College football: Fans gather to show support for Lattimore. 5C
T U E S D A Y , O C T O B E R 30 , 2 012
Sports
SECTION C
WWW.TUSCALOOSANEWS.COM WWW.TUSC SC CAL A OOSANEWS.COM
UA RECRUITING
UA RECRU RECRUITING
FRESH LEGS
Recruiting battles intensify for nation’s best
I
t was another big weekend in Tuscaloosa, with several prospects from across the country on campus Saturday night to visit the nation’s No. 1 team. The University of Alabama coaching staff welcomed several high profi le prospects, led by Montravius Adams, a five-star defensive tackle from Dooly County High School in Vienna, Ga., Robert Foster, a Rivals100 wide receiver from Central Valley in Monaca, Pa., who was in town on his official visit, Dee Liner, a five-star defensive lineman and Auburn commitment from Muscle Shoals, and O.J. Howard, a five-star tight end and Alabama commitment from Autauga Academy in Prattville. A NDREW F o s t e r, A l a BONE bama’s top receiver target, was the lone official visitor on campus and arrived in Tuscaloosa on Saturday morning. He left Alabama on Sunday after spending the morning at coach Nick Saban’s home. He has the Crimson Tide among his top three schools, along with Pittsburgh and Ohio State. Adams is the nation’s No. 2 defensive tackle, and this was only his second unofficial visit this year. The Tide coaching staff has kept in close contact. He plans to return for another unofficial visit when Alabama plays Auburn. Clemson, Auburn and Georgia have been thought of as the frontrunners for the elite prospect. The more he visits Tuscaloosa, the chances will increase for the Tide come signing day in February. “I can see myself playing on their defensive line,” Adams told The Tuscaloosa News. “They want to use me like they used Marcell (Dareus). They would mostly use me on the outside. That’s what I want to play. I don’t want to play inside.” Liner is still a prime target for Alabama in this year’s class. He remains solid in his commitment to Auburn at this time. He has remained in contact with the Alabama coaching staff since his decision. Johnathan Ford, a three-star running back and Vanderbilt commitment from New Hope, is being recruited as an athlete. A labama recently started showing interest but has not offered a scholarship at this point. “It was my fi rst-ever game down there. It was very neat,” Ford told The Tuscaloosa News. “It was something I have never been to before. It was a very welcoming atmosphere. I liked it. It’s a winning program. I like the atmosphere down there. It’s big-time.” The Tide staff welcomed plenty of underclassmen, including three of the top four prospects in the state: Bo Scarbrough, a running back and A laba ma com m it ment f rom Northridge; Marlon Humphrey, a cornerback f rom Hoover; and Racean Thomas, running back from Oxford. Humphrey and Thomas have numerous scholarship offers, including from Alabama. Thomas has listed the Tide his No.1 school for the past month. Humphrey is the son of former Tide great Bobby Humphrey. Saturday was the third time he has watched Alabama in person play this year. The out-of-state prospects included Jeb Blazevich, a tight end from Catholic High in Charlotte, N.C.; Kendall Randolph, a cornerback from Lincoln in Tallahassee, Fla.; K.C. McDermott, an offensive tackle from Palm Beach Central in Wellington, Fla.; Elisha Shaw, a defensive tackle from Tucker in Atlanta; and David Cornwell, a quarterback from Jones, Okla. Blazevich is one of the top tight end prospects in the Southeast. The 6 -foot-5, 240 -pound prospect has close to 20 scholarship offers, including one from Alabama. Randolph was a standout at the Rivals Five-star Challenge in July, but the Tide has not offered at this point. SEE BONE | 4C
A Alabama’ s two-back system by design to keep players durable By Chase Goodbread Sports Writer
PHOTO | JASON HARLESS
Freshman running back T.J. Yeldon leads Alabama in rushing with 649 yards on 93 carries with seven touchdowns. Yeldon splits time in the backfield with starter Eddie Lacy, who has 596 yards on 109 carries with seven touchdowns.
TUSC TUSCALOOSA | Eight games in, and E Eddie Lacy is feeling fi ne. F Four — the Crimson Tide hop hopes five if it makes the SEC titl title game — more to go, and T.J T.J. Yeldon, if how he ran Satur urday against Mississippi State is any indication, is healthy for th the stretch run as well. University of Alabama coach N Nick Saban has been feeding aalmost all of the team’s rushin ing load to two running backs ssince he took the job at UA. A And in November, when the ccumulative grind of Southea eastern Conference play begins to take its toughest toll on players, th the Crimson Tide’s running backs remain rem fresh. “We’ve always had two backs. It’s sort of a philosophical ph thing that we like to have tw two backs,” Saban said. “We think dura durability is such a critical factor in running backs, that if you play one guy all the time, it enhances his chances of maybe not n being able to continue to play at the same level. It’s always been our goal tto play two guys. Not always equally, bu but fairly equally to where both guys have a better chance to sustain the season at a high level and are productive th throughout.” Yeldon leads l the team in rushing with 649 yards, but Lacy is right behind with 596. Lacy h has carried the ball 109 times, and Yeldon is not far behind at 93. Both have seven rushing touchdowns. “It does doesn’t feel like the ninth game (approach (approaching) at all. Our rotation has been grea great, we have our legs under us and we’re ready,” Lacy said. Yeldon, under team policy prohibiting freshm freshmen from media interviews, was unavailable unava for comment. Saban established e the sharing mentality in the t UA offensive backfield right from his fi rst season in 2007, when run running backs Terry Grant and Glen Coffee Coff split 309 rushes, Grant with 180 aand Coffee with 129. Almost every year since, Alabama’s backfield tandem has h had one elder and one
BASEBALL
■ When: 7 p.m., Saturday ■ Where: Baton Rouge, La. ■ Records: Alabama 8-0, 5-0 in SEC; LSU 7-1, 3-1 in SEC ■ TV: CBS ■ Radio: 95.3 FM, 790 AM
INSIDE THE TIDE ALABAMA NOTEBOOK: Quarterback AJ McCarron’s streak of no interceptions continues | 3C
FOUR DOWNS: Questions facing the Crimson Tide this weekend | 3C
THEY SAID IT: Comments from Nick Saban and Tide players during Monday’s press conference | 3C
For video of Alabama’s Monday press conference, go to www.tidesports.com newcomer. In 2008, it was Coffee and freshman Mark Ingram. For the following two years, it was Ingram and Trent Richardson. Last year, Richardson led the way with support from Lacy, and this year Lacy has shared with the freshman Yeldon. “Eddie’s done a really good job for us, T.J.’s done a really good job for us,” Saban added. “The combination of the two is probably most effective for us.” Alabama ranks 22nd nationally in rushing at 214.6 yards per game. Lacy said saving the physical mileage that comes with his position could be a positive for his potential future as a pro player as well. “I think of it future wise,” he said. “A lot of running backs want to get the ball 20-30 times a game, but at the same time it wears your body down, and you don’t really know how long your body will last.” Reach Chase Goodbread at chase@ tidesports.com or at 205-722-0196.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Giants found similar winning formula to win title again By Janie McCauley The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO | The Giants’ championship formula is a familiar one, just with new faces all over the diamond two years later: stellar starting pitching backed by a shutdown bullpen, a late-season surge and a manager making all the right moves. San Francisco captured its second World Series title in three seasons with a stunning sweep of the Tigers, and only catcher Buster Posey was in the lineup for the Game 5 clincher in 2010 at Texas and also the fi nale at Comerica Park in 2012. “We’re just happy right now,” Posey said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling.” Two of the four games against Detroit were started and won by a pair of pitchers not even on the World Series roster in 2010, and in Ryan Vogelsong’s case he wasn’t even in the majors back then. The only regular still around from that team is Posey, and the catcher had to rebound from devastating ankle and leg injuries sustained in a home-plate collision in late May 2011 to put together an MVP-caliber season and become the NL batting champ. He played far more than anybody envisioned his body would allow. This time, a couple of bench warmers from that last October run shined for San Francisco — MVP Pablo Sandoval and Game 1 winner Barry Zito. The lefty Zito was left off the postseason roster for all three rounds in 2010. “Just as a player, certainly you want to play on a team that wins the World Series. A nd to go out there and SEE GIANTS | 4C
NO. 1 ALABAMA VS. NO. 5 LSU
Indiana’s Zeller near-unanimous preseason pick By Jim O’Connell The Associated Press
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Manager Bruce Bochy holds the trophy after the Giants swept the Tigers in the World Series. It’s San Francisco’s second championship in three years.
The biggest man on The Associated Press’ preseason All-America team got the most votes. Seven-foot sophomore center Cody Zeller, the main reason Indiana is the preseason No. 1 for the fi rst time in 33 years, was one vote shy of being a unanimous selection for the preseason All-America team. Zeller, who averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 62.3 percent from the field, received 64 votes from the national media panel which selects the weekly Top 25. Also on the team announced Monday were junior forwards Doug McDermott of Creighton and Deshaun Thomas of Ohio State and three guards — seniors Isaiah Canaan of Murray State and C.J. McCollum of Lehigh and sophomore Trey Burke of Michigan. McDermott was named on 62 ballots, while Canaan was on 43 and Thomas 26. McCollum and Burke tied for the fi fth spot with 16 votes each. Zeller is one of five starters back for the Hoosiers and when a top-fl ight recruiting class is added in there are a lot expectations for the No. 1 team. “I don’t know that we’ve really set any goals as a team, but obviously, we want to win a national championship,” Zeller said. “We’re not going to guarantee anything. We’re just going to play and see where it takes us.” SEE ZELLER | 4C