The Battle Plan presented by Mercedes-Benz

Big Win Earns a Title Berth

Happy New Year! Our football team made sure we all enjoyed a Happy New Year's Eve as they took care of business with a dominating 24-7 victory over the No. 4-ranked Washington Huskies. While some may be concerned with our overall offensive performance, which produced 326 yards in total offense, by comparison the high-powered Washington offense was held to a season-low 194 yards. The Husky defense is a lot better than many of our fans believed. All that said, I expect our offensive output will be improved, even against this outstanding Clemson defense.

Much has been said about Lane Kiffin's departure. The reality is, Lane and Coach Saban analyzed and discussed the difficulty of Lane trying to do two jobs. Together, they determined that in the best interests of both the Alabama players and the Florida Atlantic (FAU) players it was better to have Lane to move full-time to his new head coaching position at FAU. That decision was made far easier by the presence on the staff of Steve Sarkisian, who has been involved almost all season and had already been named to succeed Lane as offensive coordinator. The transition has gone very well this week with the team. Practices have been spirited and crisp.

I believe I can speak for our entire fan base in thanking Lane for his three years of work on the Alabama staff. He has done an outstanding job coaching the Crimson Tide offense, and has had a significant impact on our championship run over the last three years. We all wish Lane well in his new role at Florida Atlantic. There, he will join Howard Schnellenberger, another offensive genius who had a significant hand in Alabama's national championships back in the 1960s. Howard also won a national championship as head coach at Miami before building programs at Louisville and FAU to respectability.

Coach Bryant brought Coach Schnellenberger to Alabama in early 1961 after Alabama signed Joe Namath. Howard's mission was to develop our passing game, and to scout and help us beat Tennessee. Up to that time, Coach Bryant had struggled in beating the Vols during his times at Kentucky, Texas A&M and Alabama. Coach Bryant told us that Howard knew more about the passing game than anybody he knew and, while Howard was at Kentucky, they didn't beat a lot of people but they did beat Tennessee. Whether it was Howard's scouting, or more players like Joe Namath signing to play for the Crimson Tide, Alabama started beating Tennessee pretty regularly starting in 1961 and throughout Howard's time here.

The Big Game is Here: Another Chance at Another National Championship

Now, back to the College Football Playoff (CFP) and our game against the Clemson Tigers. We are all excited about the opportunities that this team has earned for itself and our fans. Alabama is the first team in the history of college football to have: (1) played in all three College Football Playoffs; (2) had 3 straight 14-win seasons; and (3) won 51 games in a four-year span. This group of seniors is truly special.

Bo Scarbrough's 180 yards rushing against Washington last Saturday is the most of any Alabama player in our storied bowl history, and his 68-yard touchdown run is second-longest in CFP history. The 15 non-offensive touchdowns scored by the Crimson Tide special teams and defensive units this season are more than any team in college football over the past 20 years. This year, the closest team to Alabama's total has 7 non-offensive touchdowns. In the final college football game at the famed Georgia Dome, our team closed the Dome in style in front of 75,995 fans, the most ever to see a college football game there. Being the final college game played before its destruction, our 24-7 victory over Washington was historic. And, as the first college game to be played in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium versus Florida State next fall, that will be historic as well.

If you haven't read Eddie Jackson's letter to his teammates, it would be well worth your time to read it here. Any time a coach or, for that matter, the leader of any organization can get his players or associates to think and believe in their mission like Eddie has clearly illustrated, that team or organization is bound to be successful. Congratulations again to Coach Saban, his staff, and the players on the emerging leadership mentality he has instilled in this team that has led to the unparalleled successes we have all enjoyed over the last 10 years.

Clemson is a powerful team on both sides of the ball. To have a rematch of the best two teams from last year's national title game is extraordinary. The odds are very low of that happening in the current competitive state of college football. Both teams are very talented and extremely well-coached. Both have survived serious injuries over 14 grueling games. I think we are in store for a great game Monday night. I am excited to watch it and believe our team will play very well, as it has done all year. I certainly wouldn't trade any of our coaches and players for theirs. I am confident that our entire team will make us proud, whatever the outcome.

Men's Team Hosts SEC Home Opener Tomorrow – Be There!

Our men's basketball team played very well Tuesday night getting a tough SEC road win against Mississippi State, 68-58, to start off with a 1-0 SEC record. Coach Johnson experimented with several lineups during the non-conference part of our schedule and has settled in with his most productive rotations. Alabama had a nice crowd in Starkville to support our team. State started the game jumping out to a lead, but Alabama responded with a run that put us ahead. From that point on, we never trailed. Every run that State made during the game, our players responded like champions and made the play it took to finish strong and win the game.

This is the time of the season that average teams can become good, and good teams great. It can work the other way, too! This team has the potential to become a very good team. With a lot of hard work, and a little good fortune with injuries, I believe the team can earn an NCAA Tournament berth and be very competitive in SEC play. Our student and fan support is very important to our team's success. It is my hope that Saturday night will find Coleman Coliseum to be a full house that will help our team get off to a 2-0 SEC start as we face a solid Vanderbilt team.

Fulfilling the Mission: Extraordinary Semester Yields More Than 100 4.0 GPAs

We had an outstanding fall semester in the classroom! Congratulations to our student-athletes, our academic support staff and our coaches for setting the tone about the importance of academic excellence. Our young men and women put forth a tremendous showing as our 584 student-athletes posted a combined grade point average (GPA) of 3.270, nearly a tenth of a point better than any of our previous three years. Our women, led by Jenny Mainz's women's tennis team with an amazing 3.9 GPA, posted a 3.482 overall GPA. Our men also posted a four-year high in combined GPA with a 3.046, led by Denny Pursley's men's swimming and diving team with a cumulative GPA of 3.485. Both figures are our best over the past four years.

All told, 14 of our 17 programs posted better than a 3.0 team GPA, with eight going above 3.50 and 11 over 3.20. I have said many times that Alabama Athletics is in the midst of a golden age. That doesn't just apply to our athletic prowess, as these numbers show. Our success in the classroom starts with our student-athletes making the most of the opportunities they are given but, as I've said many times in the past, I would put our academic staff led by Jon Dever and our life skills staff led by Jessie Gardner, and the programs they provide, up against anyone in the country! I certainly wouldn't trade them for anybody else.

That extraordinary semester in the classroom was a byproduct of the hard work of our individual student-athletes. One of the results of that diligence is that more than 100 Crimson Tide student-athletes earned a 4.0 grade point average for the fall semester. That total includes NCAA champion Pavel Romanov (men's swimming and diving) as well as All-Americans Laurent Bams, Robert Howard and Anton McKee (men's swimming and diving), Caroline Korst (women's swimming and diving), Katelyn Greenleaf (women's track and field/cross country), Sidney Littlejohn (softball) and Cheyenne Knight (women's golf).

Balancing academics and athletics is not an easy proposition. It takes focus, determination and grit. To balance both and earn straight A's in the classroom is a truly amazing accomplishment. To have more than 100 student-athletes earn a 4.0 should be a point of tremendous pride for all who follow and cheer on the Crimson Tide. Jon, Jessie, and their staffs do a great job of preparing our players to graduate and face the outside world with confidence. Below is a look at the fall semester GPA's of our respective teams. Congratulations to all of them on a great fall academic semester!

Fall 2016 GPA's

Men's and Women's combined GPA: 3.270

Men

Sport	GPA
Baseball	3.212
Basketball	2.781
Football	2.860
Golf	3.071
Swimming	3.485
Tennis	3.307
Track	3.060
Cumulative Avg.	3.046

Women

Sport	GPA
Basketball	3.781
Golf	3.816
Gymnastics	3.593
Rowing	3.370
Soccer	3.623
Softball	3.604
Swimming	3.550
Tennis	3.900
Track	3.507
Volleyball	3.535
Cumulative Avg.	3.482

Crimson Tide Foundation Update: CFP Giving Challenge Produces 430 Gifts

On behalf of the Crimson Tide Foundation, I want to thank each of you who made a contribution during the College Football Playoff Participants Giving Challenge. During the four-day challenge (December 28-31), we received 430 gifts. That ranked behind Ohio State (729 gifts) and Clemson (481) but beat Washington (415). The challenge was a fun and competitive year-end giving opportunity and, while we focused on the challenge with the other playoff schools, the primary objective was to raise funds for our student-athletes. Those of you who contributed during the challenge, or at any point during the year, to the Crimson Tide Foundation helped create opportunities for our student-athletes to be successful, and we are exceedingly grateful for you. Your support is paramount to our ability to achieve our Mission and I appreciate your contributions. If you didn't have a chance to give in December, you are welcome to give to the Crimson Tide Foundation at any point. You can do so on the website or by calling the office at 205-348-9727.

Sports Updates

Men's Basketball

Coach Avery Johnson's team is 8-5 this season, including 1-0 in the SEC, after picking up a big road victory on Tuesday night, defeating Mississippi State, 68-58, to begin SEC play. It was our fourth consecutive victory in Humphrey Coliseum, the longest such streak in Alabama history, and our seventh win over the Bulldogs in the last eight meetings. Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram led the Tide with 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while sophomore Avery Johnson Jr. had 13 points with five boards. The Tide outscored State, 29-11, over the final 14 minutes of the first half to take a 32-20 lead going into halftime. The Tide shot 44 percent from the field and dominated the boards by a 43-26 margin. The Tide returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 7, hosting Vanderbilt at Coleman Coliseum for its SEC home opener. The game will be televised by ESPNU with tipoff set for 6 p.m. CT.

Women's Basketball

Coach Kristy Curry's team earned a hard-fought 90-80 victory over Ole Miss on Thursday night for their first SEC win of the season and 13th win overall. Junior Meo Knight had a career-high 29 points to lead the way offensively. Freshman Jordan Lewis had another great outing distributing the ball as she had seven assists, one shy of her career high, while fellow freshman Ashley Knight finished with five blocks to quickly move her into the Tide's single-season top 10 list for blocks. By game's end she had reached 41 overall, tying her for seventh with junior Quanetria Bolton, who reached that number a year ago. Ashley continues to lead the SEC in blocks with an average of 2.7 per game and has 13 more than South Carolina's A'ja Wilson. The Tide is preparing for its next league road contest, which will come on Sunday at Missouri. The Tigers are 9-0 at home this season and 1-1 in conference games with a victory over Georgia and a narrow loss at nationally-ranked Kentucky. The Tide then returns home for three straight games in Coleman Coliseum, starting with Kentucky on Thursday, Jan. 12, Arkansas on Sunday, Jan. 14, and Mississippi State on Thursday, Jan. 19.

Gymnastics

After months of training and preparation, the gymnastics season is upon us and Coach Dana Duckworth and her ladies got things started tonight at with a tough loss at top-ranked Oklahoma. This is certainly a challenging way to get things going. The Sooners are the defending NCAA champions and are ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches' poll. After opening on the road for the second year in a row, the gymnasts return to Tuscaloosa to open their home schedule on Friday, Jan. 13, against 2016 NCAA runner-up LSU in Coleman Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. CT. Talk about an intense opening schedule for this team! We hope everyone will get tickets now (www.rolltide.com) to cheer on our ladies next Friday against the Tigers!

Swimming & Diving

The first week of 2017 is a busy one for Coach Dennis Pursley and our swimming and diving teams. Our divers have been in Knoxville, Tenn., all week at the Tennessee Diving Invitational and have posted a number of top-20 finishes. They will then join the swimmers for two days of competition in Louisiana. Today, the women's team knocked off Tulane in New Orleans and Saturday, the Tide will take on SEC rival LSU in Baton Rouge at 11 a.m. CT. The LSU meet, in particular, should be a great challenge for this point in the season. The team is emerging from two intense training camps that took place since the end of the fall semester. I know that our swimmers and divers are looking forward to competing against someone else for a change. This is the beginning of our stretch run and every meet, every race, and every dive brings them closer to their goal of postseason success.

Men's & Women's Tennis

Both our men's and women's tennis teams announced earlier this week the installation of a live streaming technology called PlaySight for the upcoming spring season. PlaySight gives our teams the ability to live stream in high definition, plus record and store practice and match sessions to the indoor and outdoor tennis facilities. The men's team is set to officially kick off the spring season on Monday, Jan. 16, when it hosts East Tennessee State at 1 p.m. CT. The women's team is scheduled to begin its spring season on Sunday, Jan. 15, when it hosts matches against UAB (10 a.m. CT) and Alabama State (4 p.m. CT).

Track & Field

Coach Dan Waters' track and field team is scheduled to begin the indoor season next weekend, Friday and Saturday, January 13-14, at the Commodore Invitational at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. The track and field program is coming off an impressive fall semester in the classroom as 19 student-athletes (15 women, four men) earned perfect grade-point averages of 4.00.

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, MT is Mountain Time, PT is Pacific Time). For a complete look at our upcoming calendar, go to http://www.rolltide.com/calendar.aspx:

Saturday, January 7

Time	Sport	Event	Location
11 a.m. CT	Swimming & Diving	at LSU	Baton Rouge, La.
6 p.m. CT	Men's Basketball	vs. Vanderbilt	Coleman Coliseum

Sunday, January 8

Time	Sport	Event	Location
2 p.m. CT	Women's Basketball	at Missouri	Columbia, Mo.

Monday, January 9

Time	Sport	Event	Location
8:17 p.m. ET	Football	at CFP National Championship Game vs. Clemson	Tampa, Fla.

Tuesday, January 10

Time	Sport	Event	Location
8 p.m. CT	Men's Basketball	vs. Florida	Coleman Coliseum
All Day	Swimming & Diving	at Tennessee Diving Invitational	Knoxville, Tenn.

Thursday, January 12

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

Friday, January 13

Time	Sport	Event	Location
7:30 p.m. CT	Gymnastics	vs. LSU	Coleman Coliseum
All Day	Indoor Track & Field	at Vanderbilt Commodore Classic	Nashville, Tenn.

Saturday, January 14

Time	Sport	Event	Location
2:30 p.m. CT	Men's Basketball	at LSU	Baton Rouge, La.
All Day	Indoor Track & Field	at Vanderbilt Commodore Classic	Nashville, Tenn.

Sunday, January 15

Time	Sport	Event	Location
10 a.m. CT	Women's Tennis	vs. UAB	Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility
4 p.m. CT	Women's Basketball	vs. Arkansas	Coleman Coliseum
4 p.m. CT	Women's Tennis	vs. Alabama State	Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility

Monday, January 16

Time	Sport	Event	Location
1 p.m. CT	Men's Tennis	vs. East Tennessee State	Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility
6 p.m. CT	Men's Tennis	vs. Samford	Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility

Wednesday, January 18

Time	Sport	Event	Location
6 p.m. CT	Men's Basketball	vs. Missouri	Coleman Coliseum

Thursday, January 19

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

Friday, January 20

Time	Sport	Event	Location
3 p.m. ET	Swimming & Diving	at Georgia Tech	Atlanta, Ga.
6 p.m. CT	Women's Tennis	vs. Illinois	Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility
7:30 p.m. CT	Gymnastics	at Missouri	Columbia, Mo.

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

Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/alabama/mbball/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaMBB
Twitter: @AlabamaMBB

Women's Basketball

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

Football

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

Gymnastics

Live Stats: http://www.sidearmsports.com/alabama/gym/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BamaGymnastics
Twitter: @BamaGymnastics

Swimming & Diving

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

Men's Tennis

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

Women's Tennis

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

Track & Field

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

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 here. If you can't make it to our games in person, catch us on radio or TV.
(All times listed are Central Time)