The Battle Plan
12/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | General
Southeastern Conference Champions!
Hats off to our team and coaching staff for Saturday's great victory over the SEC Eastern Division champions, the University of Missouri, and our 24th SEC Championship!
Coach Saban, his staff and the players are to be commended. The players and coaching staff have worked unbelievable hours and come light-years from their performance in Atlanta against West Virginia to their performance against Missouri last week. Few people outside the department realize how much time and effort goes into preparing teams for elite-level competition; teaching systems and individual game plans; evaluating and recruiting players; and dealing with the other aspects of the job outside the team.
Not only does the team have to reach and maintain a level of outstanding physical condition throughout a grueling season, but also must attend classes; study to make good grades that lead to graduation and preparation for life after football; and catch a little college social life when time permits. Getting everyone in the organization pulling in the same direction is a challenging task, and this staff and team have done an amazing job of getting that done.
That is why this team is capturing the hearts of Alabama fans and, while there is still work to do, the 2014 Crimson Tide is fast becoming one of Alabama's all-time favorite teams. They have represented our great University with class and dignity, and I think I speak for the Bama Nation in telling them how proud we are that they fought through a grueling SEC Western Division schedule, then won a resounding victory in the SEC Championship Game against an impressive Missouri team!
For the 62nd time in our history the Crimson Tide will be playing in the postseason, adding to our national record that dates back to the great 1925 team winning the Rose Bowl in a game that forever changed the landscape of football in the South. The 2014 team's accomplishments are even more dramatic because we will be participating in the first-ever College Football Playoff (CFP), certainly adding another historic landmark to our heralded tradition.
Since Alabama won the first Southeastern Conference championship ever contested back in 1933, then defeated Florida to win the first SEC Championship Game in 1992, I think it is only fitting that the Crimson Tide has earned a spot as one of the four finalists in the CFP. Having been fortunate enough to play, coach, and serve as Athletics Director of teams in the Sugar Bowl, I know just how meaningful this game is, no matter the circumstances. With the Sugar Bowl being a semi-final game in the first College Football Playoff, and with Ohio State (led by Coach Urban Meyer) as our opponent, this year's game will be even more special.
One of the marks of a true championship team is its ability to perform at its best in the big games. That was certainly the case with our team last Saturday as the Crimson Tide set new standards for Alabama performances in an SEC title game by setting new title game records for first downs (28), points scored (42), offensive plays (76), rushing touchdowns (4) and pass completions (23). Four players set individual highs for an SEC title game as Blake Sims set overall game records for total offense (281 yards) and completion percentage (85.1 percent); Amari Cooper set the mark for catches (12); Christion Jones set a game record for average yards per kickoff return (28.3 yards per return on 3 returns); and nose guard A'Shawn Robinson set a Tide record for tackles for loss in an SEC title game (3).
Honors abound as a total of 23 team and individual records have been broken. Heading into the Sugar Bowl, a total of 10 single-season Alabama team records have fallen (nine on offense and one special teams mark): total yards (6,376), plays (948), yards per game (490.5), passing yards (3,653), passing yards per game (281.0), pass completions (268), yards per pass attempt (13.6), first downs (319), passing first downs (162) and yards per punt (46.98).
With plenty of football still to be played, our players have set 13 individual Alabama records so far this season. Our mercurial wide receiver, Amari Cooper, is one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy, along with being a Biletnikoff Award finalist for the honor as the nation's top receiver. Amari currently holds eight Alabama records. This season, Amari has set four career records (receptions - 219; receiving yards - 3,392; touchdown receptions - 29; and 100-yard receiving games - 14), three season records (receptions - 115; receiving yards - 1,656; and touchdown receptions - 14); along with the school record for consecutive games with at least 100 yards receiving (6 - spanning the 2013-14 seasons).
Our tremendous field general, quarterback Blake Sims, has set three records this season: total offense (3,571 yards); total yards per game (274.7 ypg); and passing yards (3,250). Our freshman punter, JK Scott, is on pace to set a new Alabama single-season record for punting average as he has averaged 46.98 yards per kick on 48 attempts. And don't forget senior Christion Jones, who broke the Crimson Tide career record for kickoff return yards last week as he has 1,625 yards via kickoff returns in his Alabama career.
As with all of our student-athletes, the football team is taking final exams this week. They will get a little time off before getting back together to prepare to take on The Ohio State Buckeyes in the Sugar Bowl game played on January 1, 2015. At this point, the tentative plan is to practice from the 16th through the 22nd before breaking for the holiday. It is likely that the team will return to Tuscaloosa to practice on the 26th and head to New Orleans on the 27th.
Sports Updates
- Coach Ed Allen's VOLLEYBALL team earned the first victory ever by an Alabama volleyball team in an NCAA Tournament match last Thursday in a 3-2 win over Samford (recap here) in Tallahassee, Fla. The Tide ended the most successful season in our volleyball program's history with a 26-7 overall record following a loss to the host team, Florida State, (recap here) in the second round of the tournament on Friday. The job that Ed, his staff and, especially, the student-athletes have done over the last few years is remarkable. They have transformed a struggling program into an SEC contender and an NCAA Tournament-worthy team. Congratulations to Coach Allen, his staff and the entire team on a tremendous season!
- Coach Kristy Curry and our WOMEN'S BASKETBALL team had another memorable week, capped by a victory over nationally-ranked Nebraska on Sunday afternoon in Foster Auditorium (recap here). The Crimson Tide took the 53-51 victory on a last-second shot by Nikki Hegstetter to seal the victory and hand the Huskers (7-1) their first loss of the season. The Tide is now 8-3 and is improving with each game. How much has this team improved? Back in November, the Tide was defeated handily by nationally-ranked Duke. That same Duke team was beaten by Nebraska on Dec. 3. The fact that our team handed the Cornhuskers their first loss last weekend should provide some context. The Tide was led in scoring by Karyla Middlebrook with 14 points. Hannah Cook contributed a team-high and season-best 10 rebounds. As a team, Alabama outrebounded Nebraska, 46-36, and held the Huskers to a season-low 51 points (Nebraska came in averaging 75 points per game). Earlier in the week, the Tide knocked off Tennessee-Martin (recap here). The Tide will play six consecutive home games in the coming weeks and will next face off with Mercer this Sunday at Noon CT.
- Coach Anthony Grant's MEN'S BASKETBALL team lost for just the second time in its first seven games as the Tide fell at perennial NCAA Tournament participant Xavier, 97-84, in Cincinnati (recap here). Junior guard Ricky Tarrant led the Crimson Tide at Xavier with a season-high 23 points as four Alabama players tallied double figures including Levi Randolph (15), Shannon Hale (12) and Rodney Cooper (10). Alabama will look forward to a stretch of six of its next seven games being played inside the friendly confines of Coleman Coliseum. The home stretch will begin Saturday night against Tennessee Tech at 8 p.m. CT.
Upcoming Events
Here's a summary of athletics events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event):
Saturday, December 13
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 p.m. CT | Men's Basketball | Tennessee Tech | Coleman Coliseum |
Sunday, December 14
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 p.m. CT | Women's Basketball | Mercer | Foster Auditorium |
| All Day | Diving | at LSU Diving Invitational | Baton Rouge, La. |
Monday, December 15
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Day | Diving | at LSU Diving Invitational | Baton Rouge, La. |
Tuesday, December 16
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. CT | Women's Basketball | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Coleman Coliseum |
| 8 p.m. CT | Men's Basketball | at Wichita State | Wichita, Kan. |
| All Day | Diving | at LSU Diving Invitational | Baton Rouge, La. |
Catch Alabama Athletics on The SEC Network
Here's a summary of our athletic events to be televised over the next week on The SEC Network and its platforms. 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, December 11
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
| 7 a.m. | REPLAY: 1992 SEC Football Championship Game vs. Florida | SEC Network |
| 1 p.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
Friday, December 12
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 a.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
| 1 a.m. | REPLAY: 1992 SEC Football Championship Game vs. Florida | SEC Network |
| 11 a.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
Saturday, December 13
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 1 a.m. | REPLAY: 2012 Football vs. Texas A&M | SEC Network |
| 3 a.m. | REPLAY: 1982 Football vs. Auburn | SEC Network |
| 1 p.m. | REPLAY: 2014 Football vs. Auburn | SEC Network |
| 8 p.m. | Men's Basketball vs. Tennessee Tech | SEC Network + |
Sunday, December 14
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 p.m. | Women's Basketball vs. Mercer | SEC Network |
| 11 p.m. | REPLAY: Women's Basketball vs. Mercer | SEC Network |
Monday, December 15
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 4 a.m. | REPLAY: Women's Basketball vs. Mercer | SEC Network |
| 6:30 p.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
| 9:30 p.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
| 11 p.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
Tuesday, December 16
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 3 a.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
| 7 a.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
| 9 a.m. | SEC IN 60: Alabama | SEC Network |
| 11 a.m. | Women's Basketball vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 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!
