Two defensive backs with Alabama football roots returned an interception for a touchdown during an NFL preseason game on Thursday night.
Former Alabama safety Jordan Battle’s pick-six came in the Cincinnati Bengals’ 27-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Former Troy cornerback Reddy Steward’s pick-six came in the Chicago Bears’ 34-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Battle picked off Indianapolis starter Anthony Richardson and returned the interception 14 yards for a touchdown as the Bengals tied the score at 7-7 with 3:01 left in the first quarter.
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Steward picked off former Samford quarterback Chris Oladokun and returned the interception 48 yards for a touchdown as the Bears took a 20-7 lead with 22 seconds left in the first half.
Battle wasn’t the only Alabama alumnus who scored for the Bengals. Rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Logan Woodside
The touchdown was the second of the preseason for the third-round draft choice. Burton caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Woodside during Cincinnati’s 17-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Bengals’ preseason opener on Aug. 10.
Burton had four receptions for 56 yards against the Colts.
And Steward wasn’t the only Alabama prep standout who scored for the Bears. Former Saraland High School star Velus Jones Jr. ran 39 yards for a touchdown with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.
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A wide receiver in his first two NFL seasons, Jones has been working at running back this preseason, and against Kansas City, he ran for 111 yards on 13 carries, caught two passes for 11 yards and made two tackles – one on special teams and one after a fumble.
Battle and Steward are in different circumstances.
A third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, Battle started the final seven games of his rookie season. But he’s back competing for playing time this year after the Bengals signed safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone.
Battle also had five tackles on defense and one tackle on special teams against Indianapolis.
A two-time All-State selection for Austin High School in Decatur before becoming an All-Sun Belt Conference choice at Troy, Steward is trying to convert a long-shot opportunity to make the Bears’ roster as an undrafted rookie.
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The pick-six was Steward’s second interception of the game. Steward also intercepted Oladokun with 11:28 left in the second quarter with the Chiefs at the Chicago 3-yard line. He intercepted the pass at the goal line and returned it 11 yards. Steward also had two tackles in the game.
Twenty other players with Alabama football roots got on the field as the final week of the NFL’s preseason started on Thursday night:
Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle returns an interception for a touchdown during an NFL preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.(Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Indianapolis Colts 27, Cincinnati Bengals 14
· Travis Bell (Jeff Davis) started at defensive tackle for the Bengals. Bell did not record any stats.
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· Colts defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (Alabama) made one tackle. Davis had not practiced at training camp until Tuesday, when he was cleared after being held out because of high blood pressure.
· Allan George (Andalusia) started at cornerback for the Bengals. George made eight tackles.
· Colts safety Ronnie Harrison (Alabama) made two tackles on defense, registered one tackle for loss and recorded three tackles on special teams.
· Shedrick Jackson (Hoover, Auburn) started at wide receiver for the Bengals. Jackson had an 8-yard reception.
· Cedric Johnson (Davidson) started at left defensive end for the Bengals. Johnson made three tackles. He lost a sack to a penalty on a teammate.
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· Ryan Kelly (Alabama) started at center for the Colts.
· Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made two extra points. He did not have a field-goal attempt.
· Colts cornerback Jaylin Simpson (Auburn) made one tackle on special teams.
· Braden Smith (Auburn) started at right offensive tackle for the Colts.
· Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) did not play.
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Indianapolis and Cincinnati kick off their regular-season schedules on Sept. 8. The Colts host the Houston Texans, and the Bengals host the New England Patriots.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun passes under pressure during an NFL preseason game against the Chicago Bears on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Chicago Bears 34, Kansas City Chiefs 21
· Khari Blasingame (Buckhorn) started at fullback for the Bears. Blasingame also had a 4-yard run.
· Byron Cowart (Auburn) started at defensive end for the Bears. Cowart made one tackle.
· Bears tight end Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) did not play.
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· Neil Farrell Jr. (Murphy) started at defensive tackle for the Chiefs. Farrell did not record any stats.
· Chris Oladokun (Samford) started at quarterback for the Chiefs. Oladokun completed 9-of-16 passes for 66 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions and ran four times for 6 yards.
· Justyn Ross (Central-Phenix City) started at wide receiver for the Chiefs. Ross had two receptions for 16 yards.
· Chiefs tight end Irv Smith Jr. (Alabama) had a 3-yard reception.
· Kadarius Toney (Blount) started at wide receiver for the Chiefs. Toney had two receptions for 26 yards.
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· Bears cornerback Ro Torrence (Bessemer City, Auburn) made three tackles on defense, broke up two passes and made one tackle on special teams.
· Bears punter Corliss Waitman (South Alabama) averaged 44.3 yards on three punts, with a 39.0-yard net.
· Chiefs wide receiver Montrell Washington (Samford) had a 49-yard reception and a 30-yard kickoff return.
Kansas City kicks off the NFL’s regular-season schedule on Sept. 5 when the Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens. Chicago opens on Sept. 8 with a home game against the Tennessee Titans.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – For those incarcerated in Alabama, there is a path to employment through the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Re-Entry Program.
The Bureau looks at where someone may live after serving their sentence and starts connecting them with potential employers, while also conducting drug screenings to help ensure employers and communities are getting a safe employee.
“We make sure as they’re moving through our re-entry programs that they’re re-assessed for mental health stability for substance abuse challenges,” said Rebecca Bensema, Assistant Director of Re-entry and Rehabilitation.
Bensema said the agency sits down with inmates to gauge their interests and review their work history to help match them with opportunities.
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Bureau Director Cam Ward explained that there are areas where an individual would be unable to work because of their conviction.
“For example, if I committed check fraud, I’m not going to be able to get a job at the bank. Sex offense… you’re not going to be eligible to work anywhere near kids or sensitive facilities,” Ward said.
Ward said offering job possibilities to people leaving incarceration is key to reducing recidivism and repeat offenses.
“Give the employer all the information and if they want to hire somebody based on their criminal history, let the employer decide, don’t let the government be the one who dictates it,” he said.
The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles says it currently has positions open that people with a criminal background can apply for.
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Alabama football is hosting an impressive group of 2027 recruits throughout this weekend. This is the first of several weekends the Tide will host top recruits for official visits.
So, will Alabama add a commit this weekend? This is very much possible, and there are a few prospects Touchdown Alabama has our eyes on.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
OKLAHOMA CITY–– UCLA’s home run power made headlines all season, but it was Alabama’s super sluggers who stepped up in the biggest moments on the biggest stage during the Crimson Tide’s opening game of the Women’s College World Series.
No. 1 Alabama was trailing by two runs heading into the fifth inning of Thursday’s game before Alexis Pupillo tied it up with a two-run shot in the bottom of the frame.
The Tide had struggled with runners in scoring position all game, but when Alabama’s home run leader Brooke Wells stepped to the plate with two on in the sixth inning, she made sure that wasn’t going to happen again. In her first ever game at the WCWS, Wells hit one over the right field wall to give Alabama a three-run lead.
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That score would hold as No. 1 Alabama beat No. 8 UCLA 6-3 to move into the winners’ bracket at the WCWS.
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The moment meant a lot for Wells after she went without a hit during the super regional round against LSU. The team rallied around her, and head coach Patrick Murphy put a card in her locker at the beginning of the week.
“It was great to do it for these girls,” Wells said after the game. “These girls are so great. They had my back all last weekend, you know, how he said. It wasn’t the best weekend for me, but they never lost trust in me, they never lost faith in me. Murph gave me a card, the girls picked me up all weekend. I walked in here feeling as confident as ever. Didn’t really cross my mind anything that happened last weekend.”
This is the first trip to the World Series for both Wells and Pupillo as transfers into Alabama. Pupillo is in her final season and has now hit a home run in three straight postseason games and is up to 20 on the season.
“This is the moment that I’ve been waiting for since I was like eight years old,” Pupillo said. “I walked through the gates today, I kind of started tearing up for a second because it just felt surreal. I just remember watching Montana Fouts pitch in the World Series when she threw the perfect game. That moment of me when I was eight years old watching it on the TV, man, I really want to do that.”
Alabama junior ace Jocelyn Briski shut down the UCLA batting order the first time through, but the Bruins bats wouldn’t stay down for long. UCLA rallied for three runs on four hits, including two home runs, in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead.
She did not allow another run to the potent UCLA offense over the next four innings. Briski finished with nine strikeouts against a team that does not strike out much.
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“You could see they hit two home runs, we hit two home runs, but the ability to come up with those timely hits with runners on obviously makes a difference,” UCLA coach Kelly Inoyue-Perez said after the game.
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Coming into the matchup, Alabama knew UCLA would score. It just wanted to limit the damage, and Briski was able to do that.
Jena Young set the tone for the offense at the top of the lineup, reaching base four times with three hits. She scored in the first inning on an RBI-single from Alabama’s senior captain Marlie Giles, Pupillo’s home run and on the Wells’ home run in the sixth inning.
Alabama (55-7) will face the winner of Thursday night’s game between No. 4 Nebraska and No. 5 Arkansas on Saturday. Winning the first game sets the tone for the rest of the series and makes the path a lot smoother. Around 90 percent of previous college softball national champions win their opening game at the WCWS.
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