Alabama

The spotlight in the Alabama-Texas game will be squarely on the 2 QBs, Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe

Published

1 year ago

September 8, 2023

The spotlight in the Alabama-Texas game will be squarely on the 2 QBs, Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe

Jalen Milroe’s first coveted jersey growing up in Texas was Vince Young’s No. 10. Nowadays, he is apt to end his media interviews with an enthusiastic “Roll Tide.”

Quinn Ewers lifted Longhorns fans’ hopes that they had found another star passer like Young or Colt McCoy with his dazzling start in last year’s Alabama game.

Milroe, the third-ranked Crimson Tide’s dynamic new starting quarterback, and Ewers of No. 11 Texas will lead their teams into Saturday night’s showdown at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Not Young, Bryce or Vince.

“Vince Young is someone I did watch, as far as highlights,” said Milroe, who is from Katy, Texas, outside Houston. “My family loved Vince Young. Growing up, I was always a Vince Young fan. He was my first jersey that I bought.”

Like that Young or Milroe’s predecessor, No. 1 NFL draft pick Bryce Young, quarterbacks at these programs will ultimately be judged by how they perform in games like this one.

Milroe especially hasn’t been tested on this stage before, though he did fill in for an injured Bryce Young in the Texas A&M game last season with mixed results.

Ewers, an Ohio State transfer, was thriving against the Tide last season before going down with a shoulder injury that sidelined him for three games. He racked up 134 passing yards on the first two drives against a normally stingy Tide defense before getting slammed into the ground by Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner, who was called for a personal foul.

Ewers fended off offseason challenges from top recruit Arch Manning and Maalik Murphy to hold onto the starting job. He twice batted away questions about the injury and whether he owed Alabama any “payback.”

“I don’t play the ‘what if?’ games,” he said. “I’m going into this game like any other.”

Milroe is trying to do the same. He doesn’t bite much on the questions about whether facing Texas carries any added significance to him, or how his family will handle any competing allegiances.

The facade cracks some when asked if he has extended or immediate family who root for the Longhorns. “Yeah,” he responds both times with a laugh but no elaboration.

Milroe was once a Texas commitment before flipping to Alabama, where Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian was one of his primary recruiters. Sarkisian was the Tide’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the time.

Milroe was impressive in his first game as Alabama’s No. 1 quarterback after also winning an offseason competition with Ty Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner.

Against Middle Tennessee State, he became the first Tide quarterback to pass for three touchdowns and run for two more in the same game, including a scoring run when he had to retrieve an errant snap before taking off. He also avoided turnovers after fumbling twice and throwing an interception against the Aggies last season.

That’s probably the best indicator of progress for Milroe, who already flashed plenty of talent as Bryce Young’s understudy. Center Seth McLaughlin has seen Milroe put in the work, often arriving early at the football building.

“I think just the focus and work that he puts into it, knowing that he’s the guy and he knows how much weight is on the Quarterback 1 at the University of Alabama,” McLaughlin said. “I’ve seen him taking a lot of steps of just being the guy and focusing in on what he’s got to do and just the amount of work he puts in.”

Tide cornerback Terrion Arnold calls Milroe his “LANK brother,” as in “Let All Naysayers Know.”

“For him to go out there and have a great performance as people have been doubting him, kinda been saying he can’t really play the position … He’s put in a lot of work, so it’s good to see him grow and I look forward to seeing him have success,” Arnold said.

Ewers was inconsistent once he returned from his injury last season. He shredded Oklahoma in a 49-0 Texas romp, but had three interceptions in a road loss to Oklahoma State and struggled badly in a home loss to TCU. By then, Texas had turned the offense over to a running game that was humming behind Bijan Robinson.

In the opener against Rice, Ewers passed for three touchdowns and ran for another, but struggled to connect on deep throws. Ewers does have the more established weapons in the passing game, led by receiver Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington.

“He’s a really good player,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “He does a great job with their offense. He reads coverages well. He’s accurate with the ball and has got really good skill guys outside, and they’re able to take advantage of that. It’s going to be a real challenge for us to affect him, No. 1, but also do a good job of covering their guys.”

___ AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno contributed to this report.

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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Alabama

Nebraska Women’s Basketball Dominates North Alabama; Natalie Potts Leaves with Injury

Published

4 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Nebraska Women’s Basketball Dominates North Alabama; Natalie Potts Leaves with Injury

A dominant win with a potential loss for Nebraska women’s basketball Tuesday evening.

No. 21 Nebraska hammered North Alabama 85-48 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers improve to 5-0 while the Lions fall to 2-3.

NU led by 11 after the first quarter and inched that out to 13 midway through the second. That’s when disaster struck.

A turnover led to a fast break opportunity for North Alabama. Natalie Potts retreated to cut off the scoring chance, but when she turned to contest the shot, her knee gave way and she collapsed to the floor. She was eventually helped to the locker room as a number of teammates were visibly emotional.

“She’s pretty upset,” Nebraska coach Amy Williams said after the game. “Her teammates are pretty upset. We’ll just kind of wait and see, once she’s had a chance to be evaluated, where we go from here.”

Potts returned in the second half to sit behind the bench in street clothes, aided by crutches. Williams said the doctors did not make an immediate determination of how long Potts will be out.

Back on the court, Nebraska continued to pull away, leading by as much as 39 before settling for the 37-point difference.

Nebraska shot 48.4% for the game, making 8-of-21 3s. North Alabama managed to shoot at just a 28.8% clip, including 7-of-18 from deep.

Five Huskers scored in double figures, including Callin Hake with a game-high 17 points. Jessica Petrie was next with 14 points, while Britt Prince and Alberte Rimdal each added 13.

Nebraska heads on the road to Creighton Friday. Tip from Omaha is set for 4 p.m. CST on FloHoops. Subscriptions are $150 for a year or $30 for a month.

Box score

MORE: Carriker Chronicles: On Dylan Raiola, Matt Rhule and Saturday’s ‘Ugly Duckling Bowl’

MORE: By The Numbers: Nebraska Volleyball’s Winning Streak

MORE: College Football Playoff Rankings: Four Big Ten Teams in Top Five

MORE: Oregon Has Already Punched Its Ticket to the Big Ten Football Championship Game

MORE: Dana Holgorsen Dives Into Some of the Good and Bad of Nebraska’s Offense

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

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Alabama

Alabama Community College Conference adds women’s flag football

Published

11 hours ago

November 19, 2024

Press Room

Alabama Community College Conference adds women’s flag football

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The Alabama Community College Conference has launched women’s flag football as an official sport.

Women’s flag football is one of newest athletic offerings sanctioned by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

ACCC will offer the sport to female student-athletes beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year.

“This new and exciting sport is going to bring additional opportunities to female student-athletes and provide that additional opportunity for them to continue the sport that they love,” said ACCC Commissioner Dean Myrick.

Myrick said women’s flag football has exploded on the parks and recreation level, as well as within the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

Once completion begins next fall, Alabama will feature the largest flag football conference in the NJCAA.

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How to buy Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Oklahoma Sooners tickets

Published

19 hours ago

November 19, 2024

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How to buy Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Oklahoma Sooners tickets

The No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide face a fellow SEC foe when they visit the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.

If you are looking to find Crimson Tide vs. Sooners tickets, information is available below.

Alabama vs. Oklahoma game info

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How to buy Alabama vs. Oklahoma tickets for college football Week 13

You can buy tickets to see the Crimson Tide take on the Sooners from multiple providers.

Alabama vs. Oklahoma betting odds, lines, spreads

Spread favorite: Crimson Tide (-14)
Moneyline favorite: Crimson Tide (-610)
Total: 47.5 (O: -110, U: -110)

Odds courtesy of BetMGM

Alabama Crimson Tide schedule

Week 1: Aug. 31 vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 63-0 win
Week 2: Sept. 7 vs. South Florida Bulls, 42-16 win
Week 3: Sept. 14 at Wisconsin Badgers, 42-10 win
Week 5: Sept. 28 vs. Georgia Bulldogs, 41-34 win
Week 6: Oct. 5 at Vanderbilt Commodores, 40-35 loss
Week 7: Oct. 12 vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, 27-25 win
Week 8: Oct. 19 at Tennessee Volunteers, 24-17 loss
Week 9: Oct. 26 vs. Missouri Tigers, 34-0 win
Week 11: Nov. 9 at LSU Tigers, 42-13 win
Week 12: Nov. 16 vs. Mercer Bears, 52-7 win
Week 13: Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Oklahoma Sooners
Week 14: Nov. 30 vs. Auburn Tigers

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Alabama Crimson Tide stats

Alabama is averaging 438.2 yards per game on offense this year (30th in the FBS), and are allowing 324.7 yards per game (32nd) on the defensive side of the ball.
The Crimson Tide have been thriving on both offense and defense, ranking eighth-best in scoring offense (39.5 points per game) and 10th-best in scoring defense (16.9 points allowed per game).
Alabama ranks 48th in pass offense (246.1 passing yards per game) and 35th in pass defense (192.5 passing yards allowed per game) this season.
The Crimson Tide are compiling 192.1 rushing yards per game on offense (29th in the FBS), and they rank 53rd on the other side of the ball with 132.2 rushing yards allowed per game.

Oklahoma Sooners schedule

Week 1: Aug. 30 vs. Temple Owls, 51-3 win
Week 2: Sept. 7 vs. Houston Cougars, 16-12 win
Week 3: Sept. 14 vs. Tulane Green Wave, 34-19 win
Week 4: Sept. 21 vs. Tennessee Volunteers, 25-15 loss
Week 5: Sept. 28 at Auburn Tigers, 27-21 win
Week 7: Oct. 12 vs. Texas Longhorns, 34-3 loss
Week 8: Oct. 19 vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, 35-9 loss
Week 9: Oct. 26 at Ole Miss Rebels, 26-14 loss
Week 10: Nov. 2 vs. Maine Black Bears, 59-14 win
Week 11: Nov. 9 at Missouri Tigers, 30-23 loss
Week 13: Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Week 14: Nov. 30 at LSU Tigers

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Oklahoma Sooners stats

While Oklahoma’s offense has been stuck in neutral, ranking 18th-worst with 326.8 total yards per game, its defense ranks 23rd-best with just 319 total yards surrendered per contest.
The Sooners rank 91st in the FBS with 25.1 points per game on offense, and they rank 40th with 21.9 points ceded per contest on the defensive side of the ball.
Oklahoma ranks 21st-worst in passing yards per game (183.6), but it has been better on the other side of the ball, ranking 55th in the FBS with 210 passing yards surrendered per contest.
The Sooners rank 86th in the FBS with 143.2 rushing yards per contest, but they’ve been lifted up by their defense, which ranks 17th-best by allowing only 109 rushing yards per game.

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