Passing Efficiency Credit to the Offense

University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron said Tuesday he does not pay attention to statistics when it comes to football. His passing efficiency at 196 and third best in the nation is great for him but a greater testament to his teammates, he said.

“I think that’s an example of how great my offensive line is and the wonderful job they’ve been doing giving me time,” the junior said. “I think it really reflects my receivers. It shows what kind of catches and how hard they’ve been working to get those kinds of stats.”

McCarron credited the design of various plays for the number of receivers who caught passes during last week’s game against the University of Arkansas. The quarterback said his ability to throw to a large number of receivers speaks to the talent of the receiving core and the chemistry the players have with each other.

“No knock to the receivers we had in the past, but to me, this is the best group of receivers we’ve had overall,” McCarron said. “We all are real close. We know what each other’s thinking. We know when someone’s having a bad day and what to say to them to pick them back up.”

McCarron said his ability to fake is one aspect of his game that has improved and given him the confidence needed to reach this level of efficiency. The quarterback said that even though he thinks his running fakes look the same, head coach Nick Saban was able to see the Razorback secondary and defense “suck up” from the sideline during two of McCarron’s fakes.

Kicking Game Improved

Place kicker Cade Foster said the new rule allowing an extra five yards for kickoffs has helped with the number of touchbacks he accrued this year, but he worked to improve his kicking ability during the off-season.

“I knew, regardless of the rule change, I was going to have to improve,” the junior said. “I’ve been working a lot with Coach Cochran and taking advantage of his expertise in the strength and conditioning area, as far as kicking goes. We’re required to spend some time up here [at the Mal Moore Building], but a lot of guys like to get extra time completely on our own, and I think that’s what separates the great guys from just being average.”

Foster said his work ethic during the off-season helped Saban have more trust in him after slip-ups last season. The kicker said Saban has seen what he can do in practice. Foster said he trusts Saban and knows he can make the kick if the coach puts him on the field.

He also said while the rule change has positively affected him, there are some drawbacks.

“I was pretty excited to hear about the rule change, but at the same time I was like, ‘man I’m not going to get as many tackles this year,’” Foster said with a laugh.