The Battle Plan
9/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | General
It's Time for Some SEC Football!
OK! It's SEC football time in Tuscaloosa as the undefeated Florida Gators come to Bryant-Denny Stadium this week to face the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide. It is only the fourth game of the season, but a playoff atmosphere is assured as a sellout crowd of 101,821 and a CBS national television audience eagerly awaits this heavyweight contest. The SEC Nation crew will make its first appearance at the Capstone between 9 and 11 a.m. Saturday in front of Moore Hall, across from the Quad.
Florida is coming off an exciting triple overtime victory over Kentucky last week. A revamped offense joins an always potent defense under Coach Will Muschamp as Florida comes to town 1-0 in SEC play. Alabama has enjoyed a 3-0 run against West Virginia, Florida Atlantic, and Southern Mississippi. During that time both inexperienced quarterbacks saw extensive action and gained valuable experience. Many players were able to play, especially in the last two games, which helps as we build much-needed depth and confidence for our SEC schedule.
And, if you don't think the SEC West is the toughest division in the toughest conference in college football, you're not paying attention. Five SEC West teams currently occupy top-10 spots in the AP Poll - Alabama at No. 3, Auburn at No. 5, Texas A&M at No. 6, LSU at No. 8, and Ole Miss at No. 10 - and Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Florida all received votes, and all three are vastly improved teams from 2013. Seven SEC teams are ranked in the top 15 of the AP rankings and the conference has eight teams in the top 25 overall as Georgia (13th), South Carolina (14th) and Missouri (18th) are also in this week's rankings.
Here's an observation about the debate on the fast-paced, no-huddle offense debate as I noticed that West Virginia ran 108 plays against Maryland. Offenses average around 65 plays per game. In my opinion, an additional 30-40 plays a game has to be considered a player safety issue in the upcoming Football Rules Committee meetings. One more thing to consider: West Virginia ran "only" 69 plays against Alabama in its opening game in Atlanta. The Alabama offense was able to control the ball for the majority of the game, thus keeping WVU's high-powered offense on the sidelines for long periods of time. Our defense also forced field goal attempts on four of their drives, three of which they made.
SEC Football TV Listings for This Weekend
For those of you who will be unable to travel to Tuscaloosa this weekend, remember that you can watch our game with Florida on CBS this Saturday beginning at 2:30 p.m. Central Time (3:30 Eastern; 1:30 Mountain; 12:30 Pacific). SEC teams begin action tonight when Auburn travels to Kansas State for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN. Here's a full summary of SEC football on TV this weekend:
(All Times listed are Central Time)
Thursday, Sept. 18
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 6 p.m. | Auburn at Kansas State | ESPN |
Saturday, Sept. 20
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. | Troy at Georgia | SEC Network |
| 2:30 p.m. | Florida at Alabama | CBS |
| 2:30 p.m. | Texas A&M at SMU | ABC/ESPN2 |
| 3 p.m. | Indiana at Missouri | SEC Network |
| 6 p.m. | Mississippi State at LSU | ESPN |
| 6 p.m. | Northern Illinois at Arkansas | ESPNU |
| 6:30 p.m. | South Carolina at Vanderbilt | SEC Network |
Meet Living Legends and Current Stars This Saturday
The UA campus will be bustling Saturday with tailgating and other exciting experiences. Two former players who were part of our 1964 national championship team - Dan Kearley and Mickey Andrews - will serve as honorary captains for this game, and they will sign autographs in the Mercedes Benz Fan Zone from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dan and Mickey will be in town to be a part of a reunion of the 1964 national championship team that will be recognized at halftime (see more about that later in this blog). And don't miss out on a chance to meet our outstanding women's tennis and gymnastics teams on Saturday as they will sign autographs in the Coca-Cola autograph tent from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Also appearing in the Mercedes-Benz Fan Zone will be the American Football Coaches Association Trophy, which will be presented to this year's national champion. It is the familiar crystal football trophy that we have grown to love over the past few years of the BCS era. The College Football Playoff Championship Trophy will be different than the past, but it's nice to know the crystal football trophy will continue to be a part of the college football tradition.
Easy Access to Water and Express Lanes at Bryant-Denny Stadium
As part of our continuing effort to provide a comfortable venue for our fans, this week we have installed nine watering stations at Bryant-Denny Stadium; five on the mezzanine level and four in the upper deck. These watering stations are 150-gallon tanks of cold filtered water that fans can use for relief if they need some hydration.
Our 11 a.m. game with FAU saw almost unbearable heat and humidity conditions that needed to be addressed. While we don't anticipate those extreme conditions this week, we hope our fans will take advantage of those stations to stay hydrated. Fans can bring in clear, empty water bottles to fill up at the various water stations and small cups will be provided next to the canister.
I am very pleased about our new "Express Lane" gates, one of our new initiatives this season that has significantly helped the flow of people entering the stadium on game days. Look for our new "Express Lane" gates located at gates 10, 18, 36, 38. Fans with tickets in the lower bowl of the stadium on the east and west sides who do not have any items that have to be checked by stadium security (bags, purses, blankets, etc.) can to gain access into the stadium through these special gates without having to wait for bag searches. Fans in those areas are still required to enter via the gate(s) designated on their tickets but, within their gate assignment, now there is an "Express Lane" gate.
Your feedback is of the utmost important to us. If you experience problems in the stadium, particularly issues that need immediate attention, call our hotline at 205-348-5620 or text the key word BAMA along with your question to 71855 and one of our dispatchers will assist you. We took fan surveys last year and will take more this year. It is our goal to provide the best fan experience in the country.
1964 National Championship Team Reunites This Weekend
Our 1964 football team commemorates its 50th anniversary this weekend. That team is one of the most memorable in our long and storied history. For one, it included several of the most famous names in our history - Joe Namath, Steve Sloan, Ray Perkins, Wayne Cook, Steve Bowman ... the list goes on and on. And the coaching staff also had names that jump off the page - Gene Stallings, Howard Schnellenberger, Ken Meyer, Richard Williamson, and Ken Donahue just to name a few. That team won Coach Bryant's second national title at Alabama, and the seventh overall for the school. The Tide was also SEC champions for the second time in Coach Bryant's tenure. Alabama's trip to the Orange Bowl was a memorable game not only for its dramatic ending, but also because it was the first major bowl game played under the lights on national television. The 1964 Alabama team won 10 games and finished the regular season undefeated for the eighth time. Four players - lineman Wayne Freeman, lineman Dan Kearley, quarterback Joe Namath and back David Ray - were named to at least one All-America team.
We're expecting upwards of 40 members of the team to make it here this weekend. Saturday morning, they will gather at the stadium for a pregame social in the A-Club Room before heading over to watch our game against the Gators. Please be sure to come into the stadium early on Saturday to recognize these champions just prior to kickoff as they will be introduced along the south goal line. As part of the 1964 introduction, Orange Bowl representatives will be on hand in commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of the 1964 team's appearance in that memorable and historic 1965 Orange Bowl.
Come Out and Salute Our 2013-14 Champions This Friday
For those of you coming to campus early, there's a special event that you may want to be on hand for this Friday at 4:30 p.m. when the athletics department will commemorate the team championships won during the 2013-14 academic year with an unveiling at the Sarah Patterson Champions Plaza in front of Coleman Coliseum. The event is open to the public and I encourage you to attend to show your appreciation for these great student-athletes and coaches. The ceremony will include the coaches and student-athletes from each of the championship teams and will honor the Crimson Tide's 2014 NCAA champion men's golf team, as well as Alabama's four SEC championship teams from the 2013-14 academic year (men's golf, gymnastics, softball and women's tennis). Each program will unveil its addition to the plaza honoring all of Alabama's SEC and national championship teams outside of football.
For the men's golf program, the 2014 title was its second consecutive national championship, in addition to earning its third SEC title in a row and fifth overall. Gymnastics won its eighth SEC title while softball won its fifth regular-season league championship. Women's tennis won its first SEC title last season. The 2014 NCAA title by men's golf marked the Crimson Tide's ninth national championship since 2009, a stretch that includes three football, two gymnastics, two men's golf, one softball and one women's golf championship. On the conference level in 2013-14, we tied our single-year best by winning SEC team titles in four sports, matching the record set during the 2009-10 academic year.
Fall Sports Update
Coach Ed Allen's VOLLEYBALL team continues to play well. The team capped a perfect weekend at a tournament in Montgomery on Saturday, sweeping Alabama State and Towson, before opening their home schedule with an impressive win over UAB on Tuesday night to run their record to 9-2 this season. The Tide hosts a tournament this weekend at Foster Auditorium, taking on FIU on Friday at Noon, then hosting San Diego State Friday night at 7 p.m. before closing out the weekend with a match against Clemson on Saturday at 7 p.m.
This Friday night Coach Todd Bramble's SOCCER team opens SEC play with a huge home match against No.8-ranked Florida at the Alabama Soccer Complex with kickoff set for 7 p.m. The Tide is 4-2-1 on the season thus far following a 2-0 win over UAB last Friday night in Tuscaloosa. Goalkeeper Emily Rusk made five saves against UAB's 10 shots en route to her second shutout of the season and the Tide's third shutout win this season. Seniors Theresa Diederich and Laura Lee Smith scored goals for Alabama in the victory.
Our SWIMMING & DIVING team had a very good start to the season with a victory over Delta State last Friday. The women swept the Statesmen by a score of 216-79, while the men picked up a 199-98 victory. Our team started the meet strong, picking up victories in the 400 medley relays. Senior All-Americans Kaylin Burchell and Kristel Vourna, along with junior Emma Saunders and sophomore Bailey Scott swam to victory for the Tide women. NCAA 50 freestyle champion Kristian Gkolomeev, sophomores Pavel Romanov and Connor Oslin, and junior Brett Walsh combined for a relay win for our men's team. Coach Dennis Pursley's team is young, talented and fun to watch.
Coach Jay Seawell and the MEN'S GOLF team finished ninth overall at the Olympia Fields Country Club/Fighting Illini Invitational last weekend with a team total of 897 (300-296-301). Robby Shelton led the Tide with a sixth-place showing, closing the tournament with a 6-over par 216 (73-71-72) on the par-70, 7,142-yard North Course. It marked Robby's 10th career top-10 finish in 14 tournaments played at Alabama. The Tide was one of 10 schools competing in the tournament that were ranked among the Golf Coaches Association of America Preseason top 25 poll. Tournament host and sixth-ranked Illinois claimed the tournament title by 11 strokes over No. 17 Florida State (872).
Catch Alabama Athletics on The SEC Network
Here's a summary of our athletics events to be televised this weekend on The SEC Network. Our volleyball and soccer games will be available for viewing via SEC Network +, which is available online via ESPN3 here. You will be able to see rebroadcasts of our football game with Florida via the SEC Network at the times listed below:
(All Times listed are Central Time)
Friday, Sept. 19
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 p.m. | Volleyball vs. FIU | SEC Network + |
| 7 p.m. | Soccer vs. Florida | SEC Network + |
| 7 p.m. | Volleyball vs. San Diego State | SEC Network + |
Saturday, Sept. 20
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | Volleyball vs. Clemson | SEC Network + |
Sunday, Sept. 21
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. | Soccer vs. Alabama State | SEC Network + |
| 4 p.m. | Football vs. Florida (Replay) | SEC Network |
Monday, Sept. 22
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 p.m. | Football vs. Florida (Replay) | SEC Network |
| 8 p.m. | Football vs. Florida (Replay) | SEC Network |
Upcoming Action
As I mentioned earlier, our soccer team has a big home match against Florida on Friday at 7 p.m. and the volleyball team hosts three matches over the weekend. Also, our women's golf team competes in Tennessee this weekend and the cross country team returns to action at a meet in Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday. Here's a summary of athletics events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event):
Friday, Sept. 19
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 p.m. | Volleyball | Florida International | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| 7 p.m. | Soccer | Florida | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| 7 p.m. | Volleyball | San Diego State | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| All Day | Women's Golf | Mason Rudolph Championship | Franklin, Tenn. |
Saturday, Sept. 20
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30 p.m. | Football | Florida | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| 7 p.m. | Volleyball | Clemson | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| All Day | Women's Golf | Mason Rudolph Championship | Franklin, Tenn. |
| All Day | Cross Country | Asheville Cross Country Carnival | Asheville, N.C. |
Sunday, Sept. 21
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. | Soccer | Alabama State | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| All Day | Women's Golf | Mason Rudolph Championship | Franklin, Tenn. |
If you are in Tuscaloosa, Franklin or the Asheville, make plans to get out and support our teams. Let them know you are there! It makes a world of difference for our teams. A rising tide lifts all boats and it's up to all of us to Keep the Tide Rising!
