Your daily rundown of Alabama sports news, including how to follow the Crimson Tide.
It’s difficult to think that the first four-team College Football Playoff was scheduled to start ten years ago. Oregon would play Florida State, while top-seeded Alabama would play Ohio State. The announcement that Sports Illustrated would be releasing four special playoff editions with four distinct covers—one for each team to preview the semifinals—was made on this day in 2014. The Crimson Tide were represented by starting quarterback Blake Sims on the December 29 double-issue cover, which read, “The Mayhem Begins.”
In the Sugar Bowl semifinal, Alabama’s performance against Ohio State wasn’t particularly strong. Despite jumping out to a 20–6 lead, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban wasn’t happy with how the game was going, particularly defensively against the Buckeyes’ offense with running back Ezekial Elliot and quarterback Cardale Jones (who had only started for the second time in his career after trailing Braxton Miller and J. T. Barrett).
According to Saban, “We never really stopped them.” “I didn’t like the way the game felt at the time, even though we had two turnovers and two red-zone stops. The game was not under our customary control.
He was correct; the Buckeyes went on to score 28 points in a row and won 42-35. Elliott rushed for a Sugar Bowl record 230 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and Ohio State scored 537 yards of offense against the best defense in the country.
Later, Saban acknowledged that the Crimson Tide had played the game similarly to a bowl, but he soon realized it. Before losing to Michigan 27–20 in overtime in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2023 season, Alabama had won six straight CFP semifinals and advanced to the national title game.
Up until 2022, Sims continued to play football, playing for the Birmingham Iron, two NFL practice teams, and the CFL. He is presently the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Marietta, Georgia’s Mt. Bethel Christian Academy.
The Crimson Tide Schedule for Today
No games are planned till Sunday.
Results of the Crimson Tide
Basketball for men: Kent State 54, Alabama 81
Have You Noticed?
With an 82-yard touchdown against the Chicago Bears, Jameson Williams, a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, had the play of the day among former Crimson Tide players. He finished with 143 yards from five receptions.
With 23 carries for 109 rushing yards and a 1-yard score, Williams’ teammate Jahmyr Gibbs also had a strong day, helping the Lions maintain their goal of home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs.
After suffering a concussion in the first quarter, Jalen Hurts exited the Eagles game. In the end, Washington came together to win 36–33, snapping
With a passer rating of 107.5, Bryce Young had the highest of the four former Alabama quarterbacks starting this weekend. He led the Panthers to victory over the Cardinals in overtime, despite only throwing for 158 yards. He was 17-for-26 with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and he also ran for 68 yards and another score. Take a look at his 18-yard touchdown pass to David Moore, the Panthers wide receiver:
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