciting game for our team. Any time you play what is arguably one of the best teams in the country, Georgia, based on what they've been able to do over the past four games, and I'm talking about a total complete team. (Georgia head coach) Mark (Richt) has done a fantastic job in his tenure there, which has been a long time. They've been consistently very good. This year's team has a lot of players coming back. Offensively, defensively, special teams... they are very solid in all areas as their statistics really prove out. Greyson Lambert has done an outstanding job for them at quarterback. He has been very efficient, one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country, and has created a tremendous amount of balance for them because they do have one of the best running teams in the country. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, both outstanding players and both of them are very, very productive for their team. (Malcolm) Mitchell has been a big player for them at receiver, so they have a lot of weapons. Defensively, they are one of the highest-ranked teams statistically in the conference as well as the country. (Defensive coordinator) Jeremy Pruitt has done a really good job with their players and with their scheme. They play hard and very aggressive, they are a very, very good team. This is a good team all the way around, and it's going to be challenging to go on the road and play a team like this. I think our team is excited about the challenges that we have ahead of us. We certainly want to focus on the things we need to do, and go over there and play the best game possible."

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Coaches Recognize 11 Players For The Week

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     The Alabama football coaching staff recognized 11 players this week for their performance in this past Saturday's 34-0 shellacking of Louisiana-Monore. Two players from the offense, seven from the defense and two from special teams were chosen for their outstanding performance. Kenyan Drake and Calvin Ridley were recognized from the offense, Jarren Reed, Reggie Ragland, Dalvin Tomlinson, minkah Fitzpatrick, Da'Shawn Hand, Tim Williams and Denzel Devall from the defense, and Adam Griffith and  Cyrus Jones were honored from special teams.

     Receiving the honor for the second week in a row is senior Kenyan Drake. Drake was used in a limited capacity last Saturday but still led the team in rushing yards with 65 on only 10 carries. Freshman Calvin Ridley had four catches for 38 yards on the day, including scoring his first touchdown in the crimson and white on a 15-yard pass from quarterback Jacob Coker.

     Honored on special teams for the second week in a row is kicker Adam Griffith who made both field goal attempts against the Warhawks this past weekend, one for 35 yards and the other a 40-yarder. He also made all four extra points following touchdowns, directly contributing 10 points to the contest. He also averaged just over 64 yards per kickoff for seven kickoffs against ULM. Senior Cyrus Jones was honored for his punt return abilities. Jones had 43 yards on five punt returns, with a 22-yard return as his longest of the game.

     Defensively it was Reed, Tomlinson and Hand all coming up big with five total tackles. Reed has been recognized all four weeks by the coaching staff this season. He had one sack, two tackles for a loss as well as one quarterback hurry. Leading the Tide in tackles for the ULM game was freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick with seven, including one for a loss. Senior Reggie Ragland had four tackles on the day, Williams had 1.5 tackles for a loss as well as credited for half a sack and a quarterback hurry, and Devall was credited with a sack, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.

     Congratulations to these eleven players for their work this past Saturday.

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SEC Sets Alabama-Arkansas Game Time

     The Southeastern Conference office announced yesterday a start time for the Alabama-Arkansas matchup. The game is to be played Saturday, October 10th with a 6 pm CT kick off. The game will be televised on ESPN.

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Men's & Women's Cross Country Continue Ranking

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     The University of Alabama men's and women's cross country teams held onto their positions this week in the South Region rankings in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Associaltion (USTFCCCA) Regional Rankings. The Tide men held at number 11, while the women remained in the number two slot as they have been since the first preseason poll.

   

Saban Not Pleased With Dropped Passes; Alabama Football 2015 Individual Stats; Tide Not Favored Heading Into Georgia Week; Men's Tennis Collects 8 Wins Sunday; Crimson Tide Soccer Falls To Gamecocks 3-0; Tide Falls To 13th In Latest Polls

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Saban Not Pleased With Dropped Passes

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     During the time Bama "Twitter" fans were busily complaining about quarterback Jake Cocker, Alabama head coach Nick Saban was fuming over all the dropped passes. Sure, Coker threw 14 incomplete passes. Sure he had an interception. But Tide receivers were regularly dropping passes last Saturday afternoon in Bryant-Denny Stadium that should have been caught. Enough passes, in fact, were dropped to have even changed the 34-0 score with which Alabama handily defeated ULM.

     Following the game Saban said, "I thought offensively, we stopped ourselves way too many times. "We had five dropped balls and several of those were on third downs." 

     Coker  threw for 158 yards, three touchdowns and one interception Saturday afternoon. He completed 17 of 31 passes, and five of those incompletions were very catchable balls. At least one of those, coming in the fourth quarter, would have been for a touchdown. 

     Saban further commented, "I thought Jake did a good job, and however you look at the stops, you’ve got to look at the drops. That wasn’t really his fault as he made some good throws. There was probably a couple times that he wishes he would have done it a little different, in terms of going to somebody else, and those are the things we need to work out and get better at."

     Concerning the receivers Saban said, "Obviously, we’ve got some young receivers out there playing who have not played much that need to develop more confidence. I think Calvin Ridley is playing well and I think ArDarius Stewart can be a really good player for us. We’ve just got to get a little more consistent with what we’re doing and we’ve got to bring some of the young guys along.”

     So, yes, more work is needed. Young receivers need some time to mature. Hopefully with a team like Georgia this week, the kids grew up some during last Saturday's game and will continue to improve during this week's practices. Yes, Coker needs to do better on picking out his receivers, but he is showing improvement. The offensive line will continue to improve too.

     Alabama travels to face Georgia this Saturday. This was the game everyone was calling one of the biggest challenges of the year before the season began. This was the team that had the chance of knocking Bama from the unbeatens. That part is over. Now we can just play the game.


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Alabama Football 2015 Individual Stats

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Here is a look at the individual statistics for several key players on the Alabama Crimson Tide football team through the first four games of the season:

Jake Coker  68 of 123 passing for 786 yards (55.3%), 15 carries for 45 yards, 9 TDs, 4 INTs

Cooper Bateman 30 of 40 passing for 244 yards (75.0%), 4 carries for 10 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Derrick Henry 67 carries for 422 yards (6.3 avg), 7 receptions for 51 yards, 8 TDs

Kenyan Drake 37 carries for 215 yards (5.8 avg), 7 receptions for 139 yards, 2 TDs

Damien Harris 21 carries for 101 yards (4.8 avg), 0 TDs

O.J. Howard  13 receptions for 138 yards (14.1 avg) 0 TDs

ArDarius Stewart 21 receptions for 177 yards (8.4 avg) 2 TD

Calvin Ridley 17 receptions for 125 yards (7.4 avg) 1 TD
Richard Mullaney 12 receptions for 116 yards (9.7 avg) 2 TDs
Robert Foster 10 receptions for 116 yards (11.6 avg) 2 TDs
Michael Nysewander 1 reception for 19 yards (19.0 avg) 1 TD

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Tide Not Favored Heading Into Georgia Week

     The 72-game streak may be at an end. For each of the last 72 games the Alabama Crimson Tide has been favored to win, but as the week opens Bama is a 1.5 to 2-point underdog against the Georgia Bulldogs for this Saturday's game, according to Odds Shark. While opening as a pick'em, by Sunday night the odds had swung in favor of the 'Dogs.

     Contributing factors in the line-swing is not covering in the ULM game (37.5 points), national ranking (Alabama 13th, Georgia 8th AP), the loss to Ole Miss the previous week as a 9-point favorite, and the fact that it's a home game for Georgia.

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Men's Tennis Collects 8 Wins Sunday

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     It was a big Sunday, as well as weekend, for the Alabama Crimson Tide men's tennis team. Bama had a combined eight wins between singles and doubles on the final day of the Crimson Tide Four-In-The Fall meet yesterday afternoon at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.

     Posting big wins in the singles matches were senior Becker O'Shaughnessey, junior Nikko Madregallejo, sophomore Korey Lovett and freshman Mazen Osama. All had perfect 3-0 singles records over this past weekend. Teaming up in the doubles for a 3-0 themselves were Hayes Brewer and Langford Hills.

     Alabama men's tennis team head coach George Husack said, "This was a tremendous weekend of tennis. I’m very happy and impressed with the way all the teams competed and fought. This is exactly what we, as coaches, want to get out of a tournament. Our guys were pushed physically and mentally each day and finished strong. We must take this momentum into our next event and keep improving."

     Concerning the overall weekend, Husack added, "It was great to have not only the visiting teams enjoy an Alabama weekend which included tennis and football but to also have parents of so many of our players in town too. We have two Parent Weekends a year (one in fall and one in spring) and they are such fun events. When you add tennis and football to the mix it's tough to make a better weekend."

     For more information on the weekend's event with stats, go to RollTide.com.

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Crimson Tide Soccer Falls To Gamecocks 3-0

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Sunday night was not a good not for soccer, at least as far as the Alabama women's soccer team was concerned. The Lady Tide fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks last night 3-0 in Columbia, South Carolina. Alabama falls to 4-6-2, and 1-3 in the Southeastern Conference with the loss.

     Bama soccer head coach Wes Hart commented, "Like any season, I knew this season would be filled with highs and lows and tonight is certainly one of those lows. We were outplayed and out-coached by a superior team tonight. We are looking forward to getting back to Tuscaloosa and preparing for a very good Auburn team."

     The Gamecocks were the Tide's first top-25 foe of the young 2015 season. Bama managed only two shots all night against Carolina as their offense was muffled by a strong defense. The Gamecocks were able to get off 17 shots on the evening.

     Alabama's next match will be at home when the Crimson Tide hosts the Auburn Tigers on Thursday, October 1st. This will be the Tide's first nationally-televised contest and can be seen live on the SEC Network.


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Tide Falls To 13th In Latest Polls

     The University of Alabama football team slid one position this week in both the Amway College Football Poll and the Associated Press poll. Last week the Crimson Tide came in at number 12 (11 in a couple of polls and 10 in another) to slide to number 13 in both polls. Ole Miss slid from a tie for 3rd with TCU to 5th in the Amway poll while taking sole possession of 3rd in the AP poll.

     Other SEC schools in the Top 25 are Georgia (5/8), LSU (8/9), Texas A&M (15/14), Mississippi State (22/21) and Florida (23/25).  Auburn, Missouri and Tennessee fell from the Top 25 of  one or both polls this week.


Amway College Football Poll
Week 5
 
    1  Ohio State
    2  Michigan State
    3  TCU
    4  Baylor
    5  Ole Miss
    6  Georgia
    7  Notre Dame
    8  LSU
    9  Florida State
  10  UCLA
  11  Clemson
  12  Utah
  13  ALABAMA
  14  Oklahoma
  15  Texas A&M
  16  USC
  17  Northwestern
  18  Wisconsin
  19  Oklahoma State
  20  Stanford
  21  West Virginia
  22  Mississippi State
  23  Florida
  24  California
  25  Oregon

Associated Press Top 25 Week 5     1  Ohio State     2  Michigan State     3  Ole Miss     4  TCU     5  Baylor     6  Notre Dame     7  UCLA     8  Georgia     9  LSU   10  Utah   11  Florida State   12  Clemson   13  ALABAMA   14  Texas A&M   15  Oklahoma   16  Northwestern   17  USC   18  Stanford   19  Wisconsin   20  Oklahoma State   21  Mississippi State   22  Michigan   23  West Virginia   24  California   25  Florida

Bama Defense Shuts Down ULM 34-0; Bama Women's Tennis Wins 4 Yesterday

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Bama Defense Records 1st Shut Out

Blanks ULM 34-0

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     It may have been a slow start offensively, but the defensive came out strong allowing the Alabama Crimson Tide offense begin clicking as 12th-ranked Bama blanked the Louisiana-Warhawks 34-0 in front of 101,323 fans inside Bryant-Denny Stadium yesterday afternoon. The Tide scoring started off with a three-yard touchdown run by junior running back Derrick Henry with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter as Bama never had to worry about being behind.

     But the Tide defense is the story. While it takes points to win a football game, defense keeping points off the board by the opposing team keeps them from winning. And Bama kept the Warhawks off the board all night, recording their first shutout of the 2015 season.

     The Tide defense completely dominated yesterday's contest, limiting the Warhawks to just 92 yards of total offense, the fewest yards given up by a Bama defense since the LSU game back in the 2012 BCS National Championship. Alabama held the Tigers to only 92 yards in that contest as well.

     The Alabama defensive line continually smacked down or deflected pass after pass thrown by Warhawks' redshirt freshman quarterback Garrett Smith. The Tide limited ULM to 9 rushing yards, 83 passing yards and 10 first downs. Bama sacked Smith six times, picked off two passes and recorded 12 tackles for a loss against backs and receivers.

     ULM head coach Todd Berry said, "We couldn't move on offense, which didn't allow us to flip the field."

     The Tide's first touchdown came with 2:33 remaining in the first quarter as a result of an 11-play, 55 yard drive that took 3:47 off the clock. Henry ran it in from 3 yards out to give Alabama the lead 7-0.

     Whereas the second quarter began with the Warhawks in possession of the ball, that didn't last long. An errant snap from center sent the ball back to the endzone, but ULM was able to pick it up and advance to their own 15, giving the Tide offense excellent field position and setting up Bama's second score. A fifteen yard touchdown strike from quarterback Jake Coker gave receiver Calvin Ridley his first collegiate touchdown, and it all took only 9 seconds to do it.  Bama was now up 14-0, where it remained until the end of the half.

     First half stats had Bama leading in every catagory. The Tide had 175 total yards of offense compared to 37 for ULM. Alabama had 95 rushing yards while holding the Warhawks to -9. ULM could muster only 46 passing yards, with Coker and his receivers picking up 80. And Bama led in first downs also, 10 to 3.

     Junior place kicker Adam Griffith opened the scoring for the Crimson Tide in the second half. After a penalty pushed Bama back, Griffith drilled a 40-yarder giving Bama a 17-0 lead. Griffith had been just 1 of 5 on field goal attempts prior to this kick.

     Bama's next scoring drive began on the ULM 40 yard line. A pair of rushes netted freshman running back Damien Harris 18 yards before Coker rolled out and hit senior tight end Michael Nysewander on a short pass that he turned into a 19-yard touchdown. The drive took only 4 plays to cover the 40 yards in only 2:03 to give Bama a 24-0 lead midway through the third quarter, where it remained to begin the final stanza.
   
     The next scoring drive saw the Tide again marching down the field after taking over from the Warhawks on the 47. Once again it stalled in the red zone, calling for Griffith to attempt a 35-yard field goal, which he nailed as Tide fans began to believe the field goal draught just might be over.
Bama's lead now increased 27-0 after the seven-play drive that ate 2:19 off the clock.

     The Tide defense led to the final Bama touchdown of the evening. True freshman Ronnie Harrison got his first collegiate interception and returned the ball to just inside the Warhawks 20. Two plays later Coker hit ArDarius Stewart with a 16-yard strike that took only 1:38, with just over 10 minutes left to play in the game.

     Alabama's most consistent defensive lineman, Jonathan Allen, injured his left shoulder in the first half and was unable to return to the game. He returned to the sidelines in the second half in sweat pants and sporting a sling on his left arm. Head coach Nick Saban said he thought Allen would be okay and able to play against Georgia this coming week, but it would be assessed day-to-day.

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

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Bama Women's Tennis Wins 4 Yesterday

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     The University of Alabama women's tennis team added an additional four wins to their already-impressive showing at the Furman Fall Classic in Greenville, South Carolina. In addition to the wins on Friday, the ladies picked up the four yesterday as all four members of the talented Bama crew collected victories in the three-day event. The final event is today.

     Posting wins yesterday were Erin Routliffe, Natalia Maynetto, Andie Daniell and Joanna Nena Savva. Congratulations, ladies.

Crimson Tide Football Ready To Roll Today; Tide Tennis Picks Up 6 Wins; Kiffin Remains Offensive Coordinator At UA

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Crimson Tide Football Ready To Roll Today

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Alabama football has been here before. In fact, in both the 2011 and 2012 national championship campaigns, Alabama lost a regular season football game to an SEC western division foe. The goal remains the same, both an SEC championship and a national championship.

     Gone is the 17-game home win streak. Gone is the undefeated season. But what is not gone is the pride and ability to win football games.

     Unless something major has happened overnight, Jacob Coker is the starting quarterback going into this afternoon's contest with Louisiana-Monroe. Other than that first quarter against Mississippi, Coker has been the starter and it now appears the job is his to lose.

     Concerning Coker's performance last week, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said, "Jake, when he came in the game, played with some passion...showed great leadership and energy when he played. We still have things we need to work on and improve. At this point, providing he does the things he's supposed to do, I think we'll start him in this game.

     Out for the remainder of the season is sophomore receiver Robert Foster who received a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery. But the addition of transfer Richard Mullaney the Tide will have a seasoned veteran with both the speed and ability to help the Tide move the ball down the field.

     Concerning the University of Louisiana Monroe, Saban commented, "UL-Monroe coach Todd Berry has done a really good job there; he has been there for a while. These guys do a myriad things on offense that are very hard to defend: a lot of formations; a lot of motions; a lot of adjustments; fast ball; the quarterback is very efficient, very accurate. They have got nine starters back on defense, and they play physically, tough defense. I think the focus for us is to get our team better, and it wouldn't matter who we were playing this week because that still would be the focus of what we need to do."

   Bama hosts the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks this Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network at 3:00 pm CT with Dave Neal and Matt Stinchcomb making the calls. On the sidelines will be Kayce Smith. Bama faces four non-conference opponents this season, and this will be number three. The Tide handily disposed of the first two, Wisconsin in the season-opener followed by Middle Tennessee State University.

     This will be the third meeting between the Tide and Warhawks, and, believe it or not, officially ULM owns the series. 2006 was the first time the two teams met, with Alabama take that one 41-7. The win, however, was vacated by the NCAA. The next season, the first for new Alabama head coach Nick Saban, the Warhawks pulled off a 21-14 upset win over the Tide in Tuscaloosa.

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Tide Tennis Picks Up 6 Wins

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     The University of Alabama tennis team is indeed on a roll, picking up six victories on the first day of the Furman Fall Classic yesterday afternoon in Greenville, South Carolina. Winning in doubles was Bama junior Erin Routliffe paired with freshman Andie Daniell. They captured three straight matches over their foes from Furman, Vanderbilt and Florida State.

     Two other doubles wins came via senior Natalia Maynetto and junior Joanna Savva. Maynetta pulled in another win when paired with Furman's Blair Martin.

     The 29th annual Furman Fall Classic is underway again this morning at 8 am CT. Six teams ranked in the top 61 of the ITA Collegiate rankings are participating. The tourney opens the morning with singles play.

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Kiffen Remains Offensive Coordinator At UA

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Unless you live under a rock you've heard the crazy rumors circulating the past few days about Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. And as any reputable reporter will tell you, don't believe everything you hear...or read on the Internet. But use common sense.

     Of course when an idiot like Colin Cowturd, uh, sorry, Cowherd lends voice to those rumors with the millions of whom he has access his ESPN pulpit, it doesn't help things. It fuels things, which is what Colin was after anyway. He has a way of saying very stupid things, whether it's Alabama-related or otherwise. 

     Now, according to TMZ Sports, they have contacted the University of Alabama, and more specifically Josh Maxson, the director of communications for Alabama football. Reportedly the Maxson, representing the university, has said Lane Kiffin is still the offensive coordinator for the football team. The various, yes various, rumors are unverified and need not be discussed here. Perhaps one can be mentioned, and that one being that head coach Nick Saban has not fired Lane Kiffin.

     So, unless anything new arises, that is that.

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Kiffin Remains Offensive Coordinator At UA; Saban Answers On Weekly Coach's Show; Bama Kicker Gunnar Raborn Arrested & Suspended; Tide Wraps Up Practice For ULM; Basketball Season Tickets Available; Saban Talks Ole Miss & La-Monroe

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Kiffen Remains Offensive Coordinator At UA

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Unless you live under a rock you've heard the crazy rumors circulating the past couple of days about Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. As as any reputable reporter will tell you, don't believe everything you hear...or read on the Internet. But use common sense.

     Of course when an idiot like Colin Cowturd, uh, sorry, Cowherd lends voice to those rumors with the millions he has access to with his ESPN pulpit, it doesn't help things. It fuels things, which is what Colin was after anyway. He has a way of saying very stupid things, whether it's Alabama-related or otherwise. 

     Now, according to TMZ Sports, they have contacted the University of Alabama, and more specifically Josh Maxson, the director of communications for Alabama football. Reportedly the Maxson, representing the university, has said Lane Kiffin is still the offensive coordinator for the football team. The various, yes various, rumors are unverified and need not be discussed here. Perhaps one can be mentioned, and that one being that head coach Nick Saban has not fired Lane Kiffin.

     So, unless anything new arises, that is that.

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Saban Answers On Weekly Coach's Show

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     The good new is, all the issues with the Alabama football team are fixable. That's the word from Alabama head football coach Nick Saban last night on his weekly call in show. Of course, there are several issues that need fixing.

     Saban said that the team has practiced better this week. There was a definite improvement to this week's practices compared to last week. He went on to say this week is an opportunity to "respond when tested." He said everyone has to answer individually for how and what they're doing to make this team better.

     One caller told Saban that Alabama needs to get back to smash-mouth football, more specifically old school, smash-mouth offense. Saban responded that he likes that kind of football, and there was a time that teams knew exactly what they were going to do and just couldn't stop it. He then said that the game has changed, however, and you have to score more points.

     When asked about the jet sweep and why it disappeared, Saban said it was because it wasn't working against Ole Miss. He spoke of the quickness of the Rebels, and especially Robert Nkemdiche.

     And how would Alabama respond this weekend after last week's loss? Saban said he was challenging his leadership group to set an example after the loss. Players look to the leaders, and all week he's encouraged them to step it up. So Saturday would be important to go out and set an example as they have all week. They can't complain or make excuses.

     When asked about interceptions, how many might be the fault of the quarterback versus the receivers, Saban said he didn't deal in percentages. He said that all interceptions aren't the fault of the quarterback though.

     When asked about Alabama's offensive line, Saban was adamant that this year's offensive line was more physical that the 2014 line.

      So many have complained about the play-calling during a game. Saban says he mostly stays out of the play-calling. except on specific moments. He cited a third-and-one situation, saying that play would be a running play.

      Saban addressed the role of the back-up players, and said he didn't believe they were as prepared as they needed to be. He mentioned that they were used to being stars in high school, but were no longer featured in their current situation. He further stated for that reason they weren't always mentally prepared to play when called upon.

      Saban was asked about changes to practice in the area of special teams. He said that yes, there have been some changes, some change-ups on drills. He mentioned that while the punt returns haven't been great there haven't been many returnable balls. 

      The coach addressed the issue of fans leaving early by thanking those who stuck it out and stayed for the full game. The team needs the support of the fans. He said that the families and recruits who visited and were in the recruiting room commented on how the team didn't quit, didn't give up...and the fans stayed the whole time.

      So those are the last major comments to come from Saban before Saturday. It's Alabama versus Louisiana-Monroe at Bryant-Denny Stadium for game four of the young season. Bama looks to add another one to the win column and improve on their 2-1 record.

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Bama Kicker Gunnar Raborn Arrested & Suspended

Gunnar Raborn booking

     Alabama football's backup place kicker, Gunnar Raborn, was arrested yesterday on a charge of driving under the influence of a controlled substance, according to the Tuscaloosa County Sherriff's Office records. In a statement provided to AL.com, head coach Nick Saban said, "Gunnar Raborn has been suspended indefinitely."

     Thus far Raborn has been used very sparingly. In fact, he hasn't made an appearance yet in the three games already played by the Tide. As a freshman he was two out of three on field goals, and 11 out of 13 on extra points.

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Tide Wraps Up Practice For ULM

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     University of Alabama football wrapped up a slightly abbreviated practice yesterday in preparation for this Saturday's upcoming contest with Louisiana-Monore. Bama put in just over 90 minutes yesterday afternoon in the team's final full practice inside the Hank Crisp Indoor facility. There will be a walkthrough today.

      Bama worked on the game plan to be used in this Saturday's contest. Fundamentals, ball control, better handling of the ball, mental processes, concentration and more have been key elements in practice.

      Game time is set for 3:00 pm CT this Saturday inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for this non-conference matchup between the Crimson Tide and Warhawks. ULM took the last victory in the first year that Nick Saban was the head coach, 21-14 back in 2007. 

     

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Season Tickets Available For Men's & Women's Basketball

Photo/Graphics Credit: RollTide.com

     Tickets are still available for the University of Alabama men's and women's  basketball games for the 2015-16 season, according to the UA athetics TIDE PRIDE/Ticket office. 

     Two prices options are available for fans. See the RollTide.com website for complete details. Just click on the link provided here in the blog. You will find complete pricing details for group as well as individual games.

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Saban Talks Ole Miss & La-Monroe

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Alabama football players have their noses to the grindstone to get ready for Saturday's game with Louisiana-Monroe following last Saturday's loss at Bryant-Denny. Alabama head coach Nick Saban talked with reporters about both games.

     Alabama had five turnovers in this past Saturday's contest. Saban said they're worked hard on that, and not just this week. He said they've addressed the issue ever since the end of last season and said, he's emphasized it "more than I ever have in 42 years or however long I've been coaching." One thing for certain, it will be hard to win most of the games on this season's schedule giving up the ball five times.

     Saban was very complimentary of running back Derrick Henry, saying his has been "outstanding" through the three games played thus far. The 6' 3" Henry is the Tide's leading ground-gainer in these first three with 370 yards and seven touchdowns on 54 carries. Those seven touchdowns, incidentally,  leads the nation.  He added another 51 yards catching seven passes already this young season.

     Saban also bragged on Tony Brown and his work on the special teams. Saban said, "I think he's a guy that takes great pride in the way he plays on special teams. It's his role on the team right now, and he has done probably the best job for three games of anybody in terms of his production, his performance. He's been very disruptive."


     Turning to Louisiana-Monroe, Saban talked about the fact they had a "really good" offense scheme. He said there were things the team would have to adjust to since they do such a good job in their passing, especially the little flair passes and ability to block on the perimeter to help break the receivers loose.

      Saban also said the team's focus has been good since last weekend's loss. He said they have worked hard the past two days getting ready for ULM.

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Saban Addresses The Press; Crimson Tide Working Hard Readying For Saturday; Derrick Henry Misses Wednesday Practice; Tide Football Adds 4-Star Safety To 2017 Class; Johnson Picks Up 4-Star JUCO Shooting Guard; Bama Basketball To Hold Open Tryouts

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Saban Addresses The Press

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Alabama football players have their noses to the grindstone to get ready for Saturday's game with Louisiana-Monroe following last Saturday's loss at Bryant-Denny. Alabama head coach Nick Saban talked with reporters about both games.

     Alabama had five turnovers in this past Saturday's contest. Saban said they're worked hard on that, and not just this week. He said they've addressed the issue ever since the end of last season and said, he's emphasized it "more than I ever have in 42 years or however long I've been coaching." One thing for certain, it will be hard to win most of the games on this season's schedule giving up the ball five times.

     Saban was very complimentary of running back Derrick Henry, saying his has been "outstanding" through the three games played thus far. The 6' 3" Henry is the Tide's leading ground-gainer in these first three with 370 yards and seven touchdowns on 54 carries. Those seven touchdowns, incidentally,  leads the nation.  He added another 51 yards catching seven passes already this young season.

     Saban also bragged on Tony Brown and his work on the special teams. Saban said, "I think he's a guy that takes great pride in the way he plays on special teams. It's his role on the team right now, and he has done probably the best job for three games of anybody in terms of his production, his performance. He's been very disruptive."


     Turning to Louisiana-Monroe, Saban talked about the fact they had a "really good" offense scheme. He said there were things the team would have to adjust to since they do such a good job in their passing, especially the little flair passes and ability to block on the perimeter to help break the receivers loose.

      Saban also said the team's focus has been good since last weekend's loss. He said they have worked hard the past two days getting ready for ULM.

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Crimson Tide Working Hard Readying For Saturday

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     So, what do you do after a devastating loss? A loss in which you committed five turnovers? A loss in which you gave away enough points to crush the opposing team?

     You work. You work hard. You concentrate and do the little things. You focus, and practice, and go back to fundamentals. That's exactly what the Alabama football team is doing this week. And yesterday they were back at it in the afternoon heat of Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the humidity and grinding out a two-hour practice session in full pads on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields.

     Missing from the practice field yesterday was running back Derrick Henry, who was held out of practice due to a case of tonsillitis. (See related following story.) Also missing, of course, was receiver Robert Foster, lost for the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury in the Ole Miss game.

     The game plan has been drawn up and is being tweeked. The Tide is getting ready for battle again this Saturday inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The nations leading home win streak is no longer theirs, but now they're determined to begin a new one.

     Bama hosts the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks this Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network at 3:00 pm CT with Dave Neal and Matt Stinchcomb making the calls. On the sidelines will be Kayce Smith. Bama faces four non-conference opponents this season, and this will be number three. The Tide handily disposed of the first two, Wisconsin in the season-opener followed by Middle Tennessee State University.

     This will be the third meeting between the Tide and Warhawks, and, believe it or not, officially ULM owns the series. 2006 was the first time the two teams met, with Alabama take that one 41-7. The win, however, was vacated by the NCAA. The next season, the first for new Alabama head coach Nick Saban, the Warhawks pulled off a 21-14 upset win over the Tide in Tuscaloosa.

     Bama should be ready for this one. Pride is on the line.

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Derrick Henry Misses Wednesday Practice

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     One major contributor, Robert Foster, is already out of the Tide's lineup due to a season-ending injury. Yesterday another was missing. Alabama junior running back Derrick Henry did not practice on Wednesday, according to Tide head man Nick Saban.

     During his post-practice press conference yesterday Saban addressed the absence of Henry, saying, "Derrick Henry is the only guy that you might ask about. He was sick with tonsillitis, I think, yesterday. Probably could have practiced today, but rather than take a chance, we did not practice him today. But we expect him to be back tomorrow (Thursday's practice)."

     The 6' 3" Henry is the Tide's leading ground-gainer in the first three games with 370 yards and seven touchdowns on 54 carries. Those seven touchdowns leads the nation. He added another 51 yards catching seven passes already this young season.

     The Tide continues preparation for game four of the 2015. Bama hosts ULM this Saturday, with a game time of 3:00 pm CT. The game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.

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Tide Football Adds  4-Star Safety To 2017 Class

     University of Alabama football has picked up another key commitment for the 2017 recruiting class. 6' 1", 170-pound Xavier McKinney, a four-star safety, has giving his verbal commitment to the Tide, according to BamaOnline.

     McKinney is being recruited by defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, and in Tuscaloosa this past Saturday for the Ole Miss game. He was offered a scholarship earlier this summer.
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     McKinney is rated as the number 13 safety, and the number 215 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.

     McKinney becomes the seventh commit for the class of 2017.

2017 University of Alabama Football Commits

Najee Harris                6' 2", 220-lbs              Running Back
Cam Akers                  5' 11", 210-lbs            Running Back
D.D. Bowie                 6' 1", 170-lbs              Wide Receiver
Netori Johnson            6' 5", 330-lbs              Offensive Guard
Alex Leatherwood        6' 4", 297-lbs              Offensive Tackle
Chadarius Townsend   6' 0", 180-lbs              Athlete
Xavier McKinney         6' 1", 170-lbs              Safety

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Alabama Men's Basketball

Johnson Picks Up 4-Star JUCO Shooting Guard

     I think the question, if there ever was such a question, of whether new Bama head basketball coach Avery Johnson could recruit or not has been answered. He verbal skills, get-up-and-go, his love for Alabama as well as his tenacity are proving to be a great combination for luring players to the Capstone. Of course hiring a great coaching staff has to be listed among his many accomplishments in turning heads toward Tuscaloosa.

     Another major recruit has committed to the Tide. He's four-star JUCO shooting guard Ar'Mond Davis from College of Southern Idaho. Davis made his announcement via his Twitter account, and is the second commit in Johnson's 2016 recruiting class. The first was five-star guard Terrance Ferguson.

     Davis had recently committed to Memphis, but after only a few days decided he wanted to take more visits and rescinded that commitment.

     Bama basketball assistant Antoine Pettway is the primary recruiter for Davis' services.


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Bama Basketball To Hold Open Tryouts

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Say you've always been interested in playing a little basketball? Organized basketball? And the University of Alabama basketball team would be your team of choice. Then you're in luck. The Alabama men's basketball team is holding open tryouts for any currently enrolled male students who may be interested in trying out and walking on to the men's basketball team.

     Wednesday, September 30th is the date to remember. The tryouts will be held in the men's basketball practice gym located near the entrance of Coleman Coliseum with a 6 a.m. CT check in. Warm ups and tryouts will begin at 6:30 a.m. CT.

     A complete medical examination is mandatory, including all lab work and results from EKG and sickle cell trait tests. Students are also required to bring proof of the physical, a completed medical history form completed insurance form and copy of front and back of insurance card, according to RollTide.com. All paperwork must be turned in to the men's basketball office no later that this coming Monday, September 28th at 5 p.m. CT.

     If any other information is needed you are invited to contact the Alabama men's basketball office.            

Tide Preparing For Warhawks; Tide Women's Golf Is National Team Of The Week; Bama By The Numbers

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Tide Preparing For Warhawks

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     It was back to business for the University of Alabama football team yesterday. There was and is a lot of work to do after this past Saturday's 43-37 loss at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels. After two days off, Bama went back at it, a two-hour practice session in full pads on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields.

     Practice yesterday focused on fundamentals, as well as full-on preparation for this week's foe, the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. This will be the first visit to Tuscaloosa by the Warhawks since 2007. This will be only the third meeting between the two teams.

     One of the Tide's key players will be out, not only for this game, but the rest of the season. Robert Foster went down with a shoulder injury in the Ole Miss game this past Saturday. Alabama head football coach Nick Saban said, "I didn't think this was going to be this big of a problem, but he has a shoulder injury that will require surgery, so he will be out." Also out for the game is Cole Mazza, but according to Saban he "is out for medical reasons and when he can return, he will be back."

      The Tide welcomed back defensive back Jabriel Washington. He was back doing drills with the secondary after suffering an injury in practice before the opener.

     Looking at this week's opponent Saban said, "UL-Monroe coach Todd Berry has done a really good job there; he has been there for a while. These guys do a myriad things on offense that are very hard to defend: a lot of formations; a lot of motions; a lot of adjustments; fast ball; the quarterback is very efficient, very accurate. They have got nine starters back on defense, and they play physically, tough defense. I think the focus for us is to get our team better, and it wouldn't matter who we were playing this week because that still would be the focus of what we need to do."

     Game time between Alabama and ULM is 3:00 p.m. CT in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network with Dave Neal, Matt Stinchcomb and Kayce Smith. This will be the third straight home game for the Crimson. Last week brought an end to the Tide's home win streak. A new one begins this Saturday.



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Tide Women's Golf Is National Team Of The Week

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

     Alabama women's golf has been honored this week by Golfweek, being named the National Team of the Week following their season-opening win at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tennessee on the Vanderbilt Legends Club South Course. Also being honored is sophomore Lakareber Abe, who has been named the Golfweek Player of the Week following her capturing the individual title at the same event.

     The Tide opened the tournament with a 6-under par 282 on Friday, 8-under 280 on Saturday, then a 2-under final round giving the team a 16-under par 848 for the weekend win. Northwestern was second with a 15-under 849.

     Though capturing the individual win, Abe began the tournament with a 5-under par 67 in the first round and was in second. Saturday she came out and shot a 4-under 68 and a final round of 69 putting her at 12-under par 204 for the win. Lauren Coughlin of Virginia was second with an 11-under 205.


     Bama is back on the course Friday, October 9th at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.


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Bama By The Numbers

   

    0    Number of times Alabama football has given up this season
    0    Number of games Alabama has "been out of" this season
    0    Number of turnovers created by the Tide against Ole Miss

    1    Number of games the Crimson Tide has lost this season
    1    Number of successful field goals this season
    1    Number of starts for Cooper Bateman this season

    2    Number of games Alabama football has won this season

    2    Number of starts thus far for Jake Coker
    3    Number of games Alabama offense has scored 30+ points this season
    3    Number of games in which Alabama opponents have scored in double-digits
    3    Number of games in which Alabama has scored in double-digits
    3    Number of games played in which Alabama has been favored this season
    4    Number of penalties against Alabama vs Ole Miss

    5    Number of turnovers in Bama's last game
    9    National Ranking in rushing defense
  23    National Ranking in total offense
  29    First downs for Alabama vs Ole Miss
  32    National Ranking in rushing offense
  37    National Ranking in total defense
  38    National Ranking in scoring offense
  43    Most points given up by Bama in a single game this season
  63    National Ranking in scoring defense
  70    Number of points given up by Alabama this season
  93    National ranking in passing defense
109    Number of points scored by Alabama football this season
215    Rushing yards by Bama offense vs Ole Miss
288    Passing yards by Bama vs Ole Miss
341    Passing yards given up by Bama vs Ole Miss
433    Total yards given up by Bama vs Ole Miss
503    Number of total yards gained by Alabama offense vs Ole Miss

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