Tag: Mercer Bears

Photos from Alabama’s 52-7 victory over Mercer

Alabama routed the Bears on Saturday, 52-7.

The Alabama Crimson Tide continued their winning ways Saturday against the Mercer Bears, defeating the visiting FCS program by a final score of 52-7.

This was an all-around dominant showing from the Crimson Tide, as Mercer never led in this contest, as well as trailed 31-7 at halftime. Alabama also had many of their backups see significant action in this contest, with a few names also going on to find the end zone in particular.

A game in which it was simply all Crimson Tide from the opening kick, let’s take a look at some of the top photos from Alabama vs. Mercer in Week 12:

Alabama football schedule: Are the Crimson Tide playing today? 

Is Alabama playing today? Here’s a look at the schedule and the games to come. 

After a dominant 42-13 road win in Baton Rouge last Saturday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide will be back in action once again in Week 13 when the program hosts the Mercer Bears.

Two of the top teams in the FBS and FCS, both of Alabama and Mercer are in the middle of strong seasons, with the Crimson Tide sitting at 7-2 overall, while the Bears are 9-1. Both teams are also among the top of their respective conferences as well, which are the SEC and Southern, respectively.

READ MORE: 2024 Mercer Bears Team Preview

The game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Mercer Bears will begin at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, November, 16 from Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Alabama Crimson Tide 2024 schedule

  • Aug. 31: vs. Western Kentucky (W, 63-0)
  • Sept. 7: vs. South Florida (W, 42-16)
  • Sept. 14: at Wisconsin (W, 42-10)
  • Sept. 28: vs. Georgia (W, 41-34)
  • Oct. 5: at Vanderbilt (L, 40-35)
  • Oct. 12: vs. South Carolina (W, 27-25)
  • Oct. 19: at Tennessee (L, 24-17)
  • Oct. 26: vs. Missouri (W, 34-0)
  • Nov. 9: at LSU (W, 42-13)
  • Nov. 16: vs. Mercer
  • Nov. 23: at Oklahoma
  • Nov. 30: vs. Auburn

Record: 7-2 overall (4-2 in SEC)

Staff predictions for Week 12 matchup between Alabama and Mercer

The Roll Tide Wire staff make their picks for Alabama vs. Mercer.

After improving to 7-2 overall, as well as 4-2 in SEC play, a week ago inside Tiger Stadium, the Alabama Crimson Tide will be back inside Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday for a showdown with the Mercer Bears.

A FCS opponent, Alabama will likely be big favorites over Mercer going into this contest, but it will still be one of the most talented Bears’ teams that have faced the Crimson Tide in what will be only their fifth-ever meeting.

So, ahead of Saturday afternoon’s contest in Tuscaloosa, here is who our Roll Tide Wire staff has winning Alabama vs. Mercer:

Matt’s Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 48, Mercer Bears 10

Simply put, this is a game where Alabama should cruise to a blowout victory over Mercer, as the Bears will simply not be able to keep up offensively. The Crimson Tide should claim a sizable lead early, and win this game by at-least three-to-four touchdowns.

Steve’s Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 38, Mercer Bears 7

The Bears are a quality FCS opponent and I usually dread the week-after LSU game because of how banged up players are afterwards and the mental energy that’s sometimes required to survive that game. This year is a bit different, and I don’t see Alabama overlooking this Mercer team. Close game for a while, but the Tide pull away.

Sam’s Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 52, Mercer Bears 3

Alabama is playing their best football of the season, their only worry vs. Mercer should be sleep walking after a big win against LSU. The Bears are a solid FCS team, but Alabama is in the Playoff hunt and can’t afford to stumble. Jalen Milroe’s Heisman campaign is picking up speed again, and he can put up some nice numbers this weekend.

USA TODAY Sports experts predictions for Alabama-Mercer, key Top 25 games

Here’s who USA TODAY Sports experts think will win Saturday’s game between Alabama and Mercer, plus the top 10 SEC showdown between Tennessee and Georgia.

Fresh off their 42-13 beatdown of the LSU Tigers, the Alabama Crimson Tide are taking on the Mercer Bears in Week 12.

Alabama (7-2) got four touchdowns runs by Jalen Milroe, who had an electric night at Tiger Stadium by rushing for 185 yards on 12 carries and throwing for another 109 yards on 12-of-18 passes.

Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide will look to avoid a letdown against Mercer, a quality FCS opponent from the Southern Conference.

Alabama is ranked No. 9 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. In the updated College Football Playoff Rankings released Tuesday, Alabama moved up one spot to No. 10.

Mercer (9-1) is also ranked No. 9 — in the FCS Coaches Poll following a 34-0 shutout victory over VMI last Saturday.

On Thursday, USA TODAY Sports college football experts released their predictions for every Top 25 team in Week 12, including Alabama vs. Mercer. To no surprise, the six-member panel of Dan Wolken, Paul Myerberg, Eddie Timanus, Scooby Axson, Jordan Mendoza and Erick Smith all picked the Crimson Tide to win.

RELATED: 5 Bears to know ahead of Alabama vs. Mercer

Kickoff for Alabama vs. Mercer is set for 1 p.m CT at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game can be seen on SEC Network+.

Experts offer predictions for key Week 12 Top 25 college football matchups

Only two games in Week 12 feature teams both ranked in the Top 25 of this week’s polls. The biggest is in Athens for the Top 10 matchup between the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers and No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs.

All but one of USA TODAY Sports’ experts (Timanus) predicted Georgia to win, a week after the Bulldogs fell 28-10 to Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.

Kickoff for Tennessee vs. Georgia is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC. ESPN’s “College GameDay” is in Athens this week for Saturday’s Vols-Bulldogs showdown.

The other matchup pitting two Top 25 teams is in Columbia, S.C., which sees the No. 23 South Carolina Gamecocks hosting the No. 21 Missouri Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. All members of the six-man panel picked LaNorris Sellers and South Carolina to win.

Kickoff for Missouri-South Carolina is set for 3:15 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions. 

A look at Alabama vs. Mercer head-to-head football history

This will be the fifth all-time meeting between Alabama and Mercer.

After a dominant road win inside Tiger Stadium last Saturday night over the LSU Tigers, the Alabama Crimson Tide are set to return home this upcoming weekend for a matchup against an opponent from the FCS ranks, the Mercer Bears.

A game in which Alabama will be a big favorite, Mercer is an opponent that the Crimson Tide are not necessarily as familiar with compared to others on their schedule, which is due to the two having faced off only four times ever.

Alabama vs. Mercer is a series that dates back to 1939, with all four games between the two having taken place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Over that span, Alabama is a combined 4-0 against the Bears, with the first two of those games being 20-0 wins for the Crimson Tide back in 1939 and 1940.

The other two meetings came during the Nick Saban era, beginning with a 56-0 route of the Bears during the 2017 season. In that game, both Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa threw for three touchdowns each in the Alabama win.

As for the most recent game between the two, Alabama and Mercer last faced off during the 2021 season in Tuscaloosa, a game in which the Crimson Tide won by a final score of 48-14. That game also featured strong quarterback play from the Crimson Tide, as Bryce Young threw for three touchdowns.

Will the Crimson Tide and Bears set to face off once again Saturday, will it be five-straight for Alabama over Mercer, and will Jalen Milroe keep the run of stellar quarterback play going?

ESPN names broadcast crew for Alabama football vs. Mercer

Here are the TV announcers for Alabama’s game against the Mercer Bears Saturday.

Fresh off their 42-13 win over the LSU Tigers in Week 11, Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide are hosting the Mercer Bears in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday. Kickoff for Alabama vs. Mercer is set for 1 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on SEC Network+.

On Monday, ESPN announced its Week 12 college football commentator assignments. For Alabama-Mercer, the crew of Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Rocky Boiman (analyst) will have the call of the game on SEC Network+. Ashley Stroehlein will handle sideline reporting duties. It’s the trio’s first time working an Alabama game.

Radio coverage for Saturday’s Alabama game will be carried on SiriusXM Channel 191, featuring the Crimson Tide Sports Network crew of Chris Stewart, Tyler Watts and Damion Square.

Alabama (7-2) rose two spots to No. 9 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll following its win at LSU. Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide were ranked No. 11 in the initial CFP rankings last week. The updated rankings will be unveiled Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Mercer is atop the Southern Conference and is 9-1 overall and ranked No. 9 in this week’s AFCA NCAA FCS Football Rankings. The Bears defeated VMI, 34-0, last Saturday.

Alabama football game vs Mercer won’t be on TV channel

The latest on kickoff time and broadcast information for Alabama vs. Mercer on Nov. 16.

The SEC on Monday announced kickoff times and broadcast info for Week 12 games on Nov. 16, including the nonconference game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Mercer Bears.

The Tide (6-2) and Bears (8-1) will kick off at 1 p.m. CT on Nov. 16 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

The game will only be available to stream on ESPN+/SEC Network+. That means there will be no traditional television channel in which Alabama vs. Mercer will air on.

Alabama is ranked No. 11 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll following their Week 10 bye. The Crimson Tide shut out Missouri, 34-0, in their last game on Oct. 26.

Mercer defeated East Tennessee State, 37-31, on Saturday. At 8-1 overall, the Bears are atop the Southern Conference standings.

Last week, the Division I Football Championship Committee unveiled its in-season Top 10 rankings of all FCS teams. Mercer was ranked No. 8.

Alabama and Mercer have met four times previously, all Crimson Tide victories. The Tide won the last meeting between the two schools, 48-14 on Sept. 11, 2021.

Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide head to Baton Rouge this week for a huge showdown with the No. 13 LSU Tigers (6-2). Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. The game can be seen on ABC.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions. 

Duke named a 3-seed in March Madness Bracket Preview

NCAA Selection Committee lists Duke as a 3-seed in NCAA seeding preview.

We are speeding towards another March, and that means the NCAA Tournament is around the corner.

With more than half of the conference slate done for all the college basketball teams, things are heating up and resumes are continuing to be built as teams fight and scrap for their chance to win their conference tournament or make the Big Dance as an at-large team.

The selection committee has done something incredible in recent years, as they have started releasing the current top 16 seeds at certain moments in the season. It’s a fun exercise for some of the top teams in the dance who are virtually locked to make the tournament. It helps give them perspective on the prospects of improving their seed and provides some perspective to teams on the bubble, trying to see where they would shake out with the other 52 spots.

Duke’s season has been very good, and as Duke prepares to start a three-game ACC road trip with Florida State on Saturday, they’ll do so knowing they are one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

The selection committee has spoken, and as of right now, Duke is the 12th overall seed, currently slated for a No. 3 seed.

Duke’s most notable game as a 3-seed came against the Mercer Bears in 2014 when the Bears took down the Jabari Parker-led Duke team in the opening game. However, no school that’s earned a No. 3 seed has lost to a No. 14 seed more than once. So if that does end up being Duke’s ultimate fate this season, they have that stat on their side.

Duke has a prime opportunity to improve their NCAA Tournament seed. While Duke currently sits second in the ACC, they remain just half a game behind the North Carolina Tarheels for first place. Winning the ACC regular season title and pushing toward an ACC Tournament title could be enough to get Duke to the No. 2 seed line, where the Tar Heels currently sit.

For Duke, it starts with taking care of business for the remainder of the ACC regular season.

Auburn falls in latest ESPN Football Power Index rankings

The ESPN FPI once highly favored Auburn, but has since changed its tone.

One of the few outlets giving Auburn a chance to succeed this season was the ESPN Football Power Index, which is supposed the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. But, after Week 1, Auburn is not receiving as much praise from the formula.

After defeating Mercer 42-16 on Saturday, Auburn has dropped 16 places from No. 11 to No. 27 in the latest ESPN FPI rankings.

In the latest FPI update, Auburn still has a favorable chance to win six games, as they have a 74% forecasted chance to eclipse the .500 mark. The Tigers still hold the nation’s toughest remaining schedule according to FPI.

This week, Auburn hosts San Jose State. The Spartans currently rank No. 113 in FPI, and Auburn has a 96.3% chance of defeating San Jose State on Saturday night.

Where does the rest of the SEC rank in the lates ESPN Football Power Index? Take a look below:

Three defensive keys to stopping Mercer in season opener

The Tigers face off against a run-heavy bears team to kick off the year.

Sure, Mercer isn’t the hardest opponent the Tigers will face this year, but it’s an opponent nonetheless.

There’s a lot of excitement buzzing around incumbent starter T.J. Finley and the Auburn offense, of course, but the Tigers will have to remain vigilant on the other side of the ball regardless of how talented the Bears’ roster is. College football has taught us all that it is important to never overlook any opponent, and Auburn should know that well — it was almost on the receiving end of an upset at the hands of Georgia State last year.

Will all that said, here are a few key areas the Tigers should look to address to win their opening game of the 2022 season: