THE SCOOP
Geno Smith, an Alabama sophomore who was an AJC Super 11 cornerback at St. Pius X in Atlanta, was charged with driving under the influence and booked by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office early Sunday morning, according to multiple websites including AL.com.
Sunday morning, Smith was listed as an inmate at Tuscaloosa County Jail, according to the website. Bond had been set at $1,ooo.
“This is obviously not the kind of behavior we expect from our players,” coach Nick Saban said in a news release from the university. “I don’t have all of the details at this point and will handle it appropriately once I’ve had a chance to review the information.”
Smith was a regular contributor during his freshman season, playing significant minutes in the SEC championship and NCAA championship games. In 13 games, he had nine tackles.
He is the first Crimson Tide player arrested since four players were charged with second-degree robbery and other charges in February. They were dismissed from the team.
QUOTABLE
—"I watch (Georgia) all the time. That's still my team. I grew up watching them. That's why I wanted to go there. I know those guys. They came while I was still there. They're my close friends and I wish them the best, and I think they're doing very good. I hope they win the national championship this year." — Former UGA running back Isaiah Crowell of Alabama State on former teammates Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. Crowell was dismissed from Georgia in June 2012 after an arrest on weapons charges that were dismissed in April 2013.
—"We acted like we didn't even try to block (Jadeveon) Clowney today. I don't think any time was he blocked. We acted like we were afraid to block him. Hopefully he's that good." — Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier about the team's Saturday scrimmage.
SCRIMMAGE UPDATES
—Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron led the offense with 152 yards passing and a touchdown as the Crimson Tide held a Saturday scrimmage of about 140 plays. Junior Christion Jones led the Tide receivers with 37 yards on four catches and sophomore Dee Hart paced the rushing attack with 42 yards on seven carries. T.J. Yeldon, the expected starter at tailback, gained 37 yards on five carries.
—LSU coach Les Miles was thrilled with Saturday's 125-play scrimmage, the second preseason scrum for the Tigers, and although all but about 25 plays were not live tackling, liked the play of quarterback Zach Mettenberger and the rushing attack that gained 200 yards. The Tigers have their final two-a-day practices today. Mettenberger completed 18 of 25 passes with no interceptions and threw two touchdowns. Backup Anthony Jennings of Marietta also threw for two touchdowns. "(Zach) is getting so many reps throwing the football. His accuracy is so much better. His instincts are sound," Miles said.
—South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw was only 2 of 6 for 25 yards in Saturday's 65-play scrimmage because of a bruised thumb. "Our pass protection wasn't very good when he was in there," coach Steve Spurrier said. "Our pass protection stinks right now. We can't hardly get a ball off, so we have some work to do."
About the Author
