Bernier gets his shot with Crimson Tide in today’s game
MADISON- The Alabama-Tennessee game always draws a lot of fans and TV viewers but this year it holds even greater interest for football fans in Madison.
Mike Bernier, a 2016 graduate of Bob Jones, will do the punting for the #1 ranked Crimson Tide and the stakes could not be higher.
The last time a Bob Jones player started a game for Alabama was Reggie Ragland but this is different. One mistake by a punter and everyone in the stadium, all 102,000 mostly Tennessee fans, will be loud. And anyone who has been to a game at Neyland Stadium knows the stands are right on top of the field.
Bernier is a walkon at Alabama and has never appeared in a game. He waited behind JK Scott now with the Green Bay Packers. Then Alabama signed the nations #1 punter Skyler Delong. But Delong has struggled as a true freshman. He shanked a punt that went only 12 yards against Missouri.
Nothing sets Alabama Coach Nick Saban off like a shanked punt.
Saban has not publicly stated Bernier will do the punting but his comments on his coaches show led to speculation a change would be made.
Drew DeArmond, cohost of Talking Ball on local radio, is close to the Crimson Tide and thinks Bernier will get the call to do the punting in today’s game (CBS 2:30 pm).
“Coach Saban made comments on his coaches show that Delong is struggling and appears to have lost confidence. He is only averaging 35 yards a punt and he is even having problems with his drop. He had the punt against Missouri that only went 12 yards and he has had some bad punts in other games as well. Last time I saw Bernier he had a good scrimmage. That was before the season.”
At Bob Jones Bernier won the starting job as a sophomore in 2013. He was on the 2014 team that was the last Bob Jones team to win a playoff game and they won two.
Bob Jones head coach Kevin Rose will be watching Saturday.
“Mike did a great job as a punter for us and is a great person as well. We are excited to see him get an opportunity to be named the starter at punter for Alabama.”
One person who has talked to Bernier this week is his former teammate at Bob Jones who was also his long snapper, Dylan Haraway, who is currently Defensive Analyst on staff at Samford University.
“My junior and senior year I snapped to Mike and he would bomb it away. I remember against Florence he dropped a punt at their 2-yard line and it helped turn the game our way,” Haraway said from Greenville, SC where Samford plays Furman Saturday.
“We grew up together and have been friends since the second grade. I texted him the other night after I found out and he seemed calm, collected, and ready to boom the ball. I am pumped for him to have this opportunity. It was a pleasure to play with Mike. I always knew he was special. College punt teams aim for 2 second operation from snap to kick. When I snapped to Mike he got it off in 1.8.
I can’t wait to see some highlights. We play at the same time Saturday so I’ll have to catch up after the game. The first thing I am going to do after I come down from the pressbox is check my phone to see how many times he downed Tennessee inside their 20!”
In August, Bernier’s mother lost a long battle with breast cancer. She certainly would be proud to see him take the field with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
