HZT Crimson Tide Daily Wrap Plus Practice Report 11-4-2013
By Chris Hale
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- For the first Monday in a couple of weeks, CB Deion Belue was on the field and working with his group. Looks like the extra rest has done him some good. Belue has dealt with a number of nagging injuries since he enrolled last year. The latest is a painful toe injury.
- CB Bradley Sylve wasn’t limping much at all. This is a change from last week, when he was noticeably hobbling, but still participating, with the defensive backs. He’s battling Cyrus Jonesfor a starting job.
- RB Derrick Henry was back after missing Thursday’s with an excused absence. Both he andAltee Tenpenny were wearing Jeremy Hill’s No. 33.
- Freshman WR ArDarius Stewart was among the players wearing No. 80. That means he’ll beJarvis Landry in practice this week.
- WR Christion Jones, who appeared to be dealing with a minor injury Thursday, was active and didn’t look hindered at all.
- DE LaMichael Fanning’s suspension remains ongoing.
- THE GAME: The top-ranked University of Alabama football team hosts its final Southeastern Conference home game of the season inside Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday as the No. 10/12 Louisiana State University Tigers visit the Capstone. The game between the Crimson Tide and Tigers pits two ranked team for the seventh straight year and will kickoff at 7 p.m. CT on CBS. Verne Lundquist will serve as the play-by-play announcer, with Gary Danielson at his side as the color analyst. The two will be joined by sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. Eli Gold and Phil Savage will handle the radio call on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, with Chris Stewart serving as sideline reporter.
- RANKINGS: Alabama enters week 11 of the 2013 season ranked first in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings, the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches polls. LSU is ranked 10th in the AP poll, 12th in the USA Today coaches poll and 12th in the BCS standings and the USA TODAY Coaches poll.
- LSU: LSU enters the SEC Western Division showdown with a 7-2 overall record and a 3-2 mark in Southeastern Conference play. The Bengal Tigers are led by ninth-year head coach Les Miles and are coming off of a bye week preceded by a 48-16 victory over Furman in Baton Rouge. Senior Zach Mettenberger is in his second-season as the Tigers starting quarterback with a passer rating of 177.1 with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions while throwing for 2,492 yards and completing 65.4 percent of his passes. Jeremy Hill is second in the SEC in rushing with 922 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 7.2 yards per carry. The wide receiving corps is led by Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry who have combined to catch 106 passes for 1,891 yards and 16 scores.
- SERIES HISTORY: Alabama leads the series with LSU, 47-25-5, and has won two straight and four of six in the series after a thrilling 21-17 come-from-behind victory in Baton Rouge last season. The Tide and Tigers have won nine games apiece in Tuscaloosa while Alabama boasts a 20-16-2 record in the state of Alabama. The Crimson Tide actually own a 26-9-2 record in Baton Rouge and a 27-9-3 record in the state of Louisiana. The biggest win in the series for Alabama was a 21-0 victory in the 2012 Allstate BCS Championship Game (2011 season) in New Orleans after LSU had pulled out a 9-6 overtime win during the regular season.
- TIDE NO. 1 IN BCS STANDINGS: Alabama comes in at No. 1 in the third BCS Standings release of the 2013 season. The BCS percentage is calculated by averaging the percent totals of the Harris Interactive, USA TODAY Coaches and six computer rankings. The Crimson Tide garnered a .9937 average, which is 0.042 higher than Oregon coming in at No. 2 (.9517). Florida State is third with an average of .9211 while Ohio State follows at .8840. Rounding out the top 10 is Stanford (.7918), Baylor (.7645), Miami (.7560), Clemson (.6687), Missouri (.6096) and Oklahoma (.6064).
- NEXT GAME: Alabama travels 85 miles to the northwest next week for a visit to Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium. The Crimson Tide has won five straight in the series and own a 75-18-3 advantage overall.
Nick Saban sees ‘tremendous amount of potential’ in retired Alabama star LB Rolando McClain
- Nick Saban said the former Alabama star linebacker has the leadership qualities to succeed.
Alabama center Ryan Kelly expects an ‘up-front battle’ against LSU (video)
- The Alabama center tapped former All-American Barrett Jones for advice about the LSU rivalry.
Is LSU still the biggest threat to Alabama, or is it Auburn? (Kevin Scarbinsky)
- LSU gets the first crack at the Tide this weekend, but Auburn keeps improving as the Iron Bowl draws closer.
As NFL rookie hazing comes under fire, Alabama coach Nick Saban says, ‘we don’t have that here’
- “I think our players have done a great job here of trying to help our young guys do the things they need to do to have a better chance to develop in the program,” Saban says.
Kevin Norwood shares lighthearted moment with AJ McCarron, says hair looks like Robin Thicke (video)
- The quarterback and receiver have a friendship that sees results on the field.
Nick Saban hasn’t seen 60 Minutes segment, but Miss Terry gave favorable review
- Alabama players didn’t see the feature either.
Alabama will face Mississippi State at night Nov. 16 in Starkville
- A full look at the Nov. 23 TV schedule for the SEC games.
Jack Del Rio, father of Alabama’s reserve quarterback, named Denver Broncos interim head coach
- Jack Del Rio coached in Jacksonville from 2003-11.
Alabama social media guide: The road map to keeping up with LSU writers this week
- The people you must follow entering Saturday’s game with LSU.
- Check out the video from last night’s 60 Minutes if you missed it. Posted on The Houndztooth Message Board.
Alabama Men’s Basketball Hosts West Georgia Tonight in Exhibition Game
- The Alabama men’s basketball team will play its first game of the 2013-14 campaign when it welcomes the West Georgia Wolves to Coleman Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. CT.
- Tide Women Hosting West Georgia in Foster Auditorium tonight at 7 PM