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Smith has been nursing a sprained knee ligament, while Alexander is suffering from an ankle injury. Today's game will be the first one Smith has missed in his Alabama career, a span of 27 games.
Looks like David Ross is in line for his first career start at left guard, with regular left guard Mike Johnson sliding over to tackle.
By the way, here's a little video of the Walk of Champions I filmed before the game. It's kind of shaky, but I'm still new at this multimedia stuff ...
10:55 a.m.
Friday night rewind
Friday night marked the second week of the 2008 season for most high school football teams around the region, with several notable Crimson Tide commitments in action. Among the top performances:
• Nico Johnson, LB, Andalusia — Had an interception at the goal line in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough as Andalusia fell to 0-2 with a 20-15 loss to B.C. Rain.
• Mike Marrow, FB/LB, Central Catholic/Toledo, Ohio — Rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown as the Irish improved to 3-0 with a 21-10 win over Anthony Wayne.
• A.J. McCarron, QB, St. Paul's Episcopal/Mobile — Passed for 139 yards and a touchdown and also had a key fourth-down run as the Saints beat fellow Alabama commit Gerald West and Faith Academy 23-16 on Friday.
• William Ming, DE, Athens — Spearheaded an Eagles defense that pitched a shutout in a 35-0 win over Muscle Shoals on Friday night.
• Trent Richardson, RB, Escambia/Pensacola, Fla. — Rushed for 191 yards and four touchdowns in a season-opening 28-27 loss to Tate on Thursday night.
A number of top Alabama targets were also in action Friday night. Among the highlights:
• Chad Bumphis, WR, Tupelo (Miss.) — Totaled 191 all-purpose yards, including touchdown receptions of 10 and 46 yards in a 44-0 win over Grenada.
• Eric Gordon, WR/DB, Hillsboro/Nashville, Tenn. — Tallied 219 all-purpose yards, including a touchdown reception and an interception in a 42-18 victory over Stratford on Thursday night.
• Kendall Kelly, WR, Gadsden City — Caught a 29-yard touchdown pass in a 28-0 victory over Huffman.
A more complete roundup will appear next Friday.