South Alabama Sports

  AUBURN — Most of us went back in time early Sunday morning when Daylight Savings Time ended. Auburn, too, turned the clock back to the days of Pat Dye and Shug Jordan — when defense and the kicking game were enough to win and you were seen on TV once or twice a year. Unfortunately for the Tigers, millions of people saw the weekly bleeding of a program and a coach who had no answers. The ones who showed…

    AUBURN — Most of us went back in time early Sunday morning when Daylight Savings Time ended. Auburn, too, turned the clock back to the days of Pat Dye and Shug Jordan — when defense and the kicking game were enough to win and you were seen on TV once or twice a year. Unfortunately for the Tigers, millions of people are now seeing the weekly bleeding of a program and a coach who seemingly has no answers.…

    By ROBERT LADNIER MOBILE —McGill-Toolen pieced together a 12-play drive that ate up the final 6:20 to preserve a 21-14 win over visiting Baldwin County at the Lipscomb Complex Friday night. Quarterback Blane Barre completed 12 of 20 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown and ran for 83 yards on 11 carries and another TD for the Yellow Jackets (6-4, 5-3 6A Region 1), who won five straight to close the regular season and captured the fourth…

  By BEN THOMAS FAIRHOPE — Gunner Rivers overcame three interceptions to drive St. Michael 82 yards in 12 plays in the final two minutes Thursday night and capped the march with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Nygel Mitchell with 8 seconds left for a dramatic 25-20 victory over UMS-Wright. Rivers finished 28-of-35 passing for 358 yards, including a 27-yard scoring pass to Brody Jones and a 40-yard TD to Tucker Tomlinson, who had seven catches for 149 yards. Jones had…

      SARALAND — You sometimes must strain your eyeballs through a highly magnified loupe to find any surprises from Saraland but there were a few in its 38-14 win over Theodore Friday night that awarded the Spartans their third straight region championship. Blair Evans had to punt three times and may have had to soak his size-17 foot in Epsom salts afterward. And for the briefest of moments in the third quarter, with Saraland leading 38-7, quarterback Jamison…

Staff Report MOBILE — Tate Graham completed 17 of 26 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns and Gavin Wood scored on runs of 2 and 24 yards as Baker defeated Fairhope 35-10 to win the 7A Region 1 title Friday night. Graham’s two touchdowns covered 69 yards to Khatori Marion and 46 yards to Joshua Jones. Marion had four receptions for 139 yards and added a 2-yard touchdown run while Jones had six receptions for 86 yards as the…

      By JIMMY WIGFIELD SARALAND — For the first time all season, somebody landed a heavyweight haymaker on Saraland’s jawbone in the first quarter Friday night. But unfortunately for Theodore, it wasn’t nearly enough to take down the Spartans. Saraland spit out a little blood but was unfazed and Jamison Roberts completed 13 of 21 passes for a career-high 310 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 2-ranked Spartans blew past the Bobcats 38-14 at Spartan Stadium. Saraland…

      TUSCALOOSA — The surgeon general has determined that smoking cigars is bad for your health but perhaps the surgeon general doesn’t know how taking a puff benefits the winner of the Alabama-Tennessee game. The pungent odor of cigar smoke began to waft through Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium early in the fourth quarter Saturday night and by the time the No. 6-ranked Crimson Tide had formally dispatched the No. 11 Volunteers 37-20, it hung in the air…

  By ARTHUR L. MACK MOBILE — Todrick Withers’ 1-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted No. 2 Williamson to a 22-14 overtime win over visiting, No. 1 Vigor Friday night. In overtime, Notre Dame commit Ellis McGaskin’s 9-yard run set up Withers’ game-winning score, followed by a successful two-point conversion. On the Wolves’ possession, Sammy Dunn’s fourth-down pass was stopped short of the goal line as the Lions’ sideline erupted in celebration. “Once we went into overtime, I asked my…

      By JIMMY WIGFIELD SEMMES — Few gave Baker a chance to upset Mary G. Montgomery Friday night and at least rattle the Vikings’ dominance of their region over the last three years. But if quarterback Tate Graham, receiver Khatori Marion and running back Jailen “Speedy” Wheeler keep the big plays coming, the rest of the state had better approach the Hornets with caution. Graham threw four touchdown passes to Marion and Myles Johnson’s 27-yard pick-six late in…