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Tide Completes Final Full Practice
Prior To Saturday's Game
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Thursday afternoon was the final full practice for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team prior to their second game of the season this Saturday afternoon. The ninety-minute practice session in shells was held inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. The coaches and team used yesterday's practice to focus on not only the game plan, but also going over and over the fundamentals of the game as well as work on special teams. There will be a short walk-through today. Bama hosts Middle Tennessee State University this Saturday afternoon in their home opener.
The vaunted Alabama defense has had to prepare for an MTSU offense that produced 605 yards of total offense and 70 points in their own season-opener last week. Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has stressed to the team and media that this is a legitimate challenge being faced by the Crimson Tide this Saturday. The Blue Raiders hurry-up style of play will indeed test this week's preparation.
Game time for Saturday's contest is 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network. Live in the booth will be Tom Hart and Andre Ware, with Laura Rutledge reporting from the sidelines.
Bama and MTSU have met twice previously. Bama won both games, with the first being a 39-34 squeaker in 2002. Then in 2005 Bama came out on top with a 26-7 victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Most expect numerous points to be scored in this one.
The Crimson Tide will begin its defense of the SEC crown the following week when Old Miss comes to town. Bama leads that series 47-10-2. The Tide was upset last year 23-17 in Oxford.
A pair of Bama players received honors yesterday. Derrick Henry was named as the Maxwell Award's Player of the Week. This is his third honor for the week, having previously earned the SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday as well as being named the FWAA National Offensive Player of the Week for his accomplishments in the game against Wisconsin.
Senior linebacker Reggie Ragland was also honored yesterday. He was selected as one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. This award is presented annually to a student-athlete excelling both on and off the field.
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Nick Saban's Weekly Radio Show
Alabama head football coach Nick Saban was very complimentary of his inside linebackers and their performance in Bama's season-opening game with Wisconsin. On his weekly radio show, Saban said last night that Reggie Ragland, Shaun Dion Hamilton and Reuben Foster all did a "really, really good job."
Saban went on to speak on the necessity of a good pass rush this Saturday. He said it was absolutely necessary to generate pressure with a four-man rush because of what MTSU is capable of on offense. This offense generated 605 yards of total offense and 70 points in their season-opening win last week.
Saban said, "This team is going to go fast. The Blue Raiders ran 99 plays during their 70-14 win over Jackson State last week.
The coach also brought up penalties. Penalties that would be devastating against a better team. He said those have to be eliminated and that has been worked on this week.
Concerning starting Jake Coker at quarterback in last week's Wisconsin game, Saban said, "It was just a gut feeling that this was the right guy for our team." He said he thought Coker did well against Wisconsin, and that the performance has helped him confidence-wise, which Saban said has been noticed in practice this week.
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Soccer
Alabama Begins 4-Game Homestand
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The Alabama Crimson Tide soccer team returns to Tuscaloosa for four consecutive home matches at the Alabama Soccer Complex after playing its first six matches away from home. Bama's first SEC opponent is the undefeated LSU Tigers (4-0-2) tonight at 7 p.m. CT. The Tide then hosts Southern Mississippi Sunday at 7 p.m. CT. Both matches will be available on SECN+.
Alabama leads the series with the Tigers 10-7-3. LSU has either won or tied the last nine meetings dating back to 2006. Alabama defeated LSU in the most recent match this past October. Bama holds a 3-1 lead in the series with Southern Miss.
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Men's Golf Opens Season This Weekend
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The University of Alabama's 17th-ranked men's golf team will officially open the 2015-16 season this weekend at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Rocky Face, Georgia. The tourney will be played at the par 72, 7,012-yard Farm Golf Club.
The tournament begins today and runs through the 13th. It is a 54-hole tourney with a very strong national field participating. Seven top-25 teams from the Bushnell Golfweek Preseason Coaches Poll, as well as three other teams receiving votes.
The Crimson Tide has won the Carpet Capital Collegiate three times (2006, 2007 and 2010). The Tide also holds course records for 18-hole (276 in 2006) and 54-hole (841 in 2006) scores.
Tee time for Alabama at Hole No. 1 is at 8:10 a.m. CT and will be paired with No. 13 Georgia Tech and No. 14 South Florida.
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Alabama Volleyball Hosts Crimson White Tournament
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The Alabama Crimson Tide Volleyball team (2-5, 0-0 SEC) will be hosting the Crimson White Tournament this weekend in Tuscaloosa. Bama will be playing Troy, St. Louis and Virginia.
The Lady Tide had a rough go of it this past weekend at the Hampton Inn Bama Bash, losing its final three games after taking the opener. This is Bama's first 2-5 start since 2009.
It should be mentioned that senior setter Sierra Wilson is second in the SEC with 359 assists and less than 1,000 assists away from the Alabama career record.
The Tide will conclude the preseason schedule next weekend in DeKalb, Illinois at the Huskie Invitational which will be hosted by Northern Illinois University. Bama will play three matches beginning Friday, September 18 against Western Kentucky at 11:00 a.m. CT. Bama meets host NIU at 7 p.m., and then on Saturday, September 19 Bama concludes the weekend against Northern Iowa at 1:30 p.m.
