Baseball: Jeter hits walk-off single in final game at Yankee Stadium | 5C
Sports
RECRUITING ANALYSIS PREVIEWS MESSAGE BOARDS 30-DAY FREE TRIAL
F R I D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 26 , 2014
on sale at:
UNION FURNITURE 758-3693
SECTION C
WWW.TUSCALOOSANEWS.COM
ALABAMA FOOTBALL
PRO FOOTBALL
HOT
Jones off to flying start for Falcons
SHOT
By Paul Newberry The Associated Press
Crimson Tide quarterback Sims very efficient when passing out of shotgun and pistol formations By D.C. Reeves Sports Writer
Maybe it’s the extra space to use his speed. Maybe it’s the few extra milliseconds to survey the defense instead of dropping back. Or maybe Blake Sims just likes it. Whatever the case, Alabama’s first-year starting quarterback is thriving as a passer out of the shotgun and pistol formations through four games this season. His numbers have been great across the board to date. Sims, ranked fourth nationally in passing efficiency, is 71 of 97 passing for 1,091 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions and he is averaging 11.2 yards per attempt. When he’s out from under center, he’s been flat-out stellar. According to offensive play data logged by The Tuscaloosa News, when Sims is in the shotgun, he is 31 of 40 (77.5 percent) passing for 481 yards and averaging 12 yards per attempt, a slight uptick from his overall statistics. Out of the Pistol formation (when the quarterback is about halfway between being under center and where he stands to take a shotgun snap, often with a running back behind him), Sims is a blistering 14 of 15 passing (93.3 percent) for 209 yards. His first incomplete pass out of the pistol came in the win against Florida on Saturday when an attempt to hit fullback Jalston Fowler out of the fl at
SIMS BY THE NUMBERS Statistical comparison for Blake Sims when he passes from under center and when he passes from the pistol or shotgun formation.
Shotgun/Pistol 45 55
COMPLETIONS
690
PASSING YARDS
3
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
ATTEMPTS
81.8
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE
2
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Under center 26 42
COMPLETIONS
401
PASSING YARDS
5
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
ATTEMPTS
61.9
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE
0
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
was tipped and intercepted. Most of Sims’ pistol work has been in the short pass game, however: His 14 completions have traveled a combined 37 yards past the line of scrimmage with 11 of those going six yards or less. SEE HOT | 4C
STAFF PHOTO | ROBERT SUTTON
First-year starting quarterback Blake Sims has 1,091 passing yards through four games for the Crimson Tide. He has thrown for 690 yards while in the shotgun or pistol formation, and has thrown for 401 yards taking snaps under center.
PREP FOOTBALL
Big county rivalry games on tap for tonight By Joey Chandler
RIGHT: Aliceville’s Jamar Richardson and the unbeaten Yellow Jackets take on county rival Pickens County tonight.
Sports Writer
INSIDE FOOTBALL:
BELOW: HIllcrest’s Darnell Webb (1) and the Patriots take on rival Tuscaloosa County tonight.
STAFF PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON
Two different counties. Two big, non reg ion r iva l r y games. The stakes are high for four area teams tonight, with more than bragging rights on the line. A win against a longtime rival is icing on the cake compared to what that victory could do in terms of not only a state ranking, but a little swagger heading into the second half of the season. Undefeated Aliceville High School hosts Pickens County tonight in a state-ranked, county showdown, while Tuscaloosa County travels to Hillcrest in another county-rivalry contest. “They are all excited about the game,” Aliceville coach Charles Moody said. “The community is excited, the kids are excited and it looks like the making of a great game.” The Tornadoes bested the Yellow Jackets last year, 54-18, during their 15-0, Class 1A state championship campaign. Pickens County, 4-1, moved up to Class 2A this season, and is ranked sixth in the Alabama Sports Writers Association poll. Thanks to a 5-0 start for the fi rst time since the 2007 season, Aliceville made its state poll debut and is sitting 10th in Class 3A. “With it being a rivalry game, that is a big thing. You can throw out all the hype and everything with the records,” Tornadoes coach Nick Rob-
Preview capsules for tonight’s prep games | 3C
FLOWERY BRANCH, GA . | These days, the game looks so much slower to Julio Jones. When the Falcons receiver goes out for a pass, he understands why the route calls for him to go 15 yards this way, 8 yards that way. When he sees a defensive back across the line, he recognizes the little nuances in his body language, those telltale signs of what’s coming next. “When I’m out there running around, I see everything,” Jones said Thursday, holding court in Atlanta’s locker room. “I had tunnel vision when I was younger. I couldn’t really see anything. I didn’t really know the concept of the plays, why I was running this route. Now I do.” To everyone else, Jones looks faster, bigger, stronger than he’s ever been. After missing most of last season with a foot injury, the Falcons receiver and former A labama player has played with such domination — men against boys, really — that it seems as though he’s intent on making up for lost time. He leads the NFL with 365 receiving yards on 23 catches, including a 40-yard touchdown grab against Tampa Bay that will surely go down as one of the receptions of the year. Looking back for the ball over his left shoulder, Jones spun his head to the right just as Matt Ryan’s arching pass arrived, sticking out those massive hands to haul it in as he was tumbling to the turf, both feet safely within the end zone. The crowd gasped. Jones simply fl ipped the ball to the official, like it was no big deal. A week later, as the Falcons (21) prepared to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, he still felt that way. “It was good throw by Matt, and I was able to make a play on the ball,” Jones said with a shrug. “I expect to make those kind of plays when they present themselves.” Everyone else knows how special it was. “It was a great catch,” said teammate and fellow receiver Roddy White, a mentor of sorts to Jones. “It’s crazy, because we go out there and practice that situation, and then it comes up in the game and he makes it look real easy. I guess practice pays off.” SEE JONES | 4C
VOLLEYBALL: Roundup from Thursday | 3C
erson said. “This is a huge rivalry game that our kids really get up for. It wouldn’t matter if we were both 0-4 going into it or undefeated and ranked No. 1 in our respective classes.” Pickens County heads into tonight’s contest giving up just 11 points per game, while Aliceville is also holding opponents to low numbers, giving up 12.4 points per game. Gordo (4-0), another county program, is ranked No. 5 in Class 3A, making this a big year for football in Pickens County. “It’s great,” Moody said. “It just shows what kind of football we have in our area. Football is very important to the people of Pickens County, and it’s something that we all take seriously.” Roberson echoed Moody’s sentiments. “It’s one of those rare situations where not only is there a little bragging rights with being the best in the county, but they help us prepare for the playoffs,” Roberson said. “It’s a good tune up, and then we end the SEE R IVALRY | 3C
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Atlanta receiver Julio Jones leads the NFL with 365 receiving yards on 23 catches. The former Alabama star sat out most of last season after undergoing foot surgery.