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October 2, 2010 | Volume 3, Issue 5

In This Issue 8

President/Publisher

Pregame Preview

Exclusive: Gator Chomp vs. Rammer Jammer

Exclusive: Mother-Son Tradition

Player Spotlight: Mark Ingram

Rosters

Opposing Players

Larry's Lowdown

Catching Up With Bobby Bowden

Pro Connections: Andre Smith

Tide Trivia

Recruit of the Week: Phillip Ely

My First Game

Tailgater of the Week

Traditions

SEC News

Showing Pride in the Tide

Staff

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Bennie Bice Mike Lacy

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Wallace Kinsaul

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Jessica Temple Micah Phillips

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BDL Matt Gaston Tim Bailey

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Letter from the Editors: Dear Fans, Last week the SEC saw the battle of the Bulldogs as Georgia took on Mississippi State, and the previous week held a clash between Tigers, those of LSU and Auburn. These schools claim some of the most common college mascots around. There are literally dozens of teams of Tigers and Bulldogs out there. There are likewise dozens of Wildcats and half a dozen Gators too. South Carolina is not the only team of Gamecocks, thanks to Jacksonville State. And Ole Miss, believe it or not, is not the only school with a Rebel leading the way (for now, anyway); University of Nevada-Las Vegas has a Rebel as well. In the SEC only the Commodores, the Razorbacks, the Volunteers and the Crimson Tide have unique nicknames. The Arkansas and Tennessee mascots refer to moments of historical significance within the states, and Vandy gets its mascot from the university’s founder,

ON THE COVER Greg McElroy

Senior

Greg McElroy is in his second year leading the Crimson Tide. The senior from Southlake, Texas, has yet to loose a game as starting quarterback, including his high school days. McElroy took the team all the way to the Pasadena last year and looks to make another run at the National Championship in 2010. Photography by BDL.

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Cornelius Vanderbilt, also known as the Commodore. The Crimson Tide is truly a name based on the great athletic traditions it has come to symbolize. There is the Big Green, Big Red, Big Blue and Green Wave. Teams call themselves the Crimson Hawks, Crimson Storm and just the Crimson. There is even a Crimson Wave. But the University of Alabama is the only college team in the country called the Tide. So next time you yell out “Roll Tide,” rest assured there is no question about who you are rooting for. Send Letters to: PO Box 3251 Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-3251 205-701-1211 publish@tdalabama.com Advertising: ads@tdalabama.com

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“Touchdown Alabama Magazine was created to bring Alabama football fans the coverage of their team that they crave and expect, as well as to bring them closer to the action on the field. The University of Alabama has a long college football history, rich with tradition. Each season has added more dynamic players and colorful stories to the Alabama family. It is only fitting that a program with 13 National Championships should have a weekly magazine dedicated to conveying the excitement of the game to its devoted fans. Touchdown Alabama Magazine strives to be the most up-to-date, relevant and exciting magazine covering University of Alabama football. Furthermore, we guarantee in-depth articles, exclusive interviews and quality content surrounding the Crimson Tide. We will never forget who we generate this magazine for... you, the fan. God bless.”

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| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

Pregame Preview

Pregame Prognost

Battle Under the Lights: #1 8

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

tication : Florida

Thomas Watts

here are few environments that can rival Bryant Denny Stadium at night. This weekend, 101,821 fans will fill that stadium in Tuscaloosa to watch the Tide battle its second top-10 team in as many weeks. The stadium will be rocking and rolling as the mighty Florida Gators come to test their mettle against the defending champions. Florida had a big game over the past weekend. They dropped 48 points on previously undefeated Kentucky. Their season had been defined by constant ineptitude on offense until they battled the Wildcats. The Gators found something against Kentucky over the weekend, though, and that something is freshman Trey Burton. Burton rewrote the school record book with six touchdowns against the Wildcats, and the Gators will look to use him at every turn. The defense has not had nearly as many problems. The defense as a unit has 12 total interceptions, which puts them among the NCAA leaders. Their defensive line is talented, but young and inexperienced. Alabama is coming off of a thrilling road victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tide had to come back from thirteen down in the fourth to beat the Hogs. Mark Ingram had a great game rushing for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns. Greg McElroy got dinged up a bit, and threw two interceptions during the game. The defense gave up three hundred yards through the air, but most of it was in the first half. The young Alabama secondary grew up in the second half and pulled in two interceptions to help the team come back.

The Bama offense will have more trouble moving the ball against the Gators than it did against the Razorbacks. The Gators defense ranks second in the SEC in rushing defense and pass efficiency defense. The Gators stats have been accrued from weaker competition, though. The only team they have played that is having a decent season so far has been Kentucky. Greg McElroy will have to play better against Florida than he did against Arkansas. Alabama can’t afford to spot the Gators points or field position off of turnovers. The Gators did lose their power game when Tim Tebow graduated, but Urban Meyer’s spread is completely different from what the Tide defense has seen so far. It utilizes scat backs and misdirection to gain yards. Duke showed that our defense is vulnerable to scat backs, and Marcel Dareus was obviously hobbled toward the end of the Arkansas game. The key to shutting down Meyer’s offense will be getting defenders up field and redirecting the various sweeps that Florida runs back inside where the defense can pursue. Alabama was able to get into the backfield and disrupt Ryan Mallett, so there is no reason they won’t be able to do it again. The two teams are evenly matched and equally talented. If Alabama can disrupt the backfield against Florida, much like they did in the SEC Championship Game last year, Alabama will win easily. It will take a focused, intense Bama team to pull out the victory, but the Crimson Tide is definitely capable of taking another win.

1 Alabama vs. #7 Florida touchdownalabama.net |

Exclusive

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

Gator Chomp versus

Rammer Jammer TWO POWERHOUSES MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME DURING REGULAR-SEASON PLAY IN FIVE YEARS

Jennifer Gorham

PHOTO BY

touchdownalabama.net |

Exclusive, con't

Gator Chomp

he Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide meet again during regularseason play. Most SEC fans remember last year’s knock-down, drag-out game between the two teams. It is likely this game won’t mirror last year’s, but it is sure to be intense and action-packed. Rivalries create great games and good entertainment, but the Gators and the Tide have not always had a bitter history. It has been in recent years that these two teams have had to clash against each other. The teams have battled for the SEC Title and the BCS Title for the past two seasons. While Florida’s usual rivals consist of Georgia, Florida State and Tennessee, Alabama can now be added into the mix. Alabama’s most intense rivalries are with Tennessee and Auburn, but Florida is slowly but surely making it to the top of that list. These two teams have not met in a regular-season game since 2006, in which the Tide suffered a 28-13 defeat at The Swamp. Now it is Tuscaloosa’s turn to host. Coach Nick Saban hasn’t had a chance to greet the Gators at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and fans are itching for this game to get under way. Almost to the day five years ago, Florida ventured into Tuscaloosa and suffered their first defeat, 31-3, under Head Coach Urban Meyer. This weekend the town will be in a tizzy as the Gators will be visiting again. Since 2005 both teams have had drastic changes occur within their programs. The Gators are thrusting forward at full speed under Meyer’s coaching staff. They have made it to the SEC Championship game three times and successfully won the BCS Championship title in 2006 and 2008.

In the past two SEC Championship games they have had to face Bama. This year it could play out the same way but not before the two duke it out in regular-season play. In December of 2009, Meyer announced that he was going to retire because of health issues, but a day later he declared he was just going to take a leave of absence. For the Gators, this could have been a stressful time and made them unsure of their coach. It looks as if it is the other way around though. It seems as if their coach is not too sure of the team. Going into their game against Kentucky, Meyer was quoted saying the Gators had a 50 percent chance of winning, although they had a history of 23 straight wins over the Wildcats and a home field advantage. He commented on the offense’s play during their season opener against Miami University. “I had a sense [we’d struggle] when you see so many new guys playing,” Meyer told gatorzone.com. “I didn’t imagine the offensive incompetence that we experienced today. We made some plays on defense, but that wasn’t a Florida defense yet. I looked out there one time and had to check the roster a few times to see who was out there. We have a lot of talented guys, but we just have to get a lot better.” As the past two National Champion teams are undefeated coming into the game, one team will suffer its first defeat of the season Saturday night. A loss can also damage wither team’s chances of playing for the SEC title this season. Both teams have lost major players since last season. The Gators lost star quarterback Tim Tebow to the NFL, and that led to a redshirt junior John

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

Brantley stepping up. He is 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 220 pounds. He has a completion percentage of 62 and has thrown for 1,035 yards for 15 touchdowns. Alabama has an experienced quarterback in Greg McElroy, who has recently been ranked as the 20th smartest athlete by Sporting News. He is one of two college players on the list, and this could be an intimidating factor for Brantley coming into the game this weekend. Alabama lost one of their best linebackers last season but Head Coach Nick Saban is not worried about it. “We have not played the run, in my opinion, as well as what I think we’re capable of, nor as well as we need to,” Saban confessed. “We haven’t played it poorly, but it’s not just one guy and it’s not just one spot, it’s linebacker fits on the runs – now is it easier to fit the runs when you have guys up front that they have to take two guys to block for a long time? I don’t think there is any doubt about that and you can defend things a little bit differently. The run support hasn’t been what it needs to be on the perimeter at times. We’ve got to become a better tackling team. That does have an impact, but I think the guys we have here are very capable of doing what they need to do to play gap control. We’ve just got to do it the right way.” Both teams will have to fight hard for the win. There will be no letting up and no leeway for mistakes. Even though the Gators have a fresh team, they have two SEC opponents under their belts; the Tide is coming straight off of their tense SEC opener against the Razorbacks. Bama also has the 2009 Heisman winner Mark Ingram on

Rammer Jammer the sideline. He has recovered from an early-season surgery and bulldozed through Duke’s defense two weeks ago. When he was asked about Saban’s philosophical view of dominating the opponent he had this to say. “It is very important because every Saturday when we get off the field, we want the other team to have the mindset that they never want to play us again, that they never want to put us on their schedule again,” Ingram said. “We want to go out there and dominate every single opponent. That’s what we thrive on around here, and that’s what we take pride in.”

Before these two teams take to the field on Saturday there is a question of dominance in the SEC that lingers in everyone’s head. Who will walk away from this game as the dominant team in the SEC? Alabama quarterback McElroy elaborates on wanting to be the dominant team in general. “That [being the dominant team] is an important mindset for us to have simply because we want to leave no doubt every time we step out on the field,” McElroy said. “Coach [Saban] has made that clear many times. We want to be a dominant team in the SEC, and I think having that mindset

and wanting to be dominant allows us to approach each game with a focused mentality, regardless of our opponent. It allows us to focus into the fourth quarter. For example, against Duke we were up pretty big at halftime, but we still came out that next series and wanted to dominate, and we got points in the first series of the second half. We continued to do so and won the fourth quarter, which are things we like to pride ourselves in. Some people might use being dominant as bulletin board material, but that is our mindset, and it has been pretty successful for us up to this point.”

touchdownalabama.net |

Mother-Son Tradition is

PRICELESS

The stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first family has crimson in their blood and an A on their jerseys.

Jennifer Gorham

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

PHOTOS BY TIM BAILEY

s the Alabama Crimson Tide opened the 2010 season with a bang, the governor’s grandson experienced all the festivities for the first time. When most people think of the Crimson Tide, the University of Alabama and Tuscaloosa, they think of tradition. The Tide is more than tradition for this family. It represents family, fun and friends. Minda Riley Campbell is the daughter of Gov. Bob Riley. Like her father, she is an alumna of UA and she is a former Phi Mu member. Her son Bobby Campbell, 6, experienced his first Alabama football game on the Tide’s season opener. “As a mom it was a lot of fun introducing him to the game,” Campbell said. Their family has been tailgating for many years. Like most tailgaters, they don’t stay under one canopy; they like to venture around the campus and enjoy the festivities the Capstone has to offer. For an SEC fan, especially a Tide loyal, the game is not the only thing that is highly anticipated and Campbell agrees. “We bounce around from tailgate to tailgate,” she said. “I always like to go to the President’s mansion. I like to be there for the pregame. I don’t like to miss the National Anthem. That is the thing that makes college football, especially an SEC game: the pageantry, pomp and circumstance, the emotion, music, fans and that everyone is there supporting the team.” Bobby’s favorite part of the experience was getting to go down to the field and walk on the same turf the team plays on. “Seeing the hundreds and thousands of fans, seeing that many people, for a six-year-old, it doesn’t get better than that,” his mother said. She joked that if he does not grow up to become a player for the Tide, she can still say she saw her son on the field in a jersey. Although he didn’t experience the Walk of Champions or the Bryant Museum, Campbell made sure she took him by the coach’s statues and explained their meanings after the game. He was not sure what the experience would be like but he did have some expectations, according to his mother. When they started getting ready for the game she said he told her that he had been to a football game before. Little did she know that he was referring to a Homewood High School game they had went to.

Exclusive

“When he stepped onto that field, you could see the wheels turning and he knew that it was different than that game we went to close to our house,” she said. Since he is in the first grade, the children have started taking college preferences and things have started becoming clearer. She thought it was the perfect time to bring him to the Capstone and let him experience the traditions and the gameday festivities. “Up until this point he has known about Alabama football,” Campbell said. “He understands the team, who we support and has taken an interest in. Since he has started first grade, he really has had an interest in the game. I didn’t want to go much younger than he is now.” She also remembers one of the most special games of her own childhood. She had asked Santa for a ticket to the 1979 Sugar Bowl against Penn State. The memory stands tall today as this season the Tide also got to play the team that made one of her biggest wishes come true. She said she will never forget when she saw those tickets on Christmas and realized that Santa did exist. It wasn’t all that easy for her father to snag those tickets though. “It was the week of Christmas and he still didn’t have those tickets,” she said of her father. “I remember running through [the house] and the tickets were sticking out of our stockings.” As far as her favorite games, she loves them all, especially the home-field advantage. Like other Tide fans, she has games she enjoys more than others. Since she is a mother and a wife now, she is not able to travel as much, but she elaborates on her love-hate relationship with Jordan-Hare Stadium and the Auburn Tigers. “I love going [to Auburn],” she admitted. “I have a lot of friends and family in Auburn; it is nice to get to spend time with them.” One bitter memory at Jordan-Hare Stadium was when she witnessed the Tide suffer a defeat. Alabama football is more than pomp and circumstance, music and fans for this family. It has a rich tradition and a heartfelt family meaning. This family is a Bama bunch, born and bred. Campbell remarked about how much joy the Capstone has brought to their family. “Touching lives” is the University of Alabama’s slogan, and it has clearly touched this family’s life. It has left a mark for the best. “It has added a lot of fun and a lot of happiness to our lives,” Campbell confided. touchdownalabama.net |

Players

Ingram retakes t 16

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

PHOTO BY BDL

the field

Player Spotlight

Jessica Brown

eisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram performed to a standard that most fans didn’t expect in his return against Duke. Missing the first two games due to a knee injury, the senior running back didn’t waste any time breaking through the Blue Devil’s defense. On the game’s first play, Ingram ran the ball for 48 yards, showing viewers across the country that he is back and ready to make an impact on this Crimson Tide team. “I just really wanted to make an impact right off the jump,” Ingram told USA Today’s Erick Smith. “It was very satisfying knowing we got the call and I was one on one with the corner and had to make the play. It was good to just set the tone early.” Standing on the sidelines isn’t something Ingram is used to during the time he has been at Alabama. Patiently waiting to get back on the field, he proved to his teammates and Tide fans that he was ready to help Alabama’s explosive offense. “I was ready physically and mentally,” Ingram stated at a press conference. “I wasn’t going to go out there if I had any doubt in my mind that I wasn’t going to be able to play like I usually do. I was excited because it hurt me being on the sideline and not being able to contribute those first two games. I was excited, and I’m definitely looking forward to getting out there again.” Ingram acknowledged that he sometimes takes the simple things for granted, like being in the huddle before a play. He didn’t realize it until standing on the sidelines for the season opener and nationally televised Penn State game. “It’s something that you take for granted every single day, being in the huddle with those guys,” stated Ingram. “You don’t really have a great appreciation for it until you can’t really do it anymore. It was something that I was definitely looking forward to and I cherished. I’m definitely looking forward to practice and preparing with the rest of the team.” With Ingram’s speed, power, and talent it was no surprise to wide receiver Darius Hanks that he had such a big first game back. “Mark is a competitor,” Hanks said. “He was itching to get out on that field, so I knew he was going to step up and make some big plays for us.” Offensive lineman Barrett Jones was happy to be blocking for Ingram again and feels like their offense is complete. “It was a great feeling,” stated Jones. “It’s a great feeling to know that we have our stable back and they are all accounted for. I love blocking for Mark. He’s a great player and it’s great to have him back.” Ingram has established over the past two years that he is a dominate player who can break through tackles and score touchdowns. The Tide nation is happy to see him back on the field showing off his skills and demonstrating what it takes to be a Heisman winner. touchdownalabama.net |

Alabama Football Roster NO NAME 82 Earl Alexander 19 Jonathan Atchison 31 John Baites 4 Mark Barron 7 Kenny Bell 86 Undra Billingsley 69 David Blalock 93 Chris Bonds 67 John Michael Boswell 88 Michael Bowman 37 Hardie Buck 87 Drew Bullard 34 Hunter Bush 20 Nate Carlson 77 James Carpenter 33 Caleb Castille 99 Josh Chapman 57 Marcell Dareus 96 Luther Davis 51 Michael DeJohn 85 Preston Dial 40 DeMarcus DuBose 13 Rob Ezell 76 D.J. Fluker 43 Cade Foster 45 Jalston Fowler 10 John Fulton 95 Colin Gallagher 58 Nick Gentry 6 Demetrius Goode 25 Corey Grant 23 Robby Green 15 Darius Hanks 54 Glenn Harbin 48 Rowdy Harrell 5 Jerrell Harris 30 Dont’a Hightower 15 Mark Holt 21 Ben Howell 42 Adrian Hubbard 22 Mark Ingram 62 Brandon Ivory 35 Nico Johnson 57 Aaron Joiner 75 Barrett Jones 40 Harrison Jones 8 Julio Jones 9 Phelon Jones 36 Chris Jordan 43 Sam Kearns 26 Kendall Kelly 10 J.B. Kern 21 Dre Kirkpatrick 59 Arie Kouandjio 42 Eddie Lacy 37 Robert Lester 95 Brandon Lewis 78 Chad Lindsay 72 Tyler Love

P CLS HT WR SR 6-4 LB FR 6-2 TE JR 6-4 DE JR 6-2 WR FR 6-1 TE/DL SO 6-2 OL JR 6-5 DL FR 6-4 OL JR 6-5 WR SO 6-4 WR SO 5-9 LB JR 6-3 DE SO 5-11 RB JR 6-4 OL SR 6-5 DE FR 5-11 DL JR 6-1 DL JR 6-4 DL SR 6-3 LB SR 6-1 TE SR 6-3 LB JR 6-1 WR SR 5-10 OL FR 6-6 PK FR 6-1 RB/LB FR 6-1 DE FR 6-0 PK SR 5-10 DL JR 6-1 RB JR 5-10 RB FR 5-9 DE JR 6-0 WR JR 6-0 DL/LB SO 6-5 LB JR 6-0 LB JR 6-3 LB SO 6-4 DE SR 6-1 RB SO 5-9 LB FR 6-6 RB JR 5-10 DL FR 6-4 LB SO 6-3 OL SO 6-2 OL SO 6-5 TE FR 6-4 WR JR 6-4 DE JR 5-11 LB JR 6-3 DE JR 5-6 WR FR 6-3 LB SR 6-1 DE SO 6-3 OL FR 6-5 RB FR 6-0 DE SO 6-2 DL JR 6-3 OL FR 6-2 OL SO 6-6

WT 207 228 235 210 172 269 255 263 291 225 184 232 181 230 300 163 310 306 279 237 237 240 172 340 221 236 179 194 282 191 186 181 184 260 213 231 260 172 193 227 215 335 238 258 301 235 220 199 232 156 214 232 190 335 212 206 274 277 304

HOMETOWN LAST SCHOOL Phenix City, Ala. Central Atlanta, Ga. Douglass Hendersonville, Tenn. Beech Mobile, Ala. St. Paul’s Rayville, La. Rayville Birmingham, Ala. Woodlawn Charlotte, N.C. Providence Columbia, S.C. Richland Northeast Northport, Ala. Tuscaloosa County Rossville, Ga. Ridgeland Birmingham, Ala. Vestavia Hills Florence, Ala. Florence Wetumpka, Ala. Wetumpka Birmingham, Ala. Air Force Augusta, Ga. Coffeyville CC Birmingham, Ala. Briarwood Christian Hoover, Ala. Hoover Huffman, Ala. Huffman West Monroe, La. West Monroe Hoover, Ala. Hoover Mobile, Ala. UMS-Wright Montgomery, Ala. Jefferson Davis Athens, Ala. Athens Foley, Ala. Foley Southlake, Texas Southlake Carroll HS Mobile, Ala. Vigor Manning, S.C. Manning Atlanta, Ga. Marist Prattville, Ala. Prattville LaGrange, Ga. Hargrave Academy Opelika, Ala. Opelika New Orleans, La. John Curtis Christian Norcross, Ga. Norcross SQ Mobile, Ala. McGill-Toolen Moundville, Ala. Hale County Gadsden, Ala. Gadsden City Lewisburg, Tenn. Marshall County Muscle Shoals, Ala. Muscle Shoals Gordo, Ala. Gordo Lawrenceville, Ga. Norcross Flint, Mich. Southwestern Academy Memphis, Tenn. East Andalusia, Ala. Andalusia Florence, Ala. Florence Memphis, Tenn. Evangelical Christian Germantown, Tenn. Evangelical Christian Foley, Ala. Foley Moblie, Ala. LSU Brentwood, Tenn. Brentwood Academy Mobile, Ala. McGill-Toolen Gadsden, Ala. Gadsden City Dove Canyon, Calif. Mission Viejo Gadsden, Ala. Gadsden City Beltsville, Md. DeMatha Catholic Geismar, La. Dutchtown Foley, Ala. Foley Pleasant Grove, Ala. East Mississippi CC The Woodlands, Texas The Woodlands Mountain Brook, Ala. Mountain Brook

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

NO NAME 29 Will Lowery 7 Keiwone Malone 32 Cody Mandell 33 Mike Marrow 4 Marquis Maze 24 Nathan McAlister 10 A.J. McCarron 52 Alfred McCullough 12 Greg McElroy 24 DeQuan Menzie 28 DeMarcus Milliner 56 William Ming 97 Brandon Moore 32 C.J. Mosley 66 Brian Motley 64 Kerry Murphy 46 Wesley Neighbors 83 Kevin Norwood 18 Morgan Ogilvie 53 Anthony Orr 2 Tana Patrick 39 Kyle Pennington 27 Nick Perry 3 Trent Richardson 74 David Ross 1 B.J. Scott 94 Darrington Sentimore 90 Jeremy Shelley 79 Austin Shepherd 18 Blake Sims 14 Phillip Sims 71 Allen Skelton 17 Brad Smelley 38 Petey Smith 92 Damion Square 61 Anthony Steen 47 Ed Stinson 46 William Strickland 47 Logan Thomas 51 Carson Tinker 26 Nick Tinker 87 Chris Underwood 41 Courtney Upshaw 73 William Vlachos 84 Brian Vogler 65 Chance Warmack 91 Alex Watkins 49 Ranzell Watkins 2 DeAndrew White 55 Chavis Williams 60 David Williams 20 Jarrick Williams 44 Jay Williams 63 Kellen Williams 89 Michael Williams 9 Nick Williams

P CLS HT DE JR 5-9 WR FR 5-11 P FR 6-4 RB FR 6-2 WR JR 5-10 WR FR 5-11 QB FR 6-4 OL JR 6-2 QB SR 6-3 DE JR 6-0 DE FR 6-1 DL FR 6-3 DL FR 6-5 LB FR 6-2 OL SR 6-3 DL SO 6-4 DE SO 6-1 WR FR 6-2 QB FR 6-0 DL FR 6-4 LB FR 6-3 DE JR 5-11 DE FR 6-1 RB SO 5-11 OL SR 6-3 DE SO 5-11 DL FR 6-3 PK SO 5-10 OL FR 6-5 A FR 6-0 QB FR 6-2 OL SO 6-1 TE JR 6-3 LB FR 6-1 DL SO 6-3 OL FR 6-3 LB/DL FR 6-4 WR JR 6-0 WR SR 6-3 ST SO 6-1 RB FR 5-10 TE SO 6-4 LB JR 6-2 OL JR 6-1 TE FR 6-7 OL SO 6-3 LB JR 6-3 DE FR 5-9 WR FR 6-0 LB SR 6-4 OL SO 6-3 DE FR 6-1 P FR 6-3 OL FR 6-3 TE SO 6-6 WR FR 5-10

WT 188 165 201 235 182 165 190 309 225 195 182 263 305 225 289 319 205 187 198 268 231 188 193 220 302 193 261 165 307 195 214 261 227 250 284 292 252 188 206 220 215 238 263 289 242 300 232 168 180 223 267 203 208 307 270 179

HOMETOWN LAST SCHOOL Hoover, Ala. Hoover Memphis, Tenn. Mitchell Lafayette, La. Acadiana Holland, Ohio Central Catholic Birmingham, Ala. Tarrant Russellville, Ala. Russellville Mobile, Ala. St. Paul’s Episcopal School Athens, Ala. Athens Southlake, Texas Southlake Carroll Columbus, Ga. Copiah-Lincoln CC Millbrook, Ala. Stanhope Elmore Athens, Ala. Athens Montgomery, Ala. Carver Theodore, Ala. Theodore Autaugaville, Ala. Autaugaville Hoover, Ala. Hargrave/Hoover Huntsville, Ala. Huntsville D’Iberville, Miss. D’Iberville Mountain Brook, Ala. Mountain Brook Madison, Ala. Sparkman Bridgeport, Ala. North Jackson Chatom, Ala. Washington County Prattville, Ala. Prattville Pensacola, Fla. Escambia Homewood, Ala. Homewood Prichard, Ala. Vigor Norco, La. Destrehan Raleigh, N.C. Broughton Buford, Ga. North Gwinnett Gainesville, Ga. Gainesville Chesapeake, Va. Oscar Smith Coker, Ala. Tuscaloosa County Tuscaloosa, Ala. American Christian Tampa, Fla. Armwood Houston, Texas Yates Lambert, Miss. Lee Academy Homestead, Fla. South Dade Tuscaloosa, Ala. Northridge Houston, Texas Cyrpress Creek Murfreesboro, Tenn. Riverdale Ralph, Ala. Tuscaloosa County Vestavia Hills, Ala. Vestavia Hills Eufaula, Ala. Eufaula Birmingham, Ala. Mountain Brook Columbus, Ga. Brookstone Atlanta, Ga. Westlake Brownsville, Tenn. Haywood Charlotte, N.C. Independence Houston, Texas North Shore Dora, Ala. Dora Duncanville, Ala. Hillcrest Mobile, Ala. Blount Thomasville, Ala. Thomasville Lawrenceville, Ga. Brookwood Reform, Ala. Pickens County Fort Lauderdale, Fla. St. Thomas Aquinas

Florida Football Roster NO NAME 25 Gideon Ajagbe 58 Nick Alajajian 89 Stephen Alli 47 Brandon Antwine 48 Neiron Ball 61 Gary Beemer 38 Phillip Bellino 31 Brian Biada 35 Ahmad Black 62 Tucker Blanton 52 Jonathan Bostic 12 John Brantley 8 Jeremy Brown 33 Mack Brown 98 Zack Brust 13 Trey Burton 41 Miguel Carodine 14 Chandler Carr 32 Gerald Christian 81 Robert Clark 34 Tim Clark 47 John Crofoot 4 Andre Debose 2 Jeffery Demps 30 Jonathan Dowling 84 Quinton Dunbar 27 Chris Dunkley 58 Dominique Easley 26 Lorenzo Edwards 22 Matt Elam 24 Josh Evans 59 John Fairbanks 46 Drew Ferris 13 Dee Finley 73 Sharrif Floyd 76 Marcus Gilbert 63 Cole Gilliam 23 Mike Gillislee 75 Chaz Green 96 William Green 54 Christopher Guido 67 Jon Halapio 85 Frankie Hammond, Jr. 50 Cody Hampton 72 Jonotthan Harrison 17 Chas Henry 40 Brandon Hicks 86 Will Hiler 10 Will Hill 82 Omarius Hines 6 Jaye Howard 99 Omar Hunter 74 Maurice Hurt 1 Janoris Jenkins 43 Jelani Jenkins 36 Moses Jenkins

P LB C WR NT LB DT RB CB SS T/G LB QB CB RB K QB S QB TE WR S K WR RB FS WR WR DT LB SS FS LS LS LB DT T G RB T DE LS G WR LS G P LB TE FS WR DT NT G CB LB CB

CLS HT WT FR 6’ 2” 212 RFR 6’ 4” 295 RFR 6’ 5” 220 RSR 6’ 0” 290 FR 6’ 2” 222 RSR 5 ’ 11” 263 FR 5’ 11” 195 RFR 5’ 8” 170 SR 5’ 9” 190 FR 6’ 6” 340 SO 6’ 1” 238 RJR 6’ 3” 220 RSO 5 ’ 10” 184 FR 5’ 10” 193 JR 6’ 1” 168 FR 6’ 2” 222 RSR 5’ 10” 210 FR 5’ 11” 206 FR 6’ 3” 240 FR 5’ 8” 175 RFR 5’ 10” 193 RFR 5 ’ 11” 150 RFR 6’ 0” 192 JR 5’ 8” 190 FR 6’ 3” 184 FR 6’ 2” 170 FR 5’ 11” 174 FR 6’ 1” 280 SR 6’ 1” 240 FR 5’ 10” 202 SO 6’ 1” 195 RSR 6’ 4” 284 FR 6’ 0” 207 SO 6’ 2” 222 FR 6’ 3” 301 RSR 6’ 5” 320 RFR 6’ 4” 315 SO 5’ 11” 198 FR 6’ 5” 289 JR 6’ 3” 252 RFR 6’ 2” 230 RFR 6’ 3” 312 RSO 5 ’ 11” 178 RSO 5 ’ 11” 220 RFR 6’ 3” 300 SR 6’ 3” 215 SR 6’ 2” 228 FR 6’ 2” 216 JR 6’ 1” 207 RSO 6’ 0” 219 RJR 6’ 3” 302 RSO 6’ 0” 307 RSR 6’ 3” 320 JR 5’ 11” 184 RFR 6’ 1” 223 SR 6’ 2” 188

HOMETOWN LAST SCHOOL Coconut Grove Ransom Everglades Naples Naples Andover, N.H. Proctor Academy Garland, Texas Garland Jackson, Ga. Jackson Valrico Newsome Pope John Paul II/Santa Fe C.C. Boca Raton Naples Gulf Coast Lakeland Lakeland Jacksonville Providence Wellington Palm Beach Central Ocala Trinity Catholic Orlando Boone Lithonia, Ga. King Jacksonville Stanton College Prep Venice Venice Senior H.S. Gainesville P.K. Yonge Ponte Vedra Beach Bolles Palm Beach Gardens William T. Dwyer Palm Beach Gardens William T. Dwyer Wellborn Branford Windemere The First Academy Sanford Seminole Winter Garden South Lake Bradenton Southeast Miami Booker T. Washington Pahokee Pahokee Staten Island, N.Y. Curtis Orlando Edgewater Palm Beach Gardens William T. Dwyer Irvington, N.J. Irvington Celebration Corona Del Mar San Diego Jewish Academy Carlsbad, Calif. Auburn, Ala. Auburn Philadelphia, Pa. George Washington Fort Lauderdale, Fla. St. Thomas Aquinas Valrico Durant DeLand DeLand Tampa Tampa Catholic Hoover, Ala. Spain Park Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley St. Petersburg Catholic St. Petersburg Hollywood Hallandale St. Petersburg Boca Ciega Groveland South Lake Dallas, Ga. East Paulding Nathan Bedford Forrest Jacksonville Tampa Plant West Orange, N.J. St. Peter’s Preparatory Coriscana, Texas Coriscana Apopka Jones Buford, Ga. Buford Milledgeville, Ga. Baldwin Pahokee Pahokee Our Lady Good Counsel Olney, Md. Ft. Lauderdale Boyd H. Anderson

NO NAME 57 Carl Johnson 57 Samuel Johnson 93 Kedric Johnson 16 A.J. Jones 20 Malcolm Jones 49 Darrin Kitchens 64 Kyle Koehne 44 Duke Lemmens 40 David Lerner 90 Lawrence Marsh 23 Chris Martin 34 Lerentee McCray 88 Michael McFarland 21 Emmanuel Moody 9 Carl Moore 10 Tyler Murphy 73 Xavier Nixon 91 Earl Okine 68 Leon Orr 80 Desmond Parks 71 Matt Patchan 83 Solomon Patton 53 Scott Peek 97 Brad Phillips 87 Josh Postell 55 Mike Pouncey 7 Ronald Powell 45 T.J. Pridemore 16 Christian Provancha 3 Chris Rainey 11 Jordan Reed 31 Cody Riggs 50 Sam Robey 46 Michael Ross 37 Ben Sams 37 Brandon Sanders 92 Terron Sanders 70 Shawn Schmieder 29 Joshua Shaw 77 Ian Silberman 60 William Steinmann 42 Eric Strack 19 Caleb Sturgis 51 Michael Taylor 6 Deonte Thompson 85 Lynden Trail 94 Justin Trattou 14 Jaylen Watkins 65 Glen Watson 42 Steven Wilks 7 Justin Williams 66 James Wilson 78 David Young

P G DE DE LB RB LB T DE P NT LB DE TE RB WR QB T DE OL TE T WR LB K WR C DE FB QB WR TE CB C FB RB CB DT DT CB T T K K LB WR DE DE CB DT FB WR G G

CLS HT RSR 6’ 5” RSO 6’ 1” RFR 6’ 4” RSR 6’ 1” FR 5’ 9” FR 6’ 2” RFR 6’ 5” SR 6’ 3” RSO 6’ 0” RSR 6’ 5” RFR 6’ 4” RSO 6’ 2” FR 6’ 6” RSR 5’ 11” RSR 6’ 4” FR 6’ 1” SO 6’ 5” RSO 6’ 7” FR 6’ 4” RFR 6’ 5” RSO 6’ 6” FR 5’ 9” RSO 6’ 1” FR 5’ 9” RSO 6’ 3” SR 6’ 4” FR 6’ 4” RSO 6’ 1” FR 6’ 6” RJR 5’ 9” RFR 6’ 3” FR 5’ 9” RSO 6’ 4” RSO 6’ 0” FR 5’ 11” FR 5’ 9” RSR 6’ 1” RSR 6’ 4” FR 6’ 0” FR 6’ 5” JR 6’ 5” RFR 5’ 10” JR 5’ 10” FR 5’ 11” RJR 5’ 11” FR 6’ 7” SR 6’ 4” FR 5’ 11” RSO 6’ 2” RJR 6’ 1” RSR 6’ 1” RJR 6’ 3” RSO 6’ 4”

WT 355 266 230 226 176 218 300 250 209 290 240 245 237 215 217 193 300 282 315 244 292 175 216 178 222 310 248 247 204 178 240 166 293 215 199 188 309 275 191 285 272 167 192 218 203 217 255 183 299 235 205 315 304

HOMETOWN LAST SCHOOL Durham, N.C. Southern Eureka, Mo. Eureka H.S./Santa Fe C.C. Palmetto Palmetto Tampa Middleton Fleming Island Fleming Island Homestead Homestead Indianapolis, Ind. Cathedral Westlake Village, Calif. Oaks Christian Gainesville Buchholz Augusta, Ga. Josey Aurora, Colo. Grandview Ocala Dunnellon Tampa Blake Coppell, Texas Southern Cal Rancho Cordova, Calif. Cordova/Sierra C.C. Wethersfield, Conn. Wethersfield Fayetteville, N.C. Jack Britt Gainesville Gainesville New Port Richey Gulf Greer S.C. Greer Tampa Armwood Mobile, Ala. Murphy Tampa Freedom Gainesville Buchholz Atlanta, Ga. Therrell Lakeland Lakeland Moreno Valley, Calif. Rancho Verde Gainesville, Ga. Buford Cocoa Cocoa Beach Lakeland Lakeland New London, Conn. New London Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas Louisville, Ky. Trinity Boca Raton West Boca Raton St. Petersburg St. Petersburg Ocala Carver Bradenton Southeast Jacksonville Bishop John J. Snyder Palmdale, Calif. Palmdale Orange Park Fleming Island Daytona Beach Spruce Creek Palm City Martin County St. Augustine St. Augustine Atlanta, Ga. Westlake Belle Glade Glades Central Miami Booker T. Washington Ramsey, N.J. Don Bosco Prep Cape Coral Cape Coral Pensacola Escambia Lakeland Lakeland Folkston, Ga. Charlton County St. Augustine Nease Edwardsville, Ill. Edwardsville

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Opposing Players

Dual Threat

Florida assigns two quarterbacks to take Tebow's place Troy Farsoun

John Brantley, #12, QB

lorida's official starting quarterback John Brantley is known for his accuracy and arm strength. The junior played backup to Tim Tebow for two years, and now he takes control of Urban Meyer's unique spread offense. The hype around Brantley began to build during Florida's spring scrimmage, in which he was 15-of-19 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. This season, Brantley has completed better than 60% of his passes with only a single interception, thrown in a 48-14 dismantling of Kentucky. Though the No. 7 Gators have struggled on offense in the 2010 season, Brantley grows more confident as he accumulates more experience under center. “Each game we're getting better and better,” said Brantley at Florida's post-game press conference, “Each week during [our] preparation is getting better and better. We had a great week of preparation. The coaches challenged a lot of us, and we stepped up, and that's what we're going to do this week: just build off of what we did tonight, and keep getting better.” He will certainly have his work cut out for him this week, as Alabama's defense managed to fluster Heisman candidate Ryan Mallet into throwing three interceptions in a thrilling win over Arkansas on Saturday. Brantley and the Gators are coming off of Urban Meyer's 100th career victory.

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

Trey Burton, #13, QB

art of what won the Heisman trophy for Tim Tebow in 2007 was his ability to both throw the ball and chew up yards with his legs at any opportunity. With Tebow gone and John Brantley serving as a pocket passer, Urban Meyer needed an ever-present rushing threat at quarterback to satisfy the opposite side of the equation. With true freshman Trey Burton's monster game against Kentucky, the two halves just might make a whole for the Gator's offense. Burton broke even Tim Tebow's school record by scoring six touchdowns in the Gators’ 24th consecutive win over the Wildcats, which included five rushing scores and an 11-yard receiving touchdown from Brantley. A dominating athlete, Burton has lined up at wide receiver, tight end and quarterback this season, doing damage with his legs and even flashing his ability to throw with a 42-yard pass downfield that added an element of surprise to his ability in addition to his specialty in short-yardage situations. Last week he switched from jersey number 13 to number 8. “There's no magical story behind No. 8,” said Urban Meyer on Burton's play, “He played well. We're not trying to give him the ball; he's just taking the ball. He's executing some option football. We're getting the ball into hands of fast players.” Burton's talents may be needed when Florida takes on the top-ranked Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny. Now that Meyer has seen what the true freshman can do, he will likely be utilized in much the same way Tebow was in 2006, when Chris Leek took the Gators to a National Championship victory.

PHOTO (L) BY PHIL SANDLIN, AP ; (R) FROM DAYLIGHT.COM

Recruit of the Week

Ely Looks to Contribute to Quarterback History at Alabama

Phillip Ely Coe Robbins

t's been a tough road for Phillip Ely all throughout his high school career. The Tampa Bay, Fla., native out of Plant High School suffered a career-threatening back injury that could have cut his playing days short last year. Ely has also struggled with a leg strain that he suffered during a preseason game this year, reaggravating the injury in the first game of the season. But that did not keep schools like LSU, Clemson and Ole Miss from knocking at his front door. It did take the 25 pounds Ely added on during the offseason for Division I schools to take notice. So when the defending National Champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide, came knocking, it was really tough for Ely not to commit on the spot. After taking a visit to the Capstone, it only took one week from the time of the offer for Ely to pull the trigger. “It was hard,” Ely said. “It was just bursting inside of me and wanted to come out. I’ve been thinking about it a long time now and I never thought an opportunity like this would come my way. I definitely had a strong feeling about it when I went there. And when I knew I had the offer, it made it a lot easier.” Ely’s high school coach Robert Weiner said that Alabama wanted to keep this offer a secret. “He was their No. 1 guy,” Weiner said. “If they were going to take a quarterback, it was going to be Phillip.” Plant High School has had very recent notable quarterback alums including Robert Marve, who originally committed to Alabama in 2007 but never signed, and current Georgia starter Aaron Murray. Ely is ranked as the fifth-best quarterback in the country by Rivals.com. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior has never lost a game as a starter and will be a December graduate, meaning Ely will be able to enroll early and practice with the Tide during spring training.

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The Lowdown

Larry’s

LOWDOWN Larry Burton

Life without Tebow

Florida’s Life without Tebow Doesn’t Make Life Easier for Alabama

his week Alabama lines up against Florida, and for the first time in the Saban era, Florida won’t have Tim Tebow on the sidelines and in the huddle. But does that make it any easier for Alabama? In all reality, no. In fact, it could make it more complicated for the Tide defenders. Last year, Alabama completely dominated Florida by simply shutting down Tebow. He was without many of the weapons he had in years past

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

and Alabama’s game plan was simple: stop Tebow, stop Florida. This year however, John Brantley can and will spread the passing around and Jeff Demps is a threat at any position in which he lines up. There’s a lot more to do that just stop one player. As good as Tebow was, and he did almost single-handedly beat Alabama in 2008, when a single player is most of the offense, the number of players the defense has to concentrate on is

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limited. The other thing that worries the coaches at Alabama is that they know the 2010 version of these Gators have not yet peaked and what we have seen is not all they are capable of doing. They are due a breakout game, and Saban and company just hope it’s not against Alabama. What Alabama does know about Florida can be troubling. Consider that their young quarterback still hasn’t thrown an interception, but has thrown for five touchdowns through the first three games with a 63% completion ratio. That’s not bad. Like Alabama, they have two top running backs. Jeff Demps, possibly one of the fastest players in college football, already has 310 yards on just 45 carries, which gives him almost seven yards a carry. He has hit pay dirt twice as a runner and has an additional 60 yards in catches. Through three games, another good running back, Mike Gillislee, also has a healthy 6.2 yards a carry. So the defense can’t just concentrate on getting Brantley ruffled. Omarius Hines is another slippery Gator who can go deep as a receiver and burn as a runner on a wildcat or end around. He has done both this season to hurt teams.

8/10/10 11:58 AM

Deonte Thompson is proving to be Mr. Steady as a receiver by racking up the most catches of any Gator through three games with 13 for over 162 yards and a more than healthy 12.5 yards per catch. Those kinds of stats keep the chains moving. Plus, Bama has to worry about a Gator defense that is coming back around to its usual form. Through the first three they are ranked 17th in scoring defense, with an average of just about two touchdowns a game. The rush defense is holding teams to just 3.3 yards a carry and the pass defense has been great with 10 interceptions, two of which have gone for scores. This is a very stingy defense with a clear takeaway mentality. Though they’re only two-for-four in field goal attempts, the punting and coverage are outstanding and the kickoff returns have been kept close to the 20 yard mark, while the Gators themselves are averaging over 32 yards on kickoff returns. They are getting to be solid in all the ways a team can be. So if you’re thinking life is good with Tebow gone to the NFL, his absence may have only opened up new problems for opponents of the Gators this year. touchdownalabama.net |

PHOTOS BY BDL

Catching Up With...

Legendary Coach

BOBBY BOWDEN has Alabama ties

orn in Birmingham, Ala., Bobby Bowden grew up a Crimson Tide fan and went to Alabama, where he was a quarterback for a year before transferring to hometown Howard College where he could be closer to Ann Estock, his girlfriend who became his wife of the last 61 years. After graduating from Howard, Bowden began a career that started out humbly but in time took off, with the legendary coach finishing his career in

Donald F. Staffo

2009 second all-time among major college coaches with 389 wins. Along the way, Bowden won two national championships (1993 and 1999) and 12 Atlantic Coast Conference championships. NCAA penalties, however, caused Bowden to vacate 12 wins, with his final official record being 377-129-4. But Bowdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen overnight. After serving as an assistant football coach and head track and field coach at his alma mater,

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

Bowden went to South Georgia College, where for two years he was head football, basketball and baseball coach, as well as athletic director. He then returned to Howard as head football coach and went 31-6 from 1959 through 1962, before moving on to Florida State where he worked under Bill Petersen and alongside future coaching greats Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs. Bowden accepted the head coaching job at West Virginia in 1969 and

PHOTO BY MATT GASTON

compiled a 42-26 record with the Mountaineers that included two Peach Bowl berths, before undertaking the huge challenge of turning around a morbid Florida State program in 1976 that had gone 4-29 in the previous three years. The rest, as they say, is history. Bowden transformed the former women’s college into one of college football’s perennial powers, with an incredible run from 1987 through 2000 when the Seminoles won at least 10 games a year and finished among the Top 5 in the AP poll. After coaching for 57 years, Bowden, now retired, was in Tuscaloosa and reminisced prior to the Crimson Tide’s game with Penn State. “I’m always proud to come back to Alabama. There’s no place like home. I’ve been so busy coaching all these years that this is the first time that I have ever seen tail-gaiting,” he said. “I couldn’t believe all the food. I haven’t seen anything like this, ever,” he said in amazement of the game day atmosphere that surrounds an Alabama football game. “I grew up in Alabama, and I can’t believe the difference between then and now. I’ve always been a big Alabama fan, so I knew I had to come here, but I went back to Birmingham to finish my college career.” Asked about his once offering a young Nick Saban a job, Bowden explained, “I knew his daddy better than I knew Nick. His daddy died very young. Nick went to Kent State and he coached at Kent State. (After his father passed away) I think I offered him an assistant’s job (at West Virginia), but it could have been a graduate

assistantship.” Questioned about Saban’s success at Alabama, Bowden stated, “I knew Nick had the stuff (to turn around the Tide program), but I thought it would take a little longer. Alabama has a golden name. He took advantage of that. He put Alabama back among the elite.” Bowden related how he once wanted to coach at Alabama, and even thought he was going to. “I thought in 1987 I

hoping I could have done that (keep coaching), but I didn’t. I didn’t win enough games. If I was 40 or 50 years old, I’d be fighting to get back in (coaching).” In 2007, Bowden and Paterno were together enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Reminded that JoePa has given Bowden an open invitation for dinner, Bowden, who said he had just visited with Paterno down on the field and said that he “loves Joe,” quipped, “I’m tired of spaghetti.” Bowden did say that when he left coaching, he immediately became more relaxed. “You can feel the pressure off you. The pressure that you didn’t know you had.” Bowden said that he will follow Florida State this year, but from a distance. “I’m personally staying away from Florida State,” he said. “I don’t want (current coach) Jimbo (Fisher) looking over his shoulder. I will be watching Florida State games and following them, but I won’t go to any Florida State games.” In 2010 the first recipient of the Bobby Bowden National College Coach of the Year Award- given to a coach with unmatched success on and off the field while demonstrating Bowden’s attributes of perseverance, attitude, integrity and determinationwas Saban. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes also honored Bowden, a devout Christian, by initiating The National Bobby Bowden Award, which will go to a college football player whose achievements on the field, in the classroom and in the community reflect the values of the legendary coach.

When I resigned last year, I “didn’t want to, but I did. I was

enjoying my (wins competition) battle with Joe (Paterno), but I don’t think Joe cared. I don’t think Joe cared two cents about it.

”

-Bobby Bowden

was going to be asked to coach here (but Alabama selected Bill Curry instead). Then four years later (Alabama athletic director) Hootie (Ingram) called me, but by then I was 60. I thought I was too old. This is Bear Bryant. At Florida State, it was Bobby Bowden. (At that time) I thought there is where I ought to be.” Bowden admitted that he was not ready to retire at the end of last season. “When I resigned last year, I didn’t want to, but I did. I was enjoying my (wins competition) battle with Joe (Paterno), but I don’t think Joe cared. I don’t think Joe cared two cents about it.” “Joe deserves to step away when he decides to. What happened to Joe (being allowed to stay) is what I hoped would have happened to me. I was

touchdownalabama.net |

Slow Start for Smith

Former Tide standout off to a rough start with the Bengals Jessica Temple

ndre Smith got a rocky start to his professional football career. At 6-foot-4inches, he struggled to keep his weight down after ending his last season with the Crimson Tide in 2008. He missed the NFL combine, but was a first-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals nonetheless. He held out on his contract, and when the paperwork was finally signed, he broke his foot before his rookie season even started. Expected to help out a troubled offensive line, which finished last in the league in 2008, he was unable to contribute for the first ten games of the season. Smith was selected sixth overall in the 2009 draft. The Bengals offered a contract paying less than a player picked later by another team, which lead to the contract holdout. By the time a deal was reached, he had missed a month of preseason training, including three practice games. Just two days later, during a non-contract practice drill, Smith fractured his left foot. The signed contract was for $21 million over four years, but also included a clause to guarantee the Bengals get their moneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth. Smith forfeits half of his paycheck for each game that he isn't on the 45-man roster or weighs over 350 pounds. Smith was expected to be a starter as a rookie for Cincinnati. He was one of just a handful of players to start in his first game for the Tide, and in three seasons at Alabama, he started in all but one game at left tackle. He had 46 touchdown-producing blocks and shared the 2007 SECâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jacobs Blocking Trophy with

Arkansas’ Jonathan Luigs, who is now Smith’s teammate on the Bengals. Smith also took home the 2008 Outland Trophy, the nation’s highest achievement for linemen. Before playing for the Tide, Smith, now 23, was the top-rated offensive lineman in the country as a senior at Huffman High School in Birmingham, Ala. Smith was the first offensive lineman to win the “Mr. Football” award for the state. Despite his strong performances in high school and college play, after his injury last year Smith played in just the last six games of the season, starting only once. After his first season with Cincinnati, Smith underwent surgery on his foot and spent the offseason working to get ready to play again. So far in 2010, he has played in two games, starting in week two, and has contributed to pass protection. Already listed second in the depth chart as right tackle, Smith has recently seen practice at right guard and is now listed second there too. He is currently on the team’s inactive list, likely awaiting proper conditioning at his new position. For a player who has seen little time on the field, Smith is just glad to be back to full speed. “I’m happy to be competing with my teammates and working hard every day and getting prepared for the next game,” he told Geoff Hobson of Bengals. com last week. Hobson also reported that Smith feels better than he has since he was drafted and his foot has not caused any problems since the surgery.

“I’m happy to be competing with my teammates and working hard every day and getting prepared for the next game." PHOTOS FROM BENGALS.COM

-Andre Smith

1 2 3

Which Alabama player kicked three gamewinning field goals during the 2005 season? a. C.J. Rhody b. Andrew Friedman

c. Leigh Tiffin d. Jamie Christensen

During the 2008 off-season, who replaced Major Applewhite as offensive coordinator? a. Joe Pendry b. Jim McElwain c. Jeff Brohm d. Steve Sarkisian

4 5

Quarterback Jeff Rutledge, who went to play in the NFL for 14 seasons, was selected out of Alabama in what round of the 1979 draft? a. 1st c. 6th b. 3rd d. 9th Which former Alabama center is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? a. Jim Krapf c. Sylvester Croom b. Jim Bunch d. Dwight Stephenson

Future Alabama head coach Gene Stallings played_________________. a. With Bear Bryant at Alabama b. For Bear Bryant at Alabama c. For Bear Bryant at Texas A&M d. For Bear at Kentucky

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| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

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Answers to the 5 questions above: 1. D, 2. B, 3. C, 4. D, 5. D

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My First Game

The Tide Heard

Around the World

oll Tide. Bear Bryant. 13 National Championships. The Capstone. All of these are phrases commonly associated with The University of Alabama. In fact, all over the country, people hear these terms and think of the pride, tradition, and excellence that is upheld by Alabama. However, if you’re an international student, these expressions are not something you hear of often. When someone from a foreign country steps foot on Alabama soil, they may wonder why there are so many fanatical people walking around with elephant clothing and why they worship some guy named after a four-legged carnivore. To Alabama fans, these are things that make up the core of what they celebrate each Saturday. But people from other countries may have no idea how or why all of things are

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

Jen Underwood

so important. Take Charlie Kermarrec for example. Kermarrec is an international student in the graduate program at Alabama. He is a native of France -the home of Monet, ballet, and escargot…not Alabama football. One might assume that a Frenchman who has never witnessed the crowds on the Quad on game day would consider Tide fans to be raving lunatics. Kermarrec shared the thoughts and opinions that he gathered while attending the Penn State game on September 11. He mentioned that he tailgated prior to the game and found it fascinating that there were so many people, all of whom were sporting their finest crimson and white attire. Kermarrec’s closest point of comparison is how people react

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in Europe to football, or soccer, as Americans would call it. “It is very different. Here, football is like a religion. I do not really like soccer. I prefer rugby.” Kermarrec went on to say that he was impressed by the players. “I did not think they would be that big or strong.” He also mentioned that he enjoyed listening to the Million Dollar Band and commended their performance. Perhaps the most notable thing to an outsider about Alabama football would be the number of people crammed into one stadium. To Kermarrec, the crowd was phenomenal. Bryant-Denny’s current capacity of 101,821 dwarfs every stadium in Keremarrec’s home country. “The largest stadium in France is in Paris and it only holds 80,000 people,” he said. “That stadium is used for many events, not just football.” Kermarrec greatly enjoyed his first game and plans on attending many more as the semester progresses. He said that he enjoyed the atmosphere and the passion of the fans and that the videos played during the game gave him goose bumps. Not only does the Southern community love and appreciate Alabama football, but even visitors from other countries roll with the Tide.

www.1stfed.com

PHOTO BY CHARLIE KERMARREC

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Tailgater of the Week

Tailgating for the Tide is a

Friendly Affair

ailgating can mean many different things in Tuscaloosa. It can consist of a blown-up canopy on the Quad or simply browsing around campus and chatting with old friends. For some tailgaters, the best part of revisiting the Quad on gameday is that it means seeing old friends and catching up on old times. John Stacy, a Centerville native and Alabama alumnus, chooses to do just that. He rambles from tent-to-tent throughout the day to meet-and-greet with old friends and maybe make a few new ones along the way. “You can’t beat the friendship you make on the Quad,” he said. Although tailgating is a tradition at the University, it has changed over the years. Stacy weighs in on how the new Tide traditions are different. “The kids don’t remember,” he said. “Tailgating has

Jennifer Gorham

changed so much in the past 30 years. It is a lot more organized.” He also mentioned how the mass of people has expanded recently. Even though Stacy is in attendance for the gameday festivities, he doesn’t always make it to the stadium. “When I can get tickets I go,” he admitted. He enjoys being able to tell old stories to his children about when he was a student, but his children are living it for themselves. He has two daughters who go to UA. Many Birmingham natives might recognize the names of Erica and Monica Stacy. They are the “Duba Duba Twins,” more recently known as “21’s Twins.” They represent the CW network in and around Birmingham. Whether he is displaying his pictures of “Bear” Bryant coaching, catching up with old buddies or grabbing a bite to eat, tailgating is tradition for Stacy and family.

PHOTO BY MATT GASTON

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Traditions

| TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA October 2, 2010

Traditions

Walking the Walk

Walk of Fame Honors Crimson Tide Football Players

W Chris Tubbs

inning might be the number one tradition at the University of Alabama, and, without a doubt, football is our main form of competition. To commemorate this winning tradition, the University honors its football captains and co-captains by giving them a concrete slab with an imprint of their hands and feet on the Quad. The University of Alabamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Walk of Fame memorializes the young men who led Tide players to battle on the gridiron. The tradition started in spring of 1948 with the induction of Harry Gilmer, the most outstanding player of 1947, whose name was placed at the base of Denny Chimes. The tradition has grown to honor the many great players that have donned the crimson jerseys over the years. Only a few players are inducted each year. In some years, such as in 2003, as many as 6 players are added to the Quad. So far,

PHOTO BY MATT GASTON

there are a total of 154 names on 147 slabs of concrete, with the most recent names being Mike Johnson, Rolando McClain and Javier Arenas. The Quad stands at the center of campus, with Denny Chimes at the south end and Gorgas Library to the north. Much like the reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Walk of Fame will eventually stretch between the two monuments and unite the University of Alabama campus, symbolizing the fact that the University is here to not only educate and provide a high standard of excellence, but to also mold strong leaders in both extraordinary and mundane circumstances. While there is still some distance to go before the Walk of Fame reaches Gorgas Library, each year students and alumni alike can look forward to coming a few steps closer to achieving that goal.

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News

Jen Underwood

Kentucky at Ole Miss 11:21 am SEC Network The Wildcats will take on Ole Miss after a hard loss to Florida this past week, which marks their fourth straight defeat to the Gators. Kentucky has been outscored 152-26 in the past three games. Their only major plays against Florida were performed by Chris Matthews, one in which he faked a field goal on fourth down. Ole Miss is coming off a 55-38 win over Fresno State last week. The Rebels currently have a 2-2 record overall. Junior RB Brandon Bolden carried Ole Miss, rushing for 228 yards against the undefeated Bulldogs. Both Kentucky and Ole Miss have an 0-1 record in the SEC. Tennessee at LSU 2:30pm CBS The Vols will face the Tigers in Baton Rouge after both teams were victorious last Saturday. Tennessee won in double over-time against the UAB Blazers. The Vols had a 23-7 lead at halftime, but the Blazers soon recovered to tie up the score. Although Tennessee won 32-29, UAB racked up 544 yards while the Vols only had 287. LSU defeated West Virginia 20-14. The Tigers are currently undefeated, and are ranked No. 1 in the SEC East standings. LSU ended the game with 230 yards of offense while the Mountaineers carried 177. Although LSU played a great game, their defense allowed two turnovers.

Other SEC Games: Game

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Georgia senior RG Chris Davis missed last week and is questionable against Colorado following a hip injury. Davis is in his fourth year starting for the Bulldogs.

Ole Miss DE Kentrell Lockett is out for the season with a torn ACL suffered against Fresno State. The senior had five tackles for loss last year, the third most on the team. Marcus Green, junior TE for Mississippi State, has already missed two games with a knee injury and is questionable against Alcorn State this week. Kentucky has three starters listed as questionable going in to the game against Ole Miss. Junior SS Taiedo Smith has missed three games already following a groin injury, junior LG Stuart Hines has an ankle injury and sat out for the Florida game, and junior TE Nick Melillo has missed four straight games, also due to ankle injury. Tennessee is in the same predicament, also with three questionable starters this week. Herman Lathers, sophomore WLB, missed the UAB game due to an ankle injury, Cody Pope, junior C, has missed two games with a possible concussion, and JerQuari Schofield, redshirt freshman LG, was out last week following a foot injury during the Florida game two weeks ago.

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