The Battle Plan
11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | General
Another Battle of SEC Heavyweights
Another heavyweight SEC West fight, another bruising game that went down to the last play! Mississippi State University brought its undefeated team and number one ranking into Bryant-Denny Stadium last Saturday. I thought last year's LSU game in Bryant-Denny Stadium was the greatest college football atmosphere I had ever experienced, but our game this past Saturday blew the doors off last year's game experience.
It was another perfect fall day with crisp, chilly temperatures, but sunshine to make the chill feel just right. Tailgating on the campus was wall to wall. There were many more fans from Alabama and Mississippi enjoying the big college game day experience than there were tickets to the game.
ESPN GameDay was here, which always excites our students and fans starting early in the morning. It also serves to build equity in the Alabama brand as fans from all over the country get to see shots of our stadium, campus, students, and fans all morning before the game even starts.
Then, as the crowd had the stadium almost filled, from high in the sky came three paratroopers from the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Para-Commandos, the only joint service parachute demonstration team in the U.S. military. As they sailed down into the stadium the crowd exploded with cheers. Evidently, the paratroopers got our fans warmed up and fired up, as they continued cheering and shaking shakers from the first play until the last. I thought the crowd at LSU two weeks back was loud but, if we had turned on the decibel meter this week, it would have busted! Our fans make our home field advantage second to none. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and for the class you exhibit before, during, and after games.
Speaking of class, our fans are known nationally for being vocal in support of our team and treating opponents with class. Any individual who uses inappropriate language, particularly in chants against the opposing team, does a disservice to the classy national reputation that our entire fan base has deservedly earned. All of us can follow the lead of our Student Government Association, led by SGA President Hamilton Bloom, which this week took ownership of the issue on their own accord, reminding our student body and all of our fans of how vital positive support directed at our team is to our game day atmosphere. Our team, coaches and University - as well as families and children in attendance - deserve better. I am confident that our entire fan base will be a positive, electrifying presence in our final two home games this season, and I am looking forward to showing the nation our class once again.
Last Saturday's game has been played and replayed, so I won't go into that, but I do want to congratulate our team and coaching staff for an incredible week of preparation, and for their successful execution of the game plan. The game was extraordinarily physical between two great teams. Our team dominated play in the first half. Mississippi State showed in the second half why they have carried the number one ranking by fighting back to make it a nail-biter all the way to the end. But our team responded to the challenge with a courageous 76-yard drive that ate six minutes off the clock and enabled us to hold on to claim the victory.
It's nice to see the College Football Playoff Committee place Alabama back at the top of the college football heap but, as it has been all season, it really doesn't matter. If we're going to end up where we want, we need to win this week, next week, and the next. The schedule has been tough, but our team has responded and I believe their best is yet to come.
Homecoming Week
It's Homecoming Week at the University of Alabama! This is a special time for graduates to return to campus, visit with classmates, take in the changes on campus since their last trip here, and watch the Crimson Tide in action in Bryant-Denny Stadium. We need our fans to be engaged and provide that "winning edge home field advantage" Saturday. Even though we're not playing another SEC West opponent, Western Carolina is a good team from the Southern Conference. Their quarterback averages 211 yards per game passing and 52 rushing. They have a wide-open offense that will be a challenge. We hope to see you in your seats Saturday but if you can't make it, please pass along your tickets to someone who doesn't normally get a chance to attend our games. We don't want our team to be out of focus, so we need our fans to do their part to show our appreciation for what this team has accomplished so far this year.
Weather this weekend is expected to be excellent, so be sure to come out on Friday evening to the Homecoming Pep Rally on the Quad at 7 p.m. to see the band, cheerleaders, Crimsonettes, Big Al and our football team. Coach Saban will speak to the crowd as well. The centerpiece of the event is the announcement of the 2014 Homecoming Queen. A bonfire will follow immediately after. It's a family-friendly, free event that really showcases the pride and spirit that is alive on our campus.
Saturday morning is expected to be cool and clear, perfect weather for the Homecoming Parade. The parade, which begins in downtown Tuscaloosa at 10:30 a.m. and ends near the Quad on campus, is another great family-friendly event to enjoy prior to kickoff, and one of the best aspects of it is that it includes participants from both the University and the community at-large. Even if you don't plan to attend the game, the parade is an event worth taking in. The many organizations taking part deserve your attendance and support for all they do for the community and our University.
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.
- Coach Ed Allen's VOLLEYBALL team stands 22-6 overall and 10-4 in the SEC after knocking off Georgia on Sunday in Foster Auditorium (recap here). The Tide has now won three straight matches and has four matches left in the regular season. Alabama is fourth in the league standings entering play this week, one-half game behind third-place LSU (11-4) and one game ahead of Texas A&M (9-5). Following the win over Georgia, the Crimson Tide is 10-1 in home matches this season at Foster Auditorium, but they hit the road this week for a Sunday match at Ole Miss (1:30 p.m. CT) and a match at Missouri next Wednesday, November 26 (6:30 p.m. CT).
- Coach Anthony Grant's MEN'S BASKETBALL team is off to a 2-0 start to the season at the time of this writing. The Crimson Tide cruised to an 82-54 victory over Towson in the season opener (recap here) last Friday night at Coleman Coliseum. The Tide forced 22 turnovers, scoring 34 points off of those turnovers. With the win, Coach Grant earned his 100th victory as coach of the Crimson Tide, becoming the seventh coach in the 101-year history of the men's basketball program to earn 100 victories at Alabama, the fifth fastest to reach the plateau. In our second game, played Monday night at Coleman Coliseum, the Tide won a tough game with Western Carolina and our team made a strong 19-7 run to end the game in an 80-74 victory. Alabama has reached the 80-point mark in each of its first two games this season, marking the first time since the 2007-08 season that the Tide has accomplished that feat. Now it's off to a two-game set at the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri. On Monday, the Tide will take on Iowa State at 8:30 p.m. Central Time (CT) before clashing with either Maryland or Arizona State on Tuesday at a time to be determined (either 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. CT).
- Coach Kristy Curry's young WOMEN'S BASKETBALL team has begun 1-2 this season, winning the season opener over Florida A&M last Friday evening (recap here) at Coleman Coliseum before enduring a loss to nationally-ranked Duke on Sunday night (recap here) at Foster Auditorium followed by another loss to Jacksonville State on Tuesday night (recap here) at Foster. The team is talented, but young, with a roster that has only two seniors and two juniors with three sophomores and five freshmen. Now the Tide travels to Lawrence, Kansas, for three games in three days in the Hall of Fame Women's Challenge, taking on Kansas on Friday at 6 p.m. CT, Georgetown on Saturday (6:30 p.m. CT) and Temple on Sunday (11:30 a.m. CT). The next home game is slated for Wednesday, November 26, against Alabama A&M (6 p.m. CT).
- Three of our CROSS COUNTRY athletes - Robbie Farnham-Rose, Hannah Waggoner and Katelyn Greenleaf - earned All-Region Honors by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for their performances at the NCAA South Region Championships held last Friday in Tallahassee, Florida (recap here). Our women's team finished third among a field of 29 teams while the Crimson Tide men's squad finished 15th in a field of 22 teams. The third-place finish in the women's standings was highlighted by an 11th place showing by Hannah Waggoner, a sophomore, and a 12th-place showing by junior Katelyn Greenleaf. The Tide men were led by sophomore Robbie Farnham-Rose, who finished the 10-kilometer race in 18th overall. All three runner shattered their previous personal-best performances in that meet. Both Tide squads look to return the bulk of their rosters in 2015 as the women's team did not have a senior on the 2014 roster while the men's team stands to lose only one runner from its 2014 roster.
Upcoming Events
If you are coming to campus for our Homecoming football game with Western Carolina, we host a key volleyball matchup with Auburn on Friday night at Foster Auditorium that you don't want to miss! Here's a summary of athletics events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event):
Thursday, November 20
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 p.m. CT | Men's Basketball | Southern Mississippi | Coleman Coliseum |
| All Day | Swimming & Diving | at Virginia Tech Invitational | Blacksburg, Virginia |
Friday, November 21
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 p.m. CT | Women's Basketball | at Kansas | Lawrence, Kansas |
| 7 p.m. CT | Volleyball | Auburn | Foster Auditorium |
| All Day | Swimming & Diving | Virginia Tech Invitational | Blacksburg, Virginia |
Saturday, November 22
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 p.m. CT | Football | Western Carolina | Bryant-Denny Stadium |
| 6:30 p.m. CT | Women's Basketball | Georgetown | Lawrence, Kansas |
| All Day | Swimming & Diving | Virginia Tech Invitational | Blacksburg, Virginia |
Sunday, November 23
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:30 a.m. CT | Women's Basketball | Temple | Lawrence, Kansas |
| 1:30 p.m. CT | Volleyball | Ole Miss | Oxford, Mississippi |
Monday, November 24
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 p.m. CT | Men's Basketball | Iowa State | Kansas City, Missouri |
Tuesday, November 25
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Men's Basketball | Maryland or Arizona State | Kansas City, Missouri |
Catch Alabama Athletics on The SEC Network
Here's a summary of our athletic events to be televised this weekend on The SEC Network. Read this schedule closely as some events can be seen via SEC Network +, which is available online via ESPN3 here. If you can't make it to our games in person, catch us on radio or TV.
(All times listed are Central Time)
Thursday, November 20
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 8 p.m. | Men's Basketball vs. Southern Mississippi | SEC Network |
Friday, November 21
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30 p.m. | REPLAY: Men's Basketball vs. Southern Mississippi | SEC Network |
| 7 p.m. | Volleyball vs. Auburn | SEC Network + |
Saturday, November 22
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 3 p.m. | Football vs. Western Carolina | SEC Network |
Sunday, November 23
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 1:30 p.m. | Volleyball at Ole Miss | SEC Network + |
| 9 p.m. | Rebroadcast of 1982 Football vs. Auburn | SEC Network |
Monday, November 24
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 1:30 a.m. | REPLAY: Football vs. Western Carolina | SEC Network |
| 12 p.m. | Football - Nick Saban Press Conference | SEC Network + |
Our teams need your support, so please plan to attend to do your part! A rising tide lifts all boats and it's up to all of us to Keep the Tide Rising!
