The Alabama football team held its penultimate practice of the spring on Thursday. As is the standard operating procedure under Nick Saban, the team worked in shorts and helmets during the final practice before a game.

Here's what you need to know:

There will be several guys held out of A-Day due to some lingering issues, though none are considering to be serious.

Michael Bowman has a strained stomach muscle that has caused him to miss the last three practices, and it will hold him out Saturday. He got some game experience in 2009, so it isn't quite as cruical for him as for some of the other younger players. Having said that, this would have been a big opportunity for him to make a jump into the rotation.

Milton Talbert has been held out of contact for the entirety of the spring with a shoulder issue, and he'll miss Saturday, as well. It would not shock me to see him placed on a medical hardship scholarship is the shoulder does not improve before summer workouts begin.

Earl Alexander is considered questionable with an abdominal strain, which isn't really a shock. Earl has had constant health issues over the last two seasons, and seems to have the misfortune of being hurt just enough to miss games without ever having a serious injury.

Early enrollee Chad Lindsay is questionable with a knee sprain. He's likely headed for a redshirt, given the fact that he's #3 or #4 at the center position, but this would have been a nice opportunity for him to get a chance to play in front of a large crowd.

Reserve offensive lineman Taylor Pharr has a concussion and might miss action on Saturday. While he wasn't likely to play with either the first or second unit on the offensive line, he might now miss the opportunity to punt in front of a crowd. That's kind of a shame really, because I wanted to see the big fella get into on.

William Vlachos has been out all spring after having off-season foot surgery, so he will obviously not participate on Saturday.

Walk-on offensive lineman Russell Raines will also miss his chance to see action in front of a crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium with an undisclosed injury.

Otherwise, Bama is pretty healthy. While that is a somewhat lengthy list of guys that will miss, there are not any serious injuries that are threatening anyone expected to play with the first two units - excepting starting center Vlachos, but his injury has been fixed and he is good to go for the fall.

There's not much to report from today's work, as this was similar to a walk-through type of practice that we usually see on Fridays in the fall. That should set things up nicely for a big crowd to see all of the big names go head to head on Saturday.

Coach Saban announced that we'll get to see the first team offense go against the first team defense on Saturday. The first unit offense will make up the Crimson team with the second unit defense, while the first unit defense will play for the White squad with the second unit offense. Coach Saban mentioned the exact disclaimer that I gave you on Tuesday, though - some guys will play for the first unit that are actually on the second unit (and vice versa) for organizational purposes.

Coach Saban did make it a point to go and see the women's gymnastics team as they prepare to head to Gainesville for the NCAA Championships. Coach Saban spoke to the ladies last year, as well, and had this gem to offer to the media following his 2010 meeting. "They always get my best speech because they're so much better looking than the guys I talk to all the time it's not even funny."

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel has enacted three new rules for the 2010 season.

1) Wedges of more than two players will no longer be allowed on kickoffs. Any player who is running within a yard of another player is considered to be in a wedge formation. In the past teams have created three and four man wedges to creates blocking walls for return men. In response, coverage teams have created "wedge busters" whose sole job is bust up those formations, and that has led to injuries. This will be a live ball penalty that will work the same way as a clipping or holding penalty.

2) Eye black can no longer contain symbols or messages. While some people see this as a shot at Tim Tebow, who played with bible verses on his eye black, this is an attempt to curtail the growing trend of players putting messages of a different type on their face. There has been a growing concern about taunting messages, hate messages, and even gang symbols being placed on the eye black, and this is a rule that simply eliminates that as a possibility. Sadly, it also eliminates us seeing things like pictures of LSU defenders laying on the ground after Bama has scored a touchdown, their eye black clearly visible with the phrase "Numer One Defense" across the bridge of their nose. Obviously it's funny to see a guy wear that and give up a touchdown... but it's much funnier when you realize that I didn't commit a typo there. They spelled the word "number" without the "b". Yikes

3) If a player begins taunting prior to entering the end zone, it will now be a live ball penalty. That means that the penalty will be enforced from the spot of the foul, which will wipe the touchdown off of the board.

This has been the only one of the three rules changes to get any negative feedback, which I understand. I'm not wild about the idea of creating more subjective calls for the officials. Instances like the LSU-Georgia game last year are prime examples of how wrongfully called celebration penalties can have an impact on the outcome of games.

But I am actually okay with this rule. Don't get me wrong, I am all in favor of letting the guys have fun on the football field. But when did taunting become fun? If you can't wait until you've crossed the goal line to begin whatever celebration you are going to begin, then you deserve to have the touchdown wiped away. Before anyone jumps up and down and points to things like Marcell Dareus getting a penalty in the BCS Championship Game, and whining about that play coming back... stop.... that play would have resulted in a Bama touchdown because Marcell began his celebration after he crossed the goal line. Had he begun high-stepping, or pointing back at the Texas offense, at the five yard line, then the touchdown would have come off of the board.

There is a difference between celebrating and taunting, and this rule is designed to eliminate taunting. Will it be perfect? Of course not. But if it keeps things from escalating to a point where there are post-game fights (see Oregon vs. Boise State), then that's a good thing. There is simply no place in collegiate athletics for taunting.

With that said, Bama will conclude the 2010 spring practice with its annual A-Day Game on Saturday. The game will begin at 2:00 central time in front of a large crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and a live television audience on ESPN. The game will also be be broadcast by the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Eli Gold, Phil Savage, Barry Krauss, and Tom Roberts.

Here are the rosters for the game:

CRIMSON - Coaches: Jim McElwain, Burton Burns, Bo Davis, Jeremy Pruitt

2 Tana Patrick - LB
4 Marquis Maze - WR
8 Julio Jones - WR
9 Phelon Jones - DB
10 John Fulton - DB
10 J.B. Kern - LB
12 Greg McElroy - QB
14 Andrew Davidson - DB
14 Phillip Sims - QB
15 Darius Hanks - WR
15 Mark Holt - DB
17 Tyler Maddox - DB
18 Rod Woodson - DB
19 Jonathan Atchison - LB
22 Mark Ingram - RB
24 Nathan McAlister - WR
26 Nick Tinker - RB
28 DeMarcus Milliner - DB
31 Kelly Johnson - DS
31 John Baites - TE
32 David Blalock - DL
34 Jeramie Griffin - RB
34 Hunter Bush - DB
35 Nico Johnson - LB
37 Hardie Buck - WR
38 Levi Cook - DB
40 DeMarcus DuBose - LB
42 Eddie Lacy - RB
45 Kolby Taylor - PK
45 Jalston Fowler - LB
46 Wesley Neighbors - DB
47 Ed Stinson - LB
48 Rowdy Harrell - LB
49 Ranzell Watkins - DB
50 Andrew Schieffer - LB
51 Michael DeJohn - LB
53 Anthony Orr - DL
54 Glenn Harbin - LB
55 Chavis Williams - LB
60 David Williams - OL
63 Kellen Williams - OL
64 Kerry Murphy - DL
65 Chance Warmack - OL
68 Taylor Pharr - OL
69 Spencer Whitfield - DS
73 William Vlachos - OL
74 David Ross - OL
75 Barrett Jones - OL
76 D.J. Fluker - OL
77 James Carpenter - OL
81 Kendall Kelly - WR/DB
82 Earl Alexander - WR
85 Preston Dial - TE
89 Michael Williams - TE
90 Jeremy Shelley - PK
90 Milton Talbert - LB
92 Damion Square - DL
92 Jason Walter - P
93 Chris Bonds - DL
93 Jay Benson - P
94 Darrington Sentimore - DL
94 Parker Stinnett - PK
95 Brandon Lewis - DL
95 Colin Gallagher - PK
97 Brandon Moore - DL
97 Sam Buckingham - P

WHITE - Coaches: Kirby Smart, Sal Sunseri, Curt Cignetti, Joe Pendry, Bobby Williams

1 B.J. Scott - DB
2 Star Jackson - QB
3 Trent Richardson - RB
4 Mark Barron - DB
5 Jerrell Harris - LB
6 Demetrius Goode - RB
7 Kenny Bell - WR
9 Nick Williams - WR
10 A.J. McCarron - QB
11 Brandon Gibson - WR
13 Rob Ezell - WR
16 Michael Adams - WR
17 Brad Smelley - TE
18 Morgan Ogilvie - QB
19 Roland James - WR
20 Nate Carlson - TE
21 Ben Howell - RB
21 Dre Kirkpatrick - DB
23 Robby Green - DB
23 Craig Dee - RB
29 Will Lowery - DB
30 Dont'a Hightower - LB
33 Mike Marrow - TE
36 Chris Jordan - LB
37 Robert Lester - DB
38 Petey Smith - LB
39 Kyle Pennington - DB
41 Courtney Upshaw - LB
43 Cade Foster - PK
43 Taylor Conant - WR
46 William Strickland - WR
47 Logan Thomas - WR
51 Carson Tinker - DS
52 Alfred McCullough - OL
54 Russell Raines - OL
56 William Ming - DL
57 Marcell Dareus - DL
57 Aaron Joiner - OL
58 Nick Gentry - DL
61 Anthony Steen - OL
66 Brian Motley - OL
67 John Michael Boswell - OL
71 Allen Skelton - OL
72 Tyler Love - OL
78 Chad Lindsay - OL
79 Austin Shepherd - OL
83 Kevin Norwood - WR
86 Undra Billingsley - DL
87 Drew Bullard - LB
87 Chris Underwood - TE
88 Michael Bowman - WR
91 Alex Watkins - LB
94 Zach Goehler - P
96 Luther Davis - DL
99 Josh Chapman - DL

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