Punter James Burnip shined for Alabama in the Rose Bowl loss to Michigan
Although the Rose Bowl did not end the way the Alabama Crimson Tide would have hoped for with a 27-20 loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup, it’s always important to recognize those who made a positive impact on the game. For Alabama, it wasn’t an offensive or defensive player, instead, it was punter James Burnip.
Burnip put on a masterclass for punting on Monday with seven punts for an average of 50.3 yards with his longest punt going for 62 yards. Burnip was also able to pin the Michigan offense inside the 20-yard line on five different occasions which was critical in the field position matchup.
Burnip is a junior from Australia and is expected to return to Alabama for the 2023 season as one of the nation’s top punters.
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When the season comes to an end, several Alabama players will have to decide whether to go pro or return to school. See who we predict to declare and come back.
Every year, the Alabama football program has roster turnover. Some players elect to enter the NFL draft. Others either elect to return to school or enter the transfer portal.
For upperclassmen, the usual option is to go pro or return to school. In the past, multiple players have increased their stock by returning to Alabama instead of declaring early. Several that come to mind are Reuben Foster, Rashaan Evans, and Najee Harris. Several who entered the draft early and likely would have benefitted from coming back were Adrian Hubbard, Saivion Smith, and Deionte Thompson.
With Alabama’s season ending in less than a month, a handful of players will be tasked with making critical decisions for their future.
Roll Tide Wire projects which Alabama players will turn pro and which players will choose to return to school.
Roll Tide Wire names its player of the game following Alabama’s Week 7 victory against Arkansas.
Early on, there were several Alabama players that would have qualified to be named as this week’s Roll Tide Wire Player of the Game. However, as the second half unfolded, it was clear as to who should be named the winning recipient. The player who gave Alabama the ultimate edge over the Razorbacks on Saturday was punter James Burnip.
In Week 6, Burnip suffered a calf injury that caused him to miss the second half against Texas A&M. In Week 7, he returned to contribute in a huge way in Alabama’s 24-21 win against Arkansas. The Australian punter booted seven punts for 349 total yards. Burnip averaged 49.9 yards per punt. His longest punt on the day went 59 yards.
Without Burnip, there could have been a different outcome to this game. His leg certainly kept Alabama in a good position in the second half. His ability to flip the field has been second-to-none for the Crimson Tide this season and the trend continued in Week 7 against the Razorbacks.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama football program.
We are just James Burnip days away from Alabama’s 2023 football season getting started!
The Alabama Crimson Tide will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 86 days, as Middle Tennessee State visits Bryant Denny Stadium on Sept. 2.
Here at Roll Tide Wire, we will be counting down the days until [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and his team take the field.
Today, with 86 days remaining, we will take a look at Alabama’s current punter who happens to wear No. 86, [autotag]James Burnip[/autotag].
Burnip has been Alabama’s punter the last couple of seasons and has done a pretty solid job so far. Burnip has the potential to be one of the premier punters in college football this season.
Nick Saban and his staff selected 12 total players as players of the week following Alabama’s 49-27 win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
On Monday, following Alabama’s 49-27 win over their arch-rivals the Auburn Tigers, the Crimson Tide coaching staff selected a total of 12 members of the team as players of the week.
On offense, the coaching staff selected a total of seven players including star quarterback [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] who accumulated over 300 yards passing on the day. The coaching staff also recognized all of the starting offensive linemen including Tyler Booker who splits time at guard with Javion Cohen.
The defense was represented by Will Anderson and Brian Branch while Ja’Corey Brooks, James Burnip, and Emmanuel Henderson got the nod with their roles on special teams.
Here is what the coaching staff credited each player with on Alabama’s official website rolltide.com.
Special teams were haunting Alabama against Arkansas
Arkansas had some momentum against Alabama on Saturday and the Razorbacks were using special teams to close in on the Tide.
First, kicker Jake Bates recovered his onside kick.
Then, Alabama was ready to punt but the snap somehow connected with one of the punt protectors and Arkansas wound up with the ball inside the Alabama 5.
All Tide punter James Burnip could do was fall on the ball.
Alabama got back to its dominating ways on Saturday night against Mississippi State, let’s see how the Tide grade out this week!
Saturday night in Starkville was a sight for sore eyes as the Crimson Tide put on its best performance of the season. Even though the Tide came into the contest ranked fifth, the season wasn’t really going as expected. As we all know, the Tide is always chasing perfection.
After taking a loss to the Texas A&M Aggies in the previous week, the Tide came back with vengeance, defeating the Bulldogs 49-9.
Each week we grade all three phases of the game for the Crimson Tide, let’s see how they did this week!
Offense: A+
Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports Bryce Young
This was by far the most complete performance of the season by the Alabama offense. The Tide passed for nearly 350 yards and added almost another 200 on the ground. The balanced attacked kept the Mississippi State defense on heels for most of the contest, especially in the second half.
Bryce Young looked like a veteran quarterback out there, completing 20 of his 28 passing attempts for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
Brian Robinson Jr. wore down the Bulldog defense for a tough 73 yards on 19 carries. Robinson bullied his way for two rushing touchdowns, but also added a 51-yard touchdown reception, showing off his versatility. Roydell Williams was able to take advantage of a wore out Mississippi State defense in the second half rushing for 78 yards on 11 carries.
Collectively, the wide receiver group played its best game of the season on Saturday night. John Metchie III went off for 117 yards on seven catches and a touchdown. Jameson Williams once again showed off his elite speed on 75-yard touchdown reception to open the second half. The surprise of the night was sophomore Traeshon Holden. Holden reeled in three catches for 70 yards and one touchdown.
Upfront it was yet another average day for the offensive line. The line was not bad by any stretch, but it is clearly not one of the strengths of the team. Through seven games it is safe to say the offensive line is what it is.
Defense: A+
Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
The defensive performance for the Tide was nearly textbook for the modern age of college football. The bend but don’t break philosophy was executed almost perfectly.
The Alabama defense gave up 299 yards of total offense to the Bulldogs but did not surrender a single touchdown. Will Rogers threw the ball a total of 55 times in the contest for 300 yards but was also picked off three different times.
The Tide smothered the ground game of Mississippi State, holding the Bulldogs to minus one-yard rushing in the contest. Now, Alabama did sack Rogers several times throughout the contests, and Rogers finished with minus 41 yards rushing.
Will Anderson Jr. completed wrecked the Mississippi State offensive line on Saturday night with four sacks. He was simply unblockable. As a team, Alabama sacked Rogers a total of seven times.
In the backend, the secondary played as well as one could hope. Jordan Battle had what was probably the best performance of his Tide career. The junior safety picked off Rogers on two separate occasions, returning one for a touchdown in the first half.
Let’s see if the Tide defense can play with the same intensity moving forward!
Special Teams: A-
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
One of the quiet stars of Alabama’s victory over Mississippi State was punter James Burnip. While his net punting average was not fantastic, he did pen the Bulldog offense inside the 20 on two different occasions.
Placekicker Will Reichard continues to be a consistent force for the Tide, connecting on all seven of his point-after attempts.
Jameson Williams averaged 32.5 yards per kick return with a long of 45.
Overall: A+
Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
The Crimson Tide put together its most complete game of the 2021 season on Saturday night. The only area that you could point to that wasn’t dominant was the offensive line which continues to be a work in progress. Otherwise, the Tide completely dominated the Bulldogs and restored hope among the Tide faithful.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire as we offer continuous coverage on the Alabama Crimson Tide!
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.
