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Does Alabama, Bryce Young Have a Go-To Receiver? All Things CW

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Does Alabama, Bryce Young Have a Go-To Receiver? All Things CW


The All Issues CW notes column by Christopher Walsh will seem in 5 elements this week, one every day because the Alabama Crimson Tide enjoys a bye week.

That is …

Take 1

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — We have been saying all season that one of many key statistics for the Alabama Crimson Tide this season could be third-down conversions, as it is not solely telling in regards to the offense’s potential to maintain drives however provides a transparent indication about who quarterback Bryce Younger appears to in clutch conditions. 

That is normally. Not a lot this season. 

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With so many new faces and so many potentialities within the passing sport, the Crimson Tide has been fairly various, with 19 completely different gamers having a reception to date. 

But issues are nonetheless fairly unsettled. Not solely is that partly on account of accidents and the dearth of expertise with the quarterback, however Younger has additionally been damage, struggling a shoulder harm in opposition to Arkansas. 

This week will not assist as he’ll can be shut down to assist relaxation the harm. Younger began in opposition to Tennessee and Mississippi State, however you most likely seen that he wasn’t throwing downfield a lot in opposition to the Bulldogs — partially to attenuate the chance of a setback. 

He will must down the stretch, particularly in opposition to LSU on Nov. 5.

So which participant will step in that regard on the opposite finish?  

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Working again Jahmyr Gibbs has essentially the most receptions (31). Ja’Corey Brooks has essentially the most yards (376). Sophomore JoJo Earle has the perfect common achieve per catch (20.4). Junior Traeshon Holden tops the workforce in touchdowns (5).

Plus, freshman Isaiah Bond has the longest achieve at 53 yards.

Alabama has handed for two,195 yards, nevertheless final week everybody noticed what occurs when it is not clicking, particularly within the second half. The place it actually confirmed statistically was within the operating sport, which was fairly stagnant as Mississippi State might zero in on maintaining all the things in entrance of the secondary. 

Total, Alabama is fifth within the nation in scoring offense, averaging 43.1 factors per sport regardless of its lack of cohesion within the passing sport. 

That is the excellent news. It is fifteenth in complete offense and seventeenth in speeding, however then twenty eighth in passing effectivity.

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It is also twenty eighth in third-down conversions. 

As famous right here earlier than, one of many actually spectacular issues about Younger throughout his Heisman Trophy season was that his completion share really went up on third down. He accomplished 68.4 p.c of his makes an attempt on first down, 65.8 on second, however was 86-for-122, 70.5 p.c, for 1,263 yards on third down.

He additionally had his finest common for passing yards on third down, 10.4 per try. His passer score was 176.3. 

Up to now this season, Younger has been 25-for-46 (54.3 p.c) for 379 yards, with 5 touchdowns on third down. 

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He hasn’t been picked off, and in addition hasn’t been sacked almost as a lot. 

But his passer score is simply 159.4 on third down.

That’s really fairly regular, though Younger is not identified for being a standard quarterback. 

He is been at his finest this season on second down, when defenses usually don’t know if Alabama is seeking to run or cross. It is translated to a passer score of 174.5.

Going again to our unique premise, what Younger hasn’t had to date is a go-to receiver he can depend on like he had with John Metchie III final season till he suffered a season-ending knee harm within the SEC Championship Sport. 

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Towards Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Metchie had six catches for 97 yards and a landing all earlier than halftime. Nevertheless, with lower than a minute remaining within the second quarter he tore his ACL on a non-contact play.  

Jameson Williams stepped up in that position, however then he too suffered a knee harm in the course of the CFP Nationwide Championship Sport, additionally in opposition to Georgia. The Bulldogs went on to win, 33-18. 

Metchie had 25 third-down receptions in 13 video games final season, averaging nearly two per outing. Williams had 18 third-down catches, and the 2 mixed for 878 yards and 7 touchdowns in the important thing scenario. 

By eight video games this season, Brooks the one participant near averaging a third-down catch per sport regardless of solely being a sophomore. That speaks volumes to his potential and future, however going from making the occasional massive catch (like he did within the Iron Bowl final yr) to persistently being the man the offense appears to and depend on is the following step in his improvement. 

Might it occur in November? Alabama wants somebody to step up in that capability, and for the general chemistry to enhance within the passing sport if it’ll be a professional contender. 

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2022 Alabama Third-Down Receiving Leaders

Title, Catches-Yards (Avg.) TDS

Ja’Corey Brooks 7-125 (17.9) 1
Kobe Prentice 5-86 (17.2) 1
Jahmyr Gibbs 5-9 (1.8) 0
Jermaine Burton 4-51 (12.8) 1
Traeshon Holden 2-20 (10.0) 2
Cameron Latu 3-29 (9.7) 1

Alabama’s High Third-Down Receivers Since 2009

Receptions 

  1. Amari Cooper, 2014, 32
  2. John Metchie III, 2021, 25
  3. Jerry Jeudy, 2019, 20
  4. Calvin Ridley, 2015, 19
  5. Amari Cooper, 2012, 19

Receiving Yards

  1. Jameson Williams, 2021, 471
  2. John Metchie III, 2021 408
  3. Amari Cooper, 2014, 373
  4. Jerry Jeudy, 2019, 303
  5. Amari Cooper, 2012, 293

See Additionally: 

The Good, The Dangerous, and The Ugly: Alabama 30, Mississippi State 6

Alabama Offense Sputters Towards State

Wish to see the Crimson Tide or different groups? SI Tickets

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Alabama’s recent focus on defense pays off in blowout win over Kent State

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Alabama’s recent focus on defense pays off in blowout win over Kent State


TUSCALOOSA, Ala.Nate Oats started his postgame press conference explaining why Alabama would have a much better winter break after its 81-54 win over Kent State. According to Oats, a happy holiday hinged on the Tide’s defensive performance against the Golden Flashes.

“Much better defensive effort so it’ll be a lot better Christmas break for us,” Oats said with a smile at the podium. “We did make a big point of emphasis on defense, especially after that debacle up in North Dakota with [Fighting Hawks guard Treysen Eaglestaff].”

It was far from a perfect offensive display for the Tide against Kent State. Alabama’s lingering turnover issues reared its ugly head for a second straight and the Tide continued shooting poorly from 3-point range.

However, after defensive letdowns nearly sprang an upset in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Alabama got back to the basics over the next few days at practice. The team worked on defensive fundamentals rather than solely focusing on film study.

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That extra emphasis paid off as Alabama equaled its lowest points allowed in a game this season with 54. Tide forward Grant Nelson swatted a shot attempt by Kent State’s leading scorer VonCameron Davis in the opening few minutes, which helped set the tone the rest of the way.

“I think that [block] and just really everyone loading in the gaps, helping each other out,” Nelson said of Alabama’s defensive performance. “I thought that was huge. I think we kept them to six points in the first three media timeouts, that was huge for us. We emphasized that like I said and just a lot of credit to our guys for carrying it over on the court.”

While Alabama didn’t shoot the ball well, it made sure Kent State’s shooting was even more ineffective. Alabama communicated well on switches and contested shots from beyond the arc. It honed in on Davis, who averages 14.9 points per game but was limited to under 10 points for just the second time this season. Davis scored nine on an inefficient 4 of 15 from the field and had a minus-31 box plus-minus rating.

Coming into the game, Oats also felt like Kent State guard Jalen Sullinger (9.7 points per game) could be a dangerous weapon against Alabama’s defense with the potential to do the same thing Eaglestaff did for North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks guard scored a career-high 40 points, single-handedly pulling them back into the game late.

After missing the mark severely on guarding Eaglestaff, the Tide understood the assignment when it came to Sullinger and locked down the Kent State senior.

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“He ended up shooting 1 of 14 and didn’t score in the second half,” Oats said. “So I think we did a little bit of a better job being locked in to a perimeter guy. We held them to a pretty good field goal percentage, they only shot 28%. Traditionally, this has been one of the hardest playing teams — I was in the MAC for six years and they get all of the O Boards. We gave up too many second-chance points but I thought for the most part our first-shot defense was good.”

Alabama continued to play effective post-defense in spite of the offensive rebounds. The Tide finished with six blocks as a team. Center Clifford Omoruyi won the Hard Hat Award for the most blue collar points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Nelson had 14. Off the bench, Derrion Reid had a pair of steals while Mouhamed Dioubate chipped in with two blocks.

Following the win, Alabama jumped from No. 57 to No. 42 in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. As the Tide looks to build on its defensive momentum, better play on offense will have to follow. Alabama’s defense is much improved from last season when it was at its best, but it won’t be able to win games on defense alone when league play tips off on Jan. 4.

“We struggled a little offensively, and we’re gonna have to figure some stuff out here before SEC play,” Oats said. “The turnovers have been really just way too many — 13 in the first half. We did the same thing two games in a row. We only had one the second half against North Dakota. We ended up with six in the second half here. So we’ve got to do a better job at turnovers. I don’t have an answer for the free throw problems, but the only way to fix that is get in the gym and work. The good thing for us is we don’t have any school for a few weeks here, so after they get back from Christmas break, we’ll be in the gym and putting some time in.”

Alabama will conclude non-conference play against Summit League side South Dakota State. The Tide and Jackrabbits will tip off at 2 p.m. CT Dec. 29 inside Coleman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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How cold did Alabama get last night? These cities had the lowest temperatures

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How cold did Alabama get last night? These cities had the lowest temperatures


Very cold temperatures greeted Alabamians on Sunday morning.

The National Weather Service said temperatures overnight bottomed out in the low 20s in parts of the state and even were at the freezing mark in south Alabama.

Here were the lowest temperatures between midnight and 6 a.m. Sunday from around Alabama from the National Weather Service:

* Alexander City: 30 degrees

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* Anniston: 23 degrees

* Auburn: 28 degrees

* Birmingham: 24 degrees

* Decatur: 25 degrees

* Demopolis: 25 degrees

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* Dothan: 30 degrees

* Evergreen: 28 degrees

* Eufaula: 28 degrees

* Gadsden: 21 degrees

* Haleyville: 22 degrees

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* Huntsville: 26 degrees

* Mobile: 31 degrees

* Montgomery: 25 degrees

* Muscle Shoals: 24 degrees

* Ozark: 29 degrees

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* Prattville: 25 degrees

* Sylacauga: 24 degrees

* Talladega: 22 degrees

* Troy: 26 degrees

* Tuscaloosa: 25 degrees

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Temperatures today will be a few degrees higher than on Saturday. Highs will range from the low to mid-40s in south Alabama to the 50s in central Alabama, to the mid-50s in south Alabama (today’s forecast is at the top of this post).

Tonight will be chilly again, but not as cold as last night. Here are the forecast low temperatures from Sunday night into Monday morning:

Tonight’s low temperatures won’t be quite as cold as last night.NWS

Gradual warming is expected to continue this week, with the next chances for rain arriving on Wednesday, Christmas Day. The weather service isn’t expecting a lot of rain, and no severe weather is anticipated.

High temperatures on Christmas Day will be warmer, with 60s expected across a wide area and possibly some 70s near the coast. Here are the expected Christmas Day temperatures:

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Wednesday highs

It will be warmer across much of Alabama on Christmas Day. Above is the forecast for Wednesday.NWS

The warming trend looks to hold past Christmas. Here is the six- to 10-day temperature outlook, and it shows a high probability of above-average temperatures for Alabama through the end of December:

6-10 day temp outlook

Alabama has a high probability of experiencing above-average temperatures from Dec. 27- Dec. 31.Climate Prediction Center



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Seth McLaughlin Brings Alabama's Tennessee Victory Cigar Tradition to the Ohio State Sideline

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Seth McLaughlin Brings Alabama's Tennessee Victory Cigar Tradition to the Ohio State Sideline


Seth McLaughlin wasn’t able to play against Tennessee on Saturday night.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t celebrate his team’s dominating 42-17 win the way he used to when he suited up for the Alabama Crimson Tide as an undergraduate student. 

The cigar he had with him was not random or a prop. It was part of a tradition he learned in Tuscaloosa.

As the legend has it, in 1961 one of Bear Bryant’s trainers lit up a stogie following a Tide win which had ended a five-game slide to the Volunteers. This created a tradition maintained over the next two decades – which eventually spread to the opposite sideline.

The Volunteers have been participating in the victory cigar tradition since the early 1980s. It has spread from the sideline into the stands and tailgates. Earlier this season, the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide in Knoxville, creating a plume of smoke above Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee students light up cigars after an SEC conference game between Tennessee and Alabama in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.

Tennessee students light up cigars after an SEC conference game between Tennessee and Alabama in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. © Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So it was appropriate that McLaughlin, now with the Buckeyes following his Rimington Award-winning season in Columbus found a way to pay homage to his first alma mater while celebrating with his second one.

Ohio State plays Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. 





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