Crimson Tide Arrives In Tampa
Readies For CFP National Championship
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| UA Photo |
There are thankfully no new injuries to report through the end of the Crimson Tide's Friday practice. Those who already were nursing bumps, bruises and various injuries are all recovering nicely.
This was Bama's fourth of five total practices before Monday's big matchup between the Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Tampa, Florida. The pair will kick it off around 7:17 p.m. CT at Raymond James Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Samantha Ponder and Tom Rinaldi covering all the action in the championship matchup. This will be the fifth time in the last eight seasons the Crimson Tide will play in the final game of the college football season to determine the national champion.
The Crimson Tide will be taking part in an hour-long media day scheduled for today, followed by its final practice for the championship game this evening. A press conference is scheduled for Sunday morning for both Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney. A team picture will follow, and then a walk-through is scheduled to close it all out.
The Crimson Tide owns the 16-game series with a record of 13-3. Clemson won the first three contests, but since then the Tide has rolled to 13 consecutive wins, with the most recent meeting between the two teams taking place in last season's College Football Playoff National Championship Game when Alabama rallied for a 45-40 win to capture its 16th national championship.
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3rd-Ranked Bama Gymnastics Falls To No. 1 Okie
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| UA Photo |
University of Alabama gymnastics head coach Dana Duckworth said, "We came here with the goal of being competitively consistent throughout the night. While we had many wonderful things happen tonight, we fell short of that goal in a few areas, especially vault and floor, which I expected based on where we've been in our preparation. The good news is that once we get the jitters out and start to move forward on those events, we will be where we want to be with a team that can be amazing."
The start was a strong one for the Tide, scoring a 49.325 on the uneven bars. Junior Kiana Winston scored a 49.325 to lead Alabama in the event. Senior Amanda Jetter and junior Mackenzie Brannan both scored a 9.875. However, Oklahoma was just a little better with a 49.575 on the uneven bars.
Senior Keely McNeer led the Tide on the vault, scoring a 9.825 from the opening position, followed by freshman Maddie Desch, junior Nickie Guerrero and Winston each picking up a 9.8. Once again, the Okies were just a bit better scoring 49.450 overall to 49.000.
Alabama scored a 49.025 on the floor exercise as Guerrero, sophomore Ari Guerra and Winston each picked up a 9.85. Again, Oklahoma bested Bama with a 49.500.
The Crimson Tide came out on top on the balance beam, finishing with a score of 49.350 compared to 49.225 for the Sooners. Guerrero and Sims both posted a score of 9.87 but it was Winston capping that win with a strong 9.95. The Sooners finished with 49.225.
Duckworth also commented, "I'm so proud of how we finished out the night and I look forward to seeing us take that performance into next week and our home opener."
Second-ranked LSU comes to Coleman Coliseum on Friday, January 13th at 7:30 p.m. CT for Alabama's home opener.
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Sarkisian Says He's Doing Just Fine
Ready To Call The Offensive Plays On Monday
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Sarkisian Says He's Doing Just Fine
Ready To Call The Offensive Plays On Monday
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| Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian & QB Jalen Hurts LawlessRepublic.com via Bing Photo |
TAMPA, Florida - New University of Alabama offensive coordinator stepped away from football not quite one year ago. Then Nick Saban gave him a call. He's back.
At the College Football Playoff Media Day earlier today, Sarkisian quickly answered when asked about how he was dealing with his substance abuse problems. He said, "I'm doing great, thanks for asking."
Today was Sark's first media appearance since leaving the game back all those months ago and then joining the Alabama football staff as an offensive analyst. He handled just fine, but now as the offensive coordinator of the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide football team, playing for its second consecutive national championship and number 17 overall.
Sarkisian will be calling plays this Monday, and the first time doing so in approximately two years. Yes, that's been awhile ago. But Saban wouldn't have turned the reigns of the Tide offense over to him if he didn't think he could handle it. Sarkisian's sudden elevation of title (and soon to be money) came when Kiffin exited the Tide ranks rather quickly less than a week ago, when everyone was expecting Kiffin to call Alabama's last game - the College Football Playoffs National Championship. Sark said early today he had been working hard, studying, prepping for the stingy Clemson Tiger defense.
Sark deftly turned the conversation from himself and his recovery to the Alabama Crimson Tide and the biggest game of the season coming up this Monday night. He told reporters that he had been exhaustive in his preparation.
Sarkisian commented, "More than anything, it really gave me a
point of reference that I love coaching football," he said of his time
away from college football. "I love being around these players, these coaches. I love the
preparations. I love the schematics, the emotions of the game. To have
this opportunity again, I'm very grateful now."
Concerning his sudden elevation and trying to prepare so quickly for such a huge game, Sarkisian said, "It's not just so foreign where I'm coming in from the outside and
trying to pick up where they left off. I've been
around this thing. When you start calling plays, you start calling
plays. You don't get caught up in everything that's going on outside.
You focus on what's going on between the lines, and that's the mindset I
have."
Okay, Sark admits it's been awhile. Though he helped in offensive play prep throughout this season and let his ideas be made known to then-offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, he admits this is different.
Sarkisian said, "I haven't made those final decisions you make as a coordinator. What, ultimately, are you going to run in those third-and-short
situations? What are you going to call when you're on the goal line?
What's that first call? You make suggestions when you're in my situation
throughout the week, but when you're calling those plays, you've got to
make those calls."
A question that was brought up almost immediately when he was named OC, and a topic to which Kiffin referred at one point, from what location will Sark call plays? He said he will be on the sideline and not the press box, at least for the national championship game.
Sarkisian said, "That's where I'm comfortable. I've always called plays from
the field. I'm comfortable there. I think it's important for me to have
the one-on-one contact with [quarterback] Jalen [Hurts] on the field and
seeing his demeanor and really talking through things. I always
appreciated that as a player."
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Alabama Women Swimming & Diving
Opens New Season With Win Over Tulane
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| UA Photo |
Crimson Tide head coach Dennis Pursley commented, "I wanted to see some good, tough racing," Pursley said. "I'll have to go back and look at the results but I think we won most of the close races, which is always one of our goals when we go into competition. I wanted to see the women come together and assert themselves without the men's team here. I think they did a good job of that."
Alabama winners:
Senior Dakota Toner - 1-meter springboard 319.13 points & 3-meter board 320.70 points.
Sophomore Katie Coughlin, senior Bridget Blood and juniors Hannah Musser and Bailey Scott - 200 medley relay with a time of 1:44.17.
Freshman Cameron Brown -1,000 freestyle with a time of 10:15.87 .
Musser - 200 freestyle with a time of 1:51.92 & 100 freestyle with a time of 51.56
Junior Temarie Tomley - 50 freestyle with a time of 23.66
Junior Paige Matherson - 500 freestyle with a time of 5:05.50.
Sophomore Caroline Beene - 100 butterfly with a time of 57.46.
Scott - 100 backstroke with a time of 56.83
Sophomore Katie Kelsoe - 200 backstroke with a time of 2:04.21.
Blood - 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:05.13
Sophomore Sarah Helm - 200 breaststroke with a time of
Junior Mia Nonnenberg - 200 butterfly with a time of 2:03.32 & 200 individual medley with a time of 2:05.88.
Junior Temarie Tomley, sophomore Morgan Fleming, junior Lindsay Morrow and Scott closed out the meet with a meet-best 1:34.17 in the 200 freestyle relay.
Coming up next for the Alabama women will be a joint-meet with the men battling Southeastern Conference rival LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana today at 11 a.m. CT.
