TUSCALOOSA – The University of Alabama football team put in two more hours of work on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for this Saturday’s Iron Bowl matchup with the No. 6-ranked Auburn Tigers, practicing in full pads at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields.

The Crimson Tide continued to work on a game plan to stop [...]]]>

TUSCALOOSA – The University of Alabama football team put in two more hours of work on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for this Saturday’s Iron Bowl matchup with the No. 6-ranked Auburn Tigers, practicing in full pads at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields.

The Crimson Tide continued to work on a game plan to stop a high-powered Auburn offense, which ranks third in the SEC in scoring offense, averaging 37.6 points per game. Not to be overlooked is the Tigers’ defense, which ranks fourth in the conference in total defense. The two in-state rivals are scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The final regular-season contest for the Tide will air on CBS with Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson calling the game from the booth and Allie LaForce on the sidelines.

Alabama and Auburn will square off for the 82nd Iron Bowl matchup on Saturday. The Crimson Tide holds a 45-35-1 advantage in a series that dates back to 1893. Alabama has had the upper hand in recent meetings, claiming seven of the last nine matchups with four of those wins leading to a Crimson Tide national championship, including a 29-13 victory in the Tide’s last trip to Auburn in 2015. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is 9-6 all-time against Auburn, including a 7-3 mark in the Iron Bowl and a 3-2 record with the Tide at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn is 1-4 against Alabama in his five years with the Tigers.

The Crimson Tide’s last trip to Auburn in 2015 saw UA come away with a 29-13 win. The performance on the Plains was highlighted by Derrick Henry’s dominant outing that saw the eventual Heisman Trophy winner rush for 271 yards on 46 carries, including a 25-yard score to seal the victory for Alabama. The win helped Alabama secure the Western Division title and a spot in the SEC Championship on the way to the program’s 16th national championship.

Source: UA Athletic Department

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama football team practiced for two hours in full pads on Tuesday afternoon at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields.

The Crimson Tide continued to work on its gameplan to counter the Vanderbilt offense, one [...]]]>

Saturday’s game marks the beginning of Southeastern Conference play for the Tide in 2017

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama football team practiced for two hours in full pads on Tuesday afternoon at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields.

The Crimson Tide continued to work on its gameplan to counter the Vanderbilt offense, one of the Southeastern Conference’s top-ranked units. Alabama will travel to Nashville this Saturday to take on the Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS. Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson will have the call in the booth with Allie LaForce on the sidelines.

Alabama will travel to Nashville this Saturday to take on the Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS. Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson will have the call in the booth with Allie LaForce on the sidelines.

Practice will resume on Wednesday and wrap up on Thursday before the Crimson Tide travels Friday for its first true road test of the 2017 season. Alabama owns the all-time advantage over Vanderbilt, 59-19-4 (after vacations), and has won the last 21 contests dating back to 1985. Head coach Nick Saban is 9-1 in road conference openers during his time with the Crimson Tide.
Source: Alabama Athletic Department

By Cliff Peterson-Senior Staff Writer

Despite how good Deshaun Watson is as a quarterback and how equally good Dabo Swinney is as a head coach, it is probably a fair assessment to say that most people outside of Death Valley thought that Alabama would repeat as National Champions and complete the first 15-0 [...]]]>  

By Cliff Peterson-Senior Staff Writer

Despite how good Deshaun Watson is as a quarterback and how equally good Dabo Swinney is as a head coach, it is probably a fair assessment to say that most people outside of Death Valley thought that Alabama would repeat as National Champions and complete the first 15-0 season in college football history. This feat would have cemented Nick Saban’s place atop the list of coaching legends the game has seen, finally allowing him to pass the legendary Bear Bryant. But then a funny thing happened, former walk-on receiver Hunter Renfrow caught a Watson touchdown pass as the clock expired, Alabama lost and the debate was left to rage on regarding Saban’s place in history.

On the one hand, it’s almost absurd that there is even a question about Saban’s legacy after the loss. After all, this is a man who in ten years leading the Crimson Tide has compiled a 119-19 record with four championships (Bear Bryant went 88-14-7 with three titles in his first decade at Alabama.)Throw in his championship while coach at LSU, his 210 career victories and his .774 win percentage (only Bryant and Bo Schembechler have better percentages, unless you throw in coaches who ran up their records at colleges you’ve never heard off ) and it is clear why there are those who feel his legacy is intact and he should be considered the greatest coach of all-time. Add in that his Tiger and Tide teams have won 14 of 16 title games they have played (to include SEC Championships) and there seems to be no debate about Saban’s place atop the coaching mountain.

With the loss to Clemson, however, there are those who feel his legacy took a hit, especially because Alabama came into the came with one of the best defenses in history, that appeared to wilt down the stretch, basically leaving a receiver running free on the goal line on the game’s final play. It’s hard to overlook this viewpoint, despite what the overall numbers tell you because even Saban himself said before the game that, regardless of the outcome, he has not reached Bryant’s level of success and that a big reason why he has been as successful as he has is because of the foundation Bryant laid during his time with Alabama.

Regardless of which side of the argument you fall on, what keeps Saban’s legacy strong overall is that he is more than just the numbers. Saban has shown an ability to adapt to today’s game, despite his roots that would instinctively keep him from doing so. Saban has also accomplished all of this in an era where teams play 15 games a year, have to defend spread offenses and dual threat quarterbacks, something even Saban finally broke down this past season and put under center. Additionally, Saban now has a coaching tree, that will most likely continue to grow and allow his influence to be felt on the game long after he retires.

Yes, Saban failed to win a sixth championship this year, but that doesn’t diminish everything else he has accomplished and the lasting mark he is leaving on the game. Don’t forget, Saban isn’t even done yet. He is about to sign the nation’s top recruiting class, again, and will likely have the Tide in line for a few more championships before he hangs it up for good. Meaning any hit his legacy took this year is likely to be recovered from and strengthened before all is said and done.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban and former Alabama punter Chris Mohr will represent the Crimson Tide in the ninth annual Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament. The duo will compete for a share of a $540,000 total purse, and the team’s winnings will be split between the Nick’s Kids [...]]]>

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban and former Alabama punter Chris Mohr will represent the Crimson Tide in the ninth annual Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament. The duo will compete for a share of a $540,000 total purse, and the team’s winnings will be split between the Nick’s Kids Foundation and an endowed scholarship at the University of Alabama.

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge features pairings that include a university head coach and a celebrity or former athlete from the same school competing in a scramble format against other university teams from around the country. In the past nine years, the event has provided $5.3 million in scholarship and charitable contributions.

This year’s edition, set for May 1-3 at the Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta, is scheduled to feature 14 teams and top national coaches such as Saban, Urban Meyer, Dabo Swinney, and many more. In special recognition of their coaching legacies, newly retired coaches Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) and Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) will represent their former teams for the final time in this year’s event.

The field of competitors is scheduled to include three former winning teams including Paul Johnson and Jon Barry of Georgia Tech (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015), Steve Spurrier and Sterling Sharpe from South Carolina (2008, 2009), and Frank Beamer and Dell Curry of Virginia Tech (2007). Five of the participating coaches led their teams to New Year’s Six Bowl Games in the College Football Playoff last season, including Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney, who faced off for the national championship. The lineup includes three Heisman Trophy winners, four Dodd Trophy winners, and two new teams from the University of Georgia and University of Houston.

Teams will be vying for the $100,000 first-place prize, with each team receiving a portion of the $540,000 purse. All charity payouts will be split equally between an endowed scholarship at each university and a charity of the coach’s choice.

The field of competitors for the featured event is projected to include:

The tournament will be broadcast on ESPNU in August and December. Specific dates will be announced this summer.