The Battle Plan presented by Mercedes-Benz

Bulldogs Come to Town for another Challenging Home Game

The Bulldogs of Mississippi State are coming to town this week off a stunning victory over the No. 4-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Led by sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, the Bulldogs ran for 365 yards against the Aggies, and Fitzgerald accounted for 182 of those yards and two touchdowns. The State defense held the high-powered Aggie offense to 28 points.

Before we fully engage in our game this week, I have to reflect on our tremendous victory last week in Baton Rouge. Saturday night in Tiger Stadium was the loudest football game I have ever attended. The electricity and enthusiasm were extraordinary. It was like we thought it would be – a heavyweight fight in which the winner moved on toward the championship. It was scoreless through the first three quarters, but the tenacity of the players on both sides was impressive and exciting. It was a game reminiscent of the old days when big games were won or lost on field position, the kicking game, and taking advantage of opportunities.

Our opportunities came mostly in the fourth quarter. In my opinion, our team made its own luck through depth and stamina, wearing down the LSU team in the final period. With a drive that started on our own 10-yard line, our team marched 90 yards for the go ahead touchdown, using about six minutes of the clock. After the ensuing kickoff on the second play from scrimmage, Ryan Anderson hit the LSU quarterback as he was throwing and Minkah Fitzpatrick made a diving interception of the pass around midfield. In a 50-yard drive that lasted almost ten minutes, Adam Griffith kicked a field goal that put the game out of reach.

This was one of the great victories, in my opinion, in Alabama's storied history. Beating 13th-ranked LSU at home, at night, in a defensive struggle, in the way we did was special. The game was on the line until the field goal made the score 10-0 with around two minutes remaining. It was a very intense game, valiantly fought by both teams, with very high stakes. Alabama controlled the ball for 22 minutes and 17 seconds of the second half. But the most amazing stat in the game to me was that Alabama only allowed LSU only six offensive snaps in the fourth quarter, with four of those coming after the score was 10-0. The Crimson Tide started to take control in the third quarter, but dominated the fourth quarter. That is how championships are won.

Now, back to the game at hand. Mississippi State has always played its best game against Alabama. The close geographic proximity probably has an effect but, like Alabama, MSU historically plays very physical football. Dan Mullen has turned State into a perennial bowl team and in 2014, the last time they came here, they were ranked number one in the country with Dak Prescott as their quarterback. Despite their current record, they are a very good football team.

Although the games I played against Mississippi State were memorable, the most memorable game I remember from this series came in 1981. Emory Ballard was the Bulldogs' head coach. His team featured the wishbone offense he had made popular. A former high school coaching legend in Texas, Emory conceived the wishbone offense while he was in high school, then implemented it in mid-season of 1968 as offensive coordinator at the University of Texas. Texas was so successful, Texas A&M hired him as head coach where he turned the Aggies into winners in the 1970s, then did the same as head coach at Mississippi State.

The 1981 Alabama-Mississippi State game was played in Tuscaloosa and the winner had a clear path to the SEC Championship. It was probably the most physical game I've ever seen. Players would get hurt, carried off the field, two or three plays later they would come running back on the field ready to play some more. There were several fumbles on both teams and a few of them happened as the players seemed to drop the ball as they were thinking about the contact they were about to deliver to the opposing team. Into the fourth quarter the score was 13-10.

It was a lot like last Saturday's LSU game in Baton Rouge, a physical, defensive struggle. Late in the 4th quarter Mississippi State was driving and near field goal range. Tommy Wilcox intercepted a pass and saved the game for Alabama. The victory was Coach Bryant's 314th win and set him up to tie Amos "Alonzo" Stagg's record in the following game against Penn State (315). He broke the record (316) against Auburn in the final regular season game.

This year's Mississippi State team is 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the SEC. That doesn't sound that great, but they narrowly lost to LSU in Baton Rouge, 23-20, and three of their five losses came on the last play of the game. They are getting better every week. If any of our fans or players think Mississippi State will be a pushover this week, they will regret it.

I'm very proud of our fan support, both at home and away. We had great support in Baton Rouge. Our people came early, stayed late, and made their presence known throughout the game. A shout out also goes to our Pep Band, cheerleaders, and Big Al, who helped keep the Crimson Tide energy level high. Over the next three weeks, I'd like to see our fans as loud as they were in Tiger Stadium last Saturday night. I know with 11 a.m. games that many people are still waking up, but it is important to our team that you show up, stand up, and make noise in support of our outstanding student-athletes and coaches.

Honoring Champions and Basketball Openers Highlight This Weekend

This is another big week in Alabama athletics. Our volleyball team had a huge comeback in over Auburn on Wednesday night. This afternoon we had our annual unveiling ceremony at Sarah Patterson Championship Plaza to honor our 2015-16 SEC champion women's golf team and six individuals who won individual NCAA championships. Our champions this year are Katie Bailey in gymnastics, Quanesha Burks in women's track and field, and our men's swimming and diving 200 medley relay team of Connor Oslin, Pavel Romanov, Luke Kaliszak and Kristian Gkolomeev. Competing for championships is one of the tenets of our Mission, and we are proud of the accomplishments and the efforts of so many coaches and student-athletes who strive to reach championship levels.

Today at 5 p.m. CT, our women's basketball team opens the season in Coleman against New Orleans and our men's team plays Coastal Carolina at 8 p.m. Come out and see what we believe are greatly improved teams from last year. I know a big football game is played at 11 a.m. on Saturday, but these players and coaches need our support in November and December as well as January, February, and March. Make an effort to get there, if you can. If you are holding tickets, either use them, get someone to sit in your seats, or send them back so we can help put bodies in those prime seats. And on Saturday come early, eat brunch or lunch at the stadium, wear your Crimson colors, and be loud in cheering our great football team to another victory.

Men's Basketball Signs One of Nation's Top Recruiting Classes to Highlight Signing Period

This week's fall signing day was a landmark for our men's basketball program, as head coach Avery Johnson officially announced the Tide's 2017 class this morning. The five-man signing class is rated as high as No. 2 in the country according to Scout.com and Rivals.com, the highest-ranked signing class in program history. The group ranks as the third-best in the nation by 247sports.com. The five newest members of the Alabama men's basketball program are guards Herb Jones, John Petty and Collin Sexton and forwards Alex Reese and Galin Smith. All five were rated as either four- or five-star recruits, and all were ranked among the top 100 recruits in the nation, according to Rivals.com. Coach Johnson and his staff signed the three top recruits in the state of Alabama in Petty, Reese and Jones; the top player in the state of Georgia in Sexton; and the top big man in the state of Mississippi in Smith.

Our men's golf coach, Jay Seawell, announced this week the signing of Ben Fuller, Wilson Furr and Davis Shore to continue their playing careers at Alabama. Golfweek.com ranks Davis as the No. 3 prospect in the nation, while Wilson is rated No. 6 nationally. Those two also rank among the top 10 junior golfers in the world, combining with Ben, the trio makes up one of the top signing classes in the nation. Both Davis and Wilson were among six players named to the boys United States Junior Ryder Cup team this past summer.

Coach Mic Potter began the early signing period by signing Angelica Moresco of Caldogno, Italy, to a national letter of intent. Angelica is a member of the Italian Junior National Team that won the European Junior Team Championship this past summer, and she is the top-ranked junior golfer in Italy and 11th-ranked junior golfer in Europe. She won the 2016 Italian U18 championship.

Coach Dana Duckworth and our gymnastics program signed four student-athletes: Bailie Key, Kylie Dickson, Alonza Klopfer and Lexi Graber. All four gymnasts rank among the nation's top prospects. Bailie is a five-year member of the United States National Team. Kylie, who has dual United States and Belarus citizenship, competed for Belarus in the 2015 World Championships and the 2016 Olympic Games. Alzona was the 2016 Junior Olympic National Balance Beam Champion, and Lexi was the 2016 Junior Olympic National Vault Champion. All four young ladies are typical of the heritage of the gymnastics program they are about to join – excellent competitors with stellar academic credentials.

Fulfilling the Mission: Swimmer Temarie Tomley is a Classroom Champion

Another football game in Bryant-Denny Stadium means we'll be recognizing another Classroom Champion on Saturday, both on our video boards and in the game program. This week we're honoring junior swimmer Temarie Tomley. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Temarie carries a 4.0 grade point average for her career while studying human performance and exercise science. One of the finest sprinters in the history of our program, she ranks second all-time at Alabama in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles. A two-year First Team CSCAA Scholar-American, Temarie has earned a spot on our NCAA Championships squad in each of her first two years at the Capstone and competed at the United State Olympic Trials this past summer. We are extremely proud of her efforts in the pool and the classroom. She is the epitome of what means to be a scholar-athlete.

Crimson Tide Foundation Update: Lockers of Legacy Initiative

I announced in the last Battle Plan of September the Phase II launch of the Lockers of Legacy Initiative. In case you missed it, the A-Club Alumni Association and the Crimson Tide Foundation have been working to sell the naming rights of every practice locker in the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility football dressing room. The initial phase of this project, which recently concluded, was an opportunity for Alabama football lettermen to name a locker. The initiative is now open to all Crimson Tide supporters to join our lettermen in honoring a former football letterman, football coach, and student manager or student trainer by naming a locker in their honor or memory. So far, this second phase has been active for just over a month and donors have come forward to name six new lockers, bringing the total of named lockers to 51 and the contributions from the Initiative to more than $500,000. Proceeds from the Lockers of Legacy Initiative will go toward improving and keeping Alabama athletics facilities – including Bryant-Denny Stadium – in championship condition. Furthermore, 10 percent of all locker naming rights gifts will go back to the A-Club Alumni Association.

This is a rare opportunity to honor our former players and demonstrate philanthropy to the current players who are using these lockers. We still have several notable Crimson Tide legends who are not represented with a locker in their names. You can still name lockers for: David Palmer, Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Antonio Langham, AJ McCarron, Derrick Thomas, Derrick Henry and Cornelius Bennett, among others. Here are some helpful links if you are interested in learning more about this project:

Sports Updates

Women's Basketball

We are looking forward to officially tipping of the 2016-17 season with a doubleheader with the men's basketball team tonight. The women will play in the first game, which begins at 5 p.m. CT against New Orleans, while the men will follow at 8 p.m. CT against Coastal Carolina. The Tide had a successful exhibition outing against West Alabama last week, winning 86-34. Coach Curry is really looking for scoring balance from this team, and that's exactly what she got in this game with four players finishing with double-digit points led by juniors Meoshonti Knight and Ashley Williams, who had 16 apiece. Freshman Jordan Lewis, who got the start at point guard, added 14 points, and junior Quanetria Bolton chipped in 12. Sophomore Shaquera Wade led the Tide in rebounds with nine and steals with five, both of which matched career highs. There will be plenty of opportunities to see the team at home in the near future with four more games in Coleman Coliseum in the month of November, including two next week. There are also great promotions and giveaways in store for fans at our women's basketball games. Throughout the season, Hoo's Q will give 30 percent off an upcoming meal if the team scores 30 points or more in the first quarter, while Tuscaloosa Toyota will be giving away prizes such as an iPad, gift cards, Beats headphones and more. For a complete listing of all game promotions, visit the women's basketball schedule page on RollTide.com.

Cross Country

Our men's and women's teams competed this morning in the NCAA South Region Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., and two of our men produced a milestone achievement by qualifying individually for the NCAA Championships. Seniors Robbie Farnham-Rose and Antibahs Kosgei became the first Alabama runners in several years to qualify for the NCAA meet as Robbie placed third overall and Antibahs placed sixth in a field of more than 160 competitors. As a team, the Tide men placed fourth overall. On the women's side, senior Hannah Waggoner finished 26th individually to lead our young team to an impressive fourth-place team finish. The Tide women had two freshmen (Hannah Capek – 30th; and Mckenzie Yanek – 36th) among our top three finishers.

Swimming & Diving

Coach Dennis Pursley and our swimming and diving teams competed extremely well at Auburn last Friday – especially on the men's side. Despite a close loss, our men's swimmers turned in some very fast times on the way to winning all the freestyle events and posting the fastest time in the nation in the 400 freestyle relay. Our men also posted the second-fastest 400 medley relay in the nation this season. While several of our men had standout performances down on the Plains, sophomore Laurent Bams led the way, winning the 100 and 200 freestyles and anchoring our winning 400 freestyle relay. Our women were led by junior Mia Nonnenberg, who has earned 10 individual wins so far this season and is ranked among the nation's best in the individual medley races. Our swimmers and divers return to action next Thursday through Saturday, November 17-19, at the Georgia Tech Invitational, our last big competition before the end of the semester. If you're in the Atlanta area, I encourage you to stop by and lend your support.

Men's Tennis

Coach George Husack's team collected three singles wins to conclude the SEC Coaches Classic last Sunday at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. Tide sophomore Mazen Osama and freshman Thibault Cancel were champions of their respective singles draws as Alabama collected six doubles victories and 14 singles wins in the three-day event, the last tournament of the fall season.

Women's Tennis

Senior Danielle Spielmann and freshman Maddie Pothoff earned singles victories last Sunday to conclude the Seminole All-Conference Showdown in Tallahassee, Fla. The team registered seven doubles wins and eight singles victories in the three-day event, which brought the team's fall calendar to a close. On Wednesday, Coach Jenny Mainz announced the addition of Kimberley Gintrand for the 2017 season. An incoming freshman from Angers, France, Kimberley was ranked among the world's top 1,000 players by the Junior International Tennis Federation at the age of 17. After appearing in a doubles final in Algeria and a semifinal in London, she ranked in the top 10 of the French rankings in her age group.

Volleyball

Coach Ed Allen's gritty squad overcame a 2-1 match deficit to defeat Auburn on Wednesday night in Foster Auditorium, taking a five-set victory. The Tide (17-10 overall, 6-8 in the SEC) won the opening set, 25-21, before Auburn came back to win the next two to take a 2-1 match lead. The Tide forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-20 win in the fourth before the offense came out firing in the fifth for a decisive 15-8 victory to complete the comeback. Krystal Rivers led the way with 28 kills, putting her 33 kills shy of the Alabama career record. Her 30.5 points in the match allowed her to move into first place on the Tide career record book with 2,396.0, surpassing previous record-holder Erin Heffner (2001-04). Middle blocker Leah Lawrence finished with 10 kills while Natalie Murison had a career-high 28 digs. This weekend, the Tide travels to Gainesville to face the No. 6-ranked Florida Gators (22-2; 12-1 SEC) on Sunday. The match is set to start at 1 p.m. CT and will be televised live on The SEC Network.

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). Check out our upcoming calendar.

Saturday, November 12

Time	Sport	Event	Location
11 a.m. CT	Football	vs. Mississippi State	Bryant-Denny Stadium

Sunday, November 13

Time	Sport	Event	Location
2 p.m. ET	Volleyball	at Florida	Gainesville, Fla.

Monday, November 14

Time	Sport	Event	Location
7 p.m. CT	Women's Basketball	vs. Mississippi Valley State	Coleman Coliseum

Tuesday, November 15

Time	Sport	Event	Location
12:15 p.m. CT	Men's Basketball	vs. Dayton	Coleman Coliseum

Thursday, November 17

Time	Sport	Event	Location
7 p.m. CT	Women's Basketball	vs. Lipscomb	Coleman Coliseum
All Day	Swimming & Diving	at Georgia Tech	Atlanta, Ga.

Friday, November 18

Time	Sport	Event	Location
7 p.m. ET	Volleyball	at South Carolina	Columbia, S.C.
8 p.m. CT	Men's Basketball	vs. Ball State	Coleman Coliseum
All Day	Swimming & Diving	at Georgia Tech	Atlanta, Ga.

Where to See, Listen and Follow Alabama Sports

Here's how to follow Crimson Tide teams via TV, radio, rolltide.com, Twitter and Facebook:

Men's Basketball

TV: ESPN2 (Nov. 15 vs. Dayton)
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaMBB
Twitter: @AlabamaMBB

Women's Basketball

Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/alabama/wbball
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaWBB
Twitter: @AlabamaWBB

Football

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaFTBL
Twitter: @AlabamaFTBL

Swimming & Diving

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamSwimDive
Twitter: @Alabamaswimdive

Volleyball

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaVBall
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, November 13

Time	Event	Network
1 p.m.	Volleyball at Florida	SEC Network

Monday, November 14

Time	Event	Network
6:30 a.m.	REPLAY: Football vs. Mississippi State	SEC Network
12 p.m.	Alabama Football Weekly Press Conference	SEC Network +
7 p.m.	Men's Basketball vs. Mississippi Valley State	SEC Network +

Tuesday, November 15

Time	Event	Network
12 a.m.	REPLAY: Football vs. Mississippi State	SEC Network

Wednesday, November 16

Time	Event	Network
4 a.m.	REPLAY: Football vs. Mississippi State	SEC Network

Thursday, November 17

Time	Event	Network
7 p.m.	Women's Basketball vs. Lipscomb	SEC Network +

Friday, November 18

Time	Event	Network
8 p.m.	Men's Basketball vs. Ball State	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!

University of Alabama Athletics