With fall camp ending today at Alabama it’s finally time for the players to shift their focus to Wisconsin.
Running back Kenyan Drake said he thinks the team will be ready for the season. He said practices won’t really change much going forward, and that having a specific game plan is the only notable change.
“You just focus on the specific opponent,” Drake said. “The intensity of the practices are still the same.”
Practices haven’t always been as intense for Drake. Occasionally injuries have slowed him down, but Drake said his hamstring feels fine now. Saban put Drake to the test in the last scrimmage.
“The defense did their best to tackle me,” Drake said. “Obviously I didn’t try to make it easy on them, but it was a scrimmage.”
Drake said he enjoyed being a full contact participant again.
“Actually getting taking down in a live situation I guess, kind of definitely reassured me especially when I was tackled on my legs,” Drake said.
Drake’s health is important for the Crimson Tide. He has an important role to play in the offense this year as Alabama plans to use him as a running back and as a wide receiver.
With Drake out wide at times that opens up opportunities for other running backs. Drake said freshman Damien Harris is progressing well.
“He’s definitely taken to the role very well of coming in and trying to earn playing time,” Drake said. “He’s a very powerful running back, very elusive, so [he can] catch the ball out of the backfield very well.”
Drake said he spends a lot of individual time working in developing his role as a receiver, but Drake is not the only Alabama player who is changing things up in preparation for the upcoming season.
Defensive lineman Jarran Reed said he wants to improve certain aspects of his game like his pass rushing. He also said he lost some weight during the off season, not unlike other Alabama players. Defensive lineman, Jonathan Allen, has actually put on weight, but Reed said his added weight helps the line.
“We trimmed enough weight down to go outside,” Reed said. “We are playing everywhere, and we are rotating in for each other so if he [Allen] has to go inside, he’s big enough to go inside.”
With the regular season looming it’s time for the team to shift its focus to Wisconsin. Reed said the defense still has plenty of preparation left to do for the opener.
“We took a peek, but you know, we still got some more looking to do,” Reed said.
