Crimson Tide Concludes Prep For Vandy
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - The University of Alabama football team put in its final two hours of practice on Thursday afternoon in shells at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. It was the final workout for the Crimson Tide in preparation for Saturday's battle with the Vanderbilt Commodores.
The UA football team will head to the Music City this afternoon for an early-season battle of unbeaten Southeastern Conference foes. Bama and Vandy will be going head-to-head starting at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The SEC opener will be broadcast live on the CBS network, with Brad Nessler handling play-by-play duties and Gary Danielson handling analysis in the booth. Allie LaForce will be working the sidelines.
This will be the 84th meeting between the two teams, with the Tide holding the lead in the all-time series 59-19-4 (after vacated games), and has won the last 21 contests dating back to 1985. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban is currently 3-0 against Vanderbilt, including a 2-0 slate with Alabama, while fourth-year Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason is facing the Crimson Tide for the first time in his career.
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Alabama Soccer Ties In T-Town
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – After a grueling battle last night, the 24th-ranked University of Alabama soccer team tied LSU 1-1 at the Alabama Soccer Complex in double-overtime. The Crimson Tide (8-2-1, 0-1-1 SEC) and Tigers (7-1-1, 0-1-1 SEC) both move to 0-1-1 in the Southeastern Conference after two league matches.
Crimson Tide soccer head coach Wes Hart said, "Incredibly frustrated and discouraged with the result. I am very proud of the effort of the team, except for when we needed it the most. It wasn't just our play. You have to give them [LSU] credit, too, with all of the blocked crosses and blocked shots that they had. They did a hell of a job defending. We created a lot of opportunities, but at the end of the day it wasn't enough."
Bama was unable to break the deadlock, however, despite the fact that the Tide controlled the ball for most of the game, registering a season-high 44 shots with 12 on goal after 110 minutes of play. Last night's contest is the fifth time the pair have played to a draw in the series. It was also the eighth time the two Southeastern Conference foes have been forced into overtime, tying with Auburn for the most games in a series history that needed extra time.
Christina Maartensson netted the Crimson Tide's lone score of the night, also taking three shots and one shot on goal. Emma Welch provided the assist, taking one shot on the evening. Both Jimenez Delgado and Taylor Morgan took eight shots apiece in the match.
UA will return to action this Sunday evening to take on No. 6 Florida at 5:00 p.m. CT in Gainesville, Florida.
| Game Stats | LSU | UA |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 1 | 1 |
| Shots | 8 | 44 |
| Shots on Goal | 4 | 12 |
| Saves | 11 | 3 |
| Corners | 2 | 15 |
| Offsides | 2 | 2 |
| Fouls | 13 | 6 |
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Hey Coach
What Saban Said
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| UA Head Football Coach Nick Saban Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
It was another informative night on the set of University of Alabama's coaches show with Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban on Thursday night. Saban spoke as well as answered question from callers as usual on his show, "Hey Coach."
Here's what Saban had to say:
Saban spoke of the need to better control the ball at the end of the game, in dictating the terms in that scenario. He said that Alabama has not done that as effectively as needed. He also commented, along that same vein, that the Vandy Commodores were a "ball-hawking" team and that they are a very good all-around defensive team.
He commented on Robert Foster as being "a real key piece" to the Tide moving forward, and that the young man was growing more confident.
Also, concerning strengthening certain aspects of the game, Saban said that Bama has practiced stopping the end zone fades that Colorado State found to be so effective at times against the Tide. He mentioned his frustration that the team wasn't able to defend them well this past Saturday.
While Saban is happy that the team is 3-0 this season, he said he is hesitant of judging this squad at this point in the season, also saying that this team is "different" than previous Crimson Tide teams.
Saban mentioned the advantages of neutral-site games, saying that these particular games have allowed UA to play better opponents. But the coach also added, as he stated numerous times in the past, that he's all for playing more "home-and-home" games because he's in favor of all Power Five teams playing each other throughout their schedules.
Concerning going up against athletic quarterbacks, Saban said that was a tricky situation, especially when the defense is in man coverage. He also said, however, that it's tough to play exclusively zone against dual-threat passers, which allows the defenders to face the quarterback. Saban then commented that a quarterback who runs could even disrupt the complex "pattern-matching" scheme that the Crimson Tide utilizes. That alignment features a blend off zone- and man-coverage principles.
Concerning the question of how long he plans to remain as the head coach at Alabama, he said he does get questions about that from recruits. He said he's really not bothered by that and that the prospective recruits "have every right" to ask.
Saban said that he went after Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur, trying to get him to The Capstone. He said that the young man plays with a high IQ.
Concerning the current "state-of-mind" of the Alabama football team, Saban says that he likes where the Tide is mentally and that the team is developing confidence.
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Vandy Coach Offers Praise For Karl Dunbar
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| Karl Dunbar Alabama Defensive Line Coach Photo: Bing.com |
Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Derek Mason says that University of Alabama defensive line coach Karl Dunbar is "a beast." Both Mason and Dunbar worked together from 2007 to 2009 when the pair when both were with the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. Dunbar worked with the defensive line while Mason was the assistant defensive backs coach.
In an interview on Tuesday, Mason said, "Shout out to my man, Karl Dunbar." Mason has continued to offer praise throughout the week. Mason is well aware of what Dunbar is capable of in preparing a defensive line after having watched in lead arguably the best DL in the NFL.
According to AL.com, Mason had this to say about Dunbar, "Karl's a beast. Guys believe in him. He's a great teacher. He understands how to get guys to play to their max potential. I don't care how talented you are. Karl Dunbar is going to push you to your limit and then squeeze everything that he can out of you in order for him to make you a better player and a better man. With that, I'm proud to see what he's done, and I'm sure Coach (Nick) Saban is happy."
Mason also commented that Dunbar has done "a great job" with Alabama's defensive front four, and that "they're going to be a stout group."
Alabama will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores for the Tide's Southeastern Conference opener. Both the Crimson Tide and Commodores are 3-0 thus far.
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