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Saban and Kiffin: The not-so-odd couple
"More than a few people did a double take, and some probably laughed out loud, when Alabama coach Nick Saban announced the hiring of Lane Kiffin as his offensive coordinator back in January.Saban and Kiffin together … on the same staff? What’s next? Lil Wayne, who once dropped Kiffin’s name in a rap lyric, opening for Saban’s beloved Eagles?Seriously, how many people would have guessed that Kiffin would be calling plays for Saban, producing the kind of wide-open offense we haven’t seen at Alabama under Saban?Oh, sure, the Crimson Tide have been plenty productive offensively in the past under Saban. In fact, they were the only team in the SEC each of the past three seasons to average more than 200 rushing and passing yards per game."
Hopefully if the good guys win this game, these Kiffin-Saban articles can stop. Yes, Saban hired Kiffin. Yes, people thought it was strange. Guess what? Through week five, it looks like a great hire and seems to be working well for all parties involved.
Map says the state of Alabama is Crimson Tide country
"The state of Alabama is home to one of the most intense rivalries in college football and sports in general- The Iron Bowl- between Alabama and Auburn. Both teams rank among the top programs in the nation and have played for the last five national championships with Alabama winning three and Auburn winning one.In addition to Alabama having the head-to-head edge with the series being 42-32-1, the state remains Crimson Tide country, according to this recently published interactive fan map by the New York Times.How dominant is Alabama in the state?The Tide holds the edge in every major metropolitan area in the state including Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery."
This is no surprise. People like to support the better programs and tend to side with the winner. I’m kidding. Auburn is a great school. Well, maybe not completely kidding. They do have Lee County and the surrounding counties on lock but the rest of the state is in crimson.
Thousands expected in Oxford for Ole Miss/Alabama football game
"There’s no doubt Oxford, Mississippi, is the center of the football universe as folks get ready for this battle of unbeatens.The Alabama Crimson Tide travels to Oxford to do battle with the Ole Miss Rebels this Saturday, in a game you can watch on WREG-TV.The game has generated so much interest that ESPN is broadcasting its College Gameday program from The Grove for the first time ever."
I know don’t about you all but I’m tired of hearing about College Gameday. That’s all we have heard about since they announced it. I know the Rebel Black Bear Land Shark fans are excited but we play in games a lot bigger than this multiple times in a season. This is just another business trip. I do tend to agree with one of ESPN’s commentators. This week’s talk belonged to Mississippi but Monday’s talk will be about the Alabama schools.
Alabama coach Nick Saban opens up about the last conversation he had with his father
"Asked if he’d always wanted to be a coach, Saban began with familiar material. During his youth, he never wanted to be a coach even though his father, Nick Sr., was a prominent Pop Warner football coach. After years of washing and waxing cars at his father’s service station, Saban figured he’d be a businessman.“I didn’t see him as a professional coach,” Saban said. “I saw him like a businessman that ran a business so that’s what I thought I’d be. When I went to college, that’s kind of what I wanted to do.”"
Good short piece on Coach Saban and remembering some memories of his father. I don’t think Saban is as mean as everyone thinks he is.
Soccer Goes to Double Overtime, Comes Away Tied with South Carolina
"The Alabama soccer team earned its second tie of the season and played its second double-overtime game in the last three games, as the Tide broke even with South Carolina, 1-1, on Friday night at the Alabama Soccer Complex.“The game was how I expected it to be,” said Alabama Head Coach Todd Bramble. “I knew it was going to be a physical game. I thought we struggled in the first half. No one was happy with the performance we saw in the first half. I give our team a lot of credit. They turned it around and battled back.”"
Volleyball Falls in Four to 13th-Ranked Kentucky
"After falling down 2-0 in the match, Alabama battled back to win the third set and nearly took a fourth, but Kentucky rallied late in the fourth to defeat the Crimson Tide, 3-1.The loss is Alabama’s (14-3, 2-1 SEC) first in SEC play and snaps a nine-match win streak, while 13th-ranked Kentucky (13-2, 3-0 SEC) remains undefeated against conference opponents. Kat Hutson led the Tide offensively with 18 kills and a .400 hitting percentage and Krystal Rivers notched her third-straight double-double with 16 kills and 11 digs. The Wildcats were led by Shelby Workman with 19 kills, a .459 clip and 10 digs while Lauren O’Conner and Anni Thomasson were also in double-digit kills with 15 and 10, respectively."
Routliffe/Jansen Advance to Doubles Quarterfinals of Riviera/ITA All-American Championships
"Alabama’s pairing of Erin Routliffe and Maya Jansen advanced to the doubles quarterfinals while Natalia Maynetto suffered a tough loss in the first round of singles, on Thursday evening at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships.Routliffe and Jansen, the No. 1-ranked doubles pairing, took down the 22nd-ranked team of Julia Elbaba and Stephanie Nauta of Virginia, 6-4, 6-4. The Crimson Tide doubles team will return to action today in the main draw quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. PT."