[Check out RJ Young’s ultimate 134 college football rankings here]
Conference ranking: 7th in Sun Belt (+850 to win conference) Teams ahead of them: South Carolina (61), Coastal Carolina (60), Western Kentucky (59), Virginia Tech (58), Cincinnati (57) Teams behind them: Baylor (63), Georgia Southern (64), Arkansas State (65), Tulane (66), Jacksonville State (67)
[South Alabama 2024 schedule]
RJ’s take: I find it amusing that Major Applewhite was not only the man who was supposed to save Texas Longhorns football, but worked as Nick Saban’s first offensive coordinator at Alabama and developed the best Houston Cougar defender who has ever lived in Ed Oliver, but we can’t quite say he’s a damn good coach.
But when you go 15-10 and yell at Oliver for being on the sideline in a bowl game with his letter jacket on while getting your ass beat by Army, we tend not to forget. Call this a worthwhile second chance for Applewhite, who takes over the job Kane Wommack left after taking USA bowling the last two years.
Advertisement
South Alabama’s Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-160) Under 6.5 (+125)
[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]
Get more from College FootballFollow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will have two chances to secure a fifth victory in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama as he sends out Grade 1 winner Candied and promising stakes-winner Miss Justify in Saturday’s 1 1/4-mile test for sophomore fillies at Saratoga.
The two talented fillies posted a steady work in company Aug. 2, covering a half-mile in 50.66 seconds over the Spa main track.
“They seemed to make good companions. I’m happy with the way they did it,” said Pletcher, whose past Alabama wins came with Princess of Sylmar in 2013, Stopchargingmaria in 2014, Malathaat in 2021 and Nest in 2022.
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Candied arrives from a runner-up finish to divisional leader Thorpedo Anna in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 20 at Saratoga. The daughter of Candy Ride was patiently ridden by Manny Franco, stalking in third of four behind an even tempo set by Grade 1-winning stablemate Leslie’s Rose. She made up ground willingly when asked to angle two to four wide in the final turn but could not catch the powerful Thorpedo Anna and was defeated 4 1/2 lengths.
Advertisement
Pletcher said he was pleased with the bay’s effort behind a standout like Thorpedo Anna, who is targeting the Travers (G1) against males Aug. 24.
“She’s been super consistent, just second-best last time,” said Pletcher. “I think she’ll handle the mile and a quarter. With Thorpedo Anna going to the Travers, I think this race is much more wide open.”
Candied brings top Grade 1 form to the field of eight after taking the Alcibiades in October at Keeneland. She closed out her juvenile campaign with a solid third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in November and returned in April to finish fourth in the Ashland (G1) at Keeneland. The filly came up just shy on the road to the Kentucky Oaks and did not draw into the prestigious Grade 1 test after landing on the also-eligible list.
After a two-month respite, she made a grand return against elders in Monmouth Park’s Listed Lady’s Secret, crushing the 1 1/16-mile route by 4 1/2 lengths over Honor D Lady, who exited that race to win the Delaware Handicap (G2) on July 7. Candied was awarded a career- and field-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form for the victory.
Candied has banked $784,675 in earnings through a 6: 3-1-1 record.
Advertisement
Miss Justify makes a step up in both class and trip after back-to-back wins going one mile. The Justify bay was last seen winning the local restricted Wilton going one mile from Saratoga’s Wilson chute July 12. The Wilton was successfully used as a springboard for last year’s Alabama winner Randomized.
In the Wilton, Miss Justify was six lengths off the pace through the first quarter-mile and inched into contention throughout each point of call to be just one length back of the prominent Striker Has Dial at the top of the lane. She found more with each stride under Flavien Prat to rally up the rail and take control inside the final sixteenth and win by one length, earning a lifetime-best 87 Beyer.
Pletcher said Miss Justify, who also notched a 2 1/2-length win in her first effort beyond sprint distances in June at Churchill Downs, continues to improve with each start.
“We are hoping she will handle the added distance,” Pletcher said. “She has handled the mile well the last two times. Coming off two wins, she’s deserving of the opportunity.”
?Miss Justify made her first two starts in Maryland for conditioner Susan Cooney, including a third-place effort when making her stakes debut in the six-furlong Smart Halo in November. She moved to Pletcher’s care this year and finished fourth going seven furlongs in a March optional claimer at Gulfstream Park ahead of her two recent wins.
Advertisement
Graded stakes-winner Intricate remains the only horse to have defeated Thorpedo Anna after taking the Golden Rod (G2) in November at Churchill, but she could not duplicate that feat in the CCA Oaks and settled for third after tracking in last of four throughout and passing the tiring pacesetter Leslie’s Rose late in the lane.
“I think she can improve,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “She struggled a little bit with the track early in the (CCA) Oaks. That filly has had her issues, but she seems to train better and better every week. Having had a run over the track and a couple of works on it, I think she’s coming into it a lot better. I wouldn’t discount her chances. She shouldn’t have a problem with the distance either.”
The Gun Runner chestnut seeks her first win since the Golden Rod, where she soundly bested Thorpedo Anna by 5 1/4 lengths with a smart off-the-pace trip engineered by regular rider Tyler Gaffalione.
“She ran really well,” Walsh said of the effort. “The race set up really good for her and she was very impressive that day.”
Three months after the Golden Rod, she headed south to Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans to run second in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) in February and a distant fifth in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in March before being shelved until June because of excess mucus in her throat.
Advertisement
“She’s a nice filly. She just had her issues down in New Orleans during the winter. It took us a long time to get her right after that,” Walsh explained. “She’s finally coming right now. If she can make a return to her 2-year-old form, I can’t see why she couldn’t have a good second half of the year.”
Intricate flashed her talents again in her June return at Churchill, finishing a close second to Our Pretty Woman in the Monomoy Girl ahead of the CCA Oaks.
Since entering the NFL from Alabama as an undrafted rookie in 2021, tight end Miller Forristall has been on the rosters of four NFL franchises, including the Cleveland Browns twice two years apart. He’s played in six regular-season games – the most recent on Nov. 13, 2022. He has zero career receptions.
But on Sunday, Forristall came up big in the Los Angeles Rams’ preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys by catching a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Stetson Bennett with four seconds to play, and the Rams won 13-12 when Joshua Karty kicked the extra point.
The touchdown catch was Forristall’s third reception of the game, and he finished with 19 receiving yards. All of Forristall’s receptions came on Los Angeles’ 13-play, 70-yard drive to the winning touchdown after Dallas had taken a 12-6 lead with 2:52 remaining.
In a preseason rarity, Bennett went all the way at quarterback for the Rams. He completed 24-of-38 passes for 224 yards, but he was intercepted four times. The final completion to Forristall was Los Angeles’ only touchdown of the game.
Advertisement
One other player from an Alabama high school or college got on the field during the Dallas-Los Angeles game:
· Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (Alabama) did not play.
· Cowboys defensive tackle Justin Rogers (Auburn) made two tackles and recorded a tackle for loss in his first pro game. Rogers joined Dallas in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 27.
· Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (McGill-Toolen, South Alabama) did not play.
· Rams cornerback Darious Williams (UAB) did not play.
Advertisement
· Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams (Lee-Montgomery) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham scrambles during an NFL preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham is competing to become the Denver Broncos’ starting QB for the 2024 season. His teammates didn’t do him any favors in the NFL’s other preseason game on Sunday.
In Denver’s 34-30 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Stidham started, and the Broncos didn’t score during his two series. Denver got 20 points with rookie Bo Nix at quarterback and the final 14 with Zach Wilson under center.
Stidham opened the preseason for the Broncos offense with a 13-yard completion to wide receiver Courtland Sutton and a 14-yard completion to wide receiver Tim Patrick to move Denver to the Indianapolis 44-yard line in two snaps.
Advertisement
But Patrick got a taunting penalty after his catch to set back the Broncos, and Denver had false-start penalties on two of its next four trips to the line. The Broncos’ first possession of the preseason ended with a punt from the Denver 47-yard line.
On the Broncos’ next offensive series, a scramble by Stidham had Denver at the Colts 44-yard line again. But a holding penalty against Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles negated the play. Two snaps later, running back Samaje Perine played a pass from Stidham into an interception by Indianapolis cornerback Kenny Moore II.
“I thought we moved the ball really well,” Stidham said. “We kind of shot ourselves in the foot mainly those first two drives with penalties and that sort of thing. But a lot of good, I thought. Obviously, we’ll take a look at the film and get better from it, and, obviously, clean up the penalties because, like I said, I thought that was probably the biggest thing. But I thought we were pretty efficient there pretty early on. Obviously, the penalties, we got to figure that out for sure.”
Stidham completed 4-of-7 passes for 37 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Eight other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the Denver-Indianapolis game on Sunday:
Advertisement
· Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine (Spanish Fort) made one tackle in his pro debut. Abrams-Draine joined Denver in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on April 27.
· Angelo Blackson (Auburn) started at defensive tackle for the Broncos. Blackson did not record any stats.
· Colts defensive lineman Raekwon Davis (Alabama) did not play.
· Colts safety Ronnie Harrison (Alabama) made two tackles.
· Ryan Kelly (Alabama) started at center for the Colts.
Advertisement
· Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (Pinson Valley, Auburn) completed 15-of-21 passes for 125 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran for 17 yards on three carries in his pro debut. Nix joined Denver as the 12th selection in the NFL Draft on April 25. Nix also had a tackle after Indianapolis picked up a fumble by the Broncos.
· Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders (Alabama) in on active/physically unable to perform and not eligible to play. Sanders suffered a torn Achilles tendon during offseason workouts.
· Colts cornerback Jaylin Simpson (Auburn) made two tackles in his pro debut. Simpson joined Indianapolis in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on April 27.
· Braden Smith (Auburn) started at right offensive tackle for the Colts.
· Broncos cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) returned a kickoff 28 yards and made one tackle on special teams.
Advertisement
· Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) did not play.
· Broncos cornerback Levi Wallace (Alabama) did not play.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
Alabama football held its first scrimmage of the fall inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday morning. The scrimmage was closed to the public and media, but head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke with the media afterward, and Alabama released a few pictures and videos from the scrimmage.
Here are some takeaways from Saturday morning in Bryant-Denny.
Kalen DeBoer isn’t going to reveal much
Nick Saban wasn’t exactly an open book with the media, but DeBoer kept things very vague after the Crimson Tide’s first fall scrimmage. If you skim through DeBoer’s transcript, you’d be hard pressed to find any specifics about how any one player or position group performed in the scrimmage.
He only mentioned three players by name (Jalen Milroe, Jam Miller and Justice Haynes), and two of those three were specifically asked about by reporters. DeBoer also did not provide any details on injuries, just saying that the team is “relatively healthy” and dealing with “typical fall camp stuff.”
Advertisement
Alabama will have one more scrimmage inside Bryant-Denny and two more practices with viewing portions open to the media, but
Big plays for freshman receivers
Because of the nature of a scrimmage, Alabama was trying to get as many receivers involved as possible according to DeBoer.
“The ball really gets spread around,” DeBoer said. “If we look at the stat sheet it would be almost every receiver catching balls. So it’s not really just one guy had five to seven catches. They all walk away from a day like today disappointed, and there’s no reason to be disappointed.”
While there wasn’t any one guy who got targeted a lot, two of the biggest highlights from the scrimmage came from freshman receivers Ryan Williams and Caleb Odom. Williams had a long touchdown reception as shown in the photos released by UA, and Odom made an impressive one-handed snag around the 29-second mark in the highlight video. The freshman duo displayed their big-play ability on Saturday.
Alabama WR Ryan Williams catches pass in scrimmage / Alabama Athletics
Alabama’s biggest position battles heading into fall camp are at right tackle and cornerback. Kadyn Proctor has seemingly won back the job at left tackle after spending the spring at Iowa. Redshirt freshman Wilkin Formby has been with the first team offensive line at right tackle during practice, but he and redshirt sophomore Elijah Pritchett are still rotating reps at the spot.
USC transfer Domani Jackson has locked up one of the starting corner spots, but Wake Forest transfer DaShawn Jones, Jaylen Mbakwe and Zabien Brown are all still in the mix to be one of the other starters at corner.
DeBoer said seeing the guys actually tackling and playing in a game-like situation with the scrimmage helps bring the coaches clarity on the position battles a little more than regular practice can.
Encouraging signs from offensive line
DeBoer brought up the offensive line twice when asked about other position groups. He said they were able to open up some nice holes to create explosive plays for the running backs and create opportunities in the red zone.
“I also see the offensive line, slowly, like coming together, and being in sync, understanding where their help is,” DeBoer said. “So, where it was at, it’s kind of like the spring where the offense was slowly starting to catch up to where they should be.”
Advertisement
He also mentioned there were no procedural penalties on the offensive line like false starts or illegal formations, and they were able to draw the defense offsides once. Alabama struggled with false starts at times last season.
“The penalties were really down and minimal,” he said. “So I like the way we’re having some urgency and we’ll move around offensively. The guys are all getting set, so all the processes that we have in place, the guys are doing a really good job.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23925966/acastro_STK045_01.jpg "Patreon memberships sold on iOS will soon face Apple’s 30 percent fee")
