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A Pair of Alabama Football Defenders Named National Player of the Week: Roll Call

Your daily briefing on what's going on with Alabama Athletics, including full TV listings.
Joe Gaither|
Oct 18, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Tennessee Volunteers tight end Miles Kitselman (87) is taken down by Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Yhonzae Pierre (42) in the second quarter at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Tennessee Volunteers tight end Miles Kitselman (87) is taken down by Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Yhonzae Pierre (42) in the second quarter at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images
  1. Wednesday's Crimson Tide Schedule:
  2. Tuesday's Crimson Tide Results:
  3. SEC News:
  4. Did You Notice?
  5. Countdown to Crimson Tide's 2025 Basketball Season Opener:
  6. On This Day in Crimson Tide History:
  7. Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:
  8. We'll Leave You with This:
  9. Check us Out On:
  10. For More From Alabama Crimson Tide On SI

Alabama took down the Tennesse Volunteers in their annual rivalry game this past Saturday thanks to a monumental effort from the Crimson Tide defense. The defense generated nine points and stopped a two-point conversion to ensure the program stayed unbeaten in conference play and win its sixth game in a row.

Alabama sophomore Zabien Brown and redshirt sophomore Yhonzae Pierre stood out in the contest for the Crimson Tide and were honored by national award organizations as players of the week for their efforts against the Volunteers.

Brown was named the Bronko Nagurski Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America after allowing just 16 yards in the air on 57 coverage snaps, defending six targets. He tied for the team lead with seven tackles and made the highlight of the weekend with a 99-yard pick-six to close the first half.

Pierre was named the Chuck Bednarik Player of the Week by the Maxwell Football Club for his six tackle, three sack effort. Pierre's pressure resulted in an intentional grounding in the endzone penalty, leading to a safety and two points for the Crimson Tide on the scoreboard.

Here's the Roll Call for Wednesday, October 22, 2025:

Wednesday's Crimson Tide Schedule:

No Alabama athletics in action.

Tuesday's Crimson Tide Results:

No Alabama athletics in action on Tuesday.

SEC News:

Familiar Face Stays at the Top of This Week's Power Rankings

Did You Notice?

Alabama's 5-star Class of 2026 commit Xavier Griffin was named the Atlanta Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Month.

Crimson Tide Commits Post Eye-Popping Numbers

Class of 2027 4-star quarterback Trent Seaborn posted a video of the moment he told Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer he was committing to the Crimson Tide.

Alabama Earns Commitment from In-State Quarterback Prospect

Alabama's Cynthia Jemutai was named SEC Women's Freshman of the Week after her 18:55.4 second-place finish in the Crimson Classic. Jemutai was the fasted Alabama runner in the event and her honor made it three straight weeks the Crimson Tide has had a runner win an SEC award.

Countdown to Crimson Tide's 2025 Basketball Season Opener:

  • 12 days.

On This Day in Crimson Tide History:

October 22, 1988: In describing the action to a CBS audience, commentator Brent Musburger calls Derrick Thomas' performance the best defensive effort he had ever seen. In Alabama's 8-3 win over Penn State, Thomas registered three quarterback sacks, including one for a safety, batted down one pass, and was credited with eight quarterback hurries. – Bryant Museum

Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:

“Never give up. Reach down inside and you’ll find something left.”
Paul W. “Bear” Bryant

We'll Leave You with This:

Check us Out On:

For More From Alabama Crimson Tide On SI

Published
Joe Gaither
JOE GAITHER

Joe Gaither oversees videos and podcasts for Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral. He began his sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 he joined BamaCentral to cover a variety of Crimson Tide sports and recruiting, in addition to hosting the “Joe Gaither Show” podcast. His work has also appeared on the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt web sites.

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