Good morning, and Happy Veteran’s Day to you all.
We at Roll ‘Bama Roll thank and honor all of the men and women who heeded the call, and took up arms to serve this country over its 250-year history — from the newly-enlisted seaman, to that asshole second lieutenant logistics officer (you know the one), you’ve preserved our freedoms and constitutional republic for two centuries. Here’s to another 250 years.
And in particular, we thank our countless readers (and at least one of our staff), who have served thisnation. So, feel free to shout out your division or regimental nickname below, and take this deserved back-pat. Admittedly, it’d be hard to find a nickname as cool as the The Battered Bastards of Bastogne, but sweeping ground wars in Europe aren’t just a thing anymore. (But, if NATO and Russia play their cards right, it could be again!)
Now, get back to work, slackers.
This is a lot better if you play Raining Blood in the background.
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For the rest of you, here’s our JP.
We were very high on Keon Ellis going into 2021. It’s hard to believe, but his was the second-most valuable +/- last season on the SEC Champion Crimson Tide basketball team.
It seems that we were right to be bullish. In routing, CUSA-contender La. Tech Tuesday night, five players scored in double digits, Alabama outrebounded Tech by about a billion, shot over 50% from the floor, over 40% from deep — and even hit their free throws!
But what Ellis did? Jawdropping.
. @AlabamaMBB head coach Nate Oats:
— Roger Hoover (@Roger_Hoover) November 10, 2021
"Keon Ellis was +37 tonight on plus/minus. That's unheard of. That's some Herb Jones type stuff there."
That’s beyond Herb Jones-stuff. Just once did Herb hit +30 (31), and I honestly haven’t found another +37 type output in the past half-decade.
But, for all that, Keon still isn’t instantly recognized on campus. LOL
Keon Ellis is the key for this Alabama team moving forward, but does anyone actually know who he is??
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 11, 2021
"Oh, what's up, Kira?"
This was a GREAT story.
Join the stream LIVE now: https://t.co/fvDWOo2PHC pic.twitter.com/ezHSzNOtgW
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All is not well in Athens.
OLB Adam Anderson, the Bulldogs leader in TFL and second in sacks, has been charged with rape.
The incident was alleged to have occurred on 10/26, and the school’s Title IX Compliance opened an investigation last week. So, this is moving really fast — 15 days to do a thorough investigation, the DA to consult detectives and higher-ups, interview victims and witnesses and persons of interest, issue a charging instrument, and then convince a magistrate of probable cause is actually very quick for a major felony; particularly one where consent will be at issue.
Presumption of innocence and whatnot, but this does not look good. And even though UGA is deep, Anderson’s loss is one that is going to be felt on the field this week when the Bulldogs play the first semi-competent passing team they have seen yet.
Finally, I shouldn’t have to do this, but after seeing how Baylor, Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State, LSU, Michigan, and others have covered up sexual assault and violent felonies committed by student athletes, that UGA, Clarke County and Athens PD actually moved this promptly is to be commended.
No one is above the law; Anderson will have his day in court for the State to prove their charges...no matter how good of a pass rusher he is.
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You know who’s not getting enough (or really any) Heisman love? The best player on the Crimson Tide, in the SEC, and one of a handful of true game-changers in the entire sport.
Will F’n Anderson.
That narrative is changing though. It is getting really hard to ignore what No. 31 is doing this season:
Second in sacks (10.5, just .5 behind the leader)
First in TFL, by a wide margin
First in hurries, by a wide margin
Fifth in total tackles by an OLB
Third in solo tackles by an OLB
He is, in the most beautiful sense, a monster
Monster movies are allotted 15 minutes of runtime before the first jump scare or creature glimpse is necessary to keep your attention. At Alabama, sophomore linebacker Will Anderson Jr. reveals himself early in games and stays through the credits, ensuring your ticket to the attraction was worth every penny.
Rarely do linebackers leave their fingerprints on the reel as often as Anderson, who produces a month’s worth of highlight tape every outing. The college football world is finally noticing his horrifying — and I say that with the utmost admiration — presence in games coming down the stretch, which should extend his theatrical run in the Heisman Trophy picture.
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Don’t look now, but Nate Oats is building something special in Tuscaloosa. On Tuesday, we saw what a team composed of his players actually looks like — and it has the potential to be scary-good.
You know what could make it even better?
How about the No. 3 recruiting class in the country?
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A salty moron in Carolina is out here calling for what is, in essence, a bounty on Mac Jones, because Jones impeded his progress to get to a loose ball.
This is the stupidest non-story ever. It was a live ball, with a scrum to reel in Jones’ fumble. In that chaos — from Pee Wee to Powder Puff — players grab, pull nuts, tackle one another, twist titties, and otherwise either try to make a play on the ball or impede the guy nearest them. (That Burns twisted his own knee, yet still played every other snap and concussed two Pats thereafter, is apparently being lost in all this.)
And for that you get a dirty nitwit out here encouraging head hunting? GTFOH. I know Jones is just a rookie, but Goodell needs to send a reminder to the league this week.
It was a football play, and not even a dirty one. Period.
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Speaking of nitwits: Ed O is out here negging Alabama, claiming it isn’t as good as in years past.
Well, no shit, Ed. You lose 75% of the offensive coaching staff, 89% of the actual offensive production, and then hire two failsons to replace guys like Flood and Sark, and that happens.
What happened when you lost that kind of production.
Look, we know it’s not a normal Alabama team. Saban has said has much. But losses that would cripple most programs have made Alabama merely a mortal No. 2 team. Besides, it’s our family. We can talk smack about them all we want to. But, nossir, there will not be attacks from without. Go back to enabling sexual assault and eating swamp rats, you mendacious, coonass bufffon.
You’ll never work again.
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File this one under “Patently Obvious Decision.”
Bryce Young was named to the Davey O’Brien (QB) Award Semifinalist list yesterday. And, at this point, I have a hard time believing he won’t be on the stage in New York in a month.
Through nine games this season, Young has thrown for 2,755 yards, 28 touchdowns and on 211-of-304 passing (69.4 percent). The California native ranks first in the SEC in passing touchdowns, second in passing yards, second in completion percentage and second in passer rating. Young has had six 300-yard passing games this season and has thrown for multiple touchdowns in every game.
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When the SEC escalated the Megaconference war, and effectively killed-off the Big 12, I warned that any proposal that the SEC wanted from here on out would be summarily rejected by a confederation of the other conferences.
That has absolutely come to fruition.
The latest victim is the ACC/Big 10/P12 forming a bloc to kill the SEC’s preferred model: a 12-team playoff. Carrying a very large majority, I would almost bet that the Alliance’s 12 teams is what we get too.
This was the first thing that “The Alliance” has done to spite Greg Sankey and Co., but it won’t be the last. And the SEC has itself alone to blame.
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Not exactly what you want to hear going into the 10th game, eh? Open competition at Center. Yet, that is where we are at, with Dalcourt day-to-day and out this week.
If you asked me which one single coach I would fire this morning, or at least fire first? Doug Marrone, with a bullet.
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Finally, yesterday was Saban’s final presser of the week leading up to the titanic tilt with juggernaut New Mexico State. There’s not much to actually talk about a team you should beat by 70, so Saban instead spent most of that time talking about the Tide — including surprising C Seth McLaughlin and then this little tidbit re: Jahleel Billingsley:
On Jahleel Billingsley’s lack of production...
“Yeah, but I mean, when a guy has opportunities, he’s got to take advantage of them. He’s gotta play fast. He can’t drop the ball. UDo we miss his production? Yeah. But when he gets the opportunities, he’s got to take advantage of it. He’s gotta play fast. And he’s certainly the guy that can help us. And in some kind of way we need him to sort of go out there and play like he’s capable of playing, and that’s certainly our responsibility as coaches to try to get him to do that.”
When was the last time you saw Saban publicly talk about a specific player in the “stop blowing it” context? We can’t recall here, and we tried to think of examples yesterday.
The complete remarks are here. Check ‘em out.
We’ll see you folks later. Have a great day, be safe, and Roll Tide
Poll
Mac Jones play was:
This poll is closed
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91%
Just football. Not even dirty
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8%
Worse than Hitler.