Alabama analyst Dean Altobelli shouted so loud in celebration that his words could be heard through the metal door and cinder block walls that separated the visitors locker room from the awaiting media next door.
A few moments later, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban walked in as his wife, Terry, clapped from her seat in the back row and yelped, “Yay!”
Saban then sat down and tried to explain a win that few could have seen coming.
“So, do I really need to say anything?” Saban asked facetiously.
Yes and no. Because what can you say after what happened here, on the road, against an archrival in a series that has had more than its fair share of miraculous finishes? The Tide looked to be toast, down 24-20 with under a minute left to play, facing an impossible fourth-and-goal from Auburn‘s 31-yard line to save their season and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Then Jalen Milroe took the snap, danced around the pocket and surveyed the field. He waited … and waited … and waited some more, as the Tigers only rushed two defenders.
“I guess if you’re in this long enough,” Saban said, “sometimes it goes against you in the last play of the game, and sometimes you’re fortunate and it goes for you.”
Ten years ago, inside this same cramped makeshift media room, Saban walked through how a would-be game-winning field goal with one second left turned into a 100-plus-yard return and a walk-off win for Auburn. All this time later, he rattled off the mistakes that led to one of the most heartbreaking losses of his career: a blocked kick, a dead ball foul, getting the ball five times inside the opponent’s 25-yard line in the third and fourth quarters and not scoring a single point.
Call what Milroe and Alabama did luck — and Saban did, in part — but like the Kick-Six, there’s more to what happened here on Saturday night.
“I got to admit we had good fortune,” Saban said, “but it still comes down to ability to execute. Somebody had an opportunity to make a play, whether it was their punt returner or [Isaiah Bond] in the end zone and whoever was guarding him.
“So that’s why you play the game.”
Here’s how the play that led to Alabama’s unlikely 27-24 triumph came together:
Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold: I feel like that went all the way back to the summer. Coach Saban, before we started fall camp, he replayed the play [last season] where Tennessee scored on the kick and the play when LSU scored on the last play. So that was just going through our mind and being cognizant and just focusing and keying in on what we had to do. Honestly, we never lost faith. We prepared for moments like this.
Saban: Believe it or not, we actually practice that play every Friday when we do walk-through and we do special situations. We get in that formation [five receivers and no backs], and everybody runs down the field and runs varying routes in the end zone.
Arnold: Oftentimes when we do it in practice, we don’t want to get guys hurt. So, I mean, we don’t ever really try to make a play on the ball. We let him catch it. And that came into fruition.
Alabama defensive back Malachi Moore: It might’ve paid off.
Saban: You tell [Milroe] they’re only going to rush three guys and sometimes two. … He’s going to have plenty of time. He’s got to pick the guy that he thinks has got the best chance to catch it.
Moore: [Bond] has all the confidence in himself to make a play. He thinks he’s the best wide receiver on the field, and that’s how you should be.
Arnold: Milroe steps up in the pocket. Kool-Aid [McKinstry] is sitting right here. We were like, dang, this kind of reminds me of [two years ago].
Moore: I really didn’t want to watch the play at all. I just looked at our fans [for their reaction].
Arnold: Truth be told, before J-Mil threw the ball, I said a prayer. So in my head, I’m thinking we went to church before the games, so God give us a blessing. It’s kind of like games like this, you always know so much wrong is going to happen. They had a couple of dirty plays like hitting our punter and stuff didn’t go our way. The one with Jermaine [Burton] when I believe his foot was in bounds, and I feel like everybody saw that. So something had to go right.
Offensive lineman JC Latham: My guy gave me a bull rush right at me and then shortly after I got knocked off or something, so I was able to kind of just turn and see where [Milroe] was. He was all the way on the left side of the field and at that point I’m pretty much useless in that situation. I can try to run down the play, but I can’t really do too much. And yeah, so I just kind of saw it all on unfold. And, yeah, it was insane.
Milroe: I saw IB one-on-one. I was like, we going to score.
Saban: IB really kind of got himself in position where there was some room to throw it. He pushed inside, and the DB was inside of him — and then he came back out and Jalen threw it back out to him, and it was a great catch, a great throw.
Bond: I kind of set him up. I saw the ball. He was trailing, so I was sort of leaning into him and then faded — and then just made the play, as y’all saw.
Moore: Once I saw our fans cheering, I knew we did something good.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne: He caught it right? Please be in bounds.
Terry Saban (jokingly): I thought touchdown when it was in the air. I called that play.
Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson: I came in with Jalen and always knew he was a poised guy. That’s how you got to be playing the position he plays, and I’m just so happy for him.
Latham: I said it at media day: [Milroe is] one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He has to potentially be the best quarterback in the country, and he’s just overcome all adversity and done what he has to do. So that’s who he is. He got the chance to show it. I never doubted him for a second.
Milroe: It’s all about never giving up. That was the biggest thing throughout the game and with that play, it was just all about trust. … I’ll never forget this game ever in my life.
Bond: I ain’t going to lie, making that play meant a lot. That’s going to be a part of Alabama history.
Saban: I thought [Milroe] played great in the game. And his progress has transformed our team and our offense — because he is a point guard, and because he is involving everybody in the game. That’s the thing I think he had to learn this year. He’s now become extremely effective at the quarterback position.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze on the decision not to pressure Milroe: You can second-guess it. You’ve just got to play with vision. We’ve got nine guys back there. Just play with vision, make a play on the ball and knock it down. He felt like he was shoved off, but I couldn’t tell. You can pressure him, and then you’ve got one-on-ones, and they throw it up. You can do that if you want. I like the call. I think we just have to sit back there with vision and knock the ball down.
Auburn linebacker Jalen McLeod:D.J. [James] had a hell of a game. With corners, people just look at that one play. I told him, ‘Look D.J., I would take you again. If you throw that ball up one more time, I’d give you another chance. You had three PBUs [pass breakups] this game. I would take that risk again with you.’ He’s an NFL talent. Sometimes you live with stuff like that.
Auburn got the ball back with 26 seconds left, but an interception by Arnold sealed the win.
Arnold: They had the Kick-Six. I wanted the Pick-Six. But it’s all right.
Saban: I can’t tell you how proud I am of the guys and how good I feel about winning the game. But as a coach, you always look at things like, how did you play? Because we’re going to have to play at a higher level on a more consistent basis if we’re going to have success in the future. And that’s what you always evaluate. That’s the reality check that we all have to make.”
As Alabama loaded onto buses to go home to Tuscaloosa, Crimson Tide director of football operations Ellis Ponder puffed on a victory cigar. Next week, the Tide will play Georgia for the SEC championship.
But that was a matter for another day as members of the equipment staff gathered around a reporter who shot a video of the Milroe-to-Bond touchdown.
“Can I send this to myself?” one of the staffers said, taking the phone and texting it to himself.
But what should he call the video?
Saban was asked what the touchdown play was called, but he couldn’t give it up.
“If the play had a name,” he said. “I wouldn’t tell you what it was.”
But Bond later coughed it up.
“Gravedigger,” he said.
Milroe wasn’t sure about that.
“I don’t know what it’s called,” he said. “But I like it.”
Sean Allen is a contributing writer for fantasy hockey and betting at ESPN. He was the 2008 and 2009 FSWA Hockey Writer of the Year.
There are a lot of ingredients that go into the meat grinder when we are crafting up fantasy rankings.
Without getting into how the sausage is made too much, there’s a blend of weighted fantasy points per game averages, which are then modified by a model generated by historical comparables for each individual skater. For goaltenders, it’s even more complex with current and past team dynamics, combined with a manual crease share estimation also thrown into the mix.
But they’re never quite perfect. Some sausages don’t have the right spice blend, the proper fat ratio, or the right bind.
It’s even trickier when the meat is out of season; the offseason grind often produces sausages that are a little … undercooked.
The ESPN fantasy hockey rankings got an in-season update for the first time on Friday. The previous rankings were for preseason drafts.
Since then, some of the sausages have turned out surprisingly well, while others are still a bit raw. Certain players who were ranked far too low have been flipped, now seasoned and ready for the table, while others who were overhyped have fallen apart.
Linus Ullmark, G, Ottawa Senators(previously ranked 266; 54 last week): This applies to Ullmark and several other goaltenders. They are the toughest to project. Even now, Ullmark only has 0.6 fantasy points on the season. But what we are looking for above all else are positive team outcomes and workload. Ullmark has both of those going for him, so his season-long projection has come a long way since last spring.
Chris Kreider, LW, Anaheim Ducks(previously ranked 287; 114 last week): Five games into the season, in-season outcomes have already changed his fortunes. The energy the Ducks have shown — with Kreider in the heart of the attack, when he’s not ill — has been significant enough to suggest Kreider’s goal-scoring ways are making a return.
Shane Pinto, C, Ottawa Senators (previously ranked 248; 102 last week): Good things can happen when you shoot. Pinto fired 1.8 shots per game last season. He’s averaging 4.0 per game this season. No wonder he’s already taken down more than a third of his career-high goal total in just 10 games.
Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings(previously ranked 154; 18 last week): It certainly looks like Larkin finally has the talent around him to be the dominant fantasy force that’s been just under the surface for years. Only 10 other skaters have started with better per-game fantasy totals.
Jaden Schwartz, LW, Seattle Kraken(previously ranked 200; 126 last week): To be fair, it still feels tricky to pick which members of the Kraken will truly be the ones rising to the top by season’s end. But Schwartz certainly has the early reins as offensive leader, with four goals and eight points across nine games.
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Jaden Schwartz taps in the opener for the Kraken
Jaden Schwartz taps in the opener for the Kraken
Overcooked
Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Carolina Hurricanes(previously ranked 139; 438 last week): Just 0.3 fantasy points per game? Svechnikov can recover from this atrocious start, but he has some hills to climb to do so. And it will be too late for fantasy managers.
Steven Stamkos, C, Nashville Predators(previously ranked 101; 341 last week): It seems last season wasn’t an aberration, but simply the new normal. Stamkos is not a fantasy force on the Predators.
Matt Duchene, C, Dallas Stars(previously ranked 105; 303 last week): Having Duchene as depth is going to payoff for the Stars, but fantasy managers can’t afford to wait for his number to be called up the depth chart.
Drew Doughty, D, Los Angeles Kings(previously ranked 99; 235 last week): Without the power play, Doughty’s stat line is getting a bit thin for fantasy. As long as the Kings keep their five-forward advantage, Doughty is out of the mix.
Goalie notes
Here’s this week’s selection of goaltending snapshots, showing crease shares, fantasy production, and key notes where relevant.
Luukkonen might not have started on the weekend if Ellis hadn’t been hurt, so this crease is getting quite intriguing. And with Lyon ranked eighth among goaltenders for fantasy points, it’s worth paying attention to how the rotation shapes out now.
Success in a losing cause isn’t an easy task, but volume looks like it will keep Knight as a fantasy play going forward. Only four other goaltenders have more fantasy points so far, despite Knight sitting on just three wins.
Three consecutive outings with negative fantasy points shows the risks inherent with backups like Wedgewood. When things are good, it’s great, but when they are not, they really are not. Mackenzie Blackwood is due back soon. He should be rostered in every league, but is available in about a quarter of them.
Back at practice, Joseph Woll should be in game action sooner than later, relieving the pressure on Stolarz and hopefully getting both of them back to roster-worthy, as they managed to stay all last season.
Kevin Lankinen (crease share season/week: 40.3%/49.5%, fantasy points season/week: -5.6/-9.8, 96.3% available)
Right now, it’s roughly a 60-40 split. The Lankinen contract gave us pause about a potential tandem during the offseason, but Demko is establishing clear separation. Good news for managers invested in Demko: volume is all he needs to climb from middling to near the top of fantasy goaltenders.
Jason Zucker, LW, Buffalo Sabres (available in 88.0%)
If you need a specific boost in power-play points in a medium or deep fantasy league, surnames starting with Z might be the way to go. Zacha and Zucker don’t offer a lot at 5-on-5, but are both key cogs of their respective power-play units.
Zayne Parekh, D, Calgary Flames (available in 94.6%): Tuesday’s tilt is a big one for Parekh. The Flames have been rolling him into the quarterback role across the past few games and it’s a homecoming for him. But most importantly, it’s his ninth game, which is the last one the Flames get before he loses eligibility to go back to the OHL.
Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Colorado Avalanche (available in 56.1%): Elevated to the top unit over Brock Nelson, the results are starting to come in after a slow start for Nichushkin. If the second line ever gets going at even strength, he’ll become a must-have, but he fits fantasy rosters as a power-play specialist already.
David Tomasek, RW, Edmonton Oilers (available in 99.7%): It’s been nine games and the Oilers aren’t moving off Tomasek as the fifth forward on what could be one of the best power plays in the league. At some point, Connor McDavid will start scoring more, and some of that action will come on the power play. It’s worth considering Tomasek as a bench stash.
Ivan Demidov, RW, Montreal Canadiens (available in 49.7%): The Habs have switched to Demidov over Zach Bolduc on the top unit, which elevates Demidov’s potential significantly. We just need him to start shooting more.
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Ivan Demidov scores goal for Canadiens
Ivan Demidov nets goal for Canadiens
Brady Skjei, D, Nashville Predators (available in 44.4%): Someone has to fill in for an injured Roman Josi. That doesn’t mean you want Skjei on your fantasy team, but it’s at least worth noting. The unit did pick up a goal with Skjei at the helm already.
Trevor Zegras, C, Philadelphia Flyers (available in 45.8%): Zegras has been on the ice for all four of the Flyers power-play goals so far this season. He’s currently on what might be the second unit on paper, but is the first unit in practice, with three goals across the past three games.
Anthony Mantha, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins (available in 90.3%): The early answer to who replaces Rickard Rakell on the Pens top unit, Mantha has some potential with this added assignment. His 5-on-5 line with Evgeni Malkin and Justin Brazeau is on fire. Admittedly, they’ll cool off at some point, but they are hot now. Add in some looks with Sidney Crosby on the advantage, and we could have some fantasy value for the medium-term.
Shea Theodore, D, Vegas Golden Knights (available in 28.8%): So, either the Knights are in a serious funk on the advantage, or Mark Stone is absolutely critical to the attack. The top unit with Stone as part of a five-forward group had eight goals across 22:04 with 4.71 shot attempts per two minutes. With Theodore on the point and Stone injured, the group has no goals and 0.66 shot attempts per two minutes across 6:06.
The Utah Mammoth have signed center Logan Cooley to an eight-year, $80 million contract extension, locking in one of their brightest young stars for the long term.
Cooley, 21, leads the Mammoth in goals (8) and is tied for second in points (12) in 11 games, helping to power the second-year team to first place in the Central Division (8-3-0). He is on a four-game point streak with six goals and three assists, including a goal in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers that snapped the Mammoth’s seven-game winning streak.
He became the first player in NHL history to score each of his first eight goals of the season in the first period.
“Choosing to play with this group of teammates was the easiest part of this decision, and living in Utah has been amazing since day one,” Cooley said in a statement. “The atmosphere at the Delta Center in front of our fans is unreal and Ryan and Ashley Smith have given our team every resource to succeed, which is all you can ask for as a player. We have an opportunity to do something special here thanks to the incredible people in the organization. This is an awesome day for me and my family, and I am proud to commit to the state of Utah and to the Mammoth.”
Cooley is playing out the final year of his entry-level deal before the extension kicks in starting with the 2026-27 season, when he would have been a restricted free agent. His $10 million average annual value would be the highest among current Mammoth players next season.
He had 25 goals and 40 assists last season for the Utah Hockey Club. Overall, Cooley has 53 goals and 68 assists in 168 NHL games with Utah and Arizona, which drafted him third overall in 2022.
“Logan is elite in every sense of the word,” Mammoth governor Ryan Smith said in a statement. “He’s one of the most exciting young players in the league, and the fact that he’s chosen to plant roots here in Utah says everything about what we’re building. He is part of an incredible core of young players that will have a major impact on the future of this franchise. Logan choosing to put his roots down here and commit for the long-term is another important milestone in building a championship-caliber team.”
Cooley is the second major signing for general manager Bill Armstrong within Utah’s young core. Forward Dylan Guenther, 22, inked an eight-year deal with an average annual value of over $7.1 million in September 2024, locking him in through 2032-33. Forward JJ Peterka, 23, was signed through 2030 ($7.7 million AAV) after Armstrong acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason.
Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
LOS ANGELES — It was a swing that could turn the World Series.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got a hanging sweeper from all-world pitcher/hitter Shohei Ohtani in the third inning of Game 4 of the World Series — and blasted it into the night sky just moments after the Los Angeles Dodgers had taken a 1-0 lead.
It was a critical swing for the Blue Jays mere hours after they lost a heartbreaking, 18-inning affair, putting Toronto behind in the series for the first time — and Guerrero’s homer gave the Jays a Game 4 lead they would never relinquish.
It was the latest in an October full of big moments produced by the face of his franchise, and the fact that it came against the Dodgers’ two-way phenom adds to an evolving storyline: Ohtani isn’t the only superstar in this World Series.
“That swing was huge,” manager John Schneider said after the win that tied the series at two games apiece. “A sweeper is a pitch designed to generate popups…and the swing that Vlad put on it was elite. After last night [Game 3] and kind of all the recognition that went into Shohei individually and he’s on the mound today, it’s a huge swing from Vlad. It’s a huge swing to get us going. I think that gives [us] some momentum.”
Guerrero has been giving the Blue Jays momentum all month, hitting .419 with seven home runs this postseason. But don’t just label him a free-swinging slugger. Though that description might fit his famous dad, the younger Guerrero is much, much more — and his teammates have taken notice throughout the postseason ride.
‘Grabbing some popcorn and watching him do his thing’
Max Scherzer is a future Hall of Famer pitching in the World Series for a fourth different franchise, and even the 41-year-old right-hander is impressed by what he has seen from Guerrero on a nightly basis.
“He’s just locked and loaded,” Scherzer said. “He’s such a force. To me, his greatness is beyond his offense. It’s his defense and baserunning too. He’s an all-around great player.”
But nothing else Guerrero has done this season compares to the show he has put on with the bat in his hands. Even his hitting coach, David Popkins, often finds himself watching his star like a fan would.
“It’s pretty much enjoying the show, grabbing some popcorn and watching him do his thing,” Popkins said with a laugh. “He’s ahead of every adjustment before we can get to him. I learn from him every day.
“And when those things click, it’s on like Donkey Kong.”
It’s a common theme from those playing with him this October.
Closer Jeff Hoffman said he is “on the edge of his seat” every night, waiting for Guerrero to do something special. Sometimes it comes with a big home run to left field and other times it’s just shooting the ball the other way for a single, as he also did in Game 4. Guerrero is the embodiment of spraying to all fields.
“It’s a quality at-bat every time,” third baseman Ernie Clement said. “It doesn’t have to be a homer. He is battling up there and seeing pitches and just making it really, really hard on the opposing pitchers.
“This postseason as a whole is just the most amazing baseball I’ve ever seen from him. And that’s saying something because he hit like .400 in the second half last year. This is the best version of him.”
‘Helping my team win some games’
On the heels of signing a massive $500 million contract that will keep him with the Blue Jays through the 2039 season, many of Guerrero’s teammates point to the extra pressure on their superstar’s shoulders to deliver this month — but he just keeps on living up to the expectations.
He hit .529 in the division series, .385 in the ALCS and is hitting .368 in the World Series so far. Guerrero was asked what has impressed him most about his own play after his Game 4 home run against Ohtani.
“That I am helping my team win some games,” he responded through the team interpreter. “That’s what I’m impressed with right now.”
The effects of his play were echoed throughout the locker room after the latest in a month of heroics.
“He never settles,” Popkins said. “He’s really grounded in who he is as a hitter and what his foundational beliefs are based off how he was raised. He’s special in that manner.”
‘I’d probably pitch around him’
Another regular spectator for “The Guerrero Show,” Jays reliever Eric Lauer, was asked how he would pitch to Guerrero. He paused before answering, shaking his head as he thought about it.
“I’d probably pitch around him,” Lauer said with a laugh. “His bat path is so smooth and long, I feel like he can get to anything.
“Whenever he comes up, we’re just like ‘Hang a slider or a curveball. Hang something. Or throw a fastball down the middle and see how far that goes.'”
“The cool thing about Valddy is he’s not a home-run-or-bust kind of hitter,” Hoffman added.
Even Guerrero could take a moment to appreciate his home run off the best player in the game. It came one night after Ohtani stole all the headlines, reaching base a record nine times in Game 3. The Dodgers star was denied a second straight night of glory, thanks to the second-best player on the field. On Tuesday, it was Guerrero who stole the show, giving his underdog Jays a chance to upset the defending champions.
“It was very important for me to hit that home run, and from that point on, we got going,” Guerrero said. “And I know basically myself and him [Ohtani], we are the talk of the series, but when we are between those two lines, we’re competing.
“It felt good that I could hit that homer against him.”