Alabama held its second scrimmage of the fall in rainy conditions on Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium, taking a brief break to let some lightning pass, but otherwise getting a full workload in.
Head Coach Nick Saban said that the rain provided an opportunity for his team to overcome adversity, something a Navy SEAL had spoken to his team about the night before.
“That was maybe not exactly what we ordered for the scrimmage, but there’s some great lessons to be learned,” he said. “I didn’t see any reason to stop, get in the bus, go indoors and practice inside for the rest of the practice.”
According to Saban, there were a few injuries in the scrimmage, though none were caused by the wet conditions – “I didn’t see anyone trip over a raindrop,” he quipped afterwards. Freshman Amari Cooper, who is expected to be in the rotation at wide receiver, is dealing with a foot injury and will be day-to-day. Running back Eddie Lacy sprained his ankle and knee, and will be “a little bit slow next week.” And backup center Ryan Kelly also sprained his ankle, but will be “ready to go” next week.
Saban was once again pleased with the play of the first-teamers, but is still searching for depth on such a young team.
“Every opportunity [the young players] get, more and more realize what they have to do to be successful,” he said.
On offense, AJ McCarron completed 12 of 23 attempted passes for 242 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, throwing a slippery ball. The backup quarterbacks, for whom stats were not released, “have a ways to go,” according to Saban.
“We had several interceptions today that, a couple of them were ill-advised throws, especially in situations we were in at the time they got thrown,” he said. “I think that’s going to be what they have to learn. It’s important we continue to develop someone who can take care of the ball and execute at the position, play smart, and understand you’ve got to take what the defense gives. I always tell them, every series needs to end with a kick. Either an extra point, a field goal or a punt. But certainly not a turnover that gives the other team a tremendous advantage.”
Redshirt freshman Marvin Shinn led all receivers with 85 yards and a touchdown on two receptions. Kevin Norwood, who Saban praised for making some “big plays and great catches,” followed with three catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
With Lacy limited by injuries, true freshman T.J. Yeldon led all rushers with 60 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. Fellow freshman Kenyan Drake ran for 37 yards on 10 carries.
Defensive back continues to be a point of concern for Saban and his staff with the departure of cornerback Travell Dixon and a season-ending injury to safety Jarrick Williams, who Saban said would have played the “money” position had he been healthy. The Tide has been forced to give more looks to freshman like Geno Smith and Landon Collins, both of whom possess four- and five-star talent, but lack experience in the Tide’s complicated defensive scheme.
“We’re going to need those young players to come along and play because that’s the depth at that position,” Saban said of the secondary. “When we play five and six defensive backs, they need to understand what to do to go out there and play and do the things they need to do. They’ll improve. We’ve had to play freshmen around here before, and I think we have some really good freshmen in this class. It depends on how quickly they develop.”
Elsewhere on defense, junior linebacker C.J. Mosley led the way, notching six tackles, a sack and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Damion Square and Xzavier Dickson each recorded four tackles and a sack, while Nico Johnson and Vinnie Sunseri had five tackles apiece.
Alabama has the next two days off before returning to the practice field on Tuesday, where it will begin its normal in-season, Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday practice schedule.
