Happy Friday, everyone. The men’s basketball team has a big one tonight, on the road at Purdue. Tip-off is at 6pm CT and the game will be televised exclusively on Peacock, so plan accordingly.
The football team plays Mercer tomorrow, and the previews are somewhat scarce as expected.
By the way, Mercer is No. 1 in FCS against the run, too. For whatever it’s worth, the two Alabama losses came the two times the ground game didn’t get to 100 yards. Mercer allowed just 54 rushing yards per game.
Alabama can’t just mail this in, but it should be able to get rolling early. The one Mercer loss came against a blah Samford team that went off in the first half.
It’s Alabama vs Mercer. You know what’s going to happen, but don’t be totally surprised if the Tide don’t look their best.
Mercer is ranked No. 9 in the FCS Coaches Poll.
The Bears feature a rushing defense that is ranked first in the FCS, allowing only 54.7 yards per game.
What’s Next
Anticipation builds for Mercer’s ability to compete against a high-caliber SEC team, as the outcome may influence their postseason prospects. A strong showing against Alabama could enhance Mercer’s profile heading into the playoffs.
Bottom Line
This matchup will test Mercer’s mettle against SEC competition and could provide valuable insights on their potential for a deep playoff run. The performance against Alabama could redefine expectations for the Bears moving forward.
The Bears are going to be in the FCS playoffs, which means that while they will want to win, emerging from this game healthy is just as critical for them as it is Alabama. Hope for a clean, uneventful afternoon.
Robert Gillespie was seen Respecting the Opponent.
“They’re quick, they do a really good job up front using their hands to get out of blocks, they obviously create a lot of tackles for loss, they do a great job sacking the quarterback, they create pressure, they force a lot of turnovers in the secondary because the quarterbacks are just running for their lives and throwing the ball up,” Alabama running backs coach Robert Gillespie said on Wednesday. “They’re really good from front to back. They’re linebackers are guys that blitz, they read run-pass very well, obviously their record shows that––they’re 9-1 for a reason.”
“They’re a really good football team and I’m excited about the challenge that we get after a big win like that and I think our kids learned a lot from the first time we had a win and had to come play another team next week. So we’ve got to saddle up and I think our guys are mature enough to understand we’ve got to go play better this week.”
Jihaad Campbell isn’t down for any mediocre practice habits this week.
“Jihaad Campbell spoke to the team today,” Robinson said. “The intensity that those guys come with because you will always respect the guys you line up next to. And so when those guys have it, it’s like, ‘Man, I’ve got to step my game up. I can’t take a minute off, a play off.’ We know that any play could be the play. It came down to a handful of plays in the Vanderbilt and Tennessee games. To see the leadership, no matter who we’re playing, keep the intensity— that is what as a coach I’m excited about and appreciate coming in the building.”
Campbell’s message was simple according to Robinson.
“‘If you are not going to give your all for Alabama in practice, then you don’t need to be here.”
Campbell has been one of the key playmakers on the defense this year, and may well get some more chances to wreak havoc with Que Robinson out.
An Alabama commit from Kansas decided to stay closer to home and play for Nebraska.
Merritt’s departure from the 2025 class dropped Alabama’s group to third in the 247Sports team rankings. Georgia passed UA, with Ohio State in the top spot, after the Buckeyes moved past the Crimson Tide on Wednesday with Cunningham’s flip.
LSU sits one spot behind the Crimson Tide in those rankings, with Texas rounding out the top five. Auburn is sixth.
The Alabama class now has 21 commitments. The early signing period for the class of 2025 begins Dec. 4.
Last, the women’s basketball team won last night and is off to a 5-0 start, albeit against a very easy schedule.
“Definitely pleased with having two back-to-back days to have an opportunity to grow and learn, and to be able to finish off today well,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said after the game. “I’m pleased with the fourth (quarter) when we had our bench in and were able to extend the lead – that certainly was a real positive to win the fourth. There are a lot of little things this time of year that we can all improve, there are some things we’re pleased with and some things that we’re not pleased with. It just takes each and every one of us to have some self-awareness on how we can continue to learn from the last two days and come out tomorrow and have a great day of preparation for Louisiana-Monroe.”
That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.
Roll Tide.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
