Bama Begins Prep In Atlanta
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| UA Photo |
The Crimson Tide worked out in shells in the Georgia Dome yesterday, getting acclimated to the venue. Bama went through drills and went through individual positional workouts, as well as going through some plays.
This morning at 8:30 a.m. five members of the Crimson Tide defense as well as defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt will talk meet with the media. (Blog will be updated to include the press conference.) The second practice of the week is scheduled today at the Georgia Dome beginning around 12:40 p.m. CT. On Wednesday the Alabama offense will have five representatives as well as offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin talking with the media, also scheduled for 8:30 a.m. CT followed by the Crimson Tide's third game-week practice at 12:40 p.m. CT.
The top-ranked Tide will take on the No. 4 Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta this Saturday, December 31st in one of two College Football Playoff Semifinal games. Ohio State and Clemson will battle it out in the other game to see who will face the winner of the Tide-Huskies contest to determine the 2016 National Championship. The Peach Bowl matchup will air live on ESPN at 2 p.m. CT, with Joe Tessitore and Todd Blackledge in the booth and Holly Rowe working the sidelines.
Alabama is the defending National Champion, the Champion of the Southeastern Conference, ranked No. 1 in the nation and boasts a perfect 13-0 record for the 2016 season. The Washington Huskies enter the College Football Playoff Semifinal with a 12-1 overall record and an 8-1 mark in conference play as well as being the Pac-12 Conference champion. Washington earned its berth in the playoffs defeating No. 8 Colorado 41-10 championship game on back December 2nd.
The Crimson Tide and Huskies will be meeting for the fifth time, with Alabama winning each of the previous four contests. The most recent meeting was in the 1986 Sun Bowl where the Tide defeated the Huskies 28-6. This will be the third postseason meeting between the Huskies and the Crimson Tide. Besides the before-mentioned the Sun Bowl game, Alabama defeated Washington 20-19 in the 1926 Rose Bowl, the first Bowl appearance in Alabama football history.
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| UA Photo |
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| UA Photo |
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| Bama bowling at Peach Bowl UA Photo |
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| Need for speed off the field as well UA Photo |
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2016 Peach Bowl Press Briefing
Saban & Peterson Speak
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| Anniston Star Photo via Bing |
The No. 1 University of Alabama football team as well as the No. 4 Washington Huskies have arrived in Atlanta, Georgia for this Saturday's College Football Playoff Semifinal Game. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban and Washington head coach Chris Petersen met with reporters yesterday for their first Peach Bowl press conference.
Concerning bowl week mentality before a big game like this semifinal to be played on Saturday, Saban commented, "I think everyone is in agreement we're trying to create balance for the players in terms of them having proper time to focus on what they need to do to go play well because of the opportunity they’ve
created for themselves and still have somewhat of an experience from a
bowl game standpoint that would not be too intrusive in terms of what
they want to try to accomplish as a team. Everybody has been open about
how we can all manage this the best for the players and I think
everybody’s doing the best they can to try to make that happen for the
players.
"In
a playoff you’re all-in. You have to go 1-0 or you’re out. 'Is this a
bowl game or a playoff game?' Every player has to decide that mindset for
themselves; every coach has to decide for themselves. We are trying to
create a balance for everyone in our organization because it is a
playoff game."
Concerning the Washington Huskies' defensive unit, Saban said, They're very good, they
have length at corner, they’re very good cover guys. I think the scheme
that they play, they don’t make a lot of mistakes. They’re sort of a
little bit Seattle Seahawk-like in the fact that we’re gonna do what we
do and we’re gonna do it really well. They do a great job of executing
the things that they play. They do a great job of breaking on the ball."
Concerning Washington receiver John Ross, Saban said, "He is probably the best
receiver we’ve played all year because of his production, the way he’s
used and the diversity he has as a player. He has great speed. He’s a
good run-after-catch guy. He’s an outstanding player. It’s going to be
important that we do a good job on him."
Sticking with the subject of John Ross, Washington's coach said of his player, "What makes him special is that he’s just got some god-given
explosiveness that you don’t see very often. He’s had that all along but
now he’s really become a polished receiver. … He wants to be coached,
he wants to be a good receiver."
When asked about being able to actually enjoy bowl week and yet focusing on winning a playoff game, Peterson said, "We always want them to enjoy and appreciate the moment. We want them
to appreciate the different venues, the hostile environments we go into.
We really do. That’s part of this whole thing. Part of college
football, the pageantry. We come here for a week and you get all of
these cool events. We want them to appreciate that as well. I think
there’s plenty of time to do that and still be focused on the task at
hand and why we’re here."
Concerning quarterback Jake Browning and knowing the QB had taken the "next step," Peterson commented, "We've felt for a long time that he has that ‘it’ factor. He’s a
tremendously hard worker and studier of the game and the position. So
you know it’s only a matter of time but you can never predict when. He’s
still a work in progress, we all are. And that’s one of the best things
about him, you feel that he’s still hungry to master the position."
When asked about this Alabama team having won 50 games, Peterson said, "It’s
amazing what Alabama is doing, the level that they compete at. It’s a
combination of really good players…and they’re coached well. It’s that
combination. That’s what makes them really good. They lose guys early
and the next crew is ready to take the baton. It’s impressive the cycle
he’s got going over there."
When asked about Saban comparing his team's secondary to the Seattle Seahawks, Peterson replied, "I don't know about that comparison. I think our secondary played
well. I think we’ve got some good players back there that compete and
really understand the position. Our whole defense will be tested like we
haven’t been tested yet because of the balance that Alabama brings to
the table."
Concerning the "trick play" situation that Washington has become known for, Peterson said, "Anytime someone other than the quarterback gets to throw the ball everyone is
excited…guys like to have fun they like to do something different …. so
everyone talks about us doing trick plays. We may not do any, we might
do a bunch. Who knows."
The Crimson Tide and Huskies will battle it out for a chance to go to the championship game this Saturday. The game will air live on ESPN beginning at 2 p.m. CT.
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Injured Bama Players Showing Improvement
It appears that the injured players on the University of Alabama football team are showing improvement. The Crimson Tide has entered its final week of bowl practices, and things are looking better for a few.
Alabama head football coach Nick Saban said on Monday upon his arrival in Atlanta in his press conference that cornerback Marlon Humphrey
as well as left tackle Cam Robinson are "fine."
Saban further commented that the pair are "doing well," and that they "practiced for the most part the
whole time. We're encouraged by the progress they've made."
Humphrey is recovering from an apparent hamstring injury he received the Iron Bowl win last month, and was unable to play in the Southeastern Conference Championship game. He was, however, able to return to practice back on December 16th.
Robinson has been practicing on a limited basis, having previously been seen working out on the exercise bikes prior to returning to work.
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Alabama Football Commitments
At Under Armour All-American Game
Eight University of Alabama football commitments are in Orlando, Florida to take part in the Under Armour All-American Game at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex. Additionally several of the Crimson Tide's uncommitted targets will also be at the event.
Here is a look at Alabama commits and targets for the annual contest to be held on New Year's Day at 1 p.m. CT. Several target student-athletes will be announcing their selections on ESPN.
University of Alabama commits
Dylan Moses, 5-star LB (Baton Rouge, La.) | Team Armour — (already signed financial aid papers to attend UA)
Alex Leatherwood, 5-star OT (Pensacola, Fla.) | Team Armour
Jerry Jeudy, 5-star WR (Pompano Beach, Fla.) | Team Armour — Jeudy will be an early enrollee at UA
Christopher Allen, 4-star LB (Baton Rouge, La.) | Team Highlight
Markail Benton, 4-star LB (Phenix City, La.) | Team Armour
Akial Byers, 4-star DT (Fayetteville, Ark.) | Team Armour
Jedrick Wills, 4-star OT (Lexington, Ky.) | Team Highlight
Daniel Wright, 4-star S (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) | Team Highlight
University of Alabama targets
Todd Harris, 4-star S (Plaquemine, La.) | Team Armour
Chris Henderson, 4-star CB (Miami) | Team Armour
Ryan Johnson, 4-star DE (Mobile, Ala.) | Team Armour
Joshua Kaindoh, 5-star DE (Bradenton, Fla.) | Team Highlight
Phidarian Mathis, 4-star DE (Monroe, La.) | Team Highlight — Mathis appears to be wavering between Alabama and LSU.
Anthony McFarland, 4-star RB (Hyattsville, Md.) | Team Highlight — McFarland may be a longshot, but he is believed to be considering Alabama, Miami and Maryland.
Xavier McKinney, 4-star S (Roswell, Ga.) | Team Highlight — McKinney was once committed to Alabama. He is considered a long-shot now.
LaBryan Ray, 4-star DE (Madison, Ala.) | Team Highlight
JaCoby Stevens, 5-star S (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) | Team Armour — LSU commit but Tide target. Likely to stick with commitment.
