re: Bama Football Tidings

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When the Tide takes the field for the first time this year, its pair of starting inside linebackers will be players from the same high school and hometown. Dylan Moses, the returning veteran and leader of the defense, hails from Baton Rouge, La., and attended University Lab (La.) High School before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., to close out his prep career.

Harris also attended University Lab before moving to Tuscaloosa in late May. And even though the two former and now-current teammates have good chemistry on the field, Moses admitted he was surprised to see Harris rise up the pecking order so quickly after joining the program.

“He’s doing really good,” Moses said Monday. “He’s shocked me because he just got here like a couple months ago. I told him he has an opportunity to do something great. There’s just some slight things he needs to work on, as far as technique-wise, but other than that, he’ll be fine.”

Outside of Alabama’s preseason scrimmages, Saturday will be Harris’ first game experience at linebacker. At University Lab, he played wide receiver, defensive back and returned kicks on back-to-back state championship teams. But his time at corner could prove beneficial for the Tide. “His coverage skills are really great,” Moses said. “I’ve seen flashes when he picks up the ball in practice, (he’s) like a DB at linebacker, so it’s good. We needed that.”

UA fans will get their first look at Harris on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC. But a freshman seeing the field at inside linebacker isn’t a new concept for a Saban-coached Tide team. Earlier in fall camp, the head coach pointed out players like Rolando McClain, Dont'a Hightower and C.J. Mosley had done it in the past, and Moses even saw playing time with the ones two years ago.

Knowing what it’s like to be in this situation, Moses is eager to help his familiar teammate. “It means a lot,” Moses said. “I tell Christian a lot that he’s in a wonderful position and just like his position is way harder than mine because mine came when I at least had some type of experience throughout the season, getting some type of game play, whether it was two or three plays. And he’s like getting thrown into it, so I just try and tell him, ‘Just do your job, and I’ve got you. I’m going to tell you what you need to do when we’re out there, and just play fast.’”

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EVAN NEAL A CO-STARTER AT GUARD

Dale has been a player expected to step in the vacancy left behind by Quinnen Williams since the spring. And another freshman that appeared set to claim a starting spot was Neal at left guard.

The 6-foot-7, 360-pound lineman has spent the last several practices working with the first-team offensive line during the media viewing periods, but when the depth chart was released Monday, Neal and Ekiyor were listed as co-starters at left guard. Saban explained why that was the case.

“Well, if we have a slash there, that means that we feel both guys are very much in competition for the position and both guys have an opportunity to play at that position,” Saban said. “And we’ll make a determination at some point in time as to who actually starts the game. But that’s not something that we’re uncomfortable saying right now.”

At center, Chris Owens and Landon Dickerson were separated by a slash, and Dickerson and Matt Womack were co-starters at right guard. Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills will start at left tackle and right tackle, respectively, rounding out what fans should expect on the O-line

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Alabama is looking to officially turn the page on its national championship loss to Clemson when it opens the 2019 season against Duke in Atlanta at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

The Crimson Tide released a hype video featuring calls from ESPN’s Chris Fowler, and Crimson Tide radio voice Eli Gold that highlight the best plays from recent years.

The Crimson Tide are looking to face Duke led by well-respected coach David Cutcliffe and new starting QB Quentin Harris.

This game, which has Alabama listed as a 35-point favorite, will be the first glimpse to how Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa will implement any offseason changes, and limit turnovers in big games. The revamped Alabama coaching staff also gets its first action to reveal any wrinkles to play-calling and personnel use.

Alabama has done well in these types of games historically, and has won 17 straight season openers.

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Has anyone ever tried to taste chalk? Like, actually put tongue to a bit of calcium carbonate?

It is bland. It is anything but delicious. And it is boring.

Chalk says that the Alabama Crimson Tide will wend their way through the 2019 season and back to a 4th instant classic College Football Playoff Championship Game against Clemson. Chalk says Nick Saban will eventually welcome a Balfour ring salesman into his office to see if his size has changed from 2 seasons ago.

Chalk is boring.

That’s why we are here with 10 Bold Predictions. And without giving away the ending, 2019 will be anything but chalk for the Crimson Tide. Here we go …

1. Tua Tagovailoa will not win the Heisman Trophy
Told ya! Alabama’s sweet Hawaiian prince is many things, but his Crimson Tide career will end after this season without Mr. Stiff Arm in the trophy case. Just as there are often travesties of justice in who actually wins the thing (See Toretta, Gino …), that Tagovailoa will leave Tuscaloosa without a bronze trophy will happen. Last year was Tagovailoa’s year to win the Heisman, and if he didn’t win it then despite throwing for 43 TDs and almost 4,000 yards, well …

2. Tua Tagovailoa will miss at least one start due to injury
It isn’t like said sweet Hawaiian prince is made of iron. Or granite. Or bronze like the Heisman. He is human, and has a tendency to get banged up now and then. Again, we saw that last season. At some point, a hungry SEC defensive lineman will get a wild hair and somehow twist Tagovailoa’s knee or ankle enough for him to miss a game like Western Carolina on Nov. 23.

3. Alabama will rise to No. 1 during the regular season
The Crimson Tide has been ranked atop the Associated Press poll at some point each season in each of the past 11 years. This will be a year of tremendous upheaval in the rankings, we predict. Which means Alabama going back to the top will happen again, as Clemson — even with all its greatness — will inevitably stumble.

4. Alabama will lose in the regular season
Someone just spit out a mouthful of Golden Flake and is feverishly reaching for their Co-Cola right now. Yes, Alabama will lose in 2019. The trick, of course, is losing early enough to rebound. Watch Texas A&M win some sort of fluke double-OT oddball game at home on Oct. 12 — knocking the Tide down to No. 4 or so.

5. An NFL team will make a run at Nick Saban
This isn’t so much as a prediction as it is a near-certainty — as it happens almost every year. Overtures at college football’s greatest living coach (we see you, Bobby Bowden …) come floating across uber-agent Jimmy Sexton’s desk almost every year. Some are pure fantasy. Some probably come closer to reality than anyone other than Saban and Ms. Terry will ever know. But a billionaire will offer to hand Saban the reins yet again.

6. No 100-yard rushers for Alabama opponents
Entering 2018, only 13 running backs had rushed for 100 yards against Saban’s defense at Alabama. Inexplicably, The Citadel’s Dante Smith ripped off 130 rushing yards against a wildly disinterested Tide defense. That won’t happen again, as Alabama’s Anfernee Jennings and Dylan Moses will be the ones to ensure it.

7. Some QB will make Alabama’s defense look very ordinary
Just as Dante Smith carved up (well, relatively …) the Alabama defense last season, there will be a quarterback somewhere who simply has a career day. Sure interceptions will deflect off normally sticky hands. One-handed grabs and tip-toed sidelines will wow color commentators. And some Joe Varsity will rack up a 300-yard, 4-TD afternoon.

8. Alabama’s kicker won’t miss a field goal under 50 yards
Nothing grinds the gears quite like having one of the most dominant offenses in college football history, only to endure a kicker doinking attempts off uprights and crossbars (sometimes all in one misguided attempt!) Just as the law of large numbers factors into No. 10 below, this will be the season that freshman (gasp!) kicker Will Reichard becomes Mr. Automatic.

9. Nick Saban will drop an F-bomb on national television
Saban has come close before. Saban roasted Maria Taylor in an instant meme-worthy rant about the Tagovailoa-vs.-Jalen Hurts debate. Perhaps truly random or perhaps meticulously planned, this will be the year Saban tees up one of George Carlin’s Seven Dirty Words to the nation in an effort to get the message across that he is actually pissed off about something completely different.

10. Alabama will not win its 18th national championship
Here we go with the Golden Flake and Co-Cola again. Although national championships seem like fait accompli under Nick Saban, invariably there has to be some sort of course correction in all this. If for no other reason than the law of large numbers simply dictate that someone other than Clemson or Alabama can win it all. Yes, that’s right … Clemson won’t win either. But 2019 won’t require an 18th NC flag for Bryant-Denny Stadium.

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Nick Saban shares why he enjoys neutral-site Power 5 matchups Jake Rill -Saturday Down South

Alabama may only have one official road game in its first five weeks of the season, but its season opener is also away from home. That’s because the Crimson Tide are traveling to take on Duke in a neutral-site game located at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday.

This isn’t the first time that Alabama has started its season with a neutral-site game against an opponent from another top conference. In fact, last year the Tide opened with a matchup against Louisville in Orlando.

During his Monday press conference, Alabama coach Nick Saban explained that he thinks it’s beneficial for players to take part in a neutral-site game early in the season to help them prepare for road trips later in the year.

“You’re going to travel, you have to focus, you’re in a different place, you’re playing in a new stadium,” Saban told the media. “So all the external factors that can effect your ability to focus on what you need to be doing, this is an experience to do that.”

Saban also believes it can help to play a strong team to begin the season. While Duke may not be among the ACC favorites this year, the Blue Devils are a better opponent than a non-Power Five team, which some schools typically open its season against.

“I think when you play a good opponent early on, the whole focus in the offseason, spring practice, fall camp is always a little better because players feel they’re going to be challenged in the first game,” Saban told the media. “That’s something that I think helps their competitive spirit throughout the preparation time.”

Alabama and Duke will face off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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