The Battle Plan
10/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | General
The Sweet Sound of Success
I've listened to Les Brown and his Band of Renown, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the music group "Alabama" but, above all, the music that is sweetest to my ears is made by a bunch of tired, sweaty, happy student-athletes in the locker room after a big victory. Those few minutes in the locker room after hard-fought games are very special. And the one Saturday was one of the best I've ever seen.
This past weekend was truly amazing in Tuscaloosa. The weather was perfect. Tailgating on the Quad, and all over campus, allowed students, alumni, friends and families to gather together, eat, drink, be merry, and make great memories. A plethora of activities around campus kept Alabama fans of all ages entertained. Our men's and women's basketball teams performed on the Quad on a special basketball court and drew a great crowd. Both teams stayed afterward and signed autographs, which pleased young and old fans alike. Former Alabama football greats DeMeco Ryans, Evan Mathis and Bob Baumhower served as honorary captains for the game and also were available beforehand to sign autographs.
The 2014 men's golf team gathered Friday night in Coleman Coliseum to celebrate their back-to-back SEC and national championships. They received their SEC rings Friday night but we waited until halftime of Saturday's game to present to them their national championship rings so more than 101,000 fans could express their appreciation for the great accomplishments the team and coaching staff have achieved. Cory Whitsett, Bobby Wyatt, and Trey Mullinax are all on the PGA Tour, but they all made a special effort to come back to Tuscaloosa to celebrate with their teammates and fans. Those three were model students and athletes, on and off the golf course, setting a standard to which all our student-athletes should aspire.
In our game with Texas A&M, our team played flawlessly. Our coaches do an amazing job every day meticulously preparing our players for the upcoming game. They teach techniques, plays, and schemes against the multitude of looks they expect to get from our opponents every week. But they also teach those intangibles that carry over to life after football, such as effort, toughness, perseverance through difficult physical and mental situations, the value of teamwork, and the will to win.
This is the time of year that good teams begin to separate themselves from the pack. Inexperienced players have gained valuable knowledge and experience. Leadership has emerged, depth has materialized, and confidence has grown. In my opinion, to win championships, teams have to be fortunate with injuries, different people have to step up when needed, and the ball needs to bounce the right way in a few tight games. I believe that, at the end of the year, we will look back and see how important the fourth quarter of the Arkansas game was to this team. They refused to lose under extremely difficult conditions on the road against a very good opponent. I believe that experience paid dividends last Saturday and, hopefully, will help as we go back on the road this week to play a much-improved Tennessee team.
This is not the third Saturday in October, it's actually the fourth. But it is Alabama vs. Tennessee and there are probably a few people who think the World Series in baseball this week is bigger - but they are wrong! This game every year ranks at the top of traditional college football rivalries around the country. There is tremendous respect for both programs from both fan bases. It provides special memories for players on both sides, as the winner in most years has historically gone on to finish high in final SEC rankings Playing on the road is difficult in all sports. SEC football is especially tough as the home crowd works hard at vocally supporting their team and intimidating the opponent. Certainly the effect is mental, as everything else about the game is the same. Great teams develop the ability to channel the noise from hostile crowds and turn it into positive energy and motivation. They actually enjoy going into those kinds of environments.
We look forward to another great weekend of college football all over the country. Isn't it amazing that there are two universities from Alabama and two from Mississippi in this week's top five? Every game is critical as you win and move up, or lose and move back. I hope we see a lot of Crimson in the stands Saturday as I know it will be an exciting game.
Some Staggering Statistics About a Typical Bryant-Denny Stadium Game Day
As you can probably imagine, a typical football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium involves a lot of "moving parts." We strive to serve each and every person who attends our games with the best customer care possible. The process of continually striving to attain this fundamental goal is a major undertaking. To give you a little bit of an idea, consider the following facts regarding a football Saturday at our stadium:
- Between 2 and 3 tons of recycling materials are collected at each home football game (90 percent of these materials are captured prior to kickoff);
- There are 75 concession stands in Bryant-Denny Stadium employing roughly 700 non-profit workers per game;
- An average of 10,000 gallons of fountain soda are consumed each game, along with 18,000 bottles of water;
- If all hot dogs consumed on game day were laid end to end, they would span the length of 39 football fields;
- An average of 7,000 pounds of nacho chips are consumed on game day;
- Since being re-named "The Fail Room" in 2008 (in honor of Mr. James M. Fail), the visiting team locker room has seen a 94 percent overall "failure rate" for visiting teams;
- An average of 500 gallons of paint are used to paint the field for each home game;
- The power consumed on game day at Bryant-Denny Stadium also could be used to power 700 individual homes;
- At its capacity, Bryant-Denny Stadium is larger than the fifth-largest city in Alabama;
- There is more than 75,000 square feet of club/lounge space within Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Another Basketball Season Begins
The Hoops on the Quad event last Saturday morning was a tremendous success, serving as official notice that another exciting season of Crimson Tide basketball is beginning. Both our men's and women's programs deserve all the support that we can muster. Our men's team is coming off a disappointing season and our women's team showed remarkable progress last season in Kristy Curry's first season as our head coach. I am optimistic about the future for both programs. On Friday, November 14, we will host a doubleheader at Coleman Coliseum with the women's team taking on Florida A&M at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men's team hosting Towson at 8 p.m.
I am enthusiastically supportive of the program that coach Anthony Grant continues to build at Alabama, and I encourage you to get on board in supporting our program as you can make the difference for us. Over the last four seasons, coach Grant has guided our team to three 20-plus win seasons, 82 victories, 39 SEC wins, a total that ranks fourth among conference schools. Only Florida (55), Kentucky (50) and Tennessee (40) have more SEC victories than the Crimson Tide over that span - that's pretty good company. Over the past four seasons, the Tide has been nearly unbeatable at home during SEC play, producing a 30-4 record (for a winning percentage of 88.2 percent) against SEC competition in Coleman Coliseum.
Coach Grant has built a roster that truly represents the state of Alabama. Seven of the 12 scholarship players on this year's roster hail from our state, including the state's No. 1-rated prospect each of the last two years (sophomore Jimmie Taylor in 2013 and freshman Justin Coleman in 2014) and freshman Riley Norris was the No. 3-ranked played a year ago. Our 2014 recruiting class - which included Coleman (from Birmingham's Wenonah High School) and Norris (Albertville High School), along with Devin Mitchell (from Fort Collins High School in Suwanee, Ga.) and Jeff Garrett (originally from Gadsden who played his senior season at Oldsmar Christian Academy in Florida) - was ranked as high as No. 21 in the nation. The 2014-15 season formally opens with an exhibition game on November 10 against Montevallo. The regular season begins with three games in Tuscaloosa from November 14-20 against Towson (Nov. 14), Western Carolina (Nov. 17) and defending Conference USA Champion Southern Mississippi (Nov. 20). Our home slate features games against South Florida (Dec. 2), Appalachian State (Dec. 21) and UCLA (Dec. 28). Then we have the annual gauntlet of SEC teams making their way to Tuscaloosa, which includes rivals such as Florida, Kentucky and Auburn.
Last year's women's team broke through with notable victories on the road at nationally-ranked Kentucky, played perennial power Tennessee close at Foster Auditorium, won at Vanderbilt for the first time in program history, and was a force to be reckoned with by the end of the season. Our women's team opens its season on November 9 with an exhibition against North Alabama. The schedule for 2014-15 is a tough one, but one that presents some amazing opportunities for benchmarks. We will host nine non-conference games at Foster Auditorium and two games at Coleman Coliseum this year, headlined by visits from perennial national powers Duke on November 16 (7 p.m.) and Nebraska on December 7 (2 p.m.) along with our rigorous SEC schedule that includes home games with national powers Kentucky (Jan.2; 2 p.m.) and South Carolina (Jan. 8; 6 p.m.). And there's the cluster of difficult SEC road contests. This year the women's team returns to Coleman Coliseum for two contests - the game with Florida A&M on November 14 and the "Fifth Grade Fastbreak" game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 11 a.m. on December 16. If you've never taken in one of those "Fifth Grade Fastbreak" contests, you are missing out. Fifth graders from schools all around the area attend the game for free and provide an atmosphere that is second to none in women's basketball. You should come out and not only take it all in, but become part of the fun and excitement.
I encourage you to attend as many home games as possible. We need our fans to come early, stay late, wear crimson, and create the kind of atmosphere at Coleman Coliseum that will make us one of the nation's most attractive and enthusiastic home venues. In basketball, more than any other sport, a raucous home crowd can create a true home court advantage. It's also very important for me to note that we have two of the finest people in the coaching profession leading our teams at Alabama. Coach Curry, Coach Grant and I appreciate the tremendous support that our fan base has consistently shown for our program. More than ever, that support is vital to our success. We need your presence at our home games to help push us over the top.
Fall Sports Update
Here are brief updates on our fall sports teams. You can follow the links provided to read more in-depth information about these teams.
- The SOCCER team tied a match with Arkansas (recap here) at home last Friday night before taking a 1-0 win at Missouri (recap here) on Sunday afternoon in Columbia. The Crimson Tide is 9-4-3 this season with a 4-2-2 SEC record and remains undefeated away from home this season. The loss that Alabama dealt Missouri on Sunday was the Tigers' first home loss of 2014. This Friday night the Tide hosts Georgia in the final home match of the regular season at the Alabama Soccer Complex. Our outstanding goalkeeper, Emily Rusk, was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for the second time this season after shutting out both opponents last week. Kudos to Emily, who has now recorded six shutouts this season including four in SEC action.
- Coach Ed Allen and our VOLLEYBALL team has a 16-5 overall record, including a 4-3 mark in SEC play, following a loss to Ole Miss last Sunday in Foster Auditorium (find the recap here). Through 21 matches, Alabama is ranked 33rd nationally in the latest RPI released on Monday. The loss to Ole Miss dropped the Tide from 29th in the ratings. There are 11 matches remaining in the regular season, including five matches at home including upcoming games with Arkansas (Oct. 26; 1 p.m.) and Texas A&M (Oct. 31; 7 p.m.).
- Our CROSS COUNTRY teams are also improving as the women's team took the team trophy at the Crimson Classic (find the recap here) last Friday at the Harry Pritchett Running Park in Tuscaloosa, while the men's team placed ninth in a field of more than 30 competing schools. Katelyn Greenleaf, Kimberley Ficenec and Hannah Waggoner led the Tide women with top-six finishes in the women's race while the men's team was led by Matt Airola's 24th-place finish. Our women's team is ranked third in the NCAA South Region this week while the men's team is ranked 10th.
- Our improving MEN'S TENNIS team, under the tutelage of coach George Husack, had a successful showing in Auburn last weekend at the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships (find recaps here). Alabama won 17 matches over the course of the four-day tournament that featured top players from throughout the South. Sean Donohue reached the singles consolation finals of the tournament. The Tide returns to action on November 3 in Birmingham at the USTA Futures tournament Nov. 3-9.
- The ROWING team competed at the Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River in Boston last weekend (find recaps here). On Saturday Alabama rowed in two races, placing ninth in the Club 8+ and 33rd in the Club 4+. On Sunday, the team raced in the Championship 8+ race, where they placed 33rd. The Tide continues its fall schedule on Nov. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn., at the Head of the Hooch Regatta.
Catch Alabama Athletics on The SEC Network
Here's a summary of our athletic events to be televised over the next few days on The SEC Network. This Sunday two of our events will be televised nationally on the SEC Network - our volleyball match with Arkansas and our soccer game at Auburn. Replays of our football game at Tennessee will be available for viewing via on the SEC Network this Sunday evening and Monday and Tuesday morning. Catch this Friday's volleyball match versus Georgia on SEC Network +, which is available online via ESPN3 here.
(All times listed are Central Time)
Friday, Oct. 24
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | Soccer vs. Georgia | SEC Network + |
Sunday, Oct. 26
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. | Volleyball vs. Arkansas | SEC Network |
| 3 p.m. | Soccer at Auburn | SEC Network |
| 5 p.m. | REPLAY - Football at Tennessee | SEC Network |
Monday, Oct. 27
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30 a.m. | REPLAY - Football at Tennessee | SEC Network |
Tuesday, Oct. 28
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30 a.m. | REPLAY - Football at Tennessee | SEC Network |
Action This Week
Here's a summary of athletics events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event; CT is Central Time; ET is Eastern Time):
Wednesday, Oct. 22
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 p.m. CT | Volleyball | at Auburn | Auburn |
Friday, Oct. 24
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. CT | Soccer | Georgia | Tuscaloosa |
| All Day | Women's Golf | at the Landfall Tradition | Wilmington, N.C. |
Saturday, Oct. 25
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 p.m. ET | Football | at Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. |
| All Day | Women's Golf | at the Landfall Tradition | Wilmington, N.C. |
Sunday, Oct. 26
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. CT | Volleyball | Arkansas | Tuscaloosa |
| 3 p.m. CT | Soccer | at Auburn | Auburn |
| All Day | Women's Golf | at the Landfall Tradition | Wilmington, N.C. |
Players Mentioned
