GAME DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get the grill fired up ... then get yourself fired up! THE TIDE ROLLS TODAY!!!!!

OK .. back to business here's an article that ya'll might have missed yesterday ... its not a good one ... but not too terribly bad. Ill update more after the game tonight!!!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

Thanks bamaonline.com for this article.

August 29, 2008

Chase Goodbread
BamaOnLine.com Senior Writer

GIBSON TO SIT FOR 2 GAMES

Alabama wide receiver Brandon Gibson will miss the first two games of the season while serving a suspension for a secondary NCAA violation that occurred before Gibson signed with UA in 2007.

Gibson

Gibson, a redshirt freshman from Mobile UMS-Wright, lists fourth on UA's official depth chart and didn't figure to see action Saturday against Clemson.

"The violation involved acceptance of transportation to a UA athletic event with a high school friend whose father is a representative of the institution's athletics interests," UA Director of Compliance Mike Ward said in a written statement. "This was a secondary violation that was self-reported by UA in 2007 and our recommendation for a two-game suspension was approved by the NCAA. The student-athlete and his friend have been friends since the ninth grade and, despite having a pre-existing relationship, unintentionally committed this infraction."

Gibson (6-1, 192 pounds) competed for playing time in the preseason at the X-receiver position, a battle which was won by Julio Jones in fall camp. Gibson's eligibility will be restored in time for Alabama's Sept. 13 game with Western Kentucky.

Alabama-Clemson Matchup

August 30, 2008Alabama at Clemson Preview
Stats, Inc.

Clemson has earned the reputation of an underachiever in Tommy Bowden's nine seasons on the sidelines, routinely landing in second-tier bowl games despite possessing some routinely impressive talent.
It'll only get worse if Bowden's team can't win the ACC in 2008, when they'll be preseason favorites for the first time in his tenure.
The No. 9 Tigers won't have to wait to get their first major test, as they open the season Saturday in Atlanta against 24th-ranked Alabama, which is looking for improvement in Nick Saban's second season.
Clemson (9-4) started 8-0 in 2000, Bowden's second year at the helm, before losing three of its final four, including a blowout loss in the Gator Bowl. In 2006, the Tigers got off to a 7-1 start before losing four of their final five games.
There wasn't as steep of a collapse last season, but Clemson still couldn't win the ACC's Atlantic Division. It lost to Boston College for the third consecutive season - costing itself a trip to the conference title game - before dropping its second straight bowl game to an ACC opponent.
"There's always that frustration of not winning the championship. You'll have to carry that label,'' said Bowden, who was an assistant at Alabama in the late 1980s.
He might not have to carry that designation for much longer. The Tigers return seven offensive starters from the conference's top-scoring team, including the top three vote-getters in balloting for the ACC player of the year - quarterback Cullen Harper and tailbacks James Davis and C.J. Spiller.
Davis and Spiller were expected to be the nation's top backfield tandem after outstanding 2006 campaigns, but both saw a decline in their production last season. Davis' average dropped from 5.8 to 5.0 yards per carry, and he scored 10 touchdowns after running for 17 in 2006. Spiller's drop-off was worse - he averaged 5.3 yards as a sophomore as opposed to 7.3 as a freshman, and scored just three touchdowns after having 10 the year before.
This season, the pair will be running behind an offensive line that will have to replace four starters, but Spiller's expectations are still sky high.
"I think everybody's saying, 'Oh, they don't deserve to be in the top 10. They always find a way to lose a game,'" Spiller said. "I think when we hold up that ACC trophy, we'll be fine."
That should be more feasible with the conference's best quarterback in front of them. Harper led the ACC in passing efficiency in 2007 and set 22 school records in his first season as a starter. Perhaps most impressive was his 27-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Clemson's defense should be one of the best in the conference - and maybe the nation - despite having to replace its top four linebackers. The Tigers were among the top 10 in the country last season in scoring defense (18.3 ppg) and total defense (297.2 ypg), and add highly touted freshman defensive end Da'Quan Bowers.
Clemson is the conference favorite and is ranked in the top 10 nationally for the first time since 1991, and its players are anxious to open against a solid opponent - particularly one from a conference that's given them trouble in their past two bowl games.
"We don't want any cupcake team to open up,'' defensive back Chris Chancellor said. "We need to know where we stand right now."
Alabama (7-6) should give the Tigers a solid test. Though the Crimson Tide lost six games last season, they didn't lose by more than a touchdown, and with one of the nation's top recruiting classes, much improvement is expected.
Two of those star recruits are Julio Jones and B.J. Scott, who should give a much-needed injection of talent to a receiving corps that lost its top three players from 2007.
"They're good. They're really good,'' quarterback John Parker Wilson said. "Julio's going to make some big plays this year. He can go up and get it. He can run by guys."
Wilson could use some help - his yards per attempt, completion percentage and quarterback rating all dropped off in his junior season.
He'll have some solid options at tailback if the passing game doesn't click right away. Terry Grant led the team with 930 rushing yards as a freshman in 2007, but junior Glen Coffee overtook Grant in practice and is expected to get the bulk of the carries.
Alabama returns only five starters on defense, though one of those players is All-SEC safety Rashad Johnson, who led the league with six interceptions.
The Tide lead the all-time series with Clemson, 11-3. The teams haven't met since a 56-0 Tigers win in Tuscaloosa in 1975.

5 Star Freshman will start Sat. Night!!!!`

Thanks to Yahoo Sports & the AP for this great article!
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Tide’s Julio Jones grabs starting job
By JOHN ZENOR, AP Sports Writer Aug 27, 4:59 pm EDT

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP)—John Parker Wilson might as well have wandered around campus this summer carrying a sign that read: “Julio’s doing fine.”
Then, maybe fans would have skipped ahead to ask Alabama’s quarterback about the team or the season or even what coach Nick Saban is like. That last question is so 2007.
Seems Topic No. 1 in T-town these days is how much-hyped freshman receiver Julio Jones is doing.
“That’s the first thing everybody asks,” Wilson said. “It was coach Saban last year, now it’s Julio.”
The most definitive answer of how Jones is doing came earlier this week when Saban released the Crimson Tide’s depth chart and the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder was on top. The nation’s top-rated receiver recruit has already had a catch—at a closed scrimmage, no less—wind up on YouTube and has been anointed a star before ever playing a college game.
And equally impressive, his teammates seem OK with that.
“He hasn’t come in expecting anything just because of what he did in high school,” Wilson said. “He’s shown me and the rest of the guys that he’s gonna earn his position, earn his spot and so far he’s done that every day.”
Jones and freshman linebacker Don’ta Hightower both are listed as starters for Saturday night’s game against No. 9 Clemson in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome. Only nine freshmen have started a season opener for Alabama.
Jones got plenty of attention recently when he made a one-armed catch along the sideline during a scrimmage, then stiff-armed All-Southeastern Conference safety Rashad Johnson on his way to a touchdown. A video of the play made it onto the Internet and has already drawn more than 24,000 views on YouTube.
Plenty more will get to see him on Saturday night. Since Saban doesn’t allow freshmen to speak to the media, he almost seems to have taken on near-mythical status with teammates left to do all the talking. Who’s Julio?
“He doesn’t let that hype get to him,” receiver Mike McCoy said. “He’s real laid-back. He’s cool on and off the field. We hang out all the time. This past weekend we just kicked it together. He’s a humble guy.”
Added offensive tackle Andre Smith: “He’s a great athlete, a great guy both on and off the field.”
McCoy said the attention is deserved. He even watched film of Jones from high school and was a believer.
“He’s just a different breed,” McCoy said. “Some people have got it, some people don’t. He’s one who has it.”
Jones was a Parade and USA Today All-American who was regarded by most recruiting services as one of the five best high school players in the nation after racking up more than 3,000 yards in his high school career.
Saban said Jones has been consistent from the start of fall camp and arrived in good shape. He will also return kicks and be a backup to Javier Arenas on punt returns.
“He’s consistently made plays in practice and in both scrimmages,” Saban said. “After the first scrimmage, it was pretty evident that he was going to have some role as one of the three receivers that we use quite a bit.
“This last week he certainly solidified his position as the starter. He and Mike McCoy have been our two best receivers throughout this camp.”
The hype has come because of Jones’ high school credentials, but also because of his timely arrival. The Tide has to replace Alabama;s career receiving leader DJ Hall, along with Keith Brown and Matt Caddell.
Hello, Julio.
The only current Tide player who might be able to relate to this level of attention out of high school is Smith, regarded as the nation’s top offensive line prospect a few years ago. He said teammates have told him they thought he would be arrogant, and had the same fear for Jones.
“They thought he was going to be, but he’s a hard worker,” Smith said. “He’s not out boasting about, what (he’s) going to do. He just lets his actions speak louder than his words.”

Courtesy of TuscaloosaNews.com

Coffee gets the starting nod

By Christopher Walsh Sports Writer

Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, August 25, 2008 at 11:06 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | University of Alabama junior Glen Coffee topped the depth chart at running back Monday, and hopes to go into the season as the Crimson Tide's every-down ballcarrier.

'It's going to be a whole different season,' Coffee said. 'I don't like talking about it, but you're going to see things, I plan to do things that I haven't done before on the college level.'

Behind Coffee was true freshman Mark Ingram and/or sophomore Terry Grant (both on the second unit for now), and junior Roy Upchurch. Grant was limited by a shin splint during fall camp.

'Mark Ingram has probably been the surprise of all the young players in terms of his maturity as a player,' Coach Nick Saban said. 'He's elusive. He has speed but he has power and tremendous toughness and he's a good receiver so he's a very, very good all-around guy,

'Glen Coffee is ‘Mr. Consistency' for us.'

Coffee was second in team rushing last season, with 545 yards on 129 carries, behind Grant (891 yards, 180 carries), but also missed four games due to the textbook disbursement scandal.

Nevertheless, all four players figure to get their share of handoffs.

'It not often you get to sub in and out and there's not a drop-off,' senior center Antoine Caldwell said. 'Glen's just is as good as Roy, Roy's just as good as Mark, Mark's as good as Terry. That's been a huge plus with this football team.'

Returning players accounted for 95.5 percent of Alabama's rushing yards last season, although Jonathan Lowe was not on the roster distributed to media Monday (note: it did not include all walk-on players).

Saban announced that sophomore quarterback Nick Fanuzzi will transfer.

'Nick is a fine young man, did an outstanding job here for us,' the coach said. 'We certainly hate to see him leave the program because every characteristic, every value that we try to instill in the program, he certainly represents. Great team player and did a really good job here, and we're sorry to see him go. But at the same time, we wish him well and we will help him every way that we can get some place where he feels he has a better opportunity to compete.'

Fanuzzi played one game (Western Carolina, 2007), but did not attempt a pass. His departure leaves true freshman Star Jackson and walk-on Thomas Darrah competing for the No. 3 job.

Although Alabama has three true freshmen offensive lineman on the depth chart, chances are if a tackle sustains an injury against Clemson that junior left guard Mike Johnson would shift over and Brian Motley enter the game.

'We're really impressed with the development of the young players but to throw them in the frying pan right now, we might be better served,' Saban said. 'Motley has made really good progress, especially since we've kind of been playing him at guard rather than center. So that's been helpful to him. David Ross has also done a good job at right guard.'

Barrett Jones is the backup left tackle ahead of Tyler Love, and John Michael Boswell is the second-team right tackle.

'BJ is a real good athlete, smaller guy, moves real well,' Caldwell said. 'Boswell is more your pound guy. Tyler Love is definitely probably the smartest out of the group.'

Tide-bits

Saban considers junior end Lorenzo Washington to essentially be a starter: 'I think it's more natural for him to play there, and I certainly think that with those three experienced guys at the defensive end potions improves our athleticism at that position. Lorenzo did a great job for us at nose and he's not a natural nose, that's not his natural position.'

As expected sophomore linebacker Charlie Higgenbotham (groin) returned to practice.

Junior Mike McCoy (6-2, 205 pounds) tops the depth chart at both the 'Z' wideout position and the slot in three-receiver formation. 'Usually it's a small guy who's really fast,' senior quarterback John Parker Wilson said. 'Mike has great athleticism, he can really makes the moves. I'm just so comfortable throwing him the ball.'

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Senior receiver Will Oakley, who missed fall camp with a stress fracture, was not listed on the depth chart. However, sophomore Darius Hanks, who has spent the past few days wearing the number of a Clemson player, is third at slot.

The Tide Inside

Crimson Tide Holds Practice Indoors Saturday

The Crimson Tide practiced inside for just the second time this preseason.

	The Tide held football practice in the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility Saturday.

Aug. 23, 2008

Tuscaloosa, Ala -

The University of Alabama football team worked for two hours in full pads Saturday afternoon at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. A steady rain fell in Tuscaloosa all day Saturday so the Crimson Tide practiced inside for just the second time this preseason.

"I thought we had a pretty good practice," said quarterback John Parker Wilson. "The energy was good and I think practicing inside was a plus to change it up a little bit. We get Sunday off and then need to come in Monday focused and ready for game week."

After flex and individual drills, the Tide did some work against Clemson offensive and defensive scout teams and wrapped up the day with special teams.

The Crimson Tide will hold its weekly Media Day on Monday, Aug. 25 at 11:30 a.m. in the Naylor Stone Media Suite. Head Coach Nick Saban and select players will be available to the media. Monday's practice is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.