The Crimson Tide is currently riding a 16-game home winning streak, tied for the longest in the nation
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama football team used Thursday afternoon to focus on tightening up fundamentals and special teams play before Saturday’s home opener against Middle Tennessee. The Crimson Tide put together a 90-minute session in shells inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility and will close out the practice week with a walkthrough on Friday.
Alabama will open its 2015 home schedule this Saturday against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders at 3 p.m. CT kickoff inside Bryant-Denny Stadium with the game airing live on the SEC Network. Tom Hart and Andre Ware will have the call from the booth with Laura Rutledge working the sidelines. The two teams have met twice in history, with the Crimson Tide claiming victories in both outings. The inaugural game came in Birmingham when the Tide earned a 39-34 victory in 2002. The most recent contest between the two teams came in 2005 with UA notching the 26-7 win inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Following Saturday’s contest, Alabama will begin its Southeastern Conference schedule as Ole Miss will come to Tuscaloosa for an 8:15 p.m. game on ESPN next Saturday, Sept. 19. The Crimson Tide owns the all-time series, 47-10-2, but the Rebels came away with a 23-17 victory when the two teams met in Oxford a season ago.
Earlier in the day, Derrick Henry was selected for his third national honor, this time being named as the Maxwell Award’s Player of the Week. He had previously earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday and followed that up by being named the FWAA National Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the season opener against Wisconsin.
Also earning recognition on Thursday was senior linebacker Reggie Ragland. The captain of the defense was selected as one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, presented annually to student-athlete who excels both on and off the field. The award recognizes notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Ragland returned to complete his degree in 2015 and has volunteered 50-plus hours of community service across his first three years in Tuscaloosa on top of his on-field achievements as a member of the Crimson Tide football team.
