Fourth-Ranked Alabama Crimson Tide Football
To Face Top-Ranked Clemson In CFP Semifinal
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| Alabama head coach Nick Saban Ready for the College Football Playoffs Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The fourth-ranked University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team will face the No. 1 Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event is the prelude to the National Championship, and will be held on January 1, 2018.
UA football head coach Nick Saban made a statement concerning this year's selection, saying, "We're extremely pleased for our team, our players, our coaches and all the people who work hard here for us. I'd like to congratulate the other teams that will have the opportunity to participate in the playoff as well as the teams who were considered and had potential to be selected. We are really pleased and happy to be a part of the College Football Playoff again this year."
The will be the 18th meeting between Alabama and Clemson in a series that dates all the way back to 1900. The Crimson Tide holds a large 13-4 advantage in the series, with the two most recent matchups coming in consecutive years, the 2016 and 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Games. The Tide rallied to defeat the top-ranked Tigers 45-40 in 2016 giving Bama its 16th national championship in the 2016 game held in Glendale, Arizona. The following year the Tigers returned the favor with a come-from-behind 35-31 upset victory in the 2017 championship in Tampa, Florida.
Sabam continued, "Clemson obviously has a great team. Dabo (Swinney) has done a fantastic job with that program. They've been consistently successful and this will be the third year we've played them in the playoff. I know our guys will be ready to play and will have a tremendous amount of respect for Clemson. We'll have to play our best game of the year to have a chance to be successful against them."
The Alabama-Clemson winner will then face the winner of the semifinal contest with No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 3 Georgia, who will play in the CFP Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on January 1st. The 2018 CFP National Championship Game is scheduled for Monday, January 8, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014, Alabama is the only team to appear in all four CFPs, and has appeared in the top five of every poll put out by the selection committee over the last four seasons.
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Alabama Men's Basketball Suffers First Home Loss
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics/Robert Sutton |
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The first one always stings. The first one at home always hurts even more. The 24th-ranked University of Alabama men's basketball team fell for the first time this season at Coleman Coliseum, dropping a close contest with UCF 65-62 on Sunday afternoon. One of the bright spots for UA, however, was senior Donta Hall turning in a perfect performance from the field, hitting 9-of-9 from the floor to finish with a career-high 20 points.
Alabama men's basketball head coach Avery Johnson said, "Today, you know, we had tough second half. We weren't very good offensively in the second half. We had an
11-point lead there in the first half and didn't get enough separation.
We had some careless turnovers, missed some of our shots that we
normally make and that we're capable of making. We think we're a team
that's capable of having a team with four guys in double-figures and not
just two. This was a learning lesson for our team that we have to be
ready to play for 40 minutes. We didn't quite have that effort today,
and I have to do a better job of making sure they're ready to play in
situations like this one. Especially when we're playing against a really
good team."
UCF beat out the Tide on both sides of the floor, shooting 48.1 percent
from the field versus Bama's 43.1 percent as well as outrebounding the Crimson Tide 37-28.
Once again the Tide's sensational freshman Jon Petty rolled. In addition to Hall, Petty reached double digits for the fifth time this season, scoring 12 points in the contest.
This Wednesday the Tide will host Rhode Island at Coleman Coliseum beginning at 7 p.m CT. The game will be televised on the SEC Network +.
| Game Stats | UCF | UA |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .481 | .431 |
| 3FG% | .467 | .231 |
| FT% | .533 | .652 |
| RB | 37 | 28 |
| TO | 20 | 15 |
| STL | 8 | 8 |
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Alabama Football
Crimson Tide Holds Annual Awards Banquet
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics/Kent Gidley |
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - It was an evening of celebration and honor. One that would be a reward for all. And one that would allow all to honor the select. The University of Alabama football team held its annual awards banquet pm Sunday evening at the Birmingham Sheraton.
Crimson Tide football head coach Nick Saban addressed all in attendance last night, an audience that included members of the team, coaching staff, administration and support staff following the awards session. Saban recapped the entire 2017 UA football season, as well as stating the goals for the upcoming College Football Playoff Semifinal to be held on January 1, 2018 at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Four captains were named on Sunday evening by the team. They are seniors Bradley Bozeman, Rashaan Evans and Shaun Dion Hamilton joining junior Minkah Fitzpatrick as this year's team representatives. The player receiving the Most Valuable Player Award, voted on by the players themselves, is Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Here is a look at the complete list of award winners according to RollTide.com:
Unsung Hero Award
To the player who has made significant contributions to the success of the team and received the least recognition for it
Ronnie Clark, Josh Jacobs, Dylan Moses, Jamey Mosley, Mack Wilson
Outstanding Senior Scholar
To the senior with the highest GPA
Bradley Bozeman, Shaun Dion Hamilton
Commitment to Academic Excellence Award
To the player who has demonstrated the greatest commitment and achievement in his academic endeavors during the previous year
Keith Holcombe, Brandon Kennedy, Joshua McMillon, Chris Owens, Richie Petitbon, Jonah Williams
Iron Man Award
To the player(s) who have shown the most dedication to the individual and team goals of the Crimson Tide's year-round strength and conditioning program
Joshua Frazier, Cam Sims, Quinnen Williams, Matt Womack
Most Inspiring Player
To the player who affects the whole team by his attitude as well as his performance (voted on by the players)
Shaun Dion Hamilton
Pat Trammel Award
To a senior player whose character and contributions to the Alabama Football Team most personify the All-American youth of today and has reflected qualities of Integrity, Character, Importance of Academics and Inspirational Leadership during their time at Alabama
Robert Foster, J.C. Hassenauer
Outstanding Defensive Performer
To the player with the most tackles/points
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison, Da'Ron Payne, Levi Wallace
Up-Front Award
To the outstanding lineman from each unit
Isaiah Buggs, Lester Cotton Sr., Da'Shawn Hand, Jonah Williams
Defensive Achievement Award
To the player who has played a critical role in the effectiveness of this unit
Anthony Averett, Raekwon Davis, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Anfernee Jennings
Offensive Achievement Award
To the player who has played a critical role in the effectiveness of this unit
Bradley Bozeman, Hale Hentges, Ross Pierschbacher, Bo Scarbrough
President's Award
To a player from each unit who has shown perseverance in making outstanding contributions to the team's success
Rashaan Evans, Damien Harris, Hootie Jones, Irv Smith Jr.
Jefferson County Distinguished Alumnus Award
A former player who has exemplified the principles, values, character and attitude that make a person successful either during a particular life experience or over a period of time
Brodie Croyle
Special Teams Player of the Year Award
To the most valuable special teams player
Keaton Anderson, Tony Brown, Keith Holcombe, Andy Pappanastos, JK Scott
Offensive Player of the Year Award
To the most valuable offensive player
Damien Harris, Jalen Hurts, Calvin Ridley
Defensive Player of the Year Award
To the most valuable defensive player
Rashaan Evans, Ronnie Harrison, Da'Ron Payne
Most Valuable Player Award
To the overall most valuable player on the team (voted on by the players)
Minkah Fitzpatrick
Captain Awards
To the players elected by their teammates as permanent team captains (voted on by the players)
Bradley Bozeman, Rashaan Evans, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Shaun Dion Hamilton
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics/Kent Gidley |
