Final from Atlanta: Alabama 24 Florida State 7

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports‏Verified account @aldotcomSports

Tide buzz: A look at key matchups, factors for Alabama, FSU

What: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 3 Florida State
When: Saturday, 7 p.m. CT
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Line: Alabama is a seven-point favorite, according to Danny Sheridan

This game will determine...

This is an early litmus test for Alabama against one of the top teams in the country. Florida State is ranked third nationally and is one of the favorites to win the national championship heading into the season, so this matchup will provide a good early gauge of how good the Tide really is.

Three things to look for:

1. Jalen Hurts: Alabama's sophomore quarterback has made significant progress as a passer since the end of last season by all accounts, and he threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns during the Tide's spring game in April. But...

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports‏Verified account @aldotcomSports

Time Lapse Video: The sun sets on Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Alabama offseason

[jbcarol]

FSU 0  Bama 0  10:00 1st

Bama drive yielded a missed FG

[jbcarol]

Hurts catches his own pass.  Loses one.

[jbcarol]

Bama is in Seminole territory under 7:00 in the first.

[jbcarol]

Old Spice Red Zone Alert
Jalen Hurts' keeper puts Bama in the Red Zone

[jbcarol]

FSU 0  Bama 3  4:30 1st

[jbcarol]

FSU has it inside the Tide 35 have a long post pattern with plenty of time to throw.

[jbcarol]

Red Zone Alert

FSU is in the red zone as the first quarter comes to an end

[jbcarol]

TD pass for FSU

[jbcarol]

FSU 7  Bama 3  13:41 2nd

[jbcarol]

Halftime in Atlanta

FSU 7  Bama 10

[jbcarol]

 Aaron Suttles‏ @AaronSuttles 1m1 minute ago

First half thoughts: Offensive line getting whipped in pass protection. No real offensive rhythm. Defense getting pressure but giving up yds

[code red]

These 2 teams are freaks.

[jbcarol]

FSU 7  Bama 10  4:18

Bama blocks FSU punt and has it inside the 10.

[jbcarol]

5-star Kentucky high school RB Damien Harris with the block

[jbcarol]

FSU 7  Bama 13  1:54 3rd

[jbcarol]

Harris 10 yd TD run for Bama

[jbcarol]

FSU 7  Bama 21  1:41 3rd

2-pt conversion

[jbcarol]

Bama misses another FG

[jbcarol]

Bama is in business near the FSU 31

[code red]

This team is scary.

[jbcarol]

These 2 teams are freaks.

Bama is generally struggling against the FSU defense in the red zone.

FSU's offense is struggling all over the field.

Freaks.

[jbcarol]

FSU 7  Bama 24  5:00 4th

[jbcarol]

Francois is carted off for FSU

[jbcarol]

Fight!

[jbcarol]

FSU trying to establish the running game down 17 with a minute to go.

[jbcarol]

Final from the new Mercedes-Benz Dome

FSU 7  Bama 24

[Cylinder]

Thanks for the highlight thread. Great job as usual.

[jbcarol]

Thanks for the highlight thread. Great job as usual.

You're welcome.  We had five going on simultaneously with no Hog game last night.

[jbcarol]

5-star Kentucky high school RB Damien Harris with the block

Kevin Scarbinsky‏ @KevinScarbinsky 10h10 hours ago

If you won't give Damien Harris the ball, he'll just go get it himself.

[jbcarol]

Michael Casagrande‏Verified account @ByCasagrande

What Jimbo Fisher said about losing to Alabama, how it went wrong.

"We gave up a couple plays in the first half, they caught us one time on the safety rotation," Fisher said of Calvin Ridley's 53-yard touchdown. They got a guy in the middle of the field and made a great play, but other than that our defense did a really nice job, and we knew, our defense was stalwart, we had a chance to be really good team. They kept us in the ballgame."

Fisher on the final quarter:

"A couple times Alabama had a chance to put it away, and we kept them to a two-score game at 21-7; that's only two plays away. You're one or two drives -- we just couldn't make the plays. Their defense did a great job, and we just didn't make the plays on our side of the ball to get us back in."

Fisher on how the FSU offense handled Alabama's defense:

"We moved the ball very well in the first half and the first drive of the second half. We felt good at halftime about the way the game went. Disappointed in where we were, but felt in what we were doing and how we were doing it, and we just lost the momentum."

Fisher on what went wrong in special teams:

"We work exclusively, and we do over 30, 35, 40 minutes day on special teams. We work it hard, and we had a breakdown on the edge, and they got through on a field goal at the end of the half, which is another big momentum swing, and then they got the blocked punt. The guy just slid inside our guy. We knew who to block, what he did, and he just slid inside from what I understand, and I'll look at the film, and got the block. That was critical, and then poor -- he played a great game, and he just made a bad decision. He thought he was out farther, wasn't as close to the goal line, and he should have just let the ball go. Just made a poor decision, and tried to get it out and actually fumbled. Those are big, critical plays in the game."

Fisher on how mistakes compounded:

"Well, we moved the ball very well the first half, had a good mix, and second half the first couple drives, then once we lost the momentum and got one-dimensional, had a lot of them to blitz and tee off and come at us and make plays, but again, I'll evaluate the film. I thought they did some really nice things in there because we had some good plays and some things that went really well. Again, we'll look, and when you play good people like that, you've got to be perfect, but I didn't think they were poor at all. I thought they did a pretty solid job, and we'll look at the reasons why the other breakdowns and what happened."

[longtimeHogfan]

Neither of these two coaches ranks in my top-10 of favorites but I've got to hand it to them.....it takes spunk to schedule a marque game like this right out of the gate.  And they both hit the ground running in mid-season form.  Speed, speed, speed.  Even their Gatorade girls were fast.  And if there was a drop-off when subs came in I couldn't see it.

[jbcarol]

Neither of these two coaches ranks in my top-10 of favorites but I've got to hand it to them.....it takes spunk to schedule a marque game like this right out of the gate.  And they both hit the ground running in mid-season form.  Speed, speed, speed.  Even their Gatorade girls were fast.  And if there was a drop-off when subs came in I couldn't see it.

And Bama had to play the subs.  4 LBs went down during the course of the game.  The tally for FSU finally stopped as the sideline medical tent looked like the "Gone With The Wind" Atlanta scene.

[longtimeHogfan]

Their QB came out of the tent on crutches.  Any word as to how serious his injury might have been?  It's tough to lose your starting QB in the first game of the season.   

[jbcarol]

Seminoles will anxiously await the results of tests on Francois's knee

[jbcarol]

Seminoles will anxiously await the results of tests on Francois's knee

Tomahawk Nation:
FSU quarterback Deondre Francois suffers apparent left leg injury

A major blow for the Seminoles

Already trailing the Alabama Crimson Tide 24-7 with 5:44 left in the fourth quarter, Florida State starting quarterback Deondre Francois was chased down from behind by 'Bama defensive back Ronnie Harrison; Francois immediately grabbed for his left knee and writhed on the turf for minutes before being helped off the field. Francois applied no weight to his left leg during his exit.

Francois was brought to the injury tent on the FSU sideline, where his treatment was visible to neither those in the stands nor from the press box. However, shortly thereafter, he was carted off the field to the 'Nole locker room, with his leg in an air cast. After the Seminole offensive line proved that it could hold up quite admirably against the standard Tide pass rush, 'Bama proceeded to blitz Francois relentlessly, sacking him three times and forcing a pair of interceptions before Francois left the game.

Freshman QB James Blackman took over in Francois' absence.

Q. What did you see on that play when Deondre rolled out and fell down?
JIMBO FISHER: He just like got tackled, but I believe it was a [sight] adjust. We should have thrown the slant on the backside, but I'll wait and see. But I'll wait and see, again, until I look at the film exactly where the decoration was. Should have hot [routed] it and got it out.

Q. We saw him walking on crutches
JIMBO FISHER: I don't know until we diagnose it and see. I'm not a doc -- I don't mean that -- I don't know. I've learned to wait until they see. Unfortunately he's hurt, though.

Q. Did you see Deondre, talk to him after the game?
JIMBO FISHER: No, I just -- again, I saw him and I hugged him and told him I'm sorry he's hurt, we'll get the diagnosis and I love him and we'll figure out what we've got to do from here.

Q. How concerned are you if Deondre is out for a while?
JIMBO FISHER: Oh, I'm definitely concerned because that's your starting quarterback and the kind of player he is and what he has. But we'll get the guys behind him and we'll rep those guys and play and we'll go on...

[jbcarol]

Fight!

Michael Carvell‏ @Michael_Carvell

WATCH: Fight breaks out between what appears to be Alabama and Florida State fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

[jbcarol]

 AL.com sports‏Verified account @aldotcomSports 5h5 hours ago

You thought Jimbo Fisher was going to school Nick Saban? Seriously?

You must not be from around here. http://trib.al/GmZ6NHX

Scarblog: What? You thought Alabama was going to let its losing streak stretch to two games and 237 days? You thought the SEC's current and traditional power would allow another ACC upstart to strut its stuff in the Crimson Tide's face?

You thought Jimbo Fisher was going to school Nick Saban? Seriously?

You must not be from around here.

The more the names on those crimson jerseys change, the more some things remain the same.

[longtimeHogfan]

I'm not a big Florida St. fan but I was looking forward to a healthy Seminole bunch taking on Clemson.  Odds have to favor Clemson now if they didn't before. 

[jbcarol]

Their QB came out of the tent on crutches.  Any word as to how serious his injury might have been?  It's tough to lose your starting QB in the first game of the season.   

Michael Carvell‏ @Michael_Carvell

Florida State QB Deondre Francois out for the season after being injured vs. Alabama

Florida State's worst fears were confirmed on Sunday night as QB Deondre Francois has, indeed, been lost for the season.

Francois, last year's ACC Rookie of the Year, suffered a patella tendon injury in his left knee and is scheduled to undergo surgery as early as Tuesday, sources told the Tallahassee Democrat.

The injury occurred in the fourth quarter of the third-ranked Seminoles' 24-7 loss to the top-ranked Crimson Tide in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night, when safety Ronnie Harrison sacked Francois from behind.

[jbcarol]

Saban provides updates on Alabama's injured players

Saban confirmed Monday that Crimson Tide outside linebackers Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis both suffered season-ending injuries against Florida State on Saturday while also providing updates on the Tide's other injured players.

Inside linebacker Rashaan Evans and starting outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings, who both sustained injuries against Florida State, both have "significant injuries that won't be long-term," according to Saban.

Evans has a groin injury. Jennings has a sprained ankle.

"We would just list them as questionable, so they'll be day-to-day, but uncertain as to when they'll be able to come back and play," Saban said. "We're hopeful that it will be sooner than later."

Saban said running back Josh Jacobs may start practicing this week, though it's too early to tell whether the sophomore will be available to play against Fresno State on Saturday.

Jacobs is still working back from a hamstring injury...

[jbcarol]

 Josh Ward‏ @Josh_Ward Sep 2

Alabama is 8-0 in season openers against Power 5 teams under Nick Saban. All eight wins by double digits. Avg margin of victory: 22.1.

[jbcarol]

Fight!

Michael Carvell‏ @Michael_Carvell

WATCH: Woman thrown to ground during apparent fight at Alabama-Florida State game

[Justocarplay]

As the saying goes...Never bet against Bama in college football.

bubbleclips

[jbcarol]

Fight!

Michael Carvell‏ @Michael_Carvell 21h21 hours ago

Report: Two Alabama fans arrested after fights at Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

According to a report by Busted Coverage and multiple in-person fan and witness reports and videos, two Alabama fans — each of them has the Crimson Tide logo proudly displayed on their gear — were involved in two separate incidents during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game last Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The first was a brawl in the stands with a group of Florida State fans in which the two alleged instigators and many others punched and shoved each other and threw drinks and bottles throughout the section (video via link).

Then later on in the game the same two fans appeared to be at it again, this time doing much more harm. One fan captured video of the pair in a concourse near a concession stand pushing and shoving with other fans. Then you see the fan in the white attempt to throw a punch before the fan in the crimson shirt and visor grab a woman and throw her to ground. (video at link)