Texas A&M preview: Bama will see a familiar face in battle for SEC West
If this turns out to be yet another national championship year for Alabama, fans and sportswriters alike have a game they like to play: Find the one or two teams Alabama will struggle with on its way to the playoffs. Texas A&M is playing better than anyone left on Alabama’s schedule, and while LSU is more talented (and perhaps Auburn is as well), the Aggies seem to have jelled behind new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, and the leadership of Knight.
Kentucky wrap-up: Solid defensive effort propels Tide to win
October 2, 2016 Comments Off on Kentucky wrap-up: Solid defensive effort propels Tide to win
No one has an audio tape of what Alabama’s locker room was like at halftime, but judging from the looks on the faces of the Crimson Tide players as they returned to the field for the start of the third quarter, Nick Saban must have conducted his halftime speech while holding a flamethrower.
Continue reading …WKU preview: Alabama gets tougher-than-usual test for game No. 2
September 7, 2016 Comments Off on WKU preview: Alabama gets tougher-than-usual test for game No. 2
Western Kentucky will likely be a bowl team in 2016, and could actually win 10 regular season games with its schedule. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 46-14 win over Rice in which WKU displayed impressive offensive prowess, particularly in the passing game. If Alabama tries to sleepwalk through this game, as it has been wont to do in the second weeks of past years, this game could get uncomfortable.
Continue reading …USC Wrap-up: Tide makes a very good team look out of its league
September 4, 2016 Comments Off on USC Wrap-up: Tide makes a very good team look out of its league
Alabama trailed 3-0 thanks to a rough first quarter that, hopefully, consolidated all of Alabama’s freshman mistakes into a single, 15-minute block of time. The Crimson Tide then opened up both barrels and blasted the Trojans right out of the discussion of national title contenders.
Continue reading …USC Preview: This may be Alabama’s toughest opening-day test yet
August 31, 2016 Comments Off on USC Preview: This may be Alabama’s toughest opening-day test yet
In most of his seasons in Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban has preferred to schedule a quality opponent for Alabama’s first game of the season. This time, he may have outdone himself. … As it stands, thanks to the talent on hand at USC, Alabama is facing perhaps its toughest opening-day assignment of the Nick Saban era.
Continue reading …Previews 2016: Florida, Georgia and Kentucky
August 25, 2016 Comments Off on Previews 2016: Florida, Georgia and Kentucky
Gators lost more to graduation than they gained in recruiting…Kirby Smart has come back to his alma mater, Georgia, as head coach…If Kentucky posts another losing record, Stoops will most likely be given his walking papers.
Continue reading …Previews 2016: Alabama Crimson Tide
August 8, 2016 Comments Off on Previews 2016: Alabama Crimson Tide
Defending national champions once again, Alabama looks even better on paper heading into 2016 than it did before the 2015 season started. But like last year, Alabama must replace key cogs in the machine, most notably quarterback, along with the core of its defense. Attrition that was heavy even by Alabama standards could play a factor in the team’s season outlook.
Continue reading …A-Day Review: Not much has changed in 10 years
April 16, 2016 Comments Off on A-Day Review: Not much has changed in 10 years
Saturday’s A-Day spring contest, the 10th of Nick Saban’s Bama career, was as much a time for reflection as it was an opportunity to look forward to the 2016 season.
Alabama didn’t pack out Bryant-Denny Stadium, but it did appear to reverse a trend of declining attendance, solidly packing the 60,000-seat lower bowl, most of the west upper decks, and scattering enough fans through the remaining three decks to lead the school to announce attendance at 76,212 – which may have been even a conservative estimate.
Continue reading …Five players who need a strong A-Day showing
April 11, 2016 Comments Off on Five players who need a strong A-Day showing
With Alabama’s second scrimmage in the books, positions that are up for grabs this spring are slowly coming into focus.
Five players in particular need to post a solid A-Day performance Saturday in order to mark themselves as the starter heading into fall camp. As QB David Cornwell showed last spring, leading (or even being in the mix) at the end of spring isn’t a guarantee of holding onto a job throughout fall camp, but it certainly makes it tougher for other competitors to get a foothold.
Continue reading …