The Battle Plan presented by Mercedes-Benz
10/21/2016 4:26:00 PM | General
Tide & Aggies in an SEC Showdown at Bryant-Denny Stadium
These days, in the meat of the SEC West schedule, I am reminded of the story of the sheriff in the Old West who had just run a band of tough outlaws out of town. When being congratulated by the townspeople, the sheriff said, "Better get braced men, there's a really tough bunch of cowboys coming in this week!"
Our victory at Tennessee was as good as we ever could have imagined. I expected a close game that might go down to the wire, but what we got was a perfect storm for Tennessee. They had played Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M before our game. All were hard-fought and emotional games and, over the course of their first six games the Vols had sustained a significant number of injuries. On top of that, they had the misfortune of catching Alabama playing our best and most complete game so far this year. Our engines were firing on all cylinders as we scored five touchdowns on offense and two on defense. Our team piled up 594 total yards (438 rushing), and limited Tennessee to 163 total yards. The 49-10 final score was the second-largest margin of victory in this long and storied series, the biggest since a 51-0 win in 1906.
ÂThe tough bunch of cowboys coming into town this week are the undefeated and sixth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. They opened with a 31-24 overtime win vs. UCLA, a 67-0 blowout of Prairie View A&M, a 29-16 road win at Auburn, a 45-24 win over Arkansas, a 24-13 win at South Carolina, and then took a 45-38, double-overtime victory over Tennessee two weeks ago. Coach Kevin Sumlin's team has always been able to score a lot of points, and this team is no different. Trevor Knight, the transfer quarterback from Oklahoma that we faced in the Sugar Bowl three years ago, has thrown for 1,500 yards this season and run for 502. Interestingly, he has passed for nine touchdowns and also rushed for nine touchdowns, the longest of which was 62 yards. Their spread attack causes problems for defenses and they are a well-balanced run vs. pass team.
The difference in this Texas A&M team from past years is their defense. Johnny Chavis, who was a walk-on back when I was coaching at Tennessee, is a long-time, very successful defensive coordinator. He was coordinator at Tennessee for many years, then went to LSU for a few years, and eventually to Texas A&M two years ago. Coach Chavis has the Aggies playing better defense than they have in some time. This Aggie team has shown that they can blow people out and they can win the close ones. They have beaten two ranked teams (at the time they played), UCLA and Tennessee, in overtime.
A Big Weekend for Alabama Athletics
This weekend is very exciting and very important in many different ways. The football staff will bring in several top recruits, and virtually all of our teams will use this weekend to bring in prospects. ESPN's College Game Day show is coming to town led by Alabama grad Rece Davis. Our students and fans always enjoy spending the morning watching Rece, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard. They are regular visitors to our campus and they always seem to enjoy their stay here.
On that note, I would be remiss if I didn't thank our staff for the magnificent job they do in putting on almost 200 events each year. Events like this week tax our entire department. Our staff is fully involved in everything that goes on during weekends of this type. They handle things that are visible to all attending our events, as well as a myriad of behind the scenes duties that make our success possible. On football weekends of this magnitude, I wanted to highlight a few people you don't hear much about and also give a grateful nod to so many more whose efforts make what we do here the best in the world of college athletics.
Red Leonard, our Director of Games/Event Management, does an outstanding job in leading his staff to put on all these events each year. They work tirelessly to provide everything needed to put on our events while accommodating the needs of the teams, staffs, fans and many others. Doug Walker, our Sr. Associate Athletics Director for Communications; Jeff Purinton, our Sr. Associate Athletics Director for Communications and Marketing; and Josh Maxson, our Director of Football Communications, do a great job of hosting the visiting media, as well as handling all the minutia of statistics, storytelling opportunities and strategic messaging guiding the efforts of our communications staff. Our marketing staff, led by Associate A.D. for Strategic Marketing Brad Ledford, and our Crimson Tide Productions folks, led by Assistant A.D. Justin Brant, team up with our Event Technology crew (led by their director, Harold Sexton) and our Information Technology department (led by Assistant A.D. Rand Harris) to fulfill vital roles in the game day experience for our working staff, coaches and the fans at our events. Also, our great people in the areas of facilities, production, photography, security and countless other groups work in concert to make a football Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium one of the most entertaining and enjoyable events in the nation.
Just think about the number of people it might take to host 125,000 to 130,000 people coming to town to sit in Bryant-Denny Stadium or hang out around tents, televisions and grills located all around campus. From traffic control, parking, ticket-taking, helping fans get to their seats, concessions, hospitality, to all the responsibilities of putting on the game, broadcasting, keeping our fans safe, and so many other services too numerous to mention, it takes thousands of people. Neither our staff, nor our University, could put on events like this without help from the University of Alabama Police Department, the Tuscaloosa Police Department, County Sheriffs, State Troopers, and FBI and Homeland Security, and the Bruno Event Team who help with traffic control, parking and keeping us all safe.
Games like these are important to the finances of the athletic department, but they also have a significant impact on the economies of our city, county and state. National media coverage in all forms send out messages to millions of people around the country about the Alabama football team, The University of Alabama and Tuscaloosa. The exposure the University gains from games like this continues to build equity in, and expand geographic coverage of, The University of Alabama brand.
10 Honored as Bryant Society Inductees
Last night, we inducted 10 new members into The Bryant Society, the highest level of philanthropy in our Department of Athletics. Those inducted have reached the million-dollar level of lifetime giving to the Crimson Tide Foundation. The Bryant Society was formed back during the 2003-08 capital campaign. When I arrived as Director of Athletics in 2013 there were nine members and not many people knew what The Bryant Society was, or why it existed.
Our development team started to spread the word and we developed a strategic plan to make the club more prestigious, more exclusive, more attractive to join, and above all else, more important to the future of Alabama Athletics. Last year, we had a formal induction ceremony for 16 members, which included the original nine. This year we added 10 more, bringing the total to date to 26.
New members this year are Hugh Culverhouse, Jr., who has given $2.5 million to endow women's golf scholarships, and challenged others to collectively match that gift to endow scholarships in any other women's sports. We are making progress toward that goal and encourage all to consider being a part of that match at whatever level you might feel comfortable.
Other members being inducted this year are: Suzanne and Duane Cunningham (Tuscaloosa), Jean and Don Ghareeb (Birmingham), Susan and Macon Gravlee (Columbus, Miss.), Ally and Matthew Hogan (Birmingham), Lynn and David Gwin (Franklin, Tenn.), Teresa and Curt Morgan (Milton, Ga.), Farid Rafiee (Huntsville), Genie and Mike Thompson (Birmingham) and Jamie Tisch (New York). Each has enjoyed success in life up to this point and felt the philanthropic need to support Alabama athletics. To me true philanthropy is giving to a cause out of belief in, and love of that institution, and not out of expectation of benefits in return. I want to congratulate and thank each inductee for their generosity and philanthropy.
Eli Gold was the moderator for this prestigious black tie event and no one does it better. Eli has become a household name in Alabama sports. We appreciate and enjoy his knowledge of our athletics department and his eloquent delivery wherever he is speaking or broadcasting.
Johnny Musso, All American running back in the 1970's and a favorite among Alabama fans, shared his appreciation of the lessons learned in his time at Alabama under Coach Bryant. He expressed special appreciation to our inductees for supporting Crimson Tide athletics in such a major way. He also handed out special statues of Coach Bryant to the recipients on stage.
We are grateful to all donors to the Crimson Tide Foundation and to our Tide Pride enhanced seating program. Gifts at all levels go toward our mission to "recruit and develop student-athletes to compete at the highest levels in intercollegiate athletics, educate and prepare our student-athletes to compete at the highest levels in life after graduation, and accomplish both with honor and integrity."
Your gifts may be directed to endow scholarships in your favorite sport, to buildings and facilities, or to each sport's gift fund, which may be used at the discretion of the head coach and Director of Athletics for equipment, updated facilities, graphics, or even training abroad. We are very flexible and are committed to keeping Alabama Athletics competing for championships and building champions.
Soccer Team Earns Team Academics Award
Our women's soccer team earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for phenomenal performance in the classroom during the 2015-16 academic year, the organization announced earlier this week. To be eligible for the award, a team must obtain a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 or higher for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing that number by the number of players. Alabama finished last season with a 3.39 GPA under head coach Wes Hart. The Tide received multiple individual academic accolades last season, as 14 members of the Alabama roster were named to the 2015 Southeastern Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll. Last year's team was led by Abby Lutzenkirchen, as she was named to the 2015 COSIDA Academic All-District team before going on to earn the 2015 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Additionally, academics were a high priority for the team's newcomers, as the Tide has six student-athletes named to the 2015 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. Congratulations to Coach Hart, our student-athletes, and the staff of our Center for Athletic Student Services led by Associate Athletics Director for Student Services Jon Dever.
Life Lessons from our Life Skills Program
Our Life Skills program, operating under the auspices of our Student-Athlete Enhancement initiative, works tirelessly to help our student-athletes attain the know how to not only be successful during their careers at the Capstone, but in the life that comes after as well. That's why Life Skills recently combined with Regions Financial, along with UA Housing and Residential Communities and Bama Dining, to help Alabama's rookies learn the foundation of financial stability. These kinds of seminars teach real-life lessons that help our student-athletes beyond the field and the classroom, giving them a strong foundation for life.
Fulfilling the Mission: Hayes Brewer is This Week's Classroom Champion
As we roll into another home football weekend, it's also time to recognize another of our Classroom Champions. On Saturday, on the video boards of Bryant-Denny Stadium and in the game program, we'll honor senior men's tennis player Hayes Brewer. A native of Marietta, Ga., Hayes is a double major in finance and economics while carrying a 3.9 cumulative grade point average. In addition to being a three-year Intercollegiate Tennis Scholar-Athlete, Hayes has earned a place on the Dean's List (3.5 or better GPA) all six semesters of his collegiate career, while also earning a place on the President's List (4.0 GPA). Hayes has helped lead the way when it comes to academic success when it comes to coach George Husack's squad, helping boost the team to a 3.17 team grade point average last season, which helped Alabama earn its fourth consecutive ITA All-Academic Team award.
Fulfilling the Mission (Part 2): Haylie McCleney Honored at NCAA Woman of the Year Banquet
Last Sunday, our own Haylie McCleney was honored in Indianapolis as one of 30 finalists for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year award. The top-30 honorees consist of the top 10 within Divisions I, II and III. The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. That certainly describes Haylie perfectly. This year, 515 student-athletes were nominated, the most in the history of the Woman of the Year program. Haylie is the fifth Alabama student-athlete in the last seven years to be the SEC's NCAA Woman of the Year nominee and the first Alabama softball player since Brittany Rogers in 2010. Other Alabama honorees during that span include gymnasts Kim Jacob (2015) and Ashley Priess (2013) and golfer Brooke Pancake (2012). Jacob and Priess were both top-30 honorees while Rogers and Pancake made the cut as top nine finalists. Sunday was a wonderful celebration of some truly remarkable women and we are very proud that Haylie stood tall among their ranks.
Sports Updates
Men's Basketball
Coach Avery Johnson, along with guard Corban Collins and guard/forward Riley Norris, represented the Crimson Tide at the Southeastern Conference men's basketball media day Wednesday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. They visited with local and national media outlets previewing the 2016-17 season. The two-hour event included photo shoots and interviews with the likes of ESPN college basketball analysts Andy Katz, Seth Greenberg and Sean Farnham, among others. The day was highlighted with a live segment for both Avery and the players on the SEC Now set, hosted by Dari Nowkhah. The 2016-17 basketball seasons will commence in grand fashion tonight with the Supe Store Tide Tipoff Event at Coleman Coliseum. The event will begin at 6 p.m. CT with a 45-minute autograph session featuring both our men's and women's teams and coaches. Student-athletes will be spread throughout the concourse, while head coaches Avery Johnson and Kristy Curry will be at a table in the south concourse. The teams will then participate in a variety of on-court activities, including team introductions, a dance contest, a skills competition, a three-point shootout and a dunk contest with celebrity judges. Admission to the event is free for students as well as men's and women's basketball season ticket holders. For the general public, tickets are on sale for the at the cost of $5 per ticket.
Women's Basketball
Coach Kristy Curry and junior guards Hannah Cook and Meoshonti Knight traveled to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Thursday for SEC Tipoff '17, the league's annual preseason media opportunity featuring all 14 teams. They spent the day with representatives from The SEC Network and ESPN where they not only previewed the upcoming season, but also had some fun telling stories, playing this or that and taking part in photo and video shoots. Coach Curry also hopped on the "SEC Now" set for a live segment with Maria Taylor, Andy Landers and Nell Fortner. Meanwhile, ticket sales are going great for our women's team with our season ticket numbers already exceeding last year's totals.
Cross Country
Coach Dan Waters' cross country squads had a strong outing at our own Crimson Classic last Friday at the Harry Pritchett Running Park. The ladies won the women's division with freshmen finishing as four of our five scoring runners. McKenzie Yanek was the top women's runner, coming in sixth. On the men's side, Antibahs Kosgei won the individual title, which is his second first place finish this season, to lead the Tide to a seventh-place finish against a very deep field of teams. Our runners are off this weekend before resuming the season next Friday, Oct. 28, when they travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for the SEC Cross Country Championships. Best of luck to Dan and the team!
Women's Golf
Our No. 1-ranked women's golf team had another strong outing last weekend at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C. Coach Mic Potter's squad recorded its third top-two finish in three tournaments this fall. Sophomore Lauren Stephenson was our top finisher with a nine-under par weekend that gave her a second-place finish. Our ladies will be off until they return to North Carolina Oct. 28-30 for The Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, N.C. That trip will be their final outing of the fall.
Rowing
Our rowers continue their fall slate this weekend, sending three boats to the competitive Head of the Charles regatta in Cambridge, Mass., on the Charles River. Coming off an Olympic year, the field features a large number of international crews and, coupled with a challenging course, will provide Alabama with a unique challenge. The course could be described as a "coxswain's course," in that it requires a great amount of guidance and attentiveness from the boat's coxswain to navigate the course with its numerous turns and large fields of competitors. It looks like weather could again be a major factor in this weekend's event, which makes for a strong current and difficult racing along the Charles River. Earlier this year in Chattanooga, strong winds forced race officials to shorten the course. Coach Larry Davis tells me that unfavorable weather conditions can actually provide a long-term benefit, allowing the team to practice adapting to poor conditions that could serve them well if bad conditions develop down the road at the Big 12 Championships in May. Following this weekend, the Tide will have one more fall competition, slated for Nov. 5-6 in Chattanooga, Tenn., at the Head of the Hooch. This will be the second time this season that the team will have competed in Chattanooga, having previously done so at the Head of the Chattanooga on Oct. 8. After the Head of the Hooch, Alabama will be off from competition until hosting Eastern Michigan on the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Soccer
Coach Wes Hart's team is on the road for a pair of SEC matches this weekend. Last night, the Tide absorbed a loss at No. 20 Florida in Gainesville. The road swing continues Sunday in Baton Rouge, La., against LSU at 1 p.m. CT. Alabama entered the weekend with an overall 8-7-1 record, including a 3-5-1 mark in league play.
Softball
Coach Patrick Murphy's team concludes its fall slate of games this weekend, hosting Wallace-Hanceville for a doubleheader on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. CT at Rhoads Stadium. Tickets are $5 with all proceeds from fall games benefiting the team's official booster club, the Bama Softball Walk-Off Club. This will be the last chance this fall for fans to see the team in action before the 2017 season starts in February. The program has selected January 21 as the date for its third annual Trivia & Games Night, held at the Tuscaloosa River Market. The event has been a big success for the Bama Softball Walk-Off club in previous years, selling out all available tables. Those wishing to attend the event this year are encouraged to reserve their spot early by emailing Marla Dare (mdare@uasystem.ua.edu) or Charlene Hammonds (Chammonds@tcss.net).
Swimming and Diving
Our men's and women's swimming and diving teams both had strong showings in Columbia, Mo., last Friday against the Missouri Tigers in our first road meet of the season. Our men came away with a decisive win while our women battled all the way to the end before falling to the Tigers. The men go to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in Southeastern Conference competition while the women are now 3-1 overall, 1-1 in the SEC. The meet was an early season showdown of NCAA heavyweights. Alabama's men were sixth at the national championships last season while Missouri was eighth. On the women's side of things, Mizzou was 11th and the Tide was 28th at the 2016 NCAA Women's Championships. Despite the loss by the women, Coach Dennis Pursley said that Friday was the most complete meet the men and women have put together since he returned to Alabama prior to the 2012-13 season. Both teams battled all the way to the wall in every race. He was especially happy with the teams' spirit before, during and after the meet, saying it was finally where he wanted it to be. Out of that meet, Zane Waddell was named the SEC Male Freshman Swimmer of the Week after posting two of the nation's fastest times. His time in the 50 freestyle is the fastest by a freshman in the nation this season and the second-fastest time in the SEC this season. It is also the fourth-fastest time in the nation so far this season and ranks him just outside Alabama's all-time top 10. Zane also posted the seventh-fastest 100 freestyle time in the nation this season. His 100 time is the fastest time by a freshman in the SEC and the third-fastest overall in the SEC this season. Zane is part of a strong group of rookies who are complementing our veterans extremely well. I'm very pleased with the progress our swimming and diving program has made over the last several years and I look forward to continued progress as we move forward.
Volleyball
The Tide hits the road for a pair of SEC contests this weekend, taking on Arkansas tonight in Fayetteville and visiting Ole Miss on Sunday. The Tide will be seeking its fourth conference victory, which would give Coach Ed Allen his 50th SEC win at Alabama. Currently in his sixth year at the helm of the program, a win would enable Ed to reach 50 SEC wins faster than any coach in program history. Krystal Rivers posted 32 kills last Sunday against Missouri, her fourth match this season with at least 30 kills. Nina Foster (1994-95) is the only other player in program history to have four matches with 30 or more kills in the same season (1994). Krystal's 32 kills came on a career-high 80 attack attempts, the most for any Tide player since Kayla Fitterer had 82 against South Carolina in 2012. With 11 matches remaining in the regular season, senior Brittany Thomas is within 50 kills of cracking the top 10 in career kills at Alabama. She is also eighth in digs and, if she moves into the top 10 in kills, she would be the sixth player in program history to rank in the top 10 in both categories, the first since Bridget Fuentez (2004-07).
Upcoming Action
Here's a summary of athletic events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event: CT is Central Time. ET in Eastern Time).
Saturday, October 22
| Time | Sport | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30 p.m. CT | Football | vs. Texas A&M | Bryant-Denny Stadium |
| All Day | Rowing | at Head of the Charles Regatta | Boston, Mass. |
Sunday, October 23
| Time | Sport | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. CT | Soccer | at LSU | Baton Rouge, La. |
| 1:30 p.m. CT | Volleyball | at Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. |
| All Day | Rowing | at Head of the Charles Regatta | Boston, Mass. |
Thursday, October 27
| Time | Sport | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. CT | Soccer vs. Vanderbilt | UA Soccer Complex |
Friday, October 28
| Time | Sport | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. CT | Cross Country | at SEC Championships | Fayetteville, Ark. |
| 6 p.m. CT | Volleyball | Tennessee | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| All Day | Women's Golf | at The Landfall Tradition | Wilmington, N.C. |
| All Day | Men's Tennis | at USTA 10k Futures | Birmingham, Ala. |
| All Day | Women's Tennis | hosts the Roberta Alison Fall Classic | UA Tennis Center |
Where to See, Listen and Follow Alabama Sports
Here's how to follow Crimson Tide teams via TV, radio, rolltide.com, Twitter and Facebook:
Cross Country
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaTrack
Football
Watch: CBS
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaFootball
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (check local listings)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 83, XM 190
Women's Golf
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaWGolf
Rowing
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaRowing
Soccer
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaSoccer
Men's Tennis
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaMTN
Women's Tennis
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaWTN
Volleyball
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Watch: SEC Network +
Twitter: @AlabamaVBall
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 WatchESPN. If you can't make it to our games in person, catch us on radio or TV. (All times listed are Central Time)
Sunday, October 23
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. | Soccer at LSU | SEC Network + |
| 1:30 p.m. | Volleyball at Ole Miss | SEC Network + |
Monday, October 24
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 8 p.m. | REPLAY: Football vs. Texas A&M | SEC Network |
Tuesday, October 25
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. | REPLAY: Football vs. Texas A&M | SEC Network |
Wednesday, October 26
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. | REPLAY: Football vs. Texas A&M | SEC Network |
Thursday, October 27
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 4 a.m. | REPLAY: Football vs. Texas A&M | SEC Network |
| 7 p.m. | Soccer vs. Vanderbilt | SEC Network + |
Friday, October 28
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 6 p.m. | Volleyball vs. Tennessee | 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!
Roll Tide!
