General

John Elway on Bo Nix: ‘The sky’s the limit for him’

Bo Nix is ready for prime time. At least the NFL seems to think so.

On Friday, the NFL announced a change to its schedule for Week 16. Instead of the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns squaring off in the Thursday night game on Dec. 19, the Denver Broncos-Los Angeles Chargers contest will take that spot.

Through its first 11 games this season, Denver has made one prime-time appearance on national television – a 33-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 17 in a Thursday night game.

After the Broncos play the Las Vegas Raiders at noon CST Sunday, Denver will make another prime-time appearance on Dec. 2. The Broncos and Browns will play at 7:15 p.m. Dec. 2 in the Week 13 Monday game.

The quarterback who spent his NFL career playing in big games for Denver has noted what Nix has done to keep the Broncos in the chase for a wild-card playoff spot.

“Bo’s got all the tools,” Elway said during an appearance this week on “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” “and I think in today’s game, as you know, even though you can get by without the movement, it sure is an added bonus to be able to move around, extend plays like Bo’s been able to do. I think the sky’s the limit for him, and I think he’s just going to continue to get better and better the more comfortable he gets.”

Nix has started every game since the Broncos chose him at No. 12 in the NFL Draft on April 25. Denver has a 6-5 record, giving Nix the franchise record for victories as a starter for a rookie QB.

Elway had shared the record with four victories among his 10 starts in 1983 after entering the NFL as the No. 1 pick. Elway remained the Broncos’ quarterback through the 1998 season. During his Pro Football Hall of Fame career, Elway played with Denver in the Super Bowl five times.

Elway said Broncos coach Sean Payton has guided Nix to a strong start.

“I think it’s a great combination of a couple of things,” Elway said. “No. 1, Bo Nix, his maturity level, his skill level, his experience that he had in college football. I think he started over 60 games in college, so I think the experience level that he got was tremendous. But I’ve been someone who really believes in these young quarterbacks having a coach that can walk them through that first year. And that’s where I think a lot of the credit goes to Sean and that staff and the situations they’ve put him in. No. 1, the Broncos are playing tremendous defense. … Therefore they haven’t been put in situations offensively where they had to put the whole burden on Bo’s shoulders. They’ve been able to run the football, play-action off it, keep Bo in situations that he can handle.

“And as you watch as the season goes on, Sean keeps giving him more and more each week because he can handle more, so I think it’s a great combination of coaching on Sean’s part and his staff as well as Bo’s maturity level, experience level. He’s done a tremendous job and it’s exciting to see the Broncos playing the way they’re playing.”

A former Pinson Valley High School and Auburn quarterback, Nix was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October, and, on Wednesday, he was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 11 of the season.

After his career, Elway served as the Broncos’ general manager from 2011 through 2020. Despite his ties to the franchise, though, Elway said he had not met Nix.

“If I could help him in any way, I’d like to,” Elway said. “But, obviously, he’s getting great tutelage now with the coaching he’s got and the situation he’s in, so I look forward to meeting him. But like I said, it’s probably more my fault than anything else because once I retired again from football, it’s kind of been nice to kind of get away from it, and I haven’t had a chance to get over there and meet him.”

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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Briarwood Christian, UMS-Wright divers earn state championship titles

Briarwood Christian’s Caroline Foster and UMS-Wright’s Elizabeth Elliott captured the 2024 AHSAA State Diving Championship in their respective classifications Friday as the 65th AHSAA state swimming and diving championships got underway at the Huntsville Aquatics Center.

Foster, an eighth-grader, won the Class 1A/5A division in convincing fashion with a 290.80 total. Boaz seventh-grader Mylee Elliott was second with a 258.75 score, followed by St. John Paul II seventh-grader Kallie Rye, who scored 252.15. Boaz eighth-grader Addison Vaughn was fourth with a 182.50 score.

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BetMGM bonus code ALCOM1500 activates $1.5K first-bet bonus for Arizona vs. Duke

The No. 17 Arizona Wildcats host the No. 12 ranked Duke Blue Devils for an exciting top 25 showdown. With our latest BetMGM bonus code ALCOM1500, new users can get a first-bet bonus up to $1,500 for this big-time early season matchup.

BetMGM bonus code ALCOM1500 at a glance

BetMGM bonus code ALCOM1500 How to unlock your $1500 in bonus bets

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3. Choose a banking option and make a deposit of at least $10 into your newly verified BetMGM account.
4. Place a minimum $10 bet, and if the bet loses, BetMGM will place a bonus bet good for one wager in the amount of the bet up to $1,500.

BetMGM Sportsbook existing user promos

By signing up for BetMGM, you won’t just have a welcome offer to look forward to. As one of the top sportsbooks in the industry, they’re constantly offering existing users great promos to use daily. Here are just a few that you can look forward to on the platform:

• NFL First TD Scorer Second Chance: For our NFL fans, if your wager on the first touchdown scorer doesn’t convert, but the player scores the second touchdown of the game, you still win the bet.
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How to use the BetMGM bonus code ALCOM1500 for Arizona vs Duke

If you choose the BetMGM bonus code ALCOM1500, you will only receive that money back on a loss. So, when you make your bet, seeking out longer odds is smarter.

While both teams have losses on the season, Arizona’s loss to Wisconsin was harsher than Duke’s to Kentucky. It’s difficult to pinpoint that exact point difference, but placing a wager on Duke by 11-15 (+750) could be lucrative. If it misses, you’ll get those funds back into your payroll within 24 hours.

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SEC top 10 for Week 13: Sooners must beat Tide to avoid historic league slump

While four SEC teams warm up for rivalry games in their regular-season finales by playing non-conference victims this week, the schedule also has six league games, with four carrying meaning for the CFP rankings and the SEC Championship Game, although none match two ranked teams. Here are 10 stats from SEC Football by the Numbers, along with the schedule, TV and betting lines, to get ready for Week 13:

0 Interceptions have been thrown by Texas A&M in its past five games against Auburn. The most recent Auburn player with an interception against the Aggies is CB Noah Igbinoghene, who picked off QB Kellen Mond at the Tigers 29-yard line with 7:14 remaining in a 28-24 victory over Texas A&M on Nov. 3, 2018. The Aggies visit Auburn on Saturday.

4 Consecutive conference games have been lost by Oklahoma, equaling the Sooners’ longest in-season league losing streak in program history. Oklahoma also lost four consecutive conference contests in 1960, 1997 and 1998. The Sooners were members of the Big Eight in 1960 and the Big 12 in 1997 and 1998. Oklahoma plays Alabama on Saturday.

4 Weeks of SEC football without a pick-six by any player in the conference. In the first eight weeks of the 2024 season, SEC players returned 12 interceptions for touchdowns, including two by South Carolina DB Nick Emmanwori. But since Emmanwori and Florida DB Cormani McClain had interception-return TDs on Oct. 19, no player in the conference has had one. In the 12 games that had a pick-six by an SEC player, his team won each game.

8 Consecutive games with at least five receptions for Mississippi State WR Kevin Coleman Jr. The only game this season in which Coleman didn’t have at least five receptions came on Sept. 7, when he had four receptions for 103 yards in the Bulldogs’ 30-23 loss to Arizona State. Coleman has 62 receptions for 756 yards and five TDs entering Mississippi State’s game against Missouri on Saturday. Missouri has had four opposing players catch at least five passes in the Tigers’ past three games after only three did so in the first seven contests of 2024.

9 Victories are the most for an Alabama coach in his first season. Kalen DeBoer enters Saturday’s game against Oklahoma with an 8-2 record in his first season as the Crimson Tide’s coach. In 1931, Frank Thomas guided Alabama to a 9-1 record in the first of his 15 seasons as the Crimson Tide’s coach.

RELATED: SEC TOP 10 FROM WEEK 12

16 Consecutive victories for Alabama in the game before it plays Auburn. The Crimson Tide and Tigers are scheduled to square off in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 30. Alabama’s 21-14 setback against Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 17, 2007, was its most recent loss in the game before the Iron Bowl. That was the final defeat in a five-year losing streak for Alabama in the game preceding the Iron Bowl. The other four losses came against LSU. The Tide played Mississippi State in 2008, Kentucky in 2020 and Arkansas in 2021 in the game before facing Auburn. In the other games in the winning streak, Alabama defeated non-conference opponents – Chattanooga four times, Western Carolina three times and Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Charleston Southern, Mercer, the Citadel and Austin Peay once each.

21 Consecutive games with at least one TD pass for Texas QB Quinn Ewers. Ewers has had a TD pass in every game he’s played since being blanked by Baylor in the Longhorns’ 38-27 victory on Nov. 25, 2022. He has thrown 44 TD passes in the 21-game streak. He’s tied for the longest active streak in NCAA FBS with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, who has thrown at least one TD pass in all 21 of his games with the Buffaloes.

69 Receiving yards are needed by Arkansas WR Andrew Armstrong to become the first SEC player with 1,000 in the 2024 season and the fifth Razorbacks player with 1,000 in a single season. Armstrong enters Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech with 931 yards and one TD on 61 receptions this season. Arkansas’ 1,000-yard receivers have been Anthony Lucas with 1,004 in 1998, Jarius Wright with 1,117 in 2011, Cobi Hamilton with 1,335 in 2012 and Treylon Burks with 1,104 in 2021.

73 Years since the previous game between Kentucky and Texas. When the Wildcats and Longhorns square off on Saturday, they’ll be meeting for the second time. Their first contest occurred on Sept. 22, 1951, when No. 11 Texas edged No. 6 Kentucky 7-6 in Austin. The 1951 season also was the last time that Vanderbilt won in Baton Rouge, where the Commodores will play LSU on Saturday. Vanderbilt has played at Tiger Stadium six times since a 20-13 win there on Nov. 10, 1951. LSU also has won the past nine games against Vanderbilt, since the Commodores’ 24-21 victory in Nashville on Sept. 22, 1990.

373 Passing yards are needed by Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart to replace Eli Manning as the Rebels’ career leader. Manning had 10,119 passing yards for Ole Miss from 2000 through 2003. Dart has 9,747 passing yards in three seasons with the Rebels, including an SEC-leading 3,409 in the 2024 campaign. Dart has exceeded 373 passing yards in five games this season – the Rebels’ four non-conference contests and a season-high 515 passing yards against Arkansas. One player has had at least 373 passing yards against Florida this season – Miami (Fla.) QB Cameron Ward in a 41-17 victory on Aug. 31. Dart will become the first Ole Miss QB to lead a ranked team of Rebels against an unranked team of Gators. The Ole Miss-Florida series is tied 12-12-1.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE SEC, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE

This week’s SEC schedule includes (all times are CDT with point spreads from BetMGM):

Saturday

• No. 9 Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2) at Florida (5-5, 3-4), 11 a.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida (ABC). Line: Ole Miss by 11.5
• Massachusetts at No. 10 Georgia, 11:45 a.m. at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia (SEC Network). Line: Georgia by 42.5  
• UTEP (2-8) at No. 11 Tennessee (8-2), noon at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee (ESPN+). Line: Tennessee by 40.5  
• Kentucky (4-6, 1-6) at No. 3 Texas (9-1, 5-1), 2:30 p.m. at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Texas (ABC). Line: Texas by 20.5
• Louisiana Tech (4-6) at Arkansas (5-5), 3 p.m. at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas (ESPN+). Line: Arkansas by 23.5
• Wofford (5-6) at No. 18 South Carolina (7-3), 3 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina (ESPN+). Line: None
• No. 23 Missouri (7-3, 3-3) at Mississippi State (2-8, 0-6), 3:15 p.m. at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi (SEC Network). Line: Missouri by 7.5
• No. 7 Alabama (8-2, 4-2) at Oklahoma (5-5, 1-5), 6:30 p.m. at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma (ABC). Line: Alabama by 13.5
• No. 15 Texas A&M (8-2, 5-1) at Auburn (4-6, 1-5), 6:30 p.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn (ESPN). Line: Texas A&M by 2.5  
• Vanderbilt (6-4, 3-3) at LSU (6-4, 3-3), 6:45 p.m. at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (SEC Network). Line: LSU by 7.5

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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Football High Live: Latest updates, highlights from Round 3 playoff games

The Super 7 is now less than two weeks away at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium.

After tonight, we will know who will play for the 7A title. Enterprise takes on Thompson in one semifinal, while Hoover travels to Central-Phenix City in the other. The winners meet Dec. 4.

RELATED: AL.com prep predictions

RELATED: Saraland QB has earned spotlight

Classes 1A-6A will be down to their semifinals after tonight. Some key quarterfinal matchups around the state include Muscle Shoals at Parker and Spain Park at Saraland in 6A, Central-Clay County at Montgomery Catholic in 5A and Fyffe at Piedmont in 3A. Those are just a few of the key matchups we will keep an eye on tonight.

Check back frequently for updates, highlights and final scores when they start rolling in. We also will have next week’s semifinal pairings when all games are complete. Here we go …

8:55 PM, All tied again: Ryder Gipson and Fyffe tie the game against with Piedmont. It’s 22-22 with 8:51 left between a pair of small school powers.

Leeds 42, Corner 29 (7:41 left)

Mars Hill 14, Winfield 13 (Keylan Hughes with a 6-yard TD run, but Winfield missed the PAT. 11:54 left)

Central-Phenix City 17, Hoover 7 (9:19 3rd)

8:50 PM, Getting Late:

Oxford 21, Fort Payne 19 (End 3)

Mars Hill 14, Winfield 7 (End 3)

Sulligent 14, Winston County 6

Saraland 31, Spain Park 13 (4:42 left in the 3rd)

St. Michael 28, Fairfield 25 (Noah Moss 30-yard TD run, his 3rd of the game, 3:50 3rd)

Pike Road 8, Hueytown 8 (Hueytown’s Jabron Ellington with a 2-yard TD run. Gophers get the 2 points to tie it. 8-8 after 3.

Vigor 27, UMS-Wright 3 (End 3)

8:45 PM, Right back at you: Thompson responds to the Enterprise kickoff for a TD with a Darion Moseley 12-yard TD reception. Warriors up 24-7 in the 7A semifinal with 4:-8 left in the third.

Cherokee County 21, Winfield 0

Piedmont 22, Fyffe 14 (End 3)

T.R. Miller 7, Houston Academy 7 (End 3)

Catholic 7, Central-Clay County 3 (Catholic held for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Central 1. 2:42 left in the third)

8:40 PM, Good one in the Big O: Fort Payne capitalizes on an Oxford turnover with a Dax Varnadore TD and closes the gap on the Yellow Jackets to 21-19 with 4:57 left in the third.

Not done yet: Spain Park needs seven plays in the second half to reach the end zone and cut the Saraland lead to 24-13. Jaguars missed the PAT.

Not done yet 2: After Parker muffs a punt, Case Clemmons finds Ezra Fowler on a 16-yard TD pass. Trojans cut the Herd lead to 14-10 with 7:45 left in the third quarter.

Piedmont 22, Fyffe 14 (1:44 3rd)

Jackson 33, Tallassee 10 (No. 1 Aggies tack on another with 11:10 left in the third)

8:35 PM, More Vigor D: Aslan Jones with a 46-yard interception return for a TD. Wolves lead UMS-Wright 27-3 less than a minute into the second half.

Piedmont 22, Fyffe 8 (5:06 3rd)

Bayside Academy 24, Southside-Selma 14 (Early 3rd)

Tuscaloosa Academy 27, Pisgah 14 (Eddie Taylor with a 7-yard TD for TA, 7:38 3rd)

8:29 PM, Commit watch: Auburn commit Eric Winters returns a Thompson kickoff 97 yards for a TD. Enterprise responds to a Thompson third-quarter TD with one of its own. Thompson leads 17-7 with 7:11 left in the third quarter.

8:25 PM, Halftime: 4A No. 1 Jackson leads Tallasee 26-10

All Thompson: RJ Evans with a 2-yard TD run midway through the third. Warriors lead Enterprise 17-0 now.

8:21 PM, Saving his best for his final year? Texas commit KJ Lacey is 12-of-15 for 225 yards in the first half against Spain Park. He also has run six times for 93 yards. Spartans lead Spain Park 24-7 at the half, trying to make the 6A title game for the third time in as many years.

At the half, leaders in the 6A quarterfinals are: Saraland, Parker, Pike Road and Oxford. That would be a heck of a final four if that is one it comes down to.

8:19 PM, Good one in T-Town: Tuscaloosa Academy leads Pigsah 21-14 at the half.

Halftime: Central-Phenix City leads Hoover 17-7; Thompson leads Enterprise 10-0. All the 7A playoff changes this year and we quite possibly will have the same championship game as last year. Crazy.

8:15 PM, Close one in Brewton: No. 1 T.R. Miller, Houston Academy tied 7-7 at the half.

Half: Bayside Academy 17, Southside-Selma 14

Cherokee County 14, Brooks 0 (Tristan Brown, Keyshawn Thomas with first-half TDs for the Warriors)

Blowout City: West Morgan 43, Anniston 6 (Half. A bit of a surprise there)

8:10 PM, Revenge game: Moody is all over Ramsay. Blue Devils lead 35-7 and we aren’t to halftime yet. Sidney Walton with a strip sack and B’Roc Willis returns it 75 yards for the TD. Still 4:24 left in the half.

Surprise? Fairfield has rallied from an early 14-0 deficit and leads St. Michael 25-21 at the half.

Saraland 24, Spain Park 7 (Spartans move 59 yards in 34 seconds for the final score of the half after two sacks killed a Spai Park drive)

8:05 PM, Lead change: Catholic’s BJ Bedgood with a great leaping catch over Deshaun Gibbons for a 19-yard TD from Kingston Preyear. Knights take a 7-3 lead on Central-Clay County with 23 seconds left in the half.

Pike Road 8, Hueytown 0 (Gunner Gibbs with a 48-yard TD pass to Levi Kelly. Jordan Holems with a 2-point run)

Parker 14, Muscle Shoals 3 (Half)

Leeds 35, Corner 14 (Half)

8 PM, It’s tight: Piedmont and Fyffe tied at 8-8 at the half.

Central-Phenix City 17, Hoover 7 (6:38 2nd). Andrew Alford to Mychal Pass for the TD.

Vigor 20, UMS-Wright 3 (Kingson Phan 37-yard FG for UMS) (Half)

Oxford 21, Fort Payne 13 (Half)

Fairfield 25, St. Michael 21 with 2:34 left in the first half.

7:55 PM, Moody Blues: Charlie Johnston with a 37-yard TD pass to Josiah Dozier. Second time those two have connected tonight. Moody leads Ramsay 28-7 with 2:13 left in the half.

Oxford 21, Fort Payne 13 (3 TD connections from Mason Mims to Jaylin Taylor. 4 receptions, 114 yards for Taylor. 2:13 left in the half)

Maplesville 15, Millry 7

Halftime: Thompson 10, Enterprise 0

Saraland 21, Spain Park 7 (CJ Cowley 29-yard TD run for the Jaguars, 1:37 2nd. Jaguars then cover an onsides kick)

Halftime: Mars Hill 7, Winfield 0

7:50 PM, Defensive TD: Cam Pritchett forces a fumble in the end zone. Thompson leads Enterprise 10-0, trying to get back to another 7A title game.

Piedmont 8, Fyffe 8 (:46 left in half)

Parker 14, Muscle Shoals 3 (2:08 2nd)

7:48 PM, Battle of unbeatens in 5A: Central-Clay with a 3-0 lead at Montgomery Catholic. Taylor Boyd with a 31-yard FG for Danny Horn’s team. 2:51 left in the half.

Bayside Academy 14, Southside-Selma 14 (Auburn commit Derrick Smith with a TD catch)

7:45 PM, Make it 3: Noah Moss with three first-half TD runs for St. Michael. Cardinals lead Fairfield 21-12 with 8:30 left in the half.

Central-Phenix City 10, Hoover 7 (Red Devils’ Jack Ciancio take the lead with a 29-yard FG)

Oxford 14, Fort Payne 13 (Conner Hughes with 2 FGs for Fort Payne, 4:08 2nd)

7:42 PM, Unbelievable catches ….

Central’s Daylyn Upshaw

Saraland’s Deshawn Spencer …

7:40 PM, All Vigor: Wolves lead UMS-Wright 20-0 with 6:44 left in the half on a Carlos Benjamin 1-yard TD run. Second TD of the night for Benjamin.

Hoover 7, Central-Phenix City 7 (End 1)

Oxford 14, Fort Payne 10 (Conner Hughes 24-yard FG for Fort Payne)

Moody 21, Ramsay 7 (Le’kamren Meadows 2-yard TD run for Moody)

St. Michael 14, Fairfield 12 (9:54 2nd)

Pike Road 0, Hueytown 0 (End 1)

Piedmont 8, Fyffe 0 (3:19 2nd)

7:35 PM, Na‘eem knows: Ohio State commit Na’eem Offord with a 1-yard TD run to give Parker a 14-0 lead on Muscle Shoals.

Moody 14, Ramsay 7 (Charlie Johnston with a 21-yard TD pass to Josiah Dozier, who makes an incredible catch for the Blue Devils)

Leeds 21, Corner 7 (End 1)

Oxford 14, Fort Payne 7 (Mason Mims to Jaylin Taylor for a 19-yard TD)

Tuscaloosa Academy 14, Pisgah 6 (Luke Gilbert with a 37-yard TD pass to Landon Watkins to get Pisgah on the board)

7:30 PM, It’s good: John McGuire with a FG to give Thompson a 3-0 lead over Enterprise. In the other 7A semifinal, Hoover ties Central 7-7 on a JR Mosley TD run.

West Morgan 13, Anniston 0 (End 1)

Tuscaloosa Academy 14, Pisgah 0 (End 1)

Saraland 21, Spain Park 0 (KJ Lacey to Deshawn Spencer for a 51-yard TD. Spartans making it look easy)

7:25 PM, Still leading: St. Michael leads Fairfield 14-6 with 3:43 left in the first quarter behind a pair of Noah Moss TD runs.

Piedmont 2, Fyffe 0 (End 1)

Cherokee County 7, Brooks 0 (1st)

Oxford 7, Fort Payne 7 (Mason Mims with a 17-yard TD pass to Jaylin Taylor to tie the game) (End 1)

Mars Hill 7, Winfield 0 (End 1)

Central-Clay County 0, Catholic 0 (End 1)

Bayside Academy 7, Southside-Selma 6

7:20 PM, First blood: Central-Phenix City takes a 7-0 lead on visiting Hoover in 7A semifinal. Andrew Alford with a 7-yard TD pass to Miami commit Daylyn Upshaw.

Defense optional early for Leeds and Corner. Conner Nelson with a 52-yard TD pass for a 1-play drive. Leeds back up 14-7 on Corner with 7:49 STILL left in the first.

Carlos Benjamin with a 31-yard TD run. Vigor all over UMS in the first quarter. It’s 14-0 Wolves. Going to be a long road back for the Bulldogs against this Vigor defense.

Spartans rolling again: KJ Lacey hits CD Gill. Saraland leads 14-0 on unbeaten Spain Park.

7:15 PM, Surprise: Fort Payne on the board first at unbeaten Oxford. Wildcats lead 7-0 with 7:23 left in the first on a Dax Varnadore TD.

Moody 7, Ramsay 0: Bravis Cave 3-yard TD run with 7:55 left.

Mars Hill 7, Winfield 0. Caden Chandler 13-yard TD.

Tuscaloosa Academy 7, Pisgah 0

Corner 7, Leeds 7: Clay Brown 83-yard KO Return for Corner.

Piedmont 2, Fyffe 0 (3:52 1st)

7:10 PM, No Moss: St. Michael’s Noah Moss, who has been on a tear as of late, scores on a 1-yard TD run. Philip Rivers’ Cardinals up 7-0 at Fairfield with 8:13 left in the first.

Leeds 7, Corner 0: Conner Nelson with a 1-yard TD run.

7:08 PM, Quick strike: No. 1 Saraland needs just five plays to reach the end zone against undefeated Spain Park. Spartans leads 7-0 at home.

Vigor stuffs UMS-Wright on a fourth-and-2 and then hits a long TD pass. Wolves up 7-0. Dylan Jackson with a 63-yard TD pass to Jamarrion Osborne.

Teranace Gaines with a 50-yard TD run for Parker. Herd up 7-0 on Muscle Shoals with 8:21 left in the first.

7:03 PM, Another rematch: Ramsay, Moody meeting in the 5A quarterfinals for the second straight year.

6:56 PM, On a roll: Vigor enters the rematch with UMS-Wright tonight, having won its two playoff games 87-0. The Wolves didn’t allow a first down last week at Eufaula. Vigor defeated UMS 30-14 way back in Week 4. UMS wins toss and defers.

6:45 PM, College commits in action all over the place tonight ….

Clemson commit Brock Bradley takes on Saraland and Texas commit KJ Lacey

Auburn commits Erick and Derick Smith and Southside-Selma host Bayside Academy

6:40 PM, Familiar setting: AL.com reporter Thomas Ashworth returns to Calhoun County tonight to cover the 6A quarterfinal between Oxford and Fort Payne.

6:30 PM, The 7A semis: Who moves into the title game in two week? Enterprise travels to Thompson tonight, while Hoover is on the road at Central-Phenix City. Will we get Thompson vs. Central one more time? We’ll find out the matchup tonight. According to the the Warrior Network pregame show, 15 Thompson players, including QB Trent Seaborn, have battled the flu this week.

6 PM, Another coaching move: Gus Smith stepped down at Gordo today following three years as head coach at the school and 31 victories. Here is what Smith had to say about leaving the Green Wave.

TONIGHT’S SCHEDULE

CLASS 7A SEMIFINALS

Enterprise (8-4) at Thompson (9-3)

Hoover (10-2) at Central-Phenix City (9-2)

CLASS 6A QUARTERFINALS

Hueytown (8-3) at Pike Road (9-3)

Spain Park (12-0) at Saraland (11-0)

Fort Payne (10-2) at Oxford (12-0)

Muscle Shoals (9-2) at Parker (11-1)

CLASS 5A QUARTERFINALS

Central-Clay County (12-0) at Montgomery Catholic (11-0)

UMS-Wright (6-6) at Vigor (11-1)

Ramsay (8-3) at Moody (9-2)

Corner (11-1) at Leeds (10-2)

CLASS 4A QUARTERFINALS

St. Michael (11-1) at Fairfield (9-3)

Tallassee (9-2) at Jackson (11-1)

Cherokee Co. (11-1) at Brooks (10-2)

Anniston (7-5) at West Morgan (12-0)

CLASS 3A QUARTERFINALS

Bayside Academy (9-3) at Southside-Selma (10-2)

Houston Academy (11-1) at T.R. Miller (12-0)

Fyffe (9-2) at Piedmont (12-0)

Winfield (11-1) at Mars Hill (11-1)

CLASS 2A QUARTERFINALS

Cottonwood (12-0) at Reeltown (11-1)

Highland Home (12-0) at Ariton (7-5)

Winston County (12-0) at Sulligent (8-4)

Pisgah (11-1) at Tuscaloosa Academy (10-2)

CLASS 1A QUARTERFINALS

Maplesville (10-2) at Millry (8-4)

Georgiana (8-4) at Elba (10-2)

Wadley (10-0) at Berry (11-1)

Hackleburg (11-1) at Lynn (11-1)

AISA CHAMPIONSHIPS

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

CLASS A: Cornerstone Christian 52, Macon-East 12

CLASS AA: South Choctaw Academy 14, Lowndes Academy 7

CLASS AAA: Chambers Academy 45, Bessemer Academy 12

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Lloyd Nix, quarterback on Auburn’s 1957 national championship team, dies at 87

Lloyd Nix, the quarterback on Auburn’s 1957 national championship team and later a distinguished dentist in north Alabama, has died. He was 87.

Nix’s death was announced by the Auburn athletics department via social media. No cause of death was immediately announced.

Born Dec. 7, 1936, Nix was a multi-sport star at Carbon Hill High School in Walker County, where he was a two-time all-state pick in football and an all-district selection in basketball. He also pitched and played first base in baseball in high school and later at Auburn, where he helped the Tigers win the 1958 SEC championship.

However, it was on the gridiron where the diminutive (5-foot-10, 165-pound) Nix excelled most, playing both ways at Auburn and twice being chosen to the All-SEC team under head coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan. He led the conference in total offense as a senior in 1958, but it was as a junior that Nix and the Tigers had their greatest glory.

Auburn went 10-0 that season, routing Alabama 40-0 in the Iron Bowl and finishing the year No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. It was Auburn’s only national championship in football until the Cam Newton-led 2010 squad repeated the feat.

“We had gradually moved up in the polls,” Nix told AL.com’s Mark McCarter in 2011. “The only time I ever remember Coach Jordan mentioning we had a chance to win the national championship when we started on the field before the Alabama game and he just said, ‘Guys, if y’all have a good game, you have a chance of being a national champion.’”

And how did Nix find out Auburn was indeed national champions?

“Somebody told somebody else and they told me,” Nix told McCarter. “I’m not even sure they rolled Toomer’s Corner.”

Auburn was nearly perfect again in 1958, with the lone blemish a 7-7 tie vs. Georgia Tech in October. The Tigers finished 9-0-1 and were ranked fourth in the final polls (SEC rival LSU was crowned national champion with a 10-0 record).

Nix won the Cliff Hare Award as Auburn’s outstanding senior athlete in the Class of 1959, and after graduation attended the University of Alabama School of Dentistry. He later served in the United States Air Force in Texas before moving back to Alabama and starting a dental practice in Decatur in 1964.

Dr. Nix treated patients in north Alabama for 35 years until retiring in 1999. He and his wife, Sandra (a 1960 Auburn graduate), had two daughters and six grandchildren.

Nix was a former present of the Auburn Football Letterman’s Club, the Auburn Alumni Association and the Morgan County Auburn Club. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

Outside of athletics, Nix served as chairman of the Auburn Research Advisory Board, was a member of the Auburn University Foundation and at various times as president of the Morgan County Dental Association, chairman of the Council on Ministries of Central United Methodist Church and as a board member for the Alabama Institute Foundation for the Deaf and Blind. In 2008, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Auburn University Alumni Association.

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Eddie Lacy would like to Oklahoma-drill his old fat-shamers

Former NFL running back Eddie Lacy used to let what people said on social media get to him. He said that’s not the case now. But that doesn’t mean Lacy has forgotten when social-media wise guys needled him about his size because that’s still happening.

“I can talk about how rainy it is right now in Milwaukee but it’s so good to be back for the first time in I don’t know how long,” Lacy said during an appearance this week on “The Matt Schneidman Show” on WRNW-FM in Milwaukee, “and I bet somebody makes a joke about me having something to eat or me go eat Chinese food. It’s just crazy. I don’t get why they do it. While I was playing, having to see it every day, it gets under your skin a lot. But pretty much all I did was run people over (on the football field). That’s the only outlet that you have.”

Lacy said he’d like to do that with his old critics in the one-on-one Oklahoma drill, a football-practice standard of toughness.

“Like seriously, I wish they could bring back – I don’t know if you remember that show back in the day (‘Pros vs. Joes’),” Lacy said. “Give me that show for six months and I want six months’ worth of people — from that era, though, when I was still playing. I want those people. And just one-on-one. Everybody gets one shot, but you can’t go low. You have to stay up.”

When Lacy was barreling through 1,000-yard seasons in his first two years with the Green Bay Packers, he was lovable. When he slogged to 758 rushing yards in 2015 and Packers coach Mike McCarthy called him out for being overweight, he became a punch line for fat jokes.

“It took until probably about two years ago,” Lacy said about learning to deal with the detractors. “At some point in time, we always say mind over matter, but I think that’s just what we say to try to trick ourselves into trying to pretend it doesn’t matter. It wasn’t until like two years ago until I truly realized it doesn’t matter. Why does it hurt me that I’m a bigger person, you’re a smaller person? I like to eat; you like to eat. What’s the difference between us at the point? Why am I taking this so hard? …

“I wish I would have thought about it back then to not be affected by it so much. It builds character at the end of the day.”

Lacy doesn’t have it in for all fans. He said when he attended the Packers’ alumni weekend, the ovation he received at Lambeau Field during his introduction at halftime of the Sept. 15 game against the Indianapolis Colts made his knees shake.

“Minus the weather, it’s definitely a bunch of similarities,” Lacy said of Green Bay and his college home of Tuscaloosa, “because the town is so small and it’s centered around the sport, which Alabama football was super huge coming up and it got bigger as it went along. And you come to Green Bay, (Lambeau Field) is in the middle of a neighborhood, which was shocking to me. I’m like, ‘Wait, y’all got a stadium and they got a house right across the street.’ It’s crazy, but it’s so tight-knit and it’s so much love, and it’s the same in college as it was here.”

Lacy played on two BCS national-championship teams at Alabama. In 2011, he ran for 674 yards and seven touchdowns on 95 carries, providing a 7.1-yards-per-carry jolt as Trent Richardson’s backup. In 2012, Lacy ran for 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns on 204 carries as part of a 1A/1B backfield with T.J. Yeldon, who ran for 1,108 yards and 12 touchdowns on 175 carries.

In the final three games of his college career, Lacy ran for 452 yards and five touchdowns on 58 carries as the Crimson Tide defeated Auburn in the Iron Bowl, Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and Notre Dame in the BCS championship game.

A second-round choice in the 2013 NFL Draft, Lacy won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award as he ran for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns on 284 carries and caught 35 passes for 257 yards.

In his second season, Lacy had 1,139 yards and nine touchdowns on 246 rushing attempts and 427 yards and four touchdowns on 42 receptions.

After becoming the only player in Green Bay history to produce 3,000 yards from scrimmage in his first two NFL seasons, Lacy had 758 yards and three touchdowns on 187 rushing attempts and 188 yards and two touchdowns on 20 receptions in 2015.

Lacy hurt his ankle in the second game of the season and had a rib injury coming down the stretch. He lost his starting spot to James Stark in November, but regained it as he posted three 100-yard performances in a four-game span.

But at his end-of-season press conference, McCarthy said: “Eddie Lacy, he’s got a lot of work to do. I think I’m stating the obvious. His offseason last year was not good enough, and he never recovered from it. I had a chance to talk to Eddie today, and that was pretty much the majority of our whole conversation. He has to get it done because he cannot play at the weight that he played at this year.”

Lacy came back lighter for the 2016 campaign, but an ankle injury ended the running back’s season in the fifth game.

Lacy left Green Bay as a free agent for the Seattle Seahawks. But after rushing for 179 yards on 69 carries in nine games in 2017, his career ended.

Lacy said the transition from football star to normal life has taken some adjustment.

“It was extremely difficult,” Lacy said. “I think my first two years I didn’t think about it much because I was still young and I was still kind of like phasing out, but I was still doing the same things that I would do if I was still playing, so it didn’t really hit. But Years 3 to basically now, you kind of reach a spot where it’s like: Well, what do I do now? And it’s like: Well, what do you know how to do? And so you start going down that, and you realize you spent pretty much your whole life doing only one thing, so you don’t know what you can do.”

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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Nick Saban laughs off underdog getting playoff nod over Alabama: ‘It was all subjective’

Nick Saban famously hated hypotheticals when he was head coach at Alabama, but once again on Friday brought up what might have happened had the Crimson Tide been in the 2022 College Football Playoff.

During his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, Saban was asked about times over the years he wasn’t sure his team was going to be included in the playoff when the final pairings were announced. Instead of mentioning times his team got in despite not winning the SEC championship (such as 2017), he veered toward his apparent continued grievance that his 2022 team was left out of the 4-team field after ending the regular season with a 10-2 record and finishing second in the SEC West behind LSU.

“It was all subjective,” Saban said. “We would have been 13-point favorites over TCU if we would have played them, and they got in the playoffs and we didn’t. I’m not criticizing TCU, it wasn’t their fault. But that is the subjective part of it.”

McAfee then asked rhetorically, “what happened to TCU during that run?”

Saban laughed and replied, “I was at that game.”

Here’s the video, via ESPN:

The Horned Frogs, for those who might not remember, beat Michigan 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl playoff semifinal before being routed 65-7 by Georgia in the national title game in Los Angeles. TCU got into the playoff as the No. 3 seed despite losing the Big 12 championship game, with unbeaten Michigan the 2-seed and Ohio State — whose only loss was to Michigan — at No. 4.

Alabama beat Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl to finish 11-2. No two-loss team ever made the College Football Playoff during the four-team era that spanned from 2004-23.

It’s not the first time Saban — now a full-time commentator for ESPN  has brought up hypothetical point spreads involving the 2022 playoff. He also did so during an appearance on Fox at halftime of that year’s Big Ten championship game, the night before the playoff field was revealed.

“The whole goal is to get the best teams in,” Saban said at the time. “And what I would say to the committee, if we played any of these teams on the edge of getting in, would we be the underdog or would we be the favorite?”

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RealPrize Casino promo code: Up to 625,000 Gold Coins, 125 sweeps coins + VIP points

With the RealPrize Casino promo code offer, new users are eligible to receive up to 625,000 Gold Coins, 125 Sweeps Coins, and 1,250 VIP Points. This is an extremely simple bonus to take advantage of without the need to use a real promo code at registration.

The US sweepstakes casino industry continues to grow at a rapid pace. RealPrize is now widely considered one of the best sweeps casinos on the market today. Read on as I break down the steps necessary to claim this exciting welcome bonus. I also highlight how RealPrize works, and discuss what separates it from traditional real money casino sites.

RealPrize Casino promo code at a glance

RealPrize Casino promo code: How to claim $100 in casino credits

RealPrize Casino is one of many exciting new social casinos operating throughout the US. It does most things right, including offering a world-class, modern design and UX.

This great design allows players to sign up and claim its welcome offer in just a few minutes.

The bonus offering up to 625,000 Gold Coins, 125 Sweeps Coins, and 1,250 VIP Points is not technically this platform’s welcome bonus. Rather, it is an additional bonus that users can take advantage of after signing nup.

Learn about how to claim this offer below.

• Click any of the RealPrize Casino promo code links or banners featured throughout this page.
• Click the “Create Account” button on the RealPrize landing page.
• Register a new account with RealPrize by providing some basic personal information.
• Click the “Store” button on the RealPrize homepage.
• Make a purchase of up to 625,000 Gold Coins. Receive an additional 125 Sweeps Coins and 1,250 VIP Points.

This is a somewhat unusual offer, as it requires users to make a purchase. Those who do choose to take advantage of this offer, however, will have a huge amount of Gold and Sweeps Coins at their disposal.

This is not the only offer available to new members of RealPrize. This sweeps casino will automatically reward its new players with 100,000 Gold Coins and 2 Sweeps Coins, simply for making an account.

There is never a requirement to make purchases at RealPrize. All members can play games for free, every day. Diehard fans looking for a little extra funds to wager with may want to consider claiming the RealPrize Casino promo code offer, though.

How does RealPrize Casino work?

RealPrize is a sweepstakes casino. Unlike real money online casinos, which are currently only legal in seven states, sweepstakes casinos are able to operate throughout nearly the entire country.

This is due to what are known as sweepstakes laws. Platforms like RealPrize allow their users to play games completely for free. They utilize two forms of virtual currencies – Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins.

Gold Coins are awarded to players for free, every single day. This is the currency used to play online casino games and they are not worth any real money. Sweeps Coins can be earned in several ways and can be redeemed for prizes including gift cards and real money.

Casino fans will be pleased to find that RealPrize offers nearly all of the same types of games as real money online casinos. That includes a huge variety of slots and several table games.

Best game to play with the RealPrize Casino promo code

RealPrize has a great selection of games to choose from. While some social casinos provide more titles, I was more than satisfied with the number of games to choose from. One slot game took most of my attention and I ended up playing for more than an hour.

Panda Fortune

Slot games are notoriously unpredictable. When playing with real money, it can be a stressful experience to make multiple spins without a single win. Social casinos take that stress away, as there is no real money on the line when playing.

I spent a considerable amount of time playing Panda Fortune at RealPrize. This is a five-reel online slot game from Pragmatic Play.

This game offers up to 25 jackpots to players. It features 25 paylines and has an average RTP of 96.17%. It is a progressive jackpot slot, offering 3 different jackpot prizes to winners.

The graphics of Panda Fortune are excellent. It is set in a tranquil bamboo forest and features symbols such as frogs, koi fish, lions, and pandas. Users will find several fun features like free spins and wild symbols to help boost their odds of winning.

I tested this game using both my computer and my smartphone. It ran extremely smoothly on both devices. It’s a great game that can offer users some huge jackpots.

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