Tag: Nick Saban

Alabama-Mississippi State: Halftime report

The Alabama Crimson Tide leads the Mississippi State Bulldogs 35 – 7 at the half in a game that has displayed Alabama’s dominance on both sides of the ball. Halftime. #BamaFactor #RollTide pic.twitter.com/J85U5ZiNb9 – Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) …

The Alabama Crimson Tide leads the Mississippi State Bulldogs 35 – 7 at the half in a game that has displayed Alabama’s dominance on both sides of the ball.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was carted off of the field with an apparent hip injury late in the second quarter, has completed 14 passes off of 18 attempts for 256 yards and two touchdowns.

Mac Jones has stepped up in place of Tagovailoa and will fill his role for the time being if he is able to returns later in this game.

Najee Harris has been the star of the Alabama offense in the first half as he has scored four total touchdowns, three rushing and one receiving.

Wide receiver Jerry jeudy has an impressive 106 yards in the first half off of six receptions.

The defense has also been a major factor for Alabama in this game as Shane Lee came up with an early interception to help the Tide gain a two possession lead.

They have held Mississippi State’s quarterback, Tommy Stevens, to only 28 yards and their star running back, Kylin Hill to only 24 yards on the ground.

Alabama will kickoff to start the second half in Starkville.

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WATCH: Nick Saban shares thoughts on CFB Playoff ranking

Alabama head coach Nick Saban isn’t worried about Playoff rankings. He’s only worried about controlling what his team can control!

Nick Saban has built the Alabama football program by focusing on the things that you can control.

At this point in the season, the head coach isn’t worried about where his team stands in the College Football Playoff rankings, and he made that much clear during his weekly “Hey Coach” show on Thursday night.

Here is what Saban actually said:

“I don’t want our players to be talking about or hearing about like what everybody else is talking about — my daughter and everybody else — it’s all I hear about: are we going to get into the Playoff? Why did Georgia get ahead of us? I don’t really care about that, alright. Because the only thing we have to do is focus on what do we have to do to finish the season.”

The Alabama head coach then went on to talk about how special it is that every team since 2010 has suffered one or less losses during the regular season, which is a fantastic point.

Right now, the team needs to be worried about controlling the things that are in its control, one of which is beating Mississippi State in Starkville on Saturday morning.

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Does Minkah Fitzpatrick have a case for DPOY?

Minkah Fitzpatrick has had an interesting welcome into the NFL, but it doesn’t seem to have stopped him from playing his best football yet. After being drafted by the Miami Dolphins with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, it had looked …

Minkah Fitzpatrick has had an interesting welcome into the NFL, but it doesn’t seem to have stopped him from playing his best football yet.

After being drafted by the Miami Dolphins with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, it had looked like Fitzpatrick was poised to be the lead man in the team’s secondary.

Instead, he was bounced around three different positions, and was unable to solidify himself as a large contributor because of this.

When the Alabama product requested a trade early on in the 2019 regular season, the Dolphins granted his wish – it also helped that they were looking to build up draft stock in preparation for the 2020 NFL Draft.

A trade was made with Pittsburgh after Week 2, and thus, the breakout year had begun.

In his seven weeks as a Steeler, it’s been hard to not find Fitzpatrick’s name in a headline.

He’s made flashy plays and crucial plays in the black and yellow, almost as if he wanted to show the Dolphins’ front office ‘what could have been.’

So far in 2019, Fitzpatrick, with both teams, has accumulated five interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, eight pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and 45 total tackles.

This stat line is not only impressive for a second-year player that struggled with his original team, but for any defensive back in the pros.

If he is able to continue making big plays that positively affect his team, and keep his name in the headlines – for positive, on-the-field, reasons – he could enter the 2020 season as the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

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The Dynasty Isn’t Over – Top Tide Takeaways: Alabama vs LSU

On Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide lost to the LSU Tigers for the first time since 2011, 46-41.

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On Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide lost to the LSU Tigers for the first time since 2011, 46-41. Coming into this game, a lot was on the line: the SEC West Title, the ability to play in the SEC Championship Game, and a good chance to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. After Saturday, there’s been a lot of conversation regarding whether Alabama still deserves a shot to be in the CFB Playoff after Saturday’s loss. Regardless, the Crimson Tide not only has a lot to address and work on, but Alabama has a lot to prove to themselves and the CFB Playoff committee that they’re better than they played on Saturday. 

Here are some of the Top Tide Takeaways from Saturday’s matchup.

  1. The second half, especially the third quarter, was Alabama’s game. Not only did they hold LSU to zero points in the third quarter, but they were able to 13 total points in the second half while putting 28 points on the board themselves. Going into halftime down by 20 points, Alabama did what they needed to do to adjust and get ready to fight in the second half. Although they still lost by 5 points, the second half of the game showed a team that had grit, passion, and determination. 
  1. Alabama’s running game showcased the ability and talent we knew they’ve had all season. Najee Harris had an incredible game with 19 carries for 146 yards and a TD. His footwork and field vision gave Alabama the momentum it needed to continue downfield. Not only did he have a rushing touchdown, he also had a HUGE receiving touchdown with the Tide down by 20. 
  1. Although Tua Tagovailoa struggled in the first half, he still finished the game with 418 yards passing, 4 TDs, and 1 INT. Tagovailoa clearly wasn’t 100%, but still played his heart out, one foot and all, and that’s all Bama Nation could ask for. 

Area(s) of Concern

  1. Defensively, Alabama struggled a lot to hold and contain LSU, but that’s not a shock. Alabama’s defense is young, and have had to adjust after losing both Dylan Moses and Labryan Ray defensively. Alabama gave up 559 yards to the Tigers, something uncharacteristic of the Tide in previous years. But with the defense as young as they are, this isn’t surprising. And the defense is full of talent that will continue to improve and develop over time. 

All in all, this was a well fought game on both sides. Although Alabama came up short, the second half proved that this team is capable of winning big games. Not only was Tua Tagovailo not 100%, but the defense is young, both of which will take time. But know this: the dynasty is NOwhere near over.

After all, Alabama has been in this position before with no playing in the SEC Championship Game, but still getting into the CFB Playoff. Only time will tell. 

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