Staff Report
(Sept. 3, 2010)

The first week of the high school football season provided a few surprises, a few upsets and a few games that went down to the wire. It sets up the first week of regional play for all teams in the AHSAA. Teams in the AISA already have (in some cases) two games under their belt.

This week, rivalries are renewed when Stanhope Elmore plays host to Prattville and Montgomery Academy faces Montgomery Catholic as the two teams are back in the same class and region for the first time since 2007.

Each week, River Region Sports will break down the top matchups of the week and pick a winner in all games involving teams from the area.

Week 2

Friday’s top matchups

Game of the Week 2
Prattville at Stanhope Elmore (7 p.m., Foshee-Henderson Stadium)
Radio/TV:NETAL.com (click)/WMRK 107.9 FM
Last year: Prattville 7, Stanhope Elmore 6
Last week: Prattville 48, Blount 6; Stanhope 10, Thompson 7 (OT)
Series Record: Prattville leads, 21-8-1
2010 Records: Prattville 1-0; Stanhope 1-0
Key stat: Derrick Moncrief had two interceptions in Prattville’s win over Blount… Ryan Callicot’s interception in overtime set up Stanhope’s winning field goal.
Outlook: Both teams are breaking in new players at key positions which made last week’s victories bigger than normal. This game came down to a missed field goal last season. The Mustangs were this close to breaking an 11-game losing streak to the Lions, only to watch the chip-shot field goal sail wide. They try again to stop what is now a 12-game losing streak. But to no avail.

Prediction: Prattville 21, Stanhope 15

Jeff Davis vs G.W. Carver (7 p.m., Cramton Bowl)
Radio/TV: NETAL.com (click to watch)
Last year: Carver 39, Jeff Davis 6
Last week: Carver 55, Opelika 34; Dothan 27, Jeff Davis 6
Series Record: Jeff Davis leads 33-8
2010 Records: Carver 1-0; Jeff Davis 0-1
Key stat: Jeremy Johnson passed for 242 yards and four touchdowns in Carver’s win over Opelika; Doug Brown’s pass to Odarius Williams was the lone score for the Vols in last week’s loss.
Outlook: In one week’s time, the Carver Wolverines look like a juggernaut after pummeling Opelika. It’s no secret Carver is talented but the win proved to be more than expected. Jeff Davis will not pose as much of a problem offensively but the Vols had their moments before running out of gas against Dothan. This should be a mismatch but city rivalries usually produce a surprise or two… just not this time.

Prediction: Carver 34, Jeff Davis 9

R.E. Lee at Wetumpka (7 p.m., Hohenberg Stadium)
TV/Radio: WAPZ AM 1250
Last year: Wetumpka 7, Lee 0
Last week: Wetumpka 28, Greenville 20; Pleasant Grove 10, Lee 0
Series record: Wetumpka leads, 4-0
2010 Records: Wetumpka 1-0; Lee 0-1
Key stat: Jamal Golden’s 46-yard touchdown run was the key in Wetumpka’s come-from-behind win over Greenville. Lee managed just 76 yards in total offense in the loss to Pleasant Grove.
Outlook: Wetumka’s win over Greenville may not sound like much, considering the Tigers are in Class 5A, but think back to last year when the Indians were smarting after the season opener, losing to Demopolis. Last week, the Indians had its problems but looked strong when they needed a big play, provided as usual by Golden. Lee, on the other hand, looked flat and out of sorts in its loss to 5A Pleasant Grove. The Generals did a decent job defensively but were unable to take advantage of five turnovers. It sets up for an easy Wetumpka win, right? Let’s just call it a win.

Prediction: Wetumpka 16, Lee 7

Montgomery Academy at Montgomery Catholic (7 p.m., Knights Field)
Radio: None
Last year: MA 14, Catholic 9
Last week: Houston Aca 27, MA 24; Catholic 21, St. Jude 14 (OT)
Series record: MA leads, 26-12-1
2010 Records: MA 0-1; Catholic 1-0
Key stat: Montgomery Academy has won 12 of the last 13 meetings. Catholic’s only win in the stretch was in 2008 (13-0).
Outlook: Montgomery Academy proved it could score points last week, despite a young offense. Catholic proved it had resolve after a hard-fought win over St. Jude. The Knights have a few more veteran players, which will be the difference.

Prediction: Catholic 20, MA 17

Tallassee at Charles Henderson (7 p.m., Memorial Stadium)
Radio/Web: NETAL.com (click to watch) or TallasseetimesTV.com
Last year: Tallassee 31, Charles Henderson 20
Last week: Tallassee 19, Benjamin Russell 17; Charles Henderson 27, Beauregard 12
Series record: Charles Henderson leads, 5-4
2010 Records: Tallassee 1-0, Ch. Henderson 1-0
Key stat: The Tigers lost two key players in their backfield last week when both Morgan Faulkner and Michael Henderson went down with injuries. Their status for Friday was not known at press time.
Outlook: Tallassee is still looking for its first win at Memorial Stadium since the Tigers joined Charles Henderson in region play. The Tigers may have one of the best kept secrets in the River Region in quarterback Trey Cochran-Gill. He will be the key, especially if the injured backs are out for this one.

Prediction: Tallassee 28, C. Henderson 20

Also…
Alabama Christian at Andalusia
– Tough start for the Eagles last week. It doesn’t get any easier in a trip south to Covington County. Andalusia, 24-21

Clarke County at Trinity – Nice comeback win for the Wildcats over St. James a week ago. Now the fun begins in one of the toughest regions in Class 3A. Trinity, 24-21

Macon-East at Pike Liberal – Knights struggled in loss last week. It gets worse this week. Pike Liberal, 38-10

Leeds at Marbury – Bulldogs have one of the toughest schedules in the River Region, starting with the state’s top 3A team. Leeds, 26-12.

Prattville Christian at Morgan Academy - It’s Old Guard vs. the newcomers. The Panthers earned a ranking this week from the state’s sportswriters. They keep it with a big road win. PCA, 28-27.

Also this week…
Autaugaville over John Essex, 21-14; Munford over Holtville, 27-23; Straughn over St. James, 23-21; Talladega Co. Central over St. Jude 19-18; Lincoln over Elmore Co., 23-19; Billingsley over Isabella, 21-20; Edgewood Academy over Flint Christian, 55-3; Bessemer Academy over Hooper Academy, 34-22; Cornerstone Christian over Autauga Academy, 20-15

Last week 13-7; Season 13-7

Marcell Dareus, last year’s Defensive MVP in the BCS Championship, will sit out two games after the NCAA ruled that he had received improper benefits during a visit to Miami this summer.
(Photo contributed))

Combined Reports
(Sept. 3, 2010)

Alabama defensive lineman Marcell Dareus must miss two games and repay benefits as a condition of becoming eligible to play again, according to a decision Thursday by the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff. Dareus must repay the $1787.17 of benefits to a charity of his choice.

The university declared the student-athlete ineligible for violations of NCAA preferential treatment and agent benefits rules. According to the facts of the case submitted by Alabama, these benefits included airfare, lodging, meals and transportation during two trips to Miami, Florida.

Alabama coach Nick Saban released a statement late Thursday.

“We respect the decision but we are at the same time disappointed in the suspension,” Saban said. “We’ll continue to support Marcell as we move forward. Hopefully Marcell and all involved have learned a valuable lesson from this and like I’ve said before, we will continue to work on establishing stronger legislation in terms of agent and financial advisor guidelines.”

During the reinstatement process, the NCAA staff considers a number of factors including guidelines established by the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, the student-athlete’s responsibility for the violation, as well as any mitigating factors presented by the university.

Based on the mitigating circumstances in the case, the staff reduced the withholding from a potential four games to two competitions.

The university can appeal the decision to the Division I NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, an independent committee comprised of representatives from NCAA member colleges, universities and athletic conferences. This committee can reduce or remove the condition, but it cannot increase the staff-imposed conditions. If appealed, the student-athlete will remain ineligible until the conclusion of the appeals process

Staff Report
(Sept. 2, 2010)

The Montgomery Quarterback Club has announced its first players of the week for the 2010 season.

Michael Gregory, a senior running back from Prattville Christian Academy has been selected as the Private School Player of the Week.

Gregory rushed for 329 yards on 24 carries in Prattville Christian’s 43-29 win over Kingwood Christian Academy. He had touchdown runs of 77 and 80 yards.

Jeremy Johnson, a sophomore quarterback from Carver High School has been selected as the Public School Player of the Week. He passed for 242 yards on 11 of 18 attempts and four TDs in Carver’s 55-34 win over Opelika.

Both players will be honored at the Club’s first meeting of the season on Sept. 7. Auburn University Athletic Director Jay Jacobs will be the featured speaker.

Memberships are still available for the 2010 season. The membership application may be downloaded from the Club’s website at www.mgmqbackclub.org. Single memberships are $250 and couples and parent/child memberships are $430. Memberships cover 10 regular season meetings and February’s awards banquet.

The Club meets at the Montgomery Country Club. The social hour begins at 5:30 with dinner at 6:30 and the program at 7:00. Guests are welcome but must make a reservation by Monday afternoon prior to the meeting. Reservations may be made by emailing the Club at mgmqbc@aol.com or by calling the Club’s head coach, Perry Hooper, Jr. at 409-3119. Guests pay $30 at the door.

Crimson Tide to wear Nike Pro Combat unis

NEW YORK – On Nov.13, the University of Alabama football team will take the field for their game against Mississippi State at Bryant-Denny Stadium wearing the 2010 version of the Nike Pro Combat uniform, featuring the lightest football uniform Nike has ever created.

The materials and fabrication elements, which debuted in 2009, will be incorporated into the Crimson Tide’s traditional uniforms whose design will feature a Houndstooth pattern incorporated into the uniform’s numbers – a tribute to legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Also, as a gesture to honor veterans of the armed services, the Alabama uniform will feature an American flag patch on the right sleeve. The flag is featured with the stars facing forward (to the right) per military protocol.

A formal unveiling of the uniform took place at an event on Wednesday morning held by Nike in New York City. Alabama will be one of 10 elite football programs to feature the Nike Pro Combat uniform this season. Alabama is joined by Boise State University, the University of Florida, the University of Miami, The Ohio State University, Oregon State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Texas Christian University (TCU), Virginia Tech University and West Virginia University.

Former Alabama All-American Marty Lyons served as the Crimson Tide’s featured presenter for the unveiling, reading a short introduction and description of the uniform.

Nike worked closely with coaches and administrators at Alabama to capture a look that not only is dynamic but also is true to the Crimson Tide’s tradition for the uniforms that the Crimson Tide will wear against Mississippi State on November 13.

Tucker becomes second coach in state to 300 wins

Cameron Poe-Mitchell did his best to take the suspense out of Fayette County head coach Waldon Tucker’s quest for his 300th career win last Friday night. Poe-Mitchell score four first-half touchdowns as the Tigers beat Tuscaloosa County’s newest high school, Sipsey Valley, 28-6 before a near capacity crowd at John Morgan Brown Stadium.

Poe-Mitchell scored on runs of 6 and 47 yards and caught TD passes covering 78 and 4 yards as Tucker became just the second coach in Alabama prep football history to win 300 games in the state. Tucker now has 275 wins in the AHSAA and 300 overall counting 25 he won at non-AHSAA member school Demopolis Academy to start his career 38 years ago.

Mitchell’s effort earned him the AHSAA Spotlight performance of the first week’s action. He edged out his own teammate Evan Sims, the Tigers quarterback who was a perfect 9-of-9 passing for 168 yards and the two TDs to Mitchell.

Alabama High School Sports and NFHS Hall of Famer Glenn Daniel was the first prep coach to win 300. He won 302 in his long career that included five years at Pine Hill and almost four decades at Luverne.

The win was bittersweet for Tucker. It came at the expense of his eldest son Lance, who was making his head-coaching debut for Sipsey Valley’s Bears.

“I didn’t enjoy this. This was the hardest thing I have ever had to do,” said the elder Tucker, 300-123-3 overall. He is 275-107 in the AHSAA and 223-92 at Fayette. His team won the 1996 state 4A title at 15-0 and his 1980 Gordo team went 14-0 to win a state crown.  “I didn’t want to have to coach this game against my own son. Any wins I have belong to the players, the coaches. It’s not just me. ”

Lanier quarterback KeDarius Humphries hopes to lead the Poets to their first win of the season on Thursday. (Staff Photo. For more photos, visit our photo gallery)

Staff Report
(Sept. 2, 2010)

The Sidney Lanier Poets open the home schedule on Thursday, facing one of two teams they defeated in 2009, Benjamin Russell. Both teams are coming off tough losses.

Angelo Wheeler will attempt to get his first win as the new Lanier coach.

"We have some work to do but I like the fact that we played hard," Wheeler said. "We’ve got a lot of mistakes to take care of."

Benjamin Russell gave up a long touchdown run on the second play in the loss to Tallassee last week but settled down defensively. According to Danny Horn, the Wildcats missed out on key opporturnities.

"We created turnovers but only got the one score from them," he said. "We looked OK at times but I saw some similarities in how we played last year."

The game will be broadcast live on NetAl.com. Click to watch.

Thursday’s box

Benjamin Russell at Sidney Lanier(7 p.m., Cramton Bowl)
Radio/TV: NETAL.com (click)
Last meeting: Lanier 12, Ben Russell 7 (2009)
Last week: Enterprise 49, Lanier 21; Tallassee 19, Ben Russell 17
2010 Records: Lanier 0-1; Ben Russell 0-1
2009 Records: Lanier 2-8; Ben Russell 1-9
Key stat: In the loss to Enterprise, Lanier gave up 415 yards in rushing. Ben Russell gave up 130 yards in rushing to Tallassee but 71 yards came on one play (a touchdown).
Outlook: Lanier provided plenty of offensive punch in the loss to Enterprise last week as well as resolve in fighting back from a two-score deficit. But, as new coach Angelo Wheeler stated in the preseason, the lack of depth proved to be a demise. The Poets will face a tougher defense this week but should have enough to earn Wheeler’s first victory as Lanier’s coach.

Prediction: Lanier 20, Ben Russell 14

Contributed
(September 1, 2010)

TUSCALOOSA – The Alabama football team practiced for two hours in full pads Tuesday afternoon at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields in preparation for Saturday’s season opener against San Jose State.

“It shows a great deal of what our coaching staff has done in recruiting and what we’ve been doing as a team to sell this program to recruits,” junior center William Vlachos said on not skipping a beat after the injury to Mark Ingram. “We are extremely fortunate to have guys behind him that are going to rise to the opportunity.”

The Crimson Tide will start the season without star running back and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Ingram suffered an injury to his left knee during Monday’s practice and underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the knee Tuesday morning in Birmingham. Ingram’s status will be handled on a week-to-week basis after this week.

“It’s different not having (Ingram) out there,” sophomore running back Trent Richardson said. “We’re not losing Mark; he’s still going to be out there. We know we have to do what we have to do. Mark will support us and we will support Mark too.”

Alabama kicks off its 116th season of college football on Saturday, Sept. 4, against the Spartans. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start and will be televised on a pay-per-view basis by the Crimson Tide Sports Network. The game will also be simulcast on ESPN3.com.

Chizik upbeat as  opener approaches

AUBURN - The Auburn football team returned to the practice fields Tuesday evening, working out in full pads for more than two hours on the Athletics Complex practice fields.

The Tigers continued to emphasize scout team work as the squad prepares for Saturday’s season opener against Arkansas State. The team also worked on all aspects of special teams and conducted individual and position drills early in the workout.

The final portion of practice saw the first- and second-team units work against each other, before the workout wrapped up with a two-minute drill.

With the season opener just four days away, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said he saw some positives from his offense on Tuesday.

"There were some good things," said Malzahn. "Every time you’re being very specific you have high expectations. We need a couple more days of practice, though, before Saturday gets here."

The Tigers will face an Arkansas State squad Saturday that finished 4-8 in 2009, including a 3-5 record in the Sun Belt Conference. The Red Wolves return 25 players that started at least one game last season, and were picked to finish third in the Sun Belt this season in the league’s preseason coaches poll.

The Arkansas State defense, led by preseason Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Bryan Hall, was ranked No. 1 in the conference in both 2009 and 2007, and No. 2 in 2008. Quarterback Ryan Alpin started three of the final four games for the Red Wolves’ offense last season, and set a school freshman record with 362 yards of offense in a victory over North Texas.

“We’re excited,” Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. “It’s obviously game week, it’s finally here and I know our players are excited, our coaches are very excited. It’s been a good camp. The last week we’ve had some really good upbeat, high-energy practices. I think that they could kind of feel that game week was rolling around. Now that it’s here, we’ll start again today and truly go into our game week prep that we do every Tuesday and get ready to play Arkansas State, a good football team. It’ll be fun and we’re all looking forward to it."

Prognostications have Auburn as low as fourth and a few have said Auburn could be in the SEC Championship Game. Chizik has heard the talk but he wants more consistency this season.

"I don’t know that I can put a tag on what is going to make us better,” Chizik said. “The point that I’ve been trying to bring home to our football team every week is consistency on what we’re trying to do. That’s everywhere. Again, going back to last year, too many highs and too many lows. If you were going to ask me what would make us a better football team or what the expectation is of better, that’s what I would tell you. For us to be better, it’s more along the level of when we were playing at a high level. Are we maintaining that more often than we did last year? That’s really what it is.

“There were times last year when I felt like at all phases, we played at a high level. Looking back on it, I just don’t feel like we were consistent enough at that. That would make us a better football team. Those are the things that we’ve been stressing since day one and those are the things we’re trying to get started this Saturday."

Contributed
(September 1, 2010)

The Biscuits (70-62) scored all of their runs in the first two innings and limited the Huntsville Stars (64-69) to three hits to get a 3-2, their eighth in the last nine to trim the deficit in the South Division wild card to two with six games left.

An Emeel Salem two-run single in the second would prove to be the difference for the Biscuits, who also got a run on a double from Henry Wrigley in the first. They’d manage just three more hits the rest of the way.

But Alex Cobb (7-5) dominated the Stars for his second straight start, allowing only one run on two hits over five innings while fanning five. Dane De La Rosa threw two innings and allowed one run, setting the stage for Matt Gorgen to attempt his first save since the middle of July.

Gorgen walked the leadoff man, but retired the next three Stars hitters to grab the save. The final out came on a Chris Nowak strikeout.

Huntsville starter Michael Bowman (9-12) suffered the loss, throwing only four innings. Michael Fiers was splendid in relief, striking out eight batters in four innings.

Salem and Matt Fields led the Biscuits offense by recording two hits apiece.

  Josh Satow will make the start for the Biscuits, who have now tied a season-best with five straight wins, when they face the Stars on Wednesday at 7:05. Mark Rogers counters for Huntsville.

Mark Ingram will miss Saturday’s season opener after a minor knee injury and surgery.(Photo Courtesy Unv. Alabama Athletic Dept.)

Contributed
(August 31, 2010)

TUSCALOOSA - Alabama’s Mark Ingram underwent arthroscopic surgery early Tuesday on his left knee, according to a statement by Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban.

Ingram will not play against San Jose State and will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Alabama hosts Penn State on Sept. 11 and visits Duke on Sept. 18.

The following is a statement from Saban concerning Ingram’s injury sustained during practice on Monday evening.

“Mark Ingram sustained a left knee injury late in Monday’s practice. It was a situation where everyone involved thought it would be better to take care of now, so he would not have any issues with it later in the season.

“Mark had an arthroscopic procedure this morning with Dr. Cain and Dr. Andrews and it was successful. We have full confidence in our medical staff and we know the doctors and athletic trainers will do an outstanding job in taking care of Mark and assisting him in his rehab.

“Mark will definitely be out for this week’s game against San Jose State and we will manage this on a week to week basis beyond this week. We will make every decision in the future based on what’s best for Mark and his career as we consult with Dr. Cain and Dr. Andrews on his progress. This is not an injury that will affect Mark’s future ability to make a full recovery in a relatively short time frame.”

Contributed
(August 31, 2010)

Faulkner sophomore Zach Tribble has emerged as the current leader in the three-way battle for the starting quarterback position, as the Eagles continue to work toward their season opener in less than two weeks.

Head coach Gregg Baker got a close look at his team, which opens Sept. 11 at Cramton Bowl against Birmingham Southern, in a 100-play scrimmage Saturday at LaGrange. For the most part, he liked what he saw.

"I told our team that I thought we did some really good things," Baker said. "It wasn’t perfect, but the mistakes we made are certainly correctable. We did blow a couple of assignments, but nothing was glaring. We learned a lot about our guys on both sides of the ball. On defense, we didn’t give up one big play, and that was our problem area last season."

Tribble has been in a battle with fellow sophomore Trey Martin and freshman Seth Baker for the starting job. Tribble has been at Harding the past two seasons, where he was behind an NCAA Div. II All-American on the depth chart. Baker says the more the rust comes off, the better the transfer will be.

"He really understands the offense, but so do our other two quarterbacks," he said. "We have the best depth we’ve ever had at the position."

Martin was a part-time starter for Faulkner last season, while Baker ran the exact same offense a year ago at Springville High School.

Baker also praised the play Saturday of a pair of wide receivers - Courtney Pete and A. J. Yelder, both of whom caught big passes in traffic for the Eagles.

"I’m especially pleased with A. J.," Baker said. "He’s grown up a lot from last season. He’s gotten tougher and in the scrimmage he was looking to be physical. And I like that."

The offensive line also graded out well in the scrimmage, according to Baker. He singled out the play of center Mitchell Thornton, tackles David Clemons and J.J. Duarte, and guard Robert Johnson, who didn’t allow a sack or commit a single procedure penalty.

The Eagles will continue full-contact practices through the rest of the week before taking the weekend off. On Monday, Faulkner begins game-week preparation for the NCAA Div. III Panthers.

Greg McElroy is the veteran returning at quarterback for Alabama after being considered a question mark in 2009. (Photo courtesy Unv. Alabama Athletic Dept.)

Combined Reports
(August 31, 2010)

TUSCALOOSA – The Alabama football team continued its preparations for Saturday’s season opener with a two-hour practice in full pads on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields Monday afternoon.

San Jose State comes to Tuscaloosa under first-year head coach Mike MacIntyre after Dick Tomey retired following the 2009 season. The Spartans identity on both the offensive and defensive sides of the football are a mystery for the Crimson Tide coaches.

“In college football you see a multiple of different things that is amazing,” head coach Nick Saban said about preparing for San Jose State. “The adjustments that you have to make from week to week are amazing and this is a tough preparation for our defense in that light, because Nevada-Reno was the number one rushing team in the country and supposedly that is the offense that this team is running.”

The Crimson Tide defense, which replaces nine starters from the 2009 national championship squad, will have to adjust on the fly to what it sees from the Spartans’ offense.

Saban: Journey begins

Saban compared the start of the season to a "journey," stating it will begin the definition of the 2010 team.

"How you define yourself – individually and collectively as a group, whether it’s offense, defense or special teams and individually as a player – all starts with this game in terms of how you play, how you compete and how you are able to play with discipline to execute and do your job," Saban said. "Everybody will make some judgment about that relative to how you define yourself. All those factors sort of develop the identity of the team. There are only certain people that can affect that identity, and that’s the people on the team – it’s the coaches, the players and the people on the team, the people in the team meetings – who can affect that. It’s up to them and us as to how we go about this year. If you’re a great competitor, you’re looking forward to establishing the kind of competitive spirit that people look at you in terms of how you play."

Saban was asked which questions were still needing an answer with the opener just days away. As usual, Saban was philosophical in his answers.

"“What the maturity is? What the identity is going to be? The things that I have talked about before," he said. "What is the chemistry of the team? Are the young players going to mature? Are there enough older players that have played to provide the leadership and example to affect those guys and help their maturity? I think those are the big things. We have some guys that are in critical spots as specialist that it will be interesting to see how they grow and develop in their confidence and what they do to be performers for us.”

McElroy more composed in second season-opening start

This time last year, the questions were surrounding Greg McElroy prior to his first start as the Alabama quarterback.

With a national championship under his belt, this season’s opener seems almost anti-climatic. But there are still a few butterflies for the senior.

"“I think everybody is a little anxious and little nervous for the first game regardless of who the opponent is," McElroy said. "I think everybody just understands how much preparation went into this coming up Saturday. We’ve been working at this since January and it’s finally here. Nine months later we’ve finally arrived at the first game. Everybody wants to get off to a good start and have a great first game. Of course there are a few butterflies, but those should wear off after the first couple of snaps.”

Opener on Pay-Per-View

Alabama kicks off the 2010 season Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 6:07 p.m. The game will be broadcast on a pay-per-view basis by the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

The pay-per-view telecasts will be available on participating cable systems in Alabama, as well as DirecTV and Dish satellite television in Alabama and California, Allowing fans the option to watch a game they otherwise would not be able to see on television.
 
The games are being televised on a pay-per-view basis because they were not selected for over-the-air broadcast or cable television coverage as part of the SEC Conference package.  In that instance, pay-per-view presents the only available option for fans to see the games live. The price for residential purchase of each game is $29.95 if purchased in advance, or $34.95 per game if purchased on Sept. 4.

Staff Report
(Aug. 30, 2010)

River Region Sports begins its preview of the college football season with a look at the choices of the local press.

Last year, the press were near-unanimous in its choice of Florida as the team to beat both nationally and in the SEC. This year, it’s Alabama that is the odds-on favorite to be on top.

The panel was asked to choose the winners of the BCS conferences as well as give away the top awards for the upcoming season.

Later this week, the panel will make their first picks in college football. It opened the high school football season last week.

Last year’s final standings

1. Jeff Shearer (15-10) 156-76 .672

2. Michael Butler (16-9) 152-80 .655

    Jim Tocco (14-11) 152-80 .655

    Doug Amos (12-13) 152-80 .655

5. Graham Dunn (18-7) 151-81 .650

6. Dee Jackson (13-12) 137-80 .631

7. Barry McKnight (9-16) 131-89 .595

Jeff Shearer, Sports Director, WSFA 12
Last week (0-0), Season (0-0)

SEC East Champion: Florida

SEC West Champion: Alabama

Overall SEC Champion: Alabama

Big 12 Champion: Texas

Big 10 Champion: Ohio State

ACC Champion: Virginia Tech

Big East Champion: Pittsburgh

PAC-10 Champion: Oregon

BCS Buster: Boise State

BCS Championship game: Alabama-Ohio State

BCS Champion: Alabama

SEC Player of the Year: Greg McElroy, Alabama

SEC Coach of the Year: Gene Chizik, Auburn

Heisman winner: Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

National Coach of the Year: Chris Peterson, Boise State

Doug Amos, SportsRadio 740 Roundtable/Voice of Faulkner University athletics
Last week (0-0), Season (0-0)

SEC East Champion: Florida

SEC West Champion: Alabama

Overall SEC Champion: Alabama

Big 12 Champion: Texas

Big 10 Champion: Iowa

ACC Champion: Virginia Tech

Big East Champion: Pittsburgh

PAC-10 Champion: Southern Cal

BCS Buster: Boise State

BCS Championship game: Alabama-Texas

BCS Champion: Texas

SEC Player of the Year: Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

SEC Coach of the Year: Bobby Petrino, Arkansas

Heisman winner: Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

National Coach of the Year: Mack Brown, Texas

Jim Tocco, 5-I Brand Mangagement
Last week (0-0), Season (0-0)

SEC East Champion: Florida

SEC West Champion: Alabama

Overall SEC Champion: Alabama

Big 12 Champion: Texas

Big 10 Champion: Ohio State

ACC Champion: Georgia Tech

Big East Champion: Cincinnati

PAC-10 Champion: Oregon

BCS Buster: Brigham Young

BCS Championship game: Boise State-Texas

BCS Champion: Texas

SEC Player of the Year: Mark Ingram, Alabama

SEC Coach of the Year: Gene Chizik, Auburn

Heisman winner:Mark Ingram, Alabama

National Coach of the Year: Chris Peterson, Boise State

Michael Butler, WTLS Tallassee
Last week (0-0), Season (0-0)
SEC East Champion: Florida

SEC West Champion: Alabama

Overall SEC Champion: Alabama

Big 12 Champion: Texas

Big 10 Champion: Ohio State

ACC Champion: Virginia Tech

Big East Champion: Pittsburgh

PAC-10 Champion: Oregon

BCS Buster: Boise State

BCS Championship game: Ohio State-Alabama

BCS Champion: Alabama

SEC Player of the Year: Mark Ingram, Alabama

SEC Coach of the Year: Nick Saban, Alabama

Heisman winner: Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

National Coach of the Year: Nick Saban, Alabama

Stu McCann, Sports Reporter WAKA 8
Last week (0-0), Season (0-0)

SEC East Champion: Florida

SEC West Champion: Alabama

Overall SEC Champion: Alabama

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma

Big 10 Champion: Ohio State

ACC Champion: Miami, Fla.

Big East Champion: Pittsburgh

PAC-10 Champion: Oregon State

BCS Buster: Texas Christian

BCS Championship game: Ohio State-Oklahoma

BCS Champion: Ohio State

SEC Player of the Year: Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

SEC Coach of the Year: Nick Saban, Alabama

Heisman winner: Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

National Coach of the Year: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

Graham Dunn, Editor and Publisher, River Region Sports
Last week (0-0), Season (0-0)

SEC East Champion: Florida

SEC West Champion: Alabama

Overall SEC Champion: Alabama

Big 12 Champion: Texas

Big 10 Champion: Iowa

ACC Champion: Florida State

Big East Champion: Pittsburgh

PAC-10 Champion: Stanford

BCS Buster: Boise State

BCS Championship game: Texas-Alabama

BCS Champion: Texas

SEC Player of the Year: Mark Ingram, Alabama

SEC Coach of the Year: Dan Mullen, Mississippi State

Heisman winner: Mark Ingram, Alabama

National Coach of the Year: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

Barry McKnight, SportsRadio 740 SportsLine/Voice of Troy Trojans
Last week (0-0), Season (0-0)

SEC East Champion: Florida

SEC West Champion: Arkansas

Overall SEC Champion: Florida

Big 12 Champion: Nebraska

Big 10 Champion: Ohio State

ACC Champion: Clemson

Big East Champion: South Florida

PAC-10 Champion: Oregon State

BCS Buster: TCU

BCS Championship game: Florida-TCU

BCS Champion: Florida

SEC Player of the Year: Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

SEC Coach of the Year: Bobby Petrino, Arkansas

Heisman winner: Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

National Coach of the Year: Gary Patterson, TCU