Alabama football: QB Jalen Hurts deftly handling himself on, off field

Watch Nick Saban coach his Alabama football team during Peach Bowl practice

ATLANTA (AP) Jalen Hurts" go-karting trip with Alabama teammates hit a wall because things "kinda got a little hectic."

The team became surrounded by fans wanting pictures and autographs during a trip to Andretti Karting. One little kid dressed up as him for Halloween with pipe cleaners mimicking his long dreadlocks.

"That was cute to me," Hurts said.

No. 1 Alabama"s freshman quarterback has learned to deal with the trappings of being the starting quarterback for Nick Saban"s "Bama dynasty while learning to read defenses and master plays on the field. He"s led the Crimson Tide (13-0) into a playoff semifinals matchup with No. 4 Washington (12-1) in Saturday"s Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome.

The 18-year-old Hurts is trying to join Oklahoma"s Jamelle Holieway as the only freshman quarterback to lead his team to a national championship.

"I"m not the type of guy to just say no no pictures, no autographs because that"s disrespectful," Hurts said. "You have to treat the fans the best way you can. But we have a security guard and I walk around with him when I know stuff is going to go down. And he said, "Look, Jalen I don"t have a problem at all with saying no." So I"m like, "It"s better coming from you than me.""

Facing the Huskies defense is tough enough, but Hurts is also navigating life as a celebrity figure among Alabama fans. Not that he"s complaining.

RELATED: Updates from Alabama vs. Washington

By all accounts, the Southeastern Conference"s offensive player of the year has handled the off-the-field challenges as well as he has the ones on the field. He has started the last 12 games and so solidified the job that the team"s other three quarterbacks are transferring after or, in Blake Barnett"s case, during the season.

So having to wear a hoodie around Tuscaloosa is a small price to pay, even if sometimes people still come up and tell him: "You can"t hide."

"I mean, it"s my lifestyle now," Hurts said. "I"m kinda getting used to it. It is what it is. I always embrace it, and here I am trying to embrace it."

His teammates and coaches embraced him quickly.

Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin watched him throw at Channelview High School and says he came back telling Saban: "Coach, I think this guy"s a first-round draft pick."

Tight end O.J. Howard recalls watching Hurts talking to a strength coach on the sidelines during fall camp after throwing an interception and then coming right back and firing a touchdown pass.

"That"s when we found out he was just so composed, he didn"t let it rattle him or anything," Howard said. "He said, "I"m going to bounce back. I"m good.""

That, Howard said, is "when I thought I knew he was going to be the quarterback."

Hurts, who played for his father in high school, has already had the most prolific rushing season of any alabama qb, with 841 yards and 12 touchdowns. He"s also passed for 2,592 yards and 22 touchdowns against nine interceptions.

But he has failed to reach 175 passing yards in five of the Tide"s last seven games. Washington"s defense has picked apart more seasoned passers and leads the nation with 33 forced turnovers.

"If you get pressure on him he makes not the greatest decisions," Huskies cornerback Sidney Jones said. "But when he has time to set his feet he looks like a great quarterback."

RELATED: Washington looks to corral Alabama QB Jalen Hurts

Linebacker Keishawn Bierria calls Hurts a "super athletic" playmaker who benefits from a terrific supporting cast. The Huskies are hoping that they can benefit from his youth, even if Hurts does have 12 starts under his belt.

"You always want to try to get inside his head and rattle him," Bierria said. "But he has a great team surrounding him. It might be a little difficult but that"s our goal."

This time, there won"t be a security guard to fend them off.

This article was written by John Zenor from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

Source: http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2016-12-30/alabama-football-qb-jalen-hurts-deftly-handling-himself-field

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Alabama Football Vs. LSU: Crimson Tide Defense Dominates Tigers" Offense En Route To 10-0 Victory

USC vs Alabama football 2016 / NCAAF 2016

Aside from a regular season-ending matchup with the Auburn Tigers, the most difficult game remaining on the Alabama Crimson Tides schedule was on Saturday at LSU. The Tigers entered the game on a three-game win streak under interim head coach Ed Orgeron and the offense had looked rejuvenated after the coaching change.

All of those positives disappeared on Saturday for the LSU Tigers as they ran into the best defense in the country. Alabama held the Tigers to 125 total yards and six first downs on its way to a 10-0 victory in Baton Rouge that runs the teams record to 9-0 in 2016.

Alabama scores 10 in the fourth to remain unbeaten! #BAMAvsLSU #RollTide pic.twitter.com/hKmnqfMtVp

Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 6, 2016

The biggest factor in the victory for the Crimson Tide was the play of the front-seven. Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams, Ryan Anderson, Reuben Foster, DaRon Payne, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Shaun Dion Hamilton combined to make life a living nightmare for the Tigers. Star running back Leonard Fournette only rushed for 35 yards on 17 carries while the Tide sacked LSU quarterback Danny Etling five times and forced an errant throw that resulted in an interception in the second-half.

It didnt matter what offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger called, the Alabama front-seven just beat the LSU offensive line like a drum all night long. This game was a perfect example of why the Crimson Tide could have as many as five defensive players selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

ROLL TIDE!

Alabama wins its 6th-straight game over LSU and 13th-consecutive against an AP-ranked opponent to remain unbeaten. pic.twitter.com/2YrdCAvP9R

SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 6, 2016

Offensively, it was a bit of a struggle most of the night for true freshman Jalen Hurts. The Alabama Crimson Tide didnt score their first points of the game until the clock showed 13:08 remaining in the fourth quarter as Hurts scrambled into the end zone from 21 yards out to give the Tide a 7-0 lead.

On the night, Hurts was only 10-of-19 through the air for 107 yards and he threw his sixth interception of the season. He did, however, find great success on the ground as he carried the ball 20 times for 114 yards and that one touchdown. As a team, Alabama rushed for 218 yards on the night on its way to quite possibly the biggest win of the season to this point.

POINTS!

Jalen Hurts finds the endzone and Alabama takes a 7-0 lead over LSU with 13:08 left in the game. pic.twitter.com/umZl2QDQxD

NCAA Football (@NCAAFootball) November 6, 2016

Nick Sabans club will now return home to square off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs next week. Dan Mullens team is coming off of a shocking 35-28 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday. The Aggies got a gift this past week when they were named the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff ahead of the Washington Huskies despite the Huskies being undefeated and the Aggies already having one loss.

As for the Tigers, its the same old story against Alabama. This is now six straight wins for the Crimson Tide in the series and athletic director Joe Alleva has some serious decisions to make between now and next season. Orgeron is a tremendous recruiter and injected some life into the Tigers after the firing of Les Miles, but the folks at LSU expect to compete for a national championship every year and the school cant do that without beating Alabama.

Ed Orgeron could still keep the LSU job, but beating Alabama sure wouldve helped https://t.co/kVpaaPyxJT pic.twitter.com/Z5oRvgOaH1

The Gridiron Times (@thegridirontime) November 6, 2016

As the Inquisitr reported earlier this week, there were some rumors going around that LSU would remove the interim tag from Orgeron if he were to find a way to beat Alabama. Now that hes lost, it would seem that Alleva must target the biggest coaching names in college football in order to get the LSU Tigers back on the national championship landscape.

[Featured Image by Kevin C. c*x/Getty Images]

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/3683649/alabama-football-vs-lsu-crimson-tide-defense-dominates-tigers-offense-en-route-to-10-0-victory/

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Alabama football players wake up to earthquake before USC game

USC Football - Alabama Rapid Reaction

Did you feel that?

Alabama"s first game day of 2016 started with a jolt as a 5.6 magnitude earthquakewas felt in the team hotel Saturday morning. The shaker, centered in central Oklahoma, was felt across the Midwest and southwest.

The Crimson Tide are in suburban Dallas, about 250 miles south of the epicenter. The ground shook just after 7 a.m. CT -- 12 hours before Alabama kicks off against USC. No damage was reported in the Dallas area.

At least two Tide players tweeted about the experience.

Source: http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2016/09/alabama_football_players_wake.html

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Alabama football: Crimson Tide on verge of unprecedented run

Alabama Football - Postseason Hype 2015

Ralph D. Russo | The Associeated Press

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Regardless of the outcome of Monday night"s College Football Playoff championship game between No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama, a case can be made that no team in the history of the sport has had a better run than the Crimson Tide under coach Nick Saban.

If Alabama beats the Tigers to win a fourth national title in seven seasons, the argument may be settled.

There was talk early in the season after Alabama lost to Mississippi that the Tide dynasty was in decline. Now Alabama (13-1) is one victory away from an unprecedented achievement.

The Tide can become just the third school in college football"s poll era, dating back to the creation of The Associated Press media poll in 1936, to win four championships in a 10-year span.

Notre Dame won four in seven seasons from 1943-49, but big-time college football is hardly comparable now to then. Those Fighting Irish didn"t play in bowl games and never needed more than nine victories to be the best in the country.

Miami won four championships in nine seasons (1983-91), but none of those teams had to play more than 12 games.

Alabama"s four championships under Saban, who took over in 2007, have all come in at least 13-game seasons.

"I mean, it"s incredible," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday during a news conference with Saban. Swinney heaped so much praise on his counterpart during the half-hour session with reporters that Saban looked a little uncomfortable.

"Coach Saban, what he"s done, I mean, he"s one of the greatest coaches that ever coached the game," Swinney said.

Saban also has a BCS title from his time at LSU, giving him four overall. Only former Alabama coach Bear Bryant with six has more.

"This is the first one I"ve sniffed as a coach, and he"s going for his fifth," said Swinney, who is in his eighth season at Clemson. "It"s incredible."

Clemson has one national championship to its credit. Behind Danny Ford, an Alabama native and former Tide player for Bryant, the Tigers won the title in 1981 by beating favored Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

The Tigers are back on the biggest stage and again being led by an Alabaman and former Tide player. Swinney grew up near Birmingham and played for Alabama when Gene Stallings was the coach in the early 1990s. He was on the Tide team that won a national championship in 1992, upsetting Miami in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama then went through a long dry spell until Saban arrived.

"People will say, well, anybody can go win at Alabama," Swinney said. "Not everybody can coach a great team. Not everybody can coach a great player, and I think he has a gift to be able to do that."

Under Swinney, the Tigers have won at least 10 games each of the last five seasons, just like Alabama. And Clemson has its own shot at history: If the Tigers win the national title, they would become the first team to achieve a 15-0 season.

RELATED: Swinney leads Tigers with a smile

"We want to be a program that is competing at this level on a consistent basis and I think to do that, you"ve got to be a top-10, top-15 type program year in and year out," Swinney said.

Alabama has been even better than that. Since going 7-6 in Saban"s first season, the Tide is 97-12 and has never finished out of the final AP top 10.

No surprise: Saban has not been part of the legacy talk this week. Pondering his place in history won"t help his players Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium.

"I owe them as the leader of the organization," Saban said. "I owe them our best as coaches and people who can support them to give them the best opportunity to be successful in the next challenge that they have.

"So I"ve got no time to think about that stuff."

This article was written by Ralph D. Russo from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

Source: http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2016-01-11/alabama-football-crimson-tide-verge-unprecedented-run

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How to trash talk an Alabama football fan

NCAA Football. Florida vs Alabama full game SEC Championship 2015

Note: The following commentary was written in conjunction with AL.com for tonight"s College Football Playoff between Alabama and Michigan State. In honor of the Cotton Bowl, we"ve asked Alabama reporter Haley Laurence to give Spartans fans a guide to trash talking the Tide. See our guide on "How to trash talk a Michigan State fan" here.

Hi, Spartan fans. I hear you have a pretty big football game coming up on New Year"s Eve against a pretty formidable opponent. Y"all will definitely have to fight for a win against Derrick Henry and Co.

One thing you won"t have to fight hard for? A victory in the trash-talking game. Why is that? Well, because I"m about to help you with that. After living in the Crimson-clad state for almost three decades as an Auburn fan, I know exactly what to say to get Bama fans agitated and man, do their faces get red when they get mad. You really should see it for yourself. It"s almost kind of precious.

But enough of that. Here"s what you need to say to make sure you"re at the top of the trash-talking game.

Mention their mythical national championships

For some irrational reason, Bama fans love talking about their 15 national championships. If you talk to a Bama fan, he or she will probably say "Got 15?" multiple times in the first two minutes. (Pro tip: Just make a drinking game out of it. Every time a Bama fan mentions the number "15," just take a drink. You"ll need all the booze you can get to get through the conversation.)

The problem with all these national championships? No one else recognizes 15 except for the university. If you want to make the Crimson Tide fans really fume, just bring up 1941 when the team finished third in the SEC and 20th in the AP poll but still claim a national championship for that year. It really makes no sense, like the time Scarlett Johansson dated Sean Penn. (Really, ScarJo, what were you thinking?)

Tell them houndstooth is ugly

Legendary Crimson Tide coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was a fan of houndstooth, and no Bama fan will ever, ever forget that. Houndstooth is everywhere in Alabama. It"s on groomsmen cakes. It"s on Christmas trees. It"s on probably 5 percent of all clothing. I haven"t seen a houndstooth tombstone yet, but I"m pretty sure it exists and is located in the state of Alabama.

Call them "Gumps"

Many Bammer fans are OK with being called Bammers, but there"s one no-no: They don"t respond well to being called a Gump. Here"s the definition straight from the world"s pre-eminent news source, Urban Dictionary: "A typical Alabama football fan. Usually so delusional that they think Bear Bryant is still alive. They also believe that Nick Satan actually likes the toothless fanbase. So, naturally, call them Gumps.

Ask them if they participated in the "Running of the Gumps"

OK, here"s some background. Each year, the University hosts Alabama Fan Day, where Bammers get to watch the Crimson Tide scrimmage and yada yada yada. Here"s the clincher: At the end of the day, the thousands of fans who show up get an opportunity to meet the players and coaching staff yes, including Nick Saban. The catch? They gotta run down the field to get to them.

This, of course, leads to an embarrassing, embarrassing scene. It"s what you would imagine if Apple offered new 1-cent Macbooks on Black Friday and Nick Saban is a Macbook. (Although, real talk: Saban is definitely more of a PC man.) But I"ll stop explaining and let you watch it. Seriously, it must be watched.

Remind them that this man runs their offense

(Photo by Vasha Hunt, vhunt@al.com)Gillian Van Stratt | gvanstratt@mlive.com Tell them you plan to storm the field and tear down the goalposts when you win

One thing that Bama fans are mighty proud of: The fact that, for all we know, no one has stormed the field after a victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and they"ve especially never torn down a goalpost there. They"re just so used to victory, according to them, that they"d never resort to anything so uncouth. (This is the perfect time to scroll back up to the Running of the Gumps.)

Once again, the logic really makes no sense, but by now we"ve established that very few things they do make sense. But the joke"s on them. Storming the field after a major win is fun, and who wants to argue with fun? Auburn had plenty of fun storming the field after the 2013 Iron Bowl which leads to ...

Ask them if they have a second ...

If there"s anything that a Bammer is tired of, it"s hearing about the 2013 Iron Bowl. In one second, all of their SEC and national championship hopes were obliterated for the season, and it ended all chances of a three-peat national championship.So, obviously ask them if they have a second.

Or just mention the Kick Six in general

See above.

Tell them Saban"s leaving Alabama after this season

Each year, rumors begin that Saban is ready to leave Bama. All of them have thus far been unfounded, but that doesn"t mean that the Crimson Tide faithful doesn"t get anxious near the end of each season.

The magic words to make it sound like you"re in the know? Tell them, "Miss Terry (his wife) is unhappy in Tuscaloosa and wants to move." Works every time.

Just say Cam Newton"s name

Noted Bama Arch Nemesis Cam Newton is in the news almost every day, and that displeases most Bammers. What displeases Bammers makes for excellent trash talk.

Sing a reverse "Rammer Jammer" to them

After each win, even to cupcake schools, Crimson Tide fans chant "Rammer Jammer" to the opposing team, which includes classy lines such as "We just beat the h**l out of you."Luckily, Auburn"s already created a reverse "Rammer Jammer" that"s up for use.

Call them "Harvey Updykes"

Updyke is known for poisoning Auburn"s famous Oak trees at Toomer"s Corner, and Bammers hate it when you compare them to him. So, obviously, call them that. A lot. Ask them if they plan on destroying any East Lansing landmarks. (But seriously, East Lansing: Guard your city.)

Source: http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2015/12/how_to_trash_talk_an_alabama_f.html

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Alabama Football: JK Scott and Nick Perry Named SEC Players Of The Week

Alabama Football players JK Scott and Nick Perry were named SEC Players of the Week for their performance in the Tides 25-20 win over Mississippi State. The conference announced the news late Monday evening.

Scott was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week while Perry was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week.

Punter JK Scott has done his job many times well all season, often turning the field position in Alabamas favor many times. He has already been named a Ray Guy Award finalist just last week. During the Mississippi State game, Scott punted seven times and averaged 45.6 yards per punt with five of those being downed inside the 20 yard line.

Nick Perry led all Alabama defenders with nine tackles with three assisted. Perry was also credited for a half tackle for a loss as well as the interception of Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott in the second quarter.

Be sure to keep it here on Bama Hammer as well as The Houndztooth Powered By Bama Hammer for all of your Alabama Crimson Tide news and discussions.

More CRIMSON TIDE coverage from Sports Illustrated:

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide Football

Source: http://bamahammer.com/2014/11/18/alabama-football-jk-scott-nick-perry-named-sec-players-week/

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11-year-old Colby Sawyer enjoys big day, victory with South Alabama football ...

MOBILE, Alabama -- Wearing his No. 1 jersey, Colby Sawyer made sure he was involved in everything his new teammates were doing Saturday. South Alabama's newest Jaguar took part in meetings, the team meal, the bus ride to Ladd-Peebles Stadium, pregame warmups, the locker room talk and coin toss. And of course, he took part in the Jags' victory celebration following it's 24-20 win over Texas State.

Not a bad day for an 11-year-old fan. It was an especially good day for someone who has had his share of battles the past two years.

On Monday, Sawyer signed his letter of intent, joining the South Alabama football team. Throughout the week to took part in team activities and shared time with the coaches and players. Saturday, the USA Children's and Women's Hospital patient -- he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in June of 2012 -- Sawyer celebrated being part of the Jags' team in a big way.

"When you see how excited he is to be with all the players and riding the bus with us over here -- warming up the the guys and being a part of the coin toss -- it's special,'' South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said. "We've tried to do all we can to give him a great day.''

The Jags' efforts were a success.

"Hanging out with the players,'' Sawyer said without hesitation when asked what the best part of the day had been for him. "It's been fun.''

That was the aim. Team Impact worked with the South Alabama athletic program in matching Sawyer with the team. After the win, he joined his Jags teammates in trading high-fives with fans in celebration of the victory.

Source: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/11/11-year-old_colby_sawyer_enjoy.html

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Alabama Football Playoff Scenarios: Week 13 Edition

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By Bryan Zarpentine @BZarp on November 17, 2014

Fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide can take a page out of the Aaron Rodgers playbook and relax. Alabama has been in control of its own destiny all along regarding its spot in the College Football Playoff, despite being on the outside looking in during the initial weeks of the playoff rankings being released. Following Alabamas win over top-ranked Mississippi State, the Crimson Tide will be firmly within the top four.

Of course, its not a done deal yet; Alabama still has to win out the rest of the season. The Tide has a virtual bye this week against Western Carolina, which should give them a chance to rest up and prepare for the Iron Bowl the following week. That matchup against the Auburn Tigers will be Alabamas biggest potential stumbling block between them and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The Tigers were the team that kept Alabama from reaching the BCS Title Game last season, and the Tides in-state rival has a chance to do so again this year.

Assuming Alabama can win its revenge game against Auburn, the Tide would then have to win the SEC Championship Game against either Missouri or Georgia. Georgia would probably be the tougher matchup for Alabama, but neither is a team the Tide shouldnt be able to handle. Winning all three of those games would guarantee Alabama a spot in the playoffs, possibly with the top seed, assuming that matters.

The issue that Alabama needs to be concerned about is whether it can afford a loss and still manage to find its way into the playoffs. If the Crimson Tide were to lose to Auburn, there would be a chance as it certainly wouldnt be considered a bad loss for Alabama. However, considering the fact that Alabama had near-losses to LSUand Arkansas, the Tide may not be able to stay ahead of every one-loss team.

Alabama could still be ranked ahead of every other two-loss team, but that would require at least three teams suffering a second from the group of Mississippi State, Baylor, TCU, Oregon, and Ohio State.

Needing that much help in order to sneak into the playoffs as a two-loss team would be asking a lot and an unlikely scenario for Alabama. At the end of the day, the Crimson Tide simply needs to take care of business on the field.

Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.

Source: http://www.rantsports.com/ncaa-football/2014/11/17/alabama-football-playoff-scenarios-week-13-edition/

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