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Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech loses yet another starter for Alabama, possibly longer | SBNation
the Hokies will be without tight end Ryan Malleck against Alabama this weekend, and he could potentially miss the entire season. Malleck will be replaced by some combination of Duan Perez-Means and Zack McCray, both of whom are former defensive ends.
*sigh* Okay. What I'm about to say is going to sound heretical. There are like 6 or 7 games I really want to watch this Saturday, and at this rate, I think it's going to be hard for me to keep the channel on Bama deep into the second half. I always watch Bama exclusively, but I'm afraid this week, I may just record the game, duck out in the third or fourth quarter, and then watch the end of the game later in the evening. Go ahead, burn me at the stake, but know that if you strike me down, I'll become more powerful than you can imagine.
Alabama
Alabama OL Arie Kouandjio's excitement builds after long road back from knee injuries | AL.com
His recovery complete, Arie has maintained his health for months. Asked how he felt after Wednesday's practice, he simply said, "I feel golden."
"It's pretty crazy because every day it gets stronger and stronger," he said. "Like there were points where it was hard to imagine I'd be able to feel as good as I feel now. I put my trust in God and God's not going to steer you wrong."
I couldn't be happier for Arie. Fighting back from an injury is tough. Fighting back from two knee surgeries is ridiculous. Wish him the best.
Ready for its close-up: Rebuilt Alabama offensive line set for its 2013 debut | AL.com
"When you have new players at any position, you're always anxious to see how those players sort of respond to the challenge, take the bull by the horns," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "Can they be a guy that goes out there and delivers?
"I think that's why there's talk about them in the beginning in terms of their performance. Lots of times, some players practice well and they get in the game and they don't play quite as well. There's other players who practice OK but then they always play a little better in the game."
Can't wait for tomorrow. The offensive line has become the biggest question mark for this team in my head, and I'm curious to see how they'll perform against the relative strength of Virginia Tech's defensive line.
Nick Saban, Bear Bryant drawn in Tuscaloosa artist's 'Creation of Adam' parody | AL.com
Tuscaloosa artist Rich Marcks' unfinished and untitled chalkboard drawing of current Alabama football coach Nick Saban and legendary Crimson Tide figure Paul "Bear" Bryant has already drawn some national attention, as it depicts the coaches touching a shining crystal football in a parody of Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" painting.
The drawing can now be found on the Druid City Brewing Company taproom chalkboard, located at 607 14th Street at Parkview Center. The taproom is open Thursday through Sunday (4-8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; 2-8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday).
Shoutout to long-time friend of the blog, Bo Hicks. In case you haven't seen it, here's the beauty being discussed:
@JOXRoundtable @jimdunaway we are having fun with classic art @druidcitybrew pic.twitter.com/zeBwvk5eoN
— Bo Hicks (@bohicks) August 29, 2013
MISC:
Rebels, Commodores open season in style | ESPN
But not before there were six touchdowns scored in the final 25 minutes of the game, three lead changes in the final nine minutes and an electrifying 75-yard touchdown run by Ole Miss’ Jeff Scott with 1:07 left, capping a 29-point second half by the Rebels.
Only two plays earlier, Vanderbilt quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels had connected with a wide-open tight Steven Scheu on a 34-yard touchdown pass to give the Commodores a 35-32 lead.
I was rooting for Vanderbilt to win this one (I figure it would've been good for Bama) all the way up until that 34-yard touchdown that the blurb references. When Vandy scored that, the team lost their collective minds, and head coach James Franklin started jumping around, slapping his players, trying to tear off the scoring players jersey, and just generally acting like he just did two lines of coke seconds after winning the Super Bowl. After that sickening display, I knew Vandy wouldn't win. At that point, they didn't DESERVE to win. James Franklin isn't the answer. Not at Vandy. Not anywhere.
GIF: UNC OL goes low on Jadeveon Clowney | SBNation
We learned two things last night: 1) Clowney will never, ever be able to live up to the absurd hype he's received (no matter how well he performs) and 2) you can't cheap shot the presumed #1 pick in next year's draft and expect no one to notice.
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