Alabama Crimson Tide Continues Prep For WKU
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| Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
Preparation began to narrow to focus on stopping an explosive Western Kentucky Hilltopper offense that racked up 649 yards of total offense last week in their season-opener. The Hilltoppers are led by third-year head coach Jeff Brohm. He has a head coaching career record of 21-7 and has led WKU to back-to-back bowl victories as well as the 2015 Conference USA championship.
Receiver Cam Sims was back on the practice field yesterday, sporting a full-contact jersey.
Some of those lining up as "scout players" yesterday were Ben Davis, Joshua McMillon, Jacob Probasco, Scott Lashley, Deonte Brown, Chris Owens, Quinnen Williams, O.J. Smith, Johnny Dwight and others. Even defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt stepped in to take a turn as one of the opposing players.
This Saturday's contest between the Crimson Tide and Hilltoppers will be the third meeting in their series. Alabama is currently holding a 2-0 advantage. The Tide won the first meeting in 2008 by a score of 41-7. A few years later, Bama shut out WKU 35-0 in 2012. Both contests were played at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The Alabama Crimson Tide will return to the practice field this afternoon, and again on Friday. Then, this Saturday, September 10th, Bama will host the WKU Hilltoppers at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Tide's home-opener and second game of the season. The Tide and Hilltoppers Will kick it off at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht and Rocky Boiman handling the call.
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What Nick Saban Had To Say On Wednesday
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What Nick Saban Had To Say On Wednesday
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| Tide Head Football Coach Nick Saban Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban addressed the media last night as per his usual game-week protocol.
Saban offered praise for several of the players during the press briefing. He mentioned that Ryan Anderson had played a great game against USC and showed flashes of dominance in his play. Anthony Averett was singled out as playing well in his first career start.
Concerning the "main" two quarterbacks, Saban said that both Jalen Hurts and Blake Barnett are progressing and shown improvement in "what they have done this week."
Concerning the two quarterback system, Saban commented, "I think we need to continue to develop both of those players. It was
encouraging that both players played better as they played in the game,
which should be expected of freshmen. Hopefully we'll see big
improvement in this game."
Raekwon Davis has been cleared to play by the NCAA. (See related story.)
Fortunately there were no new injuries to report according to Saban. He also mentioned that Cam Sims was able to practice some yesterday for the first time in a few days.
The head coach again reminded everyone how good a football team Western Kentucky is. He spoke of them being in the top 25 last year and said there was no reason they won't be there again this season. He singled out Taywan Taylor as one of the best receivers the Tide will face all year.
Concerning Taylor, Saban said, "He's an outstanding player. Really, really outstanding player. He's got great
production. He's a tough competitor. Good route runner. Good hands. The
thing I respect of him most is his production and his competitive spirit
in the way he goes about playing the game. He does a really, really
good job, and I think he's as good as any receiver that we'll play
against this year."
Saban seemed pleased with the Wednesday practice, saying it was a "better practice." He did say that the team was a bit sluggish at the beginning of practice, but that it picked up...that the energy and enthusiasm overall was better.
Alabama and WKU will meet this Saturday for the Crimson Tide's home-opener at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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Alabama Cross Country Heads To Chattanooga
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| Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
The Crimson Tide women's team is currently ranked No. 5, with the men coming in at No. 7 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region preseason rankings released back on August 30th. The first regular season rankings is scheduled be announced on September 13th.
Alabama will be taking 19 athletes to Chattanooga for the meet, 11 of which will be men as well as eight women. Those competing for the men are seniors Robbie Farnham-Rose, Antibahs Kosgei, Evan Prizy and Conner Thompson; juniors Andrew Bull, Garrett Bull and Josh Short; sophomore Clay Austell and freshmen James Brinyark, Patrick Grant and Oliver Rigg. Competing for the women will be juniors Emily Edwards, Jessica Gray, Veronica Lyle and Alison Ringle; sophomores Ebie Douglas and Brianna Koshy and freshmen Caroline Brooks and Brittany Tolson.
Head coach Dan Waters said, "I thought we got off to a good start last weekend. I was pleased with the performances of our veterans and our freshmen as well. We have several athletes who will be running for the first time this season on Friday and I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform."
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Angie Nicolletta Joins Swimming & Diving Staff
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Raekwon Davis Cleared To Play By NCAA
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Angie Nicolletta Joins Swimming & Diving Staff
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| Angie Nicolletta Alabama Swimming & Diving Assistant Coach Photo by RollTide.com |
University of Alabama head swimming and diving coach Dennis Pursley has announced the addition of Angie Nicolletta as an assistant coach for the Alabama swimming and diving team.
Pursley said, "Angie's skills and background are a perfect fit for our coaching
staff. Her extensive experience at the club and
collegiate level combined with the passion and enthusiasm she brings to
the pool deck will make her a great addition to our team."
Nicolletta spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University and replaces former assistant Lisa Ebeling who was recently named the head coach at Northern Colorado.
"I would like to thank Coach Pursley for giving me the opportunity to
coach at The University of Alabama," Nicolletta said. "Immediately
after I stepped on campus, I felt a part of the Bama Family. I'm excited
to continue working within the SEC and alongside of one of the best
coaching staffs in the country. I know I can bring a lot of energy and
excitement to this program and look forward to building relationships
with all our young men and women."
Nicolletta spent a season on the Air
Force Academy coaching staff while also serving as coach and aquatic
supervisor at The Club at Flying Horse before joining the Vandy Commodores.
"In addition to her other duties, Angie will serve as the women's
recruiting coordinator on our staff," Pursley added. "We are certainly
excited to welcome her to the Crimson Tide swimming and diving family."
Nicolletta swam for the Louisville Cardinals, setting school records in the 200
butterfly and as part of the 200 freestyle, 400 medley and 400 freestyle
relays. She was also a championship finalist in a number of events for
the Cardinals at the Conference USA Championships.
Nicolletta is a native of Marietta, Georgia and earned a degree in sports administration from Louisville in 2005.
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Raekwon Davis Cleared To Play By NCAA
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| Raekwon Davis Alabama Defensive Lineman Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has announced that freshman defensive lineman Raekwon Davis was cleared by the NCAA yesterday and is now eligible to play. The 6' 7", 315-pound defensive tackle out of Meridian, Mississippi, considered one of the better recruits in the nation at his position and unanimous four-star designee, missed the season-opener against USC.
Saban said, "He's been able to practice the whole time. We got him a
lot of reps in fall camp. Last week when we started game prep, we did
not prep him with defense."
Concerning this week's contest with Western Kentucky, no decision has been made as yet as to whether he will play.
"We'll do everything we can to get him ready to play," Saban stated. "I
don't know if we can get him ready to play in this game. It's certainly
going to be a work in progress for us to get him ready to play down the
road and offer some depth in the defensive line."
During his high school senior season, Davis recorded 55 tackles, including 12.5 for a loss, 8.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries.
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Haylie McCleney Finalist For NCAA Woman Of The Year
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| Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. This year, 515 student-athletes were nominated, the most ever in the history of the Woman of the Year program. This marks the 26th year of the Woman of the Year Award program, which was established in 1991.
Alabama head softball coach Patrick Murphy had this to say, "It is so awesome to see good things happen to good people, and Haylie certainly is one of the best we have had in our program. This reflects not only on her but all of her teammates while student-athletes at Alabama. She is very deserving of this recognition by the NCAA."
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Bama Baseball Begins Practice This Monday
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| Graphic/Photo Credit: RollTide.com |
This Monday will be the first official full team practice for Goff since arriving on campus in June. The Bama players have put in the hard work, spending the past few months working in the weight room and doing individual on-field work to prepare for the start of fall camp.
The Tide's first intrasquad will be Tuesday, September 13th, followed by a scrimmage on Friday and Saturday, September 16th and 17th. Scrimmages will be held every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday for the following three weeks through October 11th.
The Tide will host its annual Scout Day on Wednesday, October 12th. UA will invite scouts from all 30 Major League organizations to come watch Alabama's draft-eligible players perform against one another.
Admission will be free for fans who are interested in watching
