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SIAP:  https://alabama.rivals.com/news/meet-the-alabama-crimson-tide-football-coaching-staff-for-the-2020-season

Meet the Alabama Crimson Tide football coaching staff for the 2020 season

Kyle Henderson and Tony Tsoukalas      BamaInsider.com

Quote

After back-to-back years of mass transition, Alabama avoided a major shakeup in its coaching staff this season. The Crimson Tide saw defensive line coach Brian Baker, strength coach Scott Cochran and longtime assistant Burton Burns leave the program. Meanwhile, Alabama welcomed back Freddie Roach as its new defensive line coach while bringing in David Ballou as its director of sports performance and Dr. Matt Rhea as its director of performance science.

Here’s an outlook on Alabama’s coaches and the biggest question they’ll face this season.

NICK SABAN, head coach

Saban is entering his 14th year with the Crimson Tide. The 68-year-old is still college football’s top coach but missed out on the College Football Playoff for the first time as Alabama suffered its first multi-loss regular season since 2010.

Biggest question: Can he keep Alabama the kings of college football?

Saban doesn’t appear to have lost a step. However, Alabama does have company when it comes to maintaining its seat at the throne of college football. After appearing in four straight national championship games, the Crimson Tide’s absence from the College Football Playoff last season was eye-opening.

Clemson serves as Alabama’s biggest competition for supremacy with SEC foes LSU and Georgia building themselves into consistent threats. Can Saban once again assert his dominance over the rest of the nation? Doubt him at your own peril.

STEVE SARKISIAN, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks

Sarkisian put up impressive numbers in his first full season as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. The Crimson Tide ranked No. 2 in the nation in scoring (47.2 points per game) and No. 6 in total offense (510.8 yards per game). Led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the nation’s deepest receiving corps, Alabama ranked No. 3 in passing offense, averaging 342.2 yards per game.

Biggest question: How will he handle the quarterback position?

This is bound to be the biggest question heading into spring camp as redshirt junior Mac Jones and five-star freshman Bryce Young appear to be the two leading candidates behind center. Jones was impressive in his final three games following Tagovailoa’s season-ending injury, completing 68.4 percent of his passes for a combined 937 yards and 10 touchdowns with two interceptions against West Carolina, Auburn and Michigan. On the other hand, Young is viewed as an elite talent and offers an added amount of dynamism at the position.

Ultimately, this decision will come down to who Saban feels is best. However, it will be Sarkisian’s job to further develop both quarterbacks in order to make sure Alabama’s high-powered attack keeps rolling along.

PETE GOLDING, defensive coordinator/inside linebackers

Things didn’t run as smoothly for Golding in his first season as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Charged with overseeing a young and inexperienced unit, he saw the Crimson Tide rank No. 13 in scoring defense (18.6 points allowed per game) and No. 21 in total defense (324.4 yards allowed per game). Perhaps most alarming were the 94 combined points given up in losses to LSU and Auburn.

Biggest question: Will he learn from last season’s mistakes?

Golding took on plenty of heat from Alabama fans following the Crimson Tide's disappointing finish to the regular season last year. Perhaps the first-year coordinator was charged with too much of the blame considering his defense was decimated by injuries, including season-ending setbacks to both his starting inside linebackers.

Even so, Golding admitted to putting too much on his younger players, stating, “Sometimes as coaches, we can think too much and think we’re too damn smart at times.” Alabama returns linebacker Dylan Moses which should go a long way in adding a stabilizing force on the field. However, the Crimson Tide will still be inexperienced at outside linebacker and in the secondary — two areas Golding will have to make sure don’t develop into glaring weaknesses.

Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding enters his third season at Alabama

CHARLES HUFF, associate head coach/running backs

Huff enters his second season with Alabama blessed with an even deeper backfield than the one that helped the Crimson Tide average 168.54 yards per game on the ground last year. While Alabama has thrown the ball more in recent years, maintaining dominant ground game will be essential in keeping opposing offenses off the field.

Biggest question: How will he keep all of Alabama’s backs happy?

Najee Harris established himself as Alabama’s bell-cow back toward the second half of the season last year, receiving 15 of more handoffs in six of the Crimson Tide’s final eight games. Despite rushing for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns, the former five-star recruit elected to return for his senior season this year. Alabama will certainly welcome Harris back but will now need to find a way to keep him happy while also spreading the ball out to fellow five-star Trey Sanders as well as Brian Robinson, Keilan Robinson and three talented freshmen in Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams and Kyle Edwards.

CHARLES KELLY, Associate defensive coordinator/safeties

Kelly had a solid first season with Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide rank No. 11 in pass defense (187.2 yards allowed per game) while overseeing a safeties unit that tallied eight interceptions. He played a vital role in developing freshman Jordan Battle, who earned a starting spot in Alabama’s dime secondary.

Biggest question: How will he manage losing both his starters?

Alabama will not only be without a potential first-round pick in Xavier McKinney, who led the team with 95 tackles last season, it will also lose Jared Mayden, who tallied a team-high four interceptions. Kelly did a nice job of developing Battle. If he can produce similar results from sophomore DeMarcco Hellams or redshirt junior Daniel Wright, the Crimson Tide should be in good shape in the backend of its secondary.

SAL SUNSERI, outside linebackers

Sunseri started his second stint with Alabama, coaching the outside linebackers last season. He was in charge of a unit that produced Alabama’s two most dangerous pass rushers in Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis, who combined for 14 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss.

Biggest question: Can he break in Alabama’s young talent fast enough?

Alabama had perhaps the SEC’s top pass-rushing duo in Jennings and Lewis last year. Now that both players have made their way to the NFL, things will be a bit more challenging for Sunseri. Alabama returns potential breakout players in Christopher Allen and King Mwikuta, but the key here will be developing the elite freshman class which features five-stars Will Anderson and Chris Braswell as well as four-stars Drew Sanders and Quandarrius Robinson.

This is Sal Sunseri's second stint at Alabama having coached the outside linebackers for Nick Saban from 2009-11

KYLE FLOOD, offensive line

Flood is another assistant who shined in his first season at Alabama. The offensive line coach led a unit that finished as a finalist for the Joe Moore Award as the Crimson Tide ranked third in the nation, allowing just 12 sacks over 13 games.

Biggest question: Can he piece together the right front five?

Alabama brings back one of the best offensive lines in the nation. The key will putting players at the right positions to ensure the best starting five sees the field. Right tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is Alabama’s lone departing starter and is expected to be replaced by Evan Neal, who would slide over from left guard. With Alex Leatherwood set to stay at left tackle, Flood will have to find the right mix of blockers inside.

Along with Neal and Leatherwood, Alabama returns starting center Landon Dickerson, who can play any position across the line, as well as guard Deonte Brown. Redshirt sophomore Emil Ekiyor Jr. and sophomore Darrian Dalcourt are names to watch moving forward.

KARL SCOTT, cornerbacks

Scott was one of the three returning assistants for Alabama last season, focusing exclusively on the cornerbacks after overseeing the entire secondary the year before. He helped the Crimson Tide limit opponents to 187.2 yards per game through the air while seeing his cornerbacks tally a combined seven interceptions.

Biggest question: Where should he line up Patrick Surtain II?

Alabama loses a starting cornerback in Trevon Diggs as well as its starter at Star in Shyheim Carter. Both of those players served as leaders in the unit and will be difficult to replace both on and off the field. In the past, Alabama has lined up a more experienced defensive back at Star due to the complexities of the position. This year, that role could fall to junior Patrick Surtain II who will be the most experienced member of the secondary.

Surtain has worked at Star in the past and has the physicality to play at the position. However, the 6-foot-2, 203-pound defensive back has excelled at the cornerback position and may be more suited to serve in a lock-down role on the outside.

HOLMAN WIGGINS, wide receivers

Wiggins stepped into a treasure trove his first season with Alabama, overseeing a wide receivers unit that will likely produce at least four first-round picks in Devonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle. Last season, the Crimson Tide’s receivers accounted for 3,802 yards and 38 touchdowns through the air.

Biggest question: Can Alabama remain just as dominant through the air?

Alabama is losing two likely first-rounders in Jeudy and Ruggs but received a nice boost when Smith announced he was returning for his senior season. Smith and Waddle are two of the top five returning receivers in college football and should put up stellar numbers next season. The question is, can Wiggins help develop more depth in the unit moving forward?

FREDDIE ROACH, defensive line

Roach returns to Alabama after spending the past three seasons coaching defensive line at Ole Miss. This will be the former Crimson Tide linebacker’s third coaching stint in Tuscaloosa after serving as the director of player development (2015-17) and assistant strength and conditioning coach (2008-2010).

Biggest question: Can Alabama generate more pass rush up front?

Alabama uncharacteristically failed to bring down opposing quarterbacks last season, ranking tied for No. 43 in the nation with 32 sacks over 13 games. Of that, just 7.5 of those sacks came from defensive linemen as the Crimson Tide started two freshmen up front for the majority of the season. Alabama returns redshirt junior LaBryan Ray, who suffered a season-ending foot injury last season. His emergence along with a more experienced unit should provide more pressure.

JEFF BANKS, special teams coordinator/tight ends

Jeff Banks was the only Crimson Tide assistant who did not see his title change last offseason. This past year he was in charge of a tight ends unit that recorded a combined 21 receptions for 209 yards and five touchdowns through the air. He also oversaw a special teams unit that featured the nation’s top punt returner in Jaylen Waddle, who averaged 24.35 yards per return.

Alabama struggled at punting, ranking No. 101 in the nation with 39.91 yards per attempt. However, the Crimson Tide was one of the best at defending kickoffs, allowing just 16.79 yards per return, good enough for fifth in the nation.

Biggest question: Can Alabama find stability at kicker?

Alabama once again struggled with consistency at the kicker position last season. Will Reichard was supposed to be the answer to the Crimson Tide’s kicking woes but suffered a season-ending hip injury midway through his freshman season. Joseph Bulovas was a respectable 8 of 11 on field-goal tries but had a long of just 43 yards and missed a potential game-tying 30-yard attempt in the Iron Bowl. Banks will need to help Alabama establish a reliable solution at the position, if for nothing else than the sanity of Crimson Tide fans.

DAVID BALLOU, director of sports performance

DR. MATT RHEA, director of performance science

Alabama took a different approach in filling the departure of Scott Cochran as its head strength and conditioning coach as it brought in David Ballou as its director of sports performance and Dr. Matt Rhea as its director of performance science. The two are highly regarded in their field and made significant strides at Indiana the past two seasons, helping the Hoosiers to an 8-5 record last year — the team’s highest win total since 1993.

Biggest question: How quickly will Alabama players buy into Ballou and Ray’s analytical approach work?

Ballou and Ray’s data-driven approach is the perfect complement to Alabama’s new sport science facility. Now it will be up to the duo to win over Crimson Tide players and have them buy into a new style of training. While it will be tough to replace an icon in Scott Cochran, there’s plenty to be excited about when examining the possibility of improvement under the new regime.

 

 

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SIAP:  https://alabama.rivals.com/news/meet-the-alabama-crimson-tide-football-coaching-staff-for-the-2020-season
Meet the Alabama Crimson Tide football coaching staff for the 2020 season
Kyle Henderson and Tony Tsoukalas      BamaInsider.com
After back-to-back years of mass transition, Alabama avoided a major shakeup in its coaching staff this season. The Crimson Tide saw defensive line coach Brian Baker, strength coach Scott Cochran and longtime assistant Burton Burns leave the program. Meanwhile, Alabama welcomed back Freddie Roach as its new defensive line coach while bringing in David Ballou as its director of sports performance and Dr. Matt Rhea as its director of performance science.
Here’s an outlook on Alabama’s coaches and the biggest question they’ll face this season.
NICK SABAN, head coach
Saban is entering his 14th year with the Crimson Tide. The 68-year-old is still college football’s top coach but missed out on the College Football Playoff for the first time as Alabama suffered its first multi-loss regular season since 2010.
Biggest question: Can he keep Alabama the kings of college football?
Saban doesn’t appear to have lost a step. However, Alabama does have company when it comes to maintaining its seat at the throne of college football. After appearing in four straight national championship games, the Crimson Tide’s absence from the College Football Playoff last season was eye-opening.
Clemson serves as Alabama’s biggest competition for supremacy with SEC foes LSU and Georgia building themselves into consistent threats. Can Saban once again assert his dominance over the rest of the nation? Doubt him at your own peril.
STEVE SARKISIAN, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
Sarkisian put up impressive numbers in his first full season as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. The Crimson Tide ranked No. 2 in the nation in scoring (47.2 points per game) and No. 6 in total offense (510.8 yards per game). Led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the nation’s deepest receiving corps, Alabama ranked No. 3 in passing offense, averaging 342.2 yards per game.
Biggest question: How will he handle the quarterback position?
This is bound to be the biggest question heading into spring camp as redshirt junior Mac Jones and five-star freshman Bryce Young appear to be the two leading candidates behind center. Jones was impressive in his final three games following Tagovailoa’s season-ending injury, completing 68.4 percent of his passes for a combined 937 yards and 10 touchdowns with two interceptions against West Carolina, Auburn and Michigan. On the other hand, Young is viewed as an elite talent and offers an added amount of dynamism at the position.
Ultimately, this decision will come down to who Saban feels is best. However, it will be Sarkisian’s job to further develop both quarterbacks in order to make sure Alabama’s high-powered attack keeps rolling along.
PETE GOLDING, defensive coordinator/inside linebackers
Things didn’t run as smoothly for Golding in his first season as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Charged with overseeing a young and inexperienced unit, he saw the Crimson Tide rank No. 13 in scoring defense (18.6 points allowed per game) and No. 21 in total defense (324.4 yards allowed per game). Perhaps most alarming were the 94 combined points given up in losses to LSU and Auburn.
Biggest question: Will he learn from last season’s mistakes?
Golding took on plenty of heat from Alabama fans following the Crimson Tide's disappointing finish to the regular season last year. Perhaps the first-year coordinator was charged with too much of the blame considering his defense was decimated by injuries, including season-ending setbacks to both his starting inside linebackers.
Even so, Golding admitted to putting too much on his younger players, stating, “Sometimes as coaches, we can think too much and think we’re too damn smart at times.” Alabama returns linebacker Dylan Moses which should go a long way in adding a stabilizing force on the field. However, the Crimson Tide will still be inexperienced at outside linebacker and in the secondary — two areas Golding will have to make sure don’t develop into glaring weaknesses.
Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding enters his third season at Alabama
CHARLES HUFF, associate head coach/running backs
Huff enters his second season with Alabama blessed with an even deeper backfield than the one that helped the Crimson Tide average 168.54 yards per game on the ground last year. While Alabama has thrown the ball more in recent years, maintaining dominant ground game will be essential in keeping opposing offenses off the field.
Biggest question: How will he keep all of Alabama’s backs happy?
Najee Harris established himself as Alabama’s bell-cow back toward the second half of the season last year, receiving 15 of more handoffs in six of the Crimson Tide’s final eight games. Despite rushing for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns, the former five-star recruit elected to return for his senior season this year. Alabama will certainly welcome Harris back but will now need to find a way to keep him happy while also spreading the ball out to fellow five-star Trey Sanders as well as Brian Robinson, Keilan Robinson and three talented freshmen in Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams and Kyle Edwards.
CHARLES KELLY, Associate defensive coordinator/safeties
Kelly had a solid first season with Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide rank No. 11 in pass defense (187.2 yards allowed per game) while overseeing a safeties unit that tallied eight interceptions. He played a vital role in developing freshman Jordan Battle, who earned a starting spot in Alabama’s dime secondary.
Biggest question: How will he manage losing both his starters?
Alabama will not only be without a potential first-round pick in Xavier McKinney, who led the team with 95 tackles last season, it will also lose Jared Mayden, who tallied a team-high four interceptions. Kelly did a nice job of developing Battle. If he can produce similar results from sophomore DeMarcco Hellams or redshirt junior Daniel Wright, the Crimson Tide should be in good shape in the backend of its secondary.
SAL SUNSERI, outside linebackers
Sunseri started his second stint with Alabama, coaching the outside linebackers last season. He was in charge of a unit that produced Alabama’s two most dangerous pass rushers in Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis, who combined for 14 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss.
Biggest question: Can he break in Alabama’s young talent fast enough?
Alabama had perhaps the SEC’s top pass-rushing duo in Jennings and Lewis last year. Now that both players have made their way to the NFL, things will be a bit more challenging for Sunseri. Alabama returns potential breakout players in Christopher Allen and King Mwikuta, but the key here will be developing the elite freshman class which features five-stars Will Anderson and Chris Braswell as well as four-stars Drew Sanders and Quandarrius Robinson.
This is Sal Sunseri's second stint at Alabama having coached the outside linebackers for Nick Saban from 2009-11
KYLE FLOOD, offensive line
Flood is another assistant who shined in his first season at Alabama. The offensive line coach led a unit that finished as a finalist for the Joe Moore Award as the Crimson Tide ranked third in the nation, allowing just 12 sacks over 13 games.
Biggest question: Can he piece together the right front five?
Alabama brings back one of the best offensive lines in the nation. The key will putting players at the right positions to ensure the best starting five sees the field. Right tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is Alabama’s lone departing starter and is expected to be replaced by Evan Neal, who would slide over from left guard. With Alex Leatherwood set to stay at left tackle, Flood will have to find the right mix of blockers inside.
Along with Neal and Leatherwood, Alabama returns starting center Landon Dickerson, who can play any position across the line, as well as guard Deonte Brown. Redshirt sophomore Emil Ekiyor Jr. and sophomore Darrian Dalcourt are names to watch moving forward.
KARL SCOTT, cornerbacks
Scott was one of the three returning assistants for Alabama last season, focusing exclusively on the cornerbacks after overseeing the entire secondary the year before. He helped the Crimson Tide limit opponents to 187.2 yards per game through the air while seeing his cornerbacks tally a combined seven interceptions.
Biggest question: Where should he line up Patrick Surtain II?
Alabama loses a starting cornerback in Trevon Diggs as well as its starter at Star in Shyheim Carter. Both of those players served as leaders in the unit and will be difficult to replace both on and off the field. In the past, Alabama has lined up a more experienced defensive back at Star due to the complexities of the position. This year, that role could fall to junior Patrick Surtain II who will be the most experienced member of the secondary.
Surtain has worked at Star in the past and has the physicality to play at the position. However, the 6-foot-2, 203-pound defensive back has excelled at the cornerback position and may be more suited to serve in a lock-down role on the outside.
HOLMAN WIGGINS, wide receivers
Wiggins stepped into a treasure trove his first season with Alabama, overseeing a wide receivers unit that will likely produce at least four first-round picks in Devonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle. Last season, the Crimson Tide’s receivers accounted for 3,802 yards and 38 touchdowns through the air.
Biggest question: Can Alabama remain just as dominant through the air?
Alabama is losing two likely first-rounders in Jeudy and Ruggs but received a nice boost when Smith announced he was returning for his senior season. Smith and Waddle are two of the top five returning receivers in college football and should put up stellar numbers next season. The question is, can Wiggins help develop more depth in the unit moving forward?
FREDDIE ROACH, defensive line
Roach returns to Alabama after spending the past three seasons coaching defensive line at Ole Miss. This will be the former Crimson Tide linebacker’s third coaching stint in Tuscaloosa after serving as the director of player development (2015-17) and assistant strength and conditioning coach (2008-2010).
Biggest question: Can Alabama generate more pass rush up front?
Alabama uncharacteristically failed to bring down opposing quarterbacks last season, ranking tied for No. 43 in the nation with 32 sacks over 13 games. Of that, just 7.5 of those sacks came from defensive linemen as the Crimson Tide started two freshmen up front for the majority of the season. Alabama returns redshirt junior LaBryan Ray, who suffered a season-ending foot injury last season. His emergence along with a more experienced unit should provide more pressure.
JEFF BANKS, special teams coordinator/tight ends
Jeff Banks was the only Crimson Tide assistant who did not see his title change last offseason. This past year he was in charge of a tight ends unit that recorded a combined 21 receptions for 209 yards and five touchdowns through the air. He also oversaw a special teams unit that featured the nation’s top punt returner in Jaylen Waddle, who averaged 24.35 yards per return.
Alabama struggled at punting, ranking No. 101 in the nation with 39.91 yards per attempt. However, the Crimson Tide was one of the best at defending kickoffs, allowing just 16.79 yards per return, good enough for fifth in the nation.
Biggest question: Can Alabama find stability at kicker?
Alabama once again struggled with consistency at the kicker position last season. Will Reichard was supposed to be the answer to the Crimson Tide’s kicking woes but suffered a season-ending hip injury midway through his freshman season. Joseph Bulovas was a respectable 8 of 11 on field-goal tries but had a long of just 43 yards and missed a potential game-tying 30-yard attempt in the Iron Bowl. Banks will need to help Alabama establish a reliable solution at the position, if for nothing else than the sanity of Crimson Tide fans.
DAVID BALLOU, director of sports performance
DR. MATT RHEA, director of performance science
Alabama took a different approach in filling the departure of Scott Cochran as its head strength and conditioning coach as it brought in David Ballou as its director of sports performance and Dr. Matt Rhea as its director of performance science. The two are highly regarded in their field and made significant strides at Indiana the past two seasons, helping the Hoosiers to an 8-5 record last year — the team’s highest win total since 1993.
Biggest question: How quickly will Alabama players buy into Ballou and Ray’s analytical approach work?
Ballou and Ray’s data-driven approach is the perfect complement to Alabama’s new sport science facility. Now it will be up to the duo to win over Crimson Tide players and have them buy into a new style of training. While it will be tough to replace an icon in Scott Cochran, there’s plenty to be excited about when examining the possibility of improvement under the new regime.
 
 
Thats awesome, thanks for posting. Been waiting for a while on the introduction of Alabama coaches.
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19 hours ago, mr. sunshine said:

Would have been more than happy to swap him for a bunch of assholes with Texas license plates,  Roll Tide stickers and absolutely no fucking connection to Alabama 

Very true, saw a bunch in DFW area during my last three trips out there. You guys even have an UA tag. I know this because my best friends sister lives out there and has them on both their vehicles. Her and her husband are both alums though.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Is Saban finding another way to have a competitive advantage???

https://www.si.com/college/2020/09/26/sec-clears-all-teams-covid-19-testing

SEC Teams Cleared for Season-Opening Games as League Adjusts Testing Protocol

NICK SELBE.   10 HOURS AGO

On the eve of the SEC kicking off its 2020 football season, all 14 of the league's teams were cleared to play following the latest round of PCR test results.

According to SI's Ross Dellenger, the SEC has altered its weekly protocol to remove its previously scheduled Friday "antigen tests due to a proclivity of false positive results". The conference will instead conduct a third PCR test on Thursdays.

The SEC tests its players three times per week. Previously, that included two PCR tests and one antigen test. PCR tests are  considered to be more accurate , but take more time than antigen tests. Antigen tests can deliver same-day results.

Individual schools are able to test more than three times per week if they choose. Alabama coach Nick Saban said that the school has moved to   daily testing going above the required threshold the conference has set.

"One of the things that we've done here internally that I'll share with you is we are doing daily testing with our players. We just thought that it gives the players a better peace of mind,” Saban said. "It's the best thing for the players—it's the best thing for the program. We have the capabilities and resources to do it so we're happy to do it.”

The SEC will play a 10-game, conference-only schedule this season, with all 14 teams scheduled to be in action on Saturday. The slate will begin at 12 p.m. EST, with No. 5 Florida at Ole Miss and No. 23 Kentucky at No. 8 Auburn.

 

*********

Fyi, here's info from an earlier article on K-State's testing for B12 -- seems to have conflicting info on "false positives results" of antigen vs PCR testing ??

"The Big 12, ACC and SEC all test three times a week for COVID-19. At K-State, two antigen tests are conducted along with one PCR — for polymerase chain reaction — test. For the PCR test, K-State players do a self-collection, where they use a nasal swab for 10 seconds in each nostril. (Goerl said this test is used instead of the deep-nasal swab test because it is better tolerated.) The last test of the week, conducted on Fridays, are the antigen tests. These results come back in 15 minutes, allowing teams to cancel or postpone games, if necessary, before making final preparations for Saturday

Yet Goerl admits the "PCR testing is a double-edged sword. It’s more sensitive, but it also can give a false positive".

“You’re more likely to have a false positive with the PCR test, because it’s just a much more sensitive test,” he said. “So if you even came across a whiff of the virus, it may cause you to test positive whether or not you are truly infectious. Whereas if you test positive on an antigen test, it’s a pretty solid test. You can pretty much trust that you probably (are infectious). Obviously, there are one-off situations where (false positives) happen, but it is not as big a risk on an antigen platform.”

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Alabama's Nick Saban wonders if Ole Miss knew defense's signals

11:44 PM CT   Alex Scarborough   ESPN Staff Writer

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Alabama coach Nick Saban said his defense's struggles had him wondering if Ole Miss knew the Crimson Tide's signals during his team's 63-48 victory on Saturday night in Oxford, Mississippi.  Saban projected calm on the sideline for much of the game, but inside he said he was "boiling and bubbling" watching his defense reel, giving up 647 yards.

"It seemed like everything we did though they had an answer for," Saban said. "I don't know if they had our signals or what. That's not anything unusual. It seemed like every time we called something, they had the best play that they could have against it."  He added: "We didn't do anything well. We didn't stop the run. We gave up some plays on the back end. ... Just didn't play very well."

Ole Miss' 48 points was the most No. 2 Alabama has allowed to an unranked opponent in the AP era (since 1936).

Crimson Tide linebacker Dylan Moses said he "definitely" believes that Ole Miss had figured out their defensive signals, pointing to head coach Lane Kiffin's knowledge of the program dating back to his time as Alabama offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016.  "They had an answer for everything, what we were lined up in," Moses said.

Nick Saban wasn't happy with his defense's performance after Ole Miss scored 48 points, the most Alabama has allowed to an unranked opponent in the AP era (since 1936). 

Saban, who took responsibility for the defense's play, said there are "a lot of opportunities for us to learn and grow from this game.  We've never played this way on defense," he said. "It's certainly not what we aspire to try to be as a defensive team, and we're going to work hard with our players.

"I believe in our players. And I think we have to get our players to play better. I think we're capable of it."

Alabama and Ole Miss' 111 combined points was the most ever in a regulation game in SEC history. The Crimson Tide's 723 yards of offense ranks second in SEC history.  Wide receiver DeVonta Smith tied a school record with 13 receptions and became the first Alabama player in the past 20 years to have 150 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown in the same game.

"I would have never guessed you would see an SEC game with these stats here," said Kiffin, in his first season at Ole Miss (1-2) after spending the previous three leading Florida Atlantic. "Three punts in the entire game. Most points in the history of an SEC regulation game, especially against Coach Saban and that defense."

Asked why scoring across the conference is up, Kiffin said, "Maybe COVID?"

"Missing spring ball, missing the tackling in that and fundamentals has something to do with it," he said. "I would have never guessed this. I joked with [Saban] afterwards, I talked to him: 'I thought they played defense in the SEC.' Just joking because he was kind of laughing about the defense. This is three games in a row like this. I would not have thought this."

Alabama, which improved to 3-0, hosts No. 3 Georgia next Saturday.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Alabama Crimson Tide's Nick Saban concedes defense is no longer key to victory

10:07 PM CT      

Chris LowESPN Senior Writer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Alabama coach Nick Saban has finally relented, albeit reluctantly. He said college football has officially become an offensive game.

"It used to be that good defense beats good offense. Good defense doesn't beat good offense anymore," Saban told ESPN on Friday. "It's just like last week. Georgia has as good a defense as we do an offense, and we scored 41 points on them [in a 41-24 Alabama win]. That's not the way it used to be. It used to be if you had a good defense, other people weren't going to score. You were always going to be in the game.

"I'm telling you. It ain't that way anymore."

And how's that sit with Saban, one of the foremost defensive minds in the game and the architect of some of the more dominant defenses in college football over the past two decades?

"I don't like it," he said with a wry smile. "But we just have to make sure we have an offense that's that way and that explosive, which we have."

The No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide, who face Tennessee on Saturday at Neyland Stadium, have scored 35 or more points in each of their past 17 games going back to the start of the 2019 season. They've scored more than 40 points in 13 of those 17 games. Saban noted that the teams winning last week in the SEC averaged 33.2 points.

"It's hard to coach defense now, because there are so many run-pass concepts in what everybody does," Saban said. "I mean, it's really, really hard to coach the secondary ... because you get so many mismatches back there."

While Alabama ranks second nationally in scoring offense (48.5 points per game) and fifth in total defense (561.3 yards per game), the Tide are 37th in scoring defense (28.8 points per game) and tied for 61st in total defense (458.3 yards per game).

"We're not very good on defense, average at best, but I think we will get better," Saban said, adding that to be elite on defense requires being especially good in the secondary.

"We're going to get there, but this group [in the secondary] doesn't have enough experience. You've got to go through growing pains with these guys because they see so much stuff now in college football. We see something different every week."

Saban said part of the difficulty in developing elite defensive backs and having them ready early in their career is that most of the best athletes and skill players are playing offense now in high school and that very few play on defense. In fact, Saban said he worked senior receiver DeVonta Smith at cornerback in preseason camp to have him ready in an emergency situation.  "None of these skill guys grow up playing defense, from junior high, high school or whatever," Saban said. "So all of the best athletes end up playing offense. One of the best corners on our team is [Smith]. This year in camp, I trained him at corner. He can cover anybody, and he never played defense in his life because he was on the offensive side. You don't think Jaylen Waddle would be a good defensive back?"

Saban, who turns 69 this month, said the scare last week when he initially tested positive for COVID-19 only reinforced how much he enjoys coaching and being out there on the field with the players.  

But anybody thinking he might have gotten a taste of retirement when he was isolating at home for those three days might want to think again.

"I did exactly everything I would have if I were in the office every day," Saban said. "I was in meetings with the players on Zoom, Zoomed in on the special-teams meeting just like I was in my regular seat. I was in the defensive backs' meeting, the defensive meeting and on the phone with coaches during practice. And when practice was over, we'd watch the tape on defense, offense and special teams."

Saban joked that his wife, Terry, asked, "Is this what you do every day for 14 hours?"

Later that evening, she asked Saban if he wanted to walk to the lake.

"I said, 'No, I've got a meeting in 15 minutes,'" Saban said.

Saban said the hardest part was waiting for the test results before the Georgia game. He needed three consecutive negative PCR tests, per SEC guidelines, to deem the first test a false positive, which Saban said Friday was an antigen rapid test.  "I was just praying I would be able to get there," Saban said. "I would have felt horrible if the team didn't play well or if we had lost the game because I wasn't there, not that we would have lost because I wasn't there, but I would have felt that way. The players and the coaches did an outstanding job of not letting it affect them during the week."

Saban had warned the players that this season was going to be filled with disruptions and to be braced for them. But he never envisioned he would be one of those disruptions.

"I told them, 'This is going to be the norm, that every week something's going to happen. Somebody's going to test positive,'" Saban said. "So when we had the team meeting on Wednesday after I initially tested positive, I said, 'You guys know there's got to be something damn sure up for me not to be there.' But I said, 'This is one of those disruptions that I was talking about, and just because it's me, we're still going to manage it.'

"Everybody in the building did a great job."

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/30177093/alabama-crimson-tide-nick-saban-concedes-defense-no-longer-key-victory

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When discussing the season-ending injury to Jaylen Waddle, Saban noted that the Crimson Tide standout ideally would not have been returning the opening kickoff. “I hate it that [Waddle] gets hurt on a play like that. Not supposed to bring a ball out when he's that deep in the end zone,” Saban said.

Prick.

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On 10/26/2020 at 6:33 AM, Dbeasy said:

When discussing the season-ending injury to Jaylen Waddle, Saban noted that the Crimson Tide standout ideally would not have been returning the opening kickoff. “I hate it that [Waddle] gets hurt on a play like that. Not supposed to bring a ball out when he's that deep in the end zone,” Saban said.

Prick.

And then went on to say you have to trust a great player's judgment. He was just upset and angry that he got hurt. Take a midol or something.

  • Haha 1
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  • 2 weeks later...

Saban: I wasn’t a very good recruiter in those days

By John Brice -   November 18, 2020

Nick Saban’s top-ranked Alabama team finally is poised to get back on the field this week for what is set to the Crimson Tide’s first game this month.

Alabama had a scheduled open date and then saw last week’s scheduled rivalry game at LSU postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 issues at LSU.

Now Saban is going to face the one SEC coach he might have known the longest: Kentucky’s Mark Stoops.  Their history stretches so far back, in fact, that Saban remembers trying to recruit Stoops, and his brothers, Bob and Mike, during Saban’s time as a Michigan State assistant coach.

“Well, Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown (Ohio) was part of my recruiting area for a long, long time,” Saban said during Wednesday’s SEC coaches’ teleconference. “All the Stoops brothers came through there, and their dad (Ron) was the defensive coordinator there.

“Even though they all ended up at Iowa, we still tried to recruit them at Michigan State when I was at Michigan State.”  Saban even revealed the Stoops brothers weren’t the only recruit he failed to land from Cardinal Mooney during his first stint at Michigan State.  “Vince Marrow, who’s on their staff now, also was a player we recruited at Cardinal Mooney that we didn’t get,” Saban said. “I’m kind of admitting I wasn’t a very good recruiter back in those days.”

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Saban Tests Positive For COVID-19, Will Miss Iron Bowl  

Tyler Martin     4 hours ago

On Wednesday morning, University of Alabama coach Nick Saban tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be on the sidelines for Saturday's annual meeting with Auburn.  Head athletic trainer Jeff Allen and team doctor James Robinson released the following statement:  "This morning we received notification that Coach Saban tested positive for COVID-19. He has very mild symptoms, so this test will not be categorized as a potential false positive. He will follow all appropriate guidelines and isolate at home.”

This is the second time this season that Saban, 69, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus with the first being just days before the Georgia game back in October. After three-consecutive negative tests, that one was proven to be a false positive.  On Wednesday morning, Saban took part in the weekly SEC Coaches Teleconference. While the questions are usually about the Crimson Tide's upcoming competition, Wednesday's series of queries were mostly about Saban's condition.

Saban obliged the public with the details of his testing positive.

“I was informed this morning that I had tested positive,” Saban said. “It was a PCR test which was different from the false positive I had before. I don’t really have any cardinal signs of the virus right now. I don’t have a fever, no loss of taste or smell, no fatigue, no muscle aches. I informed the team this morning at 10 on a Zoom call and I’m the only person in the whole organization that tested positive on this round. I’m still going to do everything possible relative to our team for Saturday’s game with Auburn — participate in meetings, watch practice and all that from home in isolation which I did before. [Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian] will kinda oversee things in the building in my absence.”

This Saturday will be the first time since 2006 that Saban will not be on the sidelines for the Iron Bowl. Sarkisian filled in for Saban while he was out during the lead up to the matchup with the Bulldogs earlier this season. On Wednesday, Saban said that once again the Alabama offensive coordinator will be filling in for him as the game approaches.

“As it is right now if you’ve tested positive you can have no communication with the sidelines as I understand it so Sark’s been a head coach for many years and has been successful at it,” Saban said. “He’ll still continue to call the plays and we won’t really change anything other than the fact that some of the administrative game day decisions he’ll have to be involved in. We really will discuss that more.

"We had discussed it when I went through this three-day hiatus before the Georgia game we discussed exactly how we’ll do that but we’ll be a little more specific about that later in the week.”  Saban said that he currently only has a runny nose and is not exhibiting any of the other symptoms typically associated with COVID-19.

Alabama continues its preparations for the Iron Bowl as it normally would. Sarkisian has taken over administrative duties in the Mal Moore Athletic Facility but will continue to communicate with and relay information to Saban while he remains quarantined.  Saban said on Wednesday morning that Auburn will present quite a challenge for the Crimson Tide regardless of the fact that he won't be on the sidelines.  “Last time I did this for three days I absolutely did everything from home that I did at the office, just did it on Zoom,” Saban said. “Obviously the Auburn game is a most-important game. We hated that this situation occurred but as I’ve said many times before you gotta be able to deal with disruptions in this year and our players have been pretty mature about doing that. We just want to carry on the best we can and they’ve got a very good team and they’re playing really well right now so it’ll be a real challenge for us so we just got to continue to have great preparation so we can put our players in the best chance to have a chance to be successful.”

When it comes to practicing social distancing and wearing a mask, few coaches in the SEC have been as diligent and outspoken as Saban. On Wednesday, Saban said that he has no idea how he contracted the virus, saying that he only visits his office and his home. He did however reveal that he does sometimes have visitors, so that might have been the root cause of his positive test.  Earlier this season, Saban emphasized the practice of social distancing by using an example with him and his mother.

"Look, I practice social distancing," Saban said earlier this year. "We try to keep our distance when we’re away from here, our personal bubble, Miss Terry and I and our immediate family. When I go see my mother who’s 88 years old, we sit 10 feet apart on a park bench and talk for 45 minutes or an hour and I say, ‘Mom, I’m not giving you a hug today because I love you.’ I think there’s a lot of changes that we all have to make in our lifestyle and the things that we do to try to stay safe, and we certainly have respected those things. We do the same thing when we’re in meetings with players — we stay spread out, everybody has social distance, everybody wears a mask. So we’re doing everything we can to stay safe. I don’t fear this because we’re trying to do the right thing and we have great medical care here and we have great medical protocols to try to keep people safe. And I feel very confident in trying to respect and do those things as well as possible."

https://www.si.com/college/alabama/bamacentral/nick-saban-tests-positive-for-covid-19-ahead-of-iron-bowl

Edited by LTtxfan
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Charlie Strong was Saban's relay during practices last week... 😂😂😂

Earlier on Saturday, Terry listened to Saban’s pregame speech and told ESPN she got “teary-eyed.” She also had a front row seat during the week when Saban watched a live feed of practice while on the phone with analyst Charlie Strong to provide comment.

“Poor Charlie Strong!” Terry said. “I have tried to explain to Nick that yelling things during practice [on the phone] does not help, that he’s only yelling in Charlie’s ear, not at the players. I explained that if he calmly and succinctly makes his point, that Charlie would be better able to pass it on to the players. He looked at me like I had two heads, but I think it’s starting to sink in.”

 

https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2020/11/terry-saban-reacts-to-nick-saban-watching-iron-bowl-from-home.html

Terry Saban reacts to Nick Saban watching Iron Bowl from home

Updated Dec 01, 11:24 AM; Posted Nov 30, 3:28 PM

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Poor " GO TIGAS" today...

Last Year:  At one point in his postgame locker room speech, Orgeron shouted “Roll Tide! F*** you!” The expletive became public because one of LSU’s players streamed the coach’s speech on his phone.

"We gon' beat their ass in recruiting, we gon' beat their ass every time they see us! You understand that?!" screams Orgeron, followed by the money quote. "ROLL TIDE, WHAT?! F--- YOU!"

 

 

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11 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Poor " GO TIGAS" today...

Last Year:  At one point in his postgame locker room speech, Orgeron shouted “Roll Tide! F*** you!” The expletive became public because one of LSU’s players streamed the coach’s speech on his phone.

"We gon' beat their ass in recruiting, we gon' beat their ass every time they see us! You understand that?!" screams Orgeron, followed by the money quote. "ROLL TIDE, WHAT?! F--- YOU!"

 

 

So if a single close win in Tuscaloosa makes it LSU's house, what does that make Tiger Stadium, where LSU is getting butt-raped yet again by Bama?

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