Tag: Alabama

Two former Alabama stars score first NFL TD

Two former Alabama standouts, Irv Smith Jr. and Bo Scarbrough, scored their first career NFL touchdown on Sunday.

Alabama is known for putting impact players in the NFL. With former stars such as Julio Jones, Mark Ingram II and Minkah Fitzpatrick coming up with big plays seemingly every week, it can be hard to keep up with.

Well, add two more former Tide standouts to the list of players who have scored NFL touchdowns this season.

On Sunday, second-year running back Bo Scarbrough, who has bounced around on multiple teams since being a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, scored the following touchdown for the Detroit Lions:

So far on the day, Scarbrough has rushed the ball 12 times for 49 yards (4.1-yard per carry average) and a touchdown against a respectable Dallas Cowboys defense. Pretty nice debut for his new team considering he was just signed to the roster on Saturday.

Scarbrough is not the only Alabama play to score the first career NFL touchdown on Sunday, however.

Minnesota Vikings rookie tight end Irv Smith Jr. also hauled in the team’s only touchdown through so far against the Denver Broncos on this 10-yarder from Kirk Cousins:

Heading into Sunday, Smith has slowly started to become more involved in the Vikings offense with starting wide receiver Adam Thielen out with an injury.

In fact, the second-round pick out of Alabama had 24 receptions for 241 yards (10.0 yards per catch) coming into today. The “Built By Bama” mantra continues to prove its worth each and every week in the NFL.

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AP Poll: Notre Dame Back in Top 15

What it all means is that if Notre Dame wins out they’ll have a realistic chance at finishing the regular season in the top-10

The latest AP Poll is out after Week 12 concluded and Notre Dame moved up in that one as well, just like the Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA Today, earlier today.

The latest poll is as follows:

Here is the new top 25:

1) LSU

2) Ohio State

3) Clemson

4) Georgia

5) Alabama

6) Oregon

7) Utah

8) Oklahoma

9) Penn State

10) Florida

11) Minnesota

12) Michigan 

13) Baylor

14) Wisconsin

15) Notre Dame

16) Auburn

17) Cincinnati

18) Memphis

19) Iowa

20) Boise State

21) SMU

22) Oklahoma State

23) Appalachian State

24) Texas A&M

25) Virginia Tech

Others receiving votes:

Indiana 47, Iowa State 31, Virginia 23, Navy 13, Air Force 12, Pittsburgh 9, San Diego State 7, USC 6, Washington 6, Texas 4, Illinois 1

How high can Notre Dame get by the end of the year? It’ll need help to be in the top-10 but here are a few things to take note of:

Wisconsin and Minnesota still have to play in two weeks, while Baylor has a great chance of meeting Oklahoma in the Big XII Championship which would mean a pair of guaranteed loses ahead of Notre Dame.

It’s also worth noting Penn State and Michigan both have to play Ohio State where the Buckeyes will be favored against both, meaning two more very possible losses for teams Notre Dame is within shouting distance off.

Finally Oregon and Utah meeting in the PAC-12 Championship will mean one more guaranteed loss by one of them.

What it all means is that if Notre Dame wins out they’ll have a realistic chance at finishing the regular season in the top-10 and in turn, have an actual chance at a Cotton or Orange Bowl appearance.

Stay tuned as the Irish continue their quest for a ten-win regular season and possibly a NY-6 bowl as they welcome Boston College to South Bend on Saturday.

National Football Foundation FWAA Super 16 Week 12 Rankings

Where do all the top teams rank in the 2019 FFWA National Football Foundation Super 16 Week 12 rankings?

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Where do all the top teams rank in the 2019 FFWA National Football Foundation Super 16 Week 12 rankings? 

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

FWAA-NFF Super 16 Week 12 Rankings

– All the rankings: CFN, AP, Coaches Poll

Points, followed by first place votes, followed by last week’s ranking. 

Rank School Points
1. LSU (10-0) 729 (40) 1
2. Ohio State (10-0) 690 (5) 2
3. Clemson (11-0) 649 (1) 3
4. Georgia (9-1) 579 5
5. Alabama (9-1) 534 4
6. Oregon (9-1) 482 6
7. Oklahoma (9-1) 454 8
8. Utah (9-1) 430 9
9. Penn State (9-1) 349 10
10. Florida (9-2) 319 12
11. Minnesota (9-1) 241 7
12. Michigan (8-2) 202 14
13. Baylor (9-1) 199 11
14. Wisconsin (8-2) 147 15
15. Notre Dame (8-2) 117 16
16. Auburn (7-3) 72 13

Pete Fiutak’s Ballot
1 LSU
2  Ohio State
3  Clemson
4  Alabama
5  Georgia
6  Florida
7  Auburn
8  Oregon
9  Utah
10  Oklahoma
11  Minnesota
12  Penn State
13  Baylor
14  Wisconsin
15  Michigan
16  Notre Dame

The FWAA Super 16 Poll Voters

MARK ANDERSON
Las Vegas Review-Journal

NICOLE AUERBACH
The Athletic

NICOLE AUERBACH
The All-American

ZACH BARNETT
FootballScoop.com

TONY BARNHART
SEC Network

BRETT BEAIRD
WYTK Radio

TOM BECK
2004 Hall of Fame Class

RYAN BLACK
Manhattan Mercury

MARK BLAUDSCHUN
TMG College Sports

CHIP BROWN
Horns247, 1300 The Zone

DAVE CONGROVE
CollegeFootballPoll.com

GENE DUFFEY
Freelance

CHRIS DUFRESNE
TMG College Sports

JON FINKEL
Author, Life of Dad Show

BRYAN FISCHER
NBC Sports/College Football Talk

PETE FIUTAK
CollegeFootballNews.com

MIKE GRIFFITH
AJC Dawg Nation

DAN HARRALSON
Vols Wire/USA Today

STEVE HELWAGEN
Bucknuts Media Network

RON HIGGINS
LSU.Rivals.com

BOB HOLT
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

JOHN HOOVER
KRXO Radio (OK)

BRETT HUDSON
Matt Wyatt Media (MS)

ADAM HUNSUCKER
Monroe News-Star (LA)

JOHNNIE JOHNSON
2007 Hall of Fame Class

CODY KELLNER
Cody Kellner Points Index

KELLY LYELL
Fort Collins Coloradoan

RUDY MARTZKE
USA Today (Retired)

KEVIN McGUIRE
NBC Sports College Football Talk

DON McPHERSON
2008 Hall of Fame Class

RANDY PETERSON
Des Moines Register

MATT ROBERSON
Jonesboro Sun (AR)

BILL ROYCE
2016 Hall of Fame Class

BARRETT SALLEE
CBSSports.com/SiriusXM

MIKE’L SEVERE
1620 The Zone (NE)

DAN SILEO
Sports Radio Host (San Diego)

AUDREY SNYDER
The Athletic

PHIL STEELE
ESPN/Phil Steele Publications

PATRICK STEVENS
The Athletic Baltimore

DAVID TEEL
Newport News Daily Press

MEL TJEERDSMA
2018 Hall of Fame Class

JOHN WAGNER
Toledo Blade (Retired)

WESLEY WALLS
2014-Hall of Fame Class

DICK WEISS
Blue Star Media

REGGIE WILLIAMS
2007-Hall of Fame Class

SCOTT WOERNER
2016-Hall of Fame Class

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Amway Coaches Poll: Notre Dame Moves Up

A week after dropping a spot, Notre Dame moved back up in the latest Amway Coaches Poll, Powered by USA Today

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Last week some Notre Dame fans were upset when the Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA Today was released because the Fighting Irish dropped a spot to No. 16 despite having their way at Duke.

The Irish were rewarded for their win over previously No. 23 as they moved up one spot to No. 15 in this week’s poll.

Here is the latest Amway Coaches Poll, Powered by USA Today:

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Georgia

5. Alabama

6. Oregon

7. Oklahoma

8. Utah

9. Penn State

10. Florida

11. Minnesota

12. Michigan

13. Baylor

14. Wisconsin

15. Notre Dame

16. Auburn

17. Cincinnati

18. Memphis

19. Boise State

20. Iowa

21. SMU

22. Appalachian State

23. Oklahoma State

24. Texas A&M

25. San Diego State

Dropped out:

Navy, Texas and Indiana

Alabama drops to No. 5 in latest Amway Coaches Poll

The Alabama Crimson Tide dropped from No. 4 to No. 5 in the last Amway Coaches Poll, powered by USA TODAY Sports.

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Alabama managed to get a sound 35-7 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday, but that did not stop the slide from No. 4 to No. 5 in the latest Amway Coaches Poll, powered by USA TODAY Sports.

Georgia, who was already ranked ahead of the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff rankings, jumped to the No. 4 spot while there were some other slight changes to the rankings.

  • Minnesota dropped its first game of the season to Iowa, which caused a drop from No. 7 to No. 11
  • Baylor, who checked in as a top 10 team last week, only dropped to No. 13 after Oklahoma’s comeback victory on Saturday night
  • Auburn dropped a close one (21-14) to Georgia, and the rankings dropped them from No. 13 to No. 16 as a result
  • Texas A&M, who have not been in the top 25 in awhile, crawled back in at No. 24

Here is the top 25 in its entirety following Week 12 of the college football season:

1. LSU (10-0)

2. Ohio State (10-0)

3. Clemson (11-0)

4. Georgia (9-1)

5. Alabama (9-1)

6. Oregon (9-1)

7. Oklahoma (9-1)

8. Utah (9-1)

9. Penn State (9-1)

10. Florida (9-2)

11. Minnesota (9-1)

12. Michigan (8-2)

13. Baylor (9-1)

14. Wisconsin (8-2)

15. Notre Dame (8-2)

16. Auburn (7-3)

17. Cincinnati (9-1)

18. Memphis (9-1)

19. Boise State (9-1)

20. Iowa (7-3)

21. SMU (9-1)

22. Oklahoma State (7-3)

23. Appalachian State (9-1)

24. Texas A&M (7-3)

25. San Diego State (8-2)

Other teams receiving votes: Air Force, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Navy, Virginia, UL-Lafayette, Pittsburgh, USC, Louisiana Tech, Wake Forest, Temple, Kansas State

That is now six SEC teams listed in the top 25.

It’s good for Alabama that Texas A&M has made its way back into the rankings, as that is now a top 25 win that the Crimson Tide can claim.

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Predicting College Football Playoff rankings – Does Georgia football move?

Does Georgia football move in our predictions of the new College Football Playoff rankings.

On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed on ESPN. Between now and then, the committee will have a lot to discuss regarding the 5-10 positions.

As for 1-4, it’s pretty set in stone.

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LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia all took care of business. The Dawgs definitely had the most impressive win of the weekend among those teams, a road win vs No. 12 Auburn, but it should remain at four as the three undefeateds ahead of it still have a 0 in the loss column.

There was some drama on Saturday.

1-7 all won their games, but in Tuscaloosa the Tide surely are not celebrating after hearing the news that Tua Tagovailoa dislocated his hip and will be out for the remainder of the season.

The highest ranked team to lose was No. 8 Minnesota, which fell to Iowa.

No. 9 Penn State survived a scare from Indiana but held on to win by a touchdown.

And No. 13 Baylor was handed its first loss of the season via an epic comeback from Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma.

With everything in mind, I will attempt to predict what the committee will do on Tuesday.

These are not my rankings, but a prediction of what the rankings will look like

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Georgia

5. Alabama

I think the committee is going to give Alabama the benefit of the doubt until the Tide prove they don’t belong. If Alabama loses to Auburn, it’ll obviously move down. So they’ll just wait and see. 

6. Oregon

7. Utah

8. Oklahoma (jumps Penn State)

9. Penn State

10. Florida

This would give Georgia one win over a team in the top-10, Florida. Additionally, I predict Auburn will fall to No. 17 and Notre Dame, after destroying Navy, will move to no. 13.

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The LSU football team is getting credit for helping the Louisiana governor win reelection

Yeah, that checks out

President Donald Trump recently spent time campaigning in Louisiana — when he wasn’t paying a $2 million fine for misusing his charitable foundation for his own benefit, or live tweeting his own impeachment hearings — to try to bolster the chance of the Republican candidate for governor there.

That candidate, Eddie Risponse, lost to incumbent John Bel Edwards on Saturday night. And as pundits everywhere reacted to the results, attempting to decipher what it all means for Trump’s influence in the Republican Party moving forward, this spectacular tweet entered the world and I wanted to give it human form and embrace it in the longest of bear hugs.

I’m not gloating over a Democratic win here. We can set aside my own political feelings for a moment. What I love most is that we still, in 2019, know so little about the forces moving our electorate that we’re liable to just give a recent football game the credit — AND THAT MIGHT BE ABSOLUTELY TRUE.

I have no doubt that the people of Louisiana may feel better about, well, everything in the wake of LSU finally beating Alabama at football again. That win has nothing to do with the governor — and everything to do with Coach O and his speeches — but sports is a thing we can all easily grasp and come together around. Public policy? Not so much.

That’s not great for the strength of our democracy, when you think about it, but it’s also not by any means a new phenomenon. Elections have long swung on popularity and general prosperity — whether or not those things were germane in any way.

Of course, former Alabama running back Mark Ingram has already blamed the Crimson Tide’s loss on Trump … so if that logic follows (it doesn’t, but go with me) then it was Trump, in the end, that doomed Republicans in Louisiana — via football, not all the the other stuff being debated on the Sunday morning shows as I type.

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Tua Tagovailoa injury update: What we know

Here are the latest updates on the hip injury suffered by Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a hip injury during Alabama’s 38-7 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and it now appears his season, and possibly his time with the Crimson Tide, is over.

According to a report from Aaron Suttles, the Alabama beat writer for The Athletic, Tagovailoa suffered a dislocated hip with a posterior wall fracture and his season is done.

Because of the injury applying to the hip, comparisons were immediately made to the hip injury that ended Bo Jackson’s career and threatened his life. While both injuries happened to the hip, Jackson’s life was threatened because of vascular necrosis — blood couldn’t get to his hip bone. We have no idea if that is the case with Tua.

This is a serious injury, and we all hope the best for Tagovailoa. We will update more as we find out.

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3 big questions following Tua Tagovailoa’s injury against Mississippi State

Get well soon, Tua.

Alabama star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was carted off the field after taking a big hit in the second quarter against Mississippi State.

He had a bloody nose and was visibly in pain. He was unable to put any pressure on his right leg before being carted off by Alabama’s medical staff. ESPN’s Molly McGrath called it a right hip injury and said team doctors had to pick him up and carry him off the cart as he was screaming in pain.

None of that sounds good at all.

Alabama was up big, 35-7, after a monster first quarter from Tagovailoa where he completed 100 percent of his passes for 158 yards and a touchdown.

On the play he was injured he got caught scrambling out of the pocket by two Mississippi State defenders.

This situation is about to get super messy. It’s immediately the biggest story in college football and the NFL. A Heisman Trophy candidate and the potential number one pick might have a major injury. Questions are already flying.

Why was Tua in the game?

During his halftime interview, Nick Saban said the series their star quarterback got hurt on was going to be the last one he played. He was going to pull him the series before, but  Tagovailoa asked to remain in the game.

Hindsight is always 20/20, obviously. It’s tough to say Saban was wrong. But he definitely bears some responsibility here. Sometimes, you have to protect players from themselves in situation’s exactly like this. Tagovailoa had already had a monster game and the score was in hand. There’s no point in continuing there and Saban knows it, so sit him down.

What sort of injury is this?

If it’s something major that keeps him out for a year, not only does it keep Tagovailoa out for the rest of the college football season but it also puts his availability for the start of the next NFL season in mid-November.

That’s big. That could potential impact his draft status. There might not be a pro day or a combine or a chance to work out professionally for him. Instead, he might be rehabbing. He’ll still be able to interview, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the draft process.

He needs to take his time coming back, but the more time he takes, the more questions team executives will have. That’s not great for someone who could’ve been the No. 1 pick. Considering a return to Alabama might be in the cards because of this.

If he can play again, should he?

Let’s say he’s healthy enough to come back before the season’s end. As yourself, honestly, what’s the point?

Missing significant time completely knocks him out of the Heisman race. He’s already put enough on film to be considered a top 5 pick in the NFL draft. Alabama is currently ranked 5th and out of the College Football Playoff as things stand. There’s nothing left to play for.

Zion Williamson was faced with a similar situation at Duke last season when his shoe exploded and he chose to come back and play. That’s a fine decision. Didn’t end up amounting to anything, but it was what he wanted to do. We have to respect that.

Tagovailoa has more to consider. Football is a much more physically grueling sport and this is his second major injury this season. If you ask me, it’s time to sit down and get ready for the future. But he’s an athlete — that’s easy for me to say and hard for him to do.

It’s up to him ultimately. I just hope that whatever he chooses to do leads to a brighter, healthier future for him.

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Prospects for Jags fans to watch: Alabama OT Jedrick Wills

The Jaguars are in need of some offensive line help this coming offseason and I think Alabama RT, Jedrick Wills, could just be their guy.

The Southeastern Conference has become the meat and potatoes of the college football world. The conference churns out the country’s best trench play, becoming a factory for the NFL teams in need of some big men. That’s especially the case for Alabama, a university that has routinely sent offensive and defensive lineman to the league.

Like most years, Alabama is again flooded with NFL talent all over their starting lineup. Both of Alabama’s offensive tackles have garnered the close watch of NFL scouts, those being left tackle, Alex Leatherwood, and right tackle, Jedrick Wills. While Leatherwood is a talented lineman in his own right, I wanted to focus on Wills in this particular post.

The Jaguars’ offensive line play has been plagued with penalties and has been too inconsistent to be considered a finished product. Knowing Tom Coughlin and Doug Marrone’s tendency to focus heavily in the trenches, the offensive tackle position certainly isn’t out of question. Whether the team would move a player like Wills inside or not, he should, without a doubt, be on their scouting radar.

Wills is an absolute powerhouse. Alabama plays some nasty, physical football and Wills is no different. Wills’ favorite breakfast meal has to be a big stack of pancakes, because this guy sure knows how to make them.

Wills is just plain mean in the run game. He’s physical and gets to the second level nicely as a run defender. He can clear out massive lanes and is always looking to make defenders become acquainted with the ground. Most scouts who’ve watch him tend to believe that both traits are his greatest strengths.

If that wasn’t enough, here is another clip of just how effective Wills is in the run game:

While his strength is definitely in the run game, Alabama’s No. 74 is no slouch in pass protection. Wills strength again helps immensely in pass protection. He has some heavy hands and has quite the strong anchor. I would like to see him become a little cleaner with his technique, but the 6-foot-5, 316 pound tackle is still very much developing.

Here in this clip against Ole Miss, Wills physically abuses the Rebel defensive end, hitting him with a strong initial punch which eventually causes the defender to get off balance. This goes on to further demonstrate the type of strength that Wills has.

While his strength allows him to bully edge rushers, he does a nice job of reading and reacting to rushers as well. He does not possess the quickest feet, but can mirror defenders fairly well for a man of his size.

In pass protection he does not offer the same type of dominance as he does in the run game, however, he’s solid enough in the category for scouts to believe in him as a starter. Besides, with a team like the Jags, it’s his abilities as a run blocker that will count the most.

If the Jaguars were to select Wills, he could see a move to guard. With the uncertainty of Norwell and Cann, this could be a very realistic situation. Using their best available player philosophy could land them a player like Wills in 2020, and with their willingness to keep Cam Robinson at left tackle while Jawaan Taylor develops at right guard, Wills without a doubt would give the Jags a mauler at guard and an upgrade they could really use.

For those who to watch Wills this week, the Alabama Crimson Tide will be taking on the Mississippi State Bulldogs Saturday, Nov. 16 at 12 p.m. EST on ESPN.