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Final Football Practice Before 2nd Scrimmage
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Over 1,200 high school coaches from across the region were on hand for yesterday's two-hour University of Alabama football practice session under sunny skies in shells on the Thomas Drew Practice Fields. The winds, however, were a bit gusty.
This was the 11th practice of spring drills, and the last before the second scrimmage of the spring. The Tide will hold its second scrimmage tomorrow inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, although it is closed to the public. The following Saturday, April 16th, the Crimson Tide will play it's annual A-Day Game at 2 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The A-Day Game is once again free to the public and will be broadcast live on ESPN, hosted by Kirk Herbstreit, Joe Tessitore and Joey Galloway.
This note of interest, incidentally. The Bryant Museum will be open all weekend April 15th through 17th. Hours will be: Friday, April 15th from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. CT, Saturday, April 16th from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT and Sunday, April 17th from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. CT.
DALVIN TOMLINSON was back at yesterday's practice after being ill and missing the Wednesday session. Da'SHAWN HAND was seen on the exercise bike. Hand left the Wednesday practice early suffering from back spasms.
Besides all the high school coaches on hand during practice, several of the "big-name" speakers for the clinic were also watching. Tony Dungy, Steve Spurrier, and Frank Beamer were very interested in the session. Others were also there, and Alabama Director of Athletics, BILL BATTLE, also put in an appearance.
Head coach NICK SABAN had been saying this week that they needed to address specific areas the staff believe needed particular work since that first scrimmage. Saban said, "We're really focused on trying to make a lot of improvement based on what we saw in the (first) scrimmage."
Saban had also mentioned on Wednesday being a little frustrated with where things stood with the team right now, but did say that Alabama is "making progress to where we need to go." So a little sugar with the pill that is sometimes hard for some of the players, and fans, to swallow.
Saban is looking for more effort, and said we "have to have more guys who can execute and do their job without mental errors. He continued, "Every time we have a mental error, we have a bad play. I don't care if it's on offense, defense or special teams."
The head man says he knows that the coaches and players have it in themselves to control the mental errors, the effort that is put forth and toughness. He said, "It don't take a lot of ability to be responsible, know what to do or give effort. That's a choice. Play with toughness. That's a choice. That's something I think we need to stay focused on and push the players through so that we can make the kind of improvement that we need to make."
Tomorrow we see how it all comes together in the second scrimmage, just one week before the A-Day Game and final spring practice.
In a release from the NCAA yesterday it was stated Football Bowl Subdivision schools must "conduct camps and clinics at their school's facilities or at facilities regularly used for practice or competition." Further, coaches and staff members "may be employed only at their school's camps or clinics." Thus comes the elimination of the "guest coaching" loophole coaches such as Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and Penn State's James Franklin have utilized to coach at camps across the country.
The Southeastern Conference had proposed a rule prohibiting satellite camps after Big Ten schools and others set up shop in the talent-rich Southern recruiting bases. Michigan hosted a satellite camp at Prattville High School last summer. The two that Harbaugh and company had planned for this summer in Alabama are now dead and stinkin'.
Saban was one of the most vocal critics of satellite camps and said Wednesday even if the ban didn't go through, he didn't see any value in the Crimson Tide participating in the practice.
Though taking it to the extreme, Saban got his point across asking, "How many teams play Division 1 football? Are they all going to have a satellite camp in every metropolitan area? That means they'll have 113 camps in Atlanta, 113 in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Dallas, Houston. I mean, it sounds like a pretty ridiculous circumstance to me for something that nobody can really determine, did it have any value anyway?"
The SEC wasn't the only conference opposed to the satellite camps. The Atlantic Coast Conference also supported the banning of the satellite football camps. The Southeastern Conference said it would drop its own ban on May 29 and allow its coaches to participate in the camps if a national ban was not implemented.
Head coach NICK SABAN had been saying this week that they needed to address specific areas the staff believe needed particular work since that first scrimmage. Saban said, "We're really focused on trying to make a lot of improvement based on what we saw in the (first) scrimmage."
Saban had also mentioned on Wednesday being a little frustrated with where things stood with the team right now, but did say that Alabama is "making progress to where we need to go." So a little sugar with the pill that is sometimes hard for some of the players, and fans, to swallow.
Saban is looking for more effort, and said we "have to have more guys who can execute and do their job without mental errors. He continued, "Every time we have a mental error, we have a bad play. I don't care if it's on offense, defense or special teams."
The head man says he knows that the coaches and players have it in themselves to control the mental errors, the effort that is put forth and toughness. He said, "It don't take a lot of ability to be responsible, know what to do or give effort. That's a choice. Play with toughness. That's a choice. That's something I think we need to stay focused on and push the players through so that we can make the kind of improvement that we need to make."
Tomorrow we see how it all comes together in the second scrimmage, just one week before the A-Day Game and final spring practice.
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
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Top-Ranked Women's Golf 4th After Opening Round
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The Crimson Tide will tee off from hole No. one today along with the Wildcats and Oregon State. Tee time today is 10:35 a.m. CT.
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Bama Women's Tennis Falls To Gators 6-1
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Tide Softball Takes Opener With Mississippi State 7-1
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
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Bama Baseball Drops One To Kentucky 3-2 Yesterday
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
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Tide Track & Field At Battle Of The Bayou
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Top-Ranked Women's Golf 4th After Opening Round
The Number One ranked Alabama Crimson Tide women's golf team are sitting in fourth-place after an opening round round total score of 288 on Friday at the PING/ASU Invitational. Four Bama players recorded an even-par 72 on the day to pace the Tide at the contest being hosted by Arizona State University at the par-72 Karsten Golf Course.
Closing out day one with an even round were sophomore LAKAREBER ABE, freshman CHEYENNE KNIGHT, sophomore NICOLE MORALES as well as senior EMMA TALLEY.
The third-ranked UCLA Bruins holds the lead going into today's second round after a 281 (-7) opening round.
The Bruins Bronte Law recorded an 8-under 64, which set a new course
record. No. 11 Arizona State and No. 17 UNLV are tied for second at
1-under 287, while No. 10 Arizona is tied with Alabama at even par.
The Crimson Tide will tee off from hole No. one today along with the Wildcats and Oregon State. Tee time today is 10:35 a.m. CT.
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Bama Women's Tennis Falls To Gators 6-1
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
It was a bad evening for the Alabama Crimson Tide women's tennis team. Bama (4-14, 0-10 SEC) fell yesterday evening 6-1 to the sixth-ranked Florida Gators (15-2; 10-2 SEC) at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.
Alabama next hosts tenth-ranked South Carolina tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT.
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Tide Softball Takes Opener With Mississippi State 7-1
The Alabama softball team opened a three-game series with the Mississippi State Bulldogs yesterday with a big 7-1 victory at Roads Stadium.
Crimson Tide starter SYDNEY LITTLEJOHN (15-2) remains undefeated in Southeastern Conference play, earning her sixth SEC victory pitching a complete game on Friday. She allowed only one run on seven hits with no walks.
Alabama head women's softball coach PATRICK MURPHY said, "Sydney did a great job in the circle tonight. Mississippi State hit one ball hard, the double in the gap, but other than that I think she controlled them. She made the right pitches when she needed to. It was a lot of swings-and-misses and miss-hits. She pitched well enough to win."
Bama (33-7, 6-4 SEC) scored three runs in the first inning and then quickly added four more in the second while holding the Dogs (21-16, 2-8 SEC) scoreless until the final inning of the evening. Freshman REGAN DYKES drove in a career-high five runs on two hits. HAYLIE McCLENEY went two of four at leadoff on the night, with ANDREA HAWKINS and KALLIE CASE also providing multiple hits.
The series continues today at 2 p.m. CT. Also, the team and fans will be celebrating Senior Day with a pregame ceremony honoring LEONA LAFAELE.
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Bama Baseball Drops One To Kentucky 3-2 Yesterday
In near-freezing temperatures in the Bluegrass state last night the Alabama baseball team fell 3-2 to the Kentucky Wildcats at Cliff Hagan Stadium. This was the first loss for Bama in an SEC series opener on the season, and drops the Tide to 18-12; 5-5 SEC.
Crimson Tide head coach MITCH GASPARD said, "Both sides played really well. I thought GEOFFRY (BRAMBLETT) was tremendous tonight and had a great
start for us. We just had the one inning where we misplayed the ball on
the bunt, and then they come back with a couple hits and that was the
difference in the game. It was a well-played game on both ends, we just
came up short tonight."
Bramblett work 8.0 innings for Bama and struck out a season-high nine batters last night. He allowed just three runs on five hits and a walk, and retired 11 consecutive batters from the second inning right up through the fifth inning.
The two teams return to action this afternoon at 1 p.m. CT. Starting for the Tide will be sophomore righty JAKE WALTERS with the Wildcats putting senior right-hander Dustin Beggs on the mound to counter.
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Tide Track & Field At Battle Of The Bayou
The University of Alabama men's and women's track and field teams will participate today in the Battle of the Bayou meet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The meet is being hosted by the LSU Tigers at the historic Bernie Moore Track Stadium with teams from the Big 10, Big 12 and of the course the Southeastern Conference present for a day of competition.
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NCAA Bans Satellite Football Camps Effective Immediately
Alabama head football coach NICK SABAN, the University of Alabama and the Southeastern Conference got their wish yesterday when the NCAA prohibited satellite football camps effective immediately.
The Southeastern Conference had proposed a rule prohibiting satellite camps after Big Ten schools and others set up shop in the talent-rich Southern recruiting bases. Michigan hosted a satellite camp at Prattville High School last summer. The two that Harbaugh and company had planned for this summer in Alabama are now dead and stinkin'.
Saban was one of the most vocal critics of satellite camps and said Wednesday even if the ban didn't go through, he didn't see any value in the Crimson Tide participating in the practice.
Though taking it to the extreme, Saban got his point across asking, "How many teams play Division 1 football? Are they all going to have a satellite camp in every metropolitan area? That means they'll have 113 camps in Atlanta, 113 in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Dallas, Houston. I mean, it sounds like a pretty ridiculous circumstance to me for something that nobody can really determine, did it have any value anyway?"
The SEC wasn't the only conference opposed to the satellite camps. The Atlantic Coast Conference also supported the banning of the satellite football camps. The Southeastern Conference said it would drop its own ban on May 29 and allow its coaches to participate in the camps if a national ban was not implemented.
