The No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide will host the South Florida Bulls at 7 p.m. ET Saturday.

Great Start For Crimson Tide

Alabama (1-0) defeated the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 63-0, to open the season last week. First-year Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said the Tide settled in through their fast drive:

Alabama starting quarterback Jalen Milroe passed for 200 yards in the game.

Two Tide players received Week 1 SEC Player of the Week honors: Ryan Williams and Keon Sabb.

Williams, a five-star freshman receiver, started his collegiate journey with 139 yards and two touchdowns last week.

The Tide defense showed a good performance with leaders such as Sabb, with two interceptions, and Deontae Lawson, with a total of the nine tackles. While the team struggled with some penalties throughout the game, DeBoer is focusing on these challenges and finding ways to improve.

USF entered the season with a good win against Bethune Cookman, 48-3. While Bulls quarterback Bryum Brown didn’t face pressure on the field in this game, it’s expected to test his decisions throughout this upcoming game.

Last Matchup

Last season, Alabama beat South Florida, 17-3. With the change in leadership, DeBoer and Milroe’s  performance will be significantly evaluated.

Saban Honored

Prior to the game, Alabama will rename the Crimson Tide’s home venue to Nick Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Saban won six national championships while in Tuscaloosa. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday with TV coverage on ESPN.

A Florida woman was nearly thrown into the trunk of her car with her would-be kidnapper holding a knife to her and threatening to “slice” her throat if she didn’t comply.

Veronica Jones had just finished shopping at an Orlando Walmart on Monday at around 4:30 p.m. and was putting her groceries into her trunk when the horrifying ordeal went down, according to WESH 2.

“All of a sudden, somebody grabbed me full body,” Jones told the outlet, revealing at first she thought it was someone she may know trying to pull a prank on her.

“He kept pushing me, I was pinned against my car, he kept pushing me toward my trunk as he was pulling my purse at the same time.”

The suspect, later identified by police as 54-year-old Juan Perez, demanded that she cough up her purse and cash.

Jones said she was “fighting” to keep her purse because it contained all her important valuables.

However, she quickly realized the perp was willing to get violent when he put a knife to her throat and threatened her life.

“Then he put something to my neck, which he says if you don’t stop this, I’m going to slice your throat, if you don’t give me your purse,” Jones shared.

Perez continued to push her into the truck, with the blade still pressed against her throat, causing Jones to go into “survival mode.”

Jones said she “started screaming” for help, but her cries were swiftly muffled out when the would-be kidnapper shoved a glove down her throat, she told the outlet.

Fortunately, she got out one shout for “help,” which alerted a nearby bystander, who rushed over and scared the violent suspect off.

“She heard me say help, so she got out of the car, and then at this time, we’re tugging on the purse, and he got it cause the strap broke,” Jones told the outlet.

The brave bystander later told law enforcement she saw the victim’s “legs flailing out of the trunk” and the suspect trying to push her in, according to an affidavit obtained by Fox 35.

When the suspect took off with her purse, the Walmart shopper lost her wallet, driver’s license, insurance card, phone, gift cards, $60 in cash, and a $125 check.

Jones was left with a mark on her neck where the suspect had pressed the knife into her during the frightening ordeal. She denied medical attention at the scene.

But she’s just grateful the good Samaritan heard her pleas for help and intervened.

“I’d like to thank the girl that stopped though, because she stayed with me the whole time, she was a lot of help,” Jones told  WESH 2.

Police arrested Perez the following day after a GPS he was wearing from a past crime put him at the scene of the attempted kidnapping and armed robbery.

Perez’s car was also spotted in the parking lot during that time, and his probation officer verified him as the perp from stills off of Walmart’s security cameras, according to the outlet.

He was taken before a judge following his arrest and charged with attempted kidnapping, armed robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, battery, and destruction of evidence, according to the Orlando Police Department.

He is being held at the Orange County Jail without bond. Perez is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Sept. 10.

Perez was on federal probation for a previous kidnapping charge when he allegedly tried kidnapping Jones and stole her purse using the deadly weapon, according to Fox 35.

He is also a registered sex offender in Florida for Lewd Or Lascivious Battery of a victim 12-15 years old from 2004.

(Bloomberg) — JetBlue Airways Corp. investor Vladimir Galkin, a Florida entrepreneur, has increased his stake in the carrier to 9.98% and says he’s met with top executives to discuss a possible board seat.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Galkin has been steadily building up a stake in JetBlue this year, and is now the airline’s third-largest investor, behind BlackRock Inc. and Vanguard Group Inc.

Galkin said in an interview that he met with JetBlue’s Chief Executive Officer Joanna Geraghty and Chief Financial Officer Ursula Hurley earlier this week.

“I have not decided whether I want to become a director,” he said. “Any consideration would, of course, require further discussions with the board and adhering to their nominating process.”

Galkin said he “expressed my interest in monitoring my significant investment as a director at some point” during the discussions. Geraghty didn’t make a commitment “either way,” and encouraged him to speak with the board’s nominating committee as required by the company’s bylaws, Galkin said.

In a statement, JetBlue said it “regularly speaks with shareholders and investors to listen to their views on the company’s strategy and progress.” A spokesman declined to comment on discussions with individual shareholders.

The airline is in the midst of a turnaround effort after federal judges blocked a planned acquisition and a partnership with another carrier, limiting its growth prospects. Geraghty has detailed plans to pull out of some cities and delay $3 billion in new aircraft purchases to help control persistently high costs. The airline will shift its focus back to leisure customers in its original strongholds of New York, New England, Florida and Puerto Rico.

“I was really impressed with Joanna and her team and their progress to date,” said Galkin, who cofounded and owns a majority stake in HUBX, an online global marketplace for wholesale electronics.

Galkin, who cashed in on GameStop Corp. during the meme stock craze, reiterated in the interview that he will hold his JetBlue investment to below 10%. Reaching a 10% stake triggers additional disclosure requirements and would allow him to call for a special shareholder meeting. He would also be considered an insider.

Activist investor Carl Icahn, who took a stake in JetBlue of nearly 10% earlier this year, subsequently secured two board seats.

Story continues

Galkin has had, and intends to continue to have, discussions with JetBlue executives and board members “regarding the possibility of board representation,” according a regulatory filing Thursday. He may communicate with the board, management or other investors about operational, strategic, financial or governance matters, it said.

Shares of the company rose 1.3% in postmarket trading as of 6:02 p.m. Thursday in New York. The stock is down nearly 3% this year.

–With assistance from Crystal Tse.

(Adds JetBlue comment in sixth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.