Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from a wonderful Third Saturday in October weekend in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama beats Tennessee 37-20 for sixth straight win
Cigars never taste better than they do on the Third Saturday in October following an Alabama win over Tennessee. The Crimson Tide got it done, knocking off the Vols 37-20 thanks, in part, to an electric 99-yard interception return for a touchdown by Zabien Brown at the end of the first half.
It was the sixth straight win overall and the fourth straight win over a ranked opponent for the Crimson Tide. No team in the country can stack up the impressive wins that Alabama can in the middle of October. Alabama has beaten Georgia and Missouri on the road and earned home wins over Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
The scary part is that the Crimson Tide can still get better. They could run the football more effectively to help an offense that is clicking through the air. They could stop the run better on defense. They could do a better job of stepping on the opponent's neck when the opportunity presents itself.
And yet, Kalen DeBeor still has this team rolling and well-positioned for a College Football Playoff berth.
Alabama moves up to No. 4 in the AP and Coaches Polls
Alabama keeps moving up in the polls. Following the win over Tennessee, Alabama is up to No. 4 in both the AP and Coaches Polls this week.
Alabama remains the highest-ranked one-loss team. They are now behind only No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, and No. 3 Texas A&M.
Alabama flips Corey Howard away from Georgia
Kalen DeBoer earned another win over Kirby Smart on Sunday. Along with beating Smart head-to-head twice on the gridiron, DeBoer has also earned some massive recruiting wins over Georgia on the trail.
The latest occurred on Sunday, when 3-star EDGE Corey Howard flipped his commitment from Georgia to Alabama. Howard had been committed to the home-state Bulldogs since June, but he took a visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend and was clearly blown away by the environment in Bryant-Denny.
Howard may only be a 3-star, but this was a big-time recruiting war between Alabama and Georgia, which should show you how he is thought of.
Chris Youngblood earns a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder
There wasn't much expected from Chris Youngblood when he signed a UDFA deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The defending NBA champions had a pretty full roster already, so it was going to be an uphill battle for Youngblood to carve out a spot.
Even after an impressive showing in the Summer League, Youngblood faced long odds to make the Thunder roster. But the former Alabama guard strung together some impressive games during the preseason and was recently rewarded by the organization with a two-way contract.
In six preseason games, Youngblood averaged 11 points per game. With a two-way contract, Youngblood will split time next season between the Thunder's NBA team and their G-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. Youngblood can play up to 50 games at the NBA level before the Thunder would have to convert him to a standard contract.