Alabama

Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs. Alabama A&M

Published

2 years ago

August 30, 2024

Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs. Alabama A&M

In-state SWAC opponent Alabama A&M travels onto the Plains this weekend to open the season against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

While the Bulldogs aren’t nearly as fierce of a rival as the more well-known SEC squad with the same mascot, Alabama A&M did finish 2023 with a respectable 5-6 record.

As for the home team, Auburn went bowling last season after finishing the regular season slate 6-6. Unfortunately the Tigers played a tune on the world’s saddest violin in the Music City Bowl, losing in blowout fashion to Maryland to finish the year.

Hugh Freeze’s Tigers have a new-look heading into 2024, as the receiving core and secondary have undergone a new complete overhaul. While familiar faces still exist at the quarterback, running back, and linebacker positions, much of Auburn’s roster is going to look different this season.

Even with all the roster movement, Auburn comes into the opener as a near 7 touchdown favorite according to BetMGM.

ESPN’s FPI doesn’t like the Bulldogs chances of pulling off an early-season miracle either, as the Football Power Index gives Auburn a 99% chance to claim victory on Saturday.

Will a deeper dive into the tale of the tape show Alabama A&M has a higher chance of shocking the college football world than the experts believe? As we did last season, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Auburn senior signal-caller enters his second season on the Plains after a turbulent first year in the Hugh Freeze offense. After starting off the season poorly, Payton Thorne had a superb stretch of play in early November against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas, totaling 753 all-purpose yards and 9 touchdowns over that span. Unfortunately the 22-year-old struggled against New Mexico State, Alabama, and Maryland to end his season, once against casting doubt over his status heading into 2024.

In total, the junior finished 2023 with 1,755 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He added 515 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground as well. Head coach Hugh Freeze has displayed confidence in his “QB1” throughout spring and summer camp, and Thorne will once again have the keys to the Tigers offense.

On the other side, Alabama A&M quarterback Cornelious Brown IV enters his sixth season of college football on his third team. Still with two years of eligibility remaining, the junior has struggled to stay on the field throughout his career, as he’s only attempted more than 30 passes twice in five years. While Brown IV has plenty of experience, including games against Vanderbilt and UNC, the clear edge in the quarterback matchup goes to Auburn’s Payton Thorne.

The Tigers have an even clearer edge in the skill position battle. Alabama A&M’s best player on the offensive side of the ball is easily running back Donovan Eaglin. In an interesting twist that has become more common by the season in the NIL and transfer portal era, the running back started his career with Payton Thorne at Michigan State before transferring to Alabama A&M in 2022. Since then, the 5-foot-11 bruiser has averaged a clean 5.3 yards-per-carry on his way to 1,568 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

Unfortunately for Eaglin, Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter is the much better back. Auburn’s longest-tenured offensive starter, Hunter rushed for 909 yards and 7 scores a season ago to vault his all-time rushing total to 2,170 yards. He enters 2024 just over 500 yards short the top 10 all time rushing leaders in Auburn history. While it would take a magnificent campaign for Hunter to pass Ben Tate’s top 5 mark of 3,321 yards, a solid season from the senior could vault him past Tre Mason (2,979) for the No. 6 spot on the list.

The largest skill-gap may be on the pass catching side of things. Auburn offers one of the better receiving quartets in the SEC, with transfer receivers KeAndre Lambert-Smith (673 yards, 2023) and Robert Lewis (877 yards, 2023) joining five-star freshman Cam Coleman and 2023 receiving leader Rivaldo Fairweather (394 yards, 2023) as weapons for Payton Thorne.

In another unusual but increasingly common storyline, Lewis, who transferred from Georgia State this offseason, spent some time catching passes from Alabama A&M starting quarterback Cornelious Brown IV during their time as Panthers in 2021.

As for Brown IV’s weapons, Alabama A&M’s receiving core was mostly gutted by graduation and the transfer portal. The only returning players to accumulate over 100 yards a season ago are senior Jacolby Hewitt (516 yards, 2023) and junior Keenan Hambrick (386 yards, 2023).

Auburn has the clear edge on every aspect of the offensive side of the ball, including the offensive line which is simply bigger and more physically imposing than their SWAC counterparts.

The defensive side of things is much of the same. The Bulldogs do offer a pair of studs in the secondary in Emari Pait and Kaleb Dawson, but the Tigers duo of Keionte Scott and Kayin Lee still gets the edge due to their experience against more talented receivers.

The most glaring mismatch may be in the front seven, where Auburn holds one of the best linebacker duos in the country in Eugene Asante and Jalen McLeod. That duo, along with Tigers de-facto defensive line captain Keldric Faulk, combined for 11.5 sacks a season ago, which is more than half (20) of the sacks created by the entire Alabama A&M defense in 2023.

Throughout all the positional groupings, Auburn is simply better and more dominant on both sides of the ball. That’s not to say an upset can’t happen, but it’s just extremely unlikely.

Going into a game as 7 touchdown favorites may seem hefty, but the tale of the tape says the spread is just about on the mark. We’ll see if Alabama A&M can prove the doubters, and the tape, wrong when the two in-state opponents face off on Saturday at 6:30 PM CST.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

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Alabama

Alabama Defeated By Birmingham

Published

2 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

The 13th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide took a bad loss to the Birmingham Blazers on Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Field. The Blazers scored seven times in the top of the 1st and coasted to an 11-2 victory. The teams played last Tuesday at Regions Park in Birmingham with the Tide winning that contest 12-6. With the loss Alabama is 28-14 while the Blazers improved to 26-15. Casey Dunn’s squad is much improved this year and carries an RPI of 33. Alabama entered the game 4th in the nation in RPI. Bama did not help themselves by committing five errors. The Tide is now 60-29 all-time in matchups with the Blazers, including 32-13 in Tuscaloosa.

Freshman left hander Luke Smyers started on the mound for Bama and had a short lived appearance. Lead off man Kevin Hall tried to bunt and popped out to Alabama first baseman Luke Vaughn. That was the only batter retired by Smyers. JP Head followed with a walk and Smyers hit Landon Beaver and Max Price to load the bases. Brady Waugh looped a soft single into short left field to score a run. Andrew Hunt singled up the middle to score another and when Bama centerfielder Bryce Fowler fumbled the ball for an error, another run scored. Wesley Helms singled to chase Smyers in favor of JT Blackwood. Alex DuPay greeted Blackwood with a two run single. Two more runs came in on an error by Bama third baseman Jason Torres on a bunt by Baylor Roberts. By the time the dust settled and the inning ended, the Tide had put themselves in a 7-0 hole.

The Tide went down in order in the bottom half of the first against starter Isaac Warrick. Blackwood allowed two singled to begin the top of the 2nd, but a strikeout and double play held the deficit to seven. Eric Hines was hit by a pitch leading off in the bottom half but a pop out and two strikeouts kept Bama at bay. Blackwood had a perfect third with a ground out, fly out, and pop out. Alabama finally had a scoring opportunity in the in the bottom of the third, but could not capitalize.

Torres led off with a walk but was foreced out at second on a ground ball by Fowler. Justin LeBron shot a single to the right side to move Fowler to third base. LeBron then swiped second base for his 33rd stolen base of the year in 33 chances. Brady Neal walked to load the bases with two outs for Hines. Hines struck out to end the uprising. Blackwood walked Roberts to led off the top of the 4th, followed by a single by Hall. Head singled to right to drive in one run, and when Neal fumbled the ball in right, another run followed. Connor Lehman replaced Blackwood and walked the first two batters he faced to load the bases. A strikeout and a double play prevented further damage, but the score was now 9-0.

In the bottom of the 4th Bama got their second hit of the game with one out when Hall couldn’t find a pop up by Vaughn that fell in for a double. A strikeout and ground out ended the inning. Owen Sarna replaced Lehman and had a quick top of the 5th with a ground out and two strikeouts. Bama went down easily in the bottom half of the fifth. Sarna was back in the 6th and despite a walk and a single kept the Blazers from adding to their lead. Alabama final broke through in the bottom of the frame. Neal led off with a single and was forced out at second on a ground ball hit by Hines, Tide catcher Johnny Lemm crushed a 408 foot home run into the visitors bullpen to cut the lead to 9-2. A strikeout and a long fly out by Will Plattner ended the inning.

Austin Morris replaced Sarna in the top of the seventh. Hunt singled to lead off the inning and a one out double by Dupuy scored Hunt. DuPay reached third when Neal misplayed the ball in right field. Roberts put down a perfect squeeze bunt to score DuPay. Hall struck out to end the inning with the 11-2 score. The Tide went down in order in the bottom of the inning. Joe Chiardo tossed the 8th for Bama and had a perfect inning with a fly out, ground out, and strikeout.

The Tide went down in order in the 8th and Zach Kittrell made his season debut on the mound for Bama in the ninth. Kittrell walked Waugh to lead off the inning. Waugh was cut down trying to steal (in a 11-2 game in the ninth?) by Lemm. The runner was initially called safe but the call was overturned upon review. Kittrell retired the next two on a strikeout and fly ball to left field that Hines made a sliding catch on. Plattner singled with two outs in the 9th for Bama, but a strikeout of Evan Taylor ended the game with the Tide on the short end of the 11-2 score.

Alabama’s offensive woes continued with a 5-32 night at the plate with two walks, one hit batter, one double, one home run, a stolen base, nine strikeouts, and left six on base. The five hits were divided among five players. Smyers fell to o-1 with the loss.

Birmingham hit 11-33 in the game with six walks, two hit batters, one double, one stolen base, nine strikeouts, and left five men on base. Head, Beaver, Hunt, and Dupay all had two hits apiece. Riley Miller was the winning pitcher and is 3-0 on the season. Warrick left the game in the third inning with what appeared to be a shoulder injury.

No sugar coating this one. Just a stinker all the way around. The loss gave the Tide a 2-6 record in their last eight games. There were a couple of bright spots. Lemm hit a much needed home run after struggling the last 8-10 games. Sarna was impressive in his two innings, Chiardo was sharp in his inning, and Kittrell showed some velocity with his 94 mile an hour fastball. LeBron now has a 10 game hitting streak and is still yet to be caught stealing. Bama now has only 20 hits in their last four games with seven runs scored.

Next up is a road trip to Knoxville to take on the struggling Tennessee Volunteers in a Thursday- Saturday series.
Roll Tide

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Alabama

New Alabama Privacy Law Adds to Compliance Challenges for Businesses | PYMNTS.com

Published

14 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

New Alabama Privacy Law Adds to Compliance Challenges for Businesses | PYMNTS.com

Alabama has become the latest state to enact a comprehensive consumer privacy regime, adding further complexity to an already fragmented U.S. regulatory landscape and raising new compliance imperatives for businesses operating across state lines.

Signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey on April 16, the Alabama Personal Data Protection Act (APDPA) will take effect on May 1, 2027, and establishes a broad framework governing the collection, use and sale of personal data. The law places Alabama alongside 20 other states that have adopted similar statutes and increasing pressure on companies to harmonize compliance programs nationwide.

The APDPA applies to businesses operating in Alabama or targeting its residents that either process the personal data of more than 25,000 consumers or derive more than 25% of revenue from the sale of personal data. According to an analysis of the statute by the Fisher Phillips law firm, those thresholds are comparatively low, meaning the law may reach a broader set of entities than similar statutes in other states.

At the same time, Alabama diverges from its peers by including extensive exemptions. Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees—provided they do not sell personal data—are carved out, as are nonprofits under 100 employees, higher education institutions, and certain regulated sectors such as financial institutions and HIPAA-covered entities.

Like most state privacy laws, the APDPA excludes employment-related data from coverage—aligning with states such as Virginia and Colorado, but diverging from California’s broader definition of “consumer,” which includes employees and job applicants.

For covered entities, compliance hinges on the distinction between “controllers” and “processors,” a model borrowed from other state laws and the EU’s GDPR. Controllers—those determining the purposes and means of data processing—bear the primary compliance burden.

Controllers must enable and respond to a suite of consumer rights, including access, correction, deletion and data portability, as well as opt-outs for targeted advertising, data sales and certain profiling activities. Businesses must respond to authenticated consumer requests within 45 days and provide at least one free response annually.

The law also imposes baseline governance requirements, including data minimization, purpose limitation, and the implementation of “reasonable” administrative, technical and physical security safeguards. Controllers must also publish compliant privacy notices and obtain consent before processing sensitive data.

However, Alabama stops short of adopting some of the more stringent features seen elsewhere. Unlike laws in California and Colorado, the APDPA does not mandate data protection impact assessments or require recognition of universal opt-out signals.

One area where Alabama aligns with a growing cohort of states is its broad definition of “sale.” The APDPA includes not only monetary exchanges but also transfers involving “other valuable consideration” that materially benefits the controller.

Read more: House GOP Rushing to Advance Federal Privacy Law Before Midterms

The law invests enforcement authority exclusively with the Alabama attorney general, providing no private right of action. Businesses benefit from a 45-day cure period following notice of violation, but failure to remediate can result in penalties of up to $15,000 per violation.

The Fisher Phillips analysis outlines several immediate steps for businesses ahead of the 2027 effective date. These include conducting data mapping exercises, reviewing and updating privacy notices, implementing systems to handle consumer rights requests, and assessing relationships with third-party data processors.

Companies are also advised to evaluate data practices involving minors and align Alabama compliance efforts with existing programs developed for other state regimes—an increasingly critical strategy as organizations contend with overlapping and sometimes inconsistent requirements.

In structure, the APDPA closely tracks the now-standard U.S. state privacy framework, emphasizing consumer rights, controller obligations and attorney general enforcement. But its broader exemptions and lighter compliance requirements in certain areas underscore the continued divergence among state laws.

For businesses, Alabama’s entry into the privacy landscape reinforces the need for scalable, multi-jurisdictional compliance architectures rather than state-by-state fixes. As more states adopt similar but not identical rules, operational complexity will continue to rise in the absence of federal preemption.

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Alabama

Right Solution, Wrong Method For Alabama Baseball This Season: Just a Minute

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Right Solution, Wrong Method For Alabama Baseball This Season: Just a Minute

Welcome to BamaCentral’s “Just a Minute,” a video series featuring Alabama Crimson Tide on SI’s beat writers. Multiple times per week, the writers will group up or film solo to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as BamaCentral baseball beat reporter Theodore Fernandez reflects on the first two months of Alabama baseball’s season and explains why the team has left much to be desired despite success on the field.

At face value, this has been a successful campaign for Alabama baseball. Entering the final four weeks of the regular season, a Crimson Tide team that was projected to finish No. 13 in the SEC is 9-9 in conference play, and just one game out of fourth place. The first sweep of Auburn in more than a decade, the Frisco Classic title, and a road series win over Oklahoma are big-time results that speak to the potential Alabama clearly possesses.

But it continues to appear increasingly likely that this team may not realize that potential.

There are issues up and down the roster. The bulk of the attention has been on Justin Lebron’s struggles. His career-high in errors and underwhelming offensive numbers have led to his draft stock beginning to fall, and it led to him even being experimentally moved out of the two-hole for a game against Arkansas.

Players like Luke Vaughn and Jason Torres have struggled, and there is still a significant amount of regular roster experimentation occurring on a week-to-week basis. Will Plattner, Justin Osterhouse, Chase Kroberger, Andrew Purdy and Peyton Steele are all among the players who have started games over the past two weekends and still appear to have undefined roles.

The biggest question remains the bullpen, as it is nearly impossible to predict what it will provide on any given day. There was a two-weekend stretch where it gave up just five earned runs over 22.1 combined innings against Auburn and Oklahoma, willing Alabama to wins in games where the bats did not show up. Then there have been the lows: implosions against Arkansas and Texas that cast serious doubt on the unit’s ability to show up in big moments.

In all of those areas where the team has struggled, there is hope of a turnaround. There are the bullpen’s aforementioned elite stretches. There are the web-gem plays in short by Lebron, that will leave him with one of the most impressive defensive highlight reels of any player in the nation. There’s Torres responding to a 1-for-12 weekend against the Razorbacks with a two-hit game where he drove in one of Alabama’s two runs to avoid a sweep against Texas last Sunday.

In a sport defined by randomness, where the thinnest of margins can mean the difference between going home in a regional or making a run to Omaha, we simply have no way of knowing where Alabama will land.

Would we really expect it any other way?

That’s baseball.

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