They say competition brings the out the best in someone.
That rang true among the Alabama wide receiving corps in Saturday’s scrimmage. With uncertainty about the starting lineup at that position, Marquis Maze, Darius Hanks and DeAndrew White all stepped up with big scrimmage numbers.
Hanks led the way with six catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns, White had five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown and Maze had five catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns.
“Hanks had a good day today,” head coach Nick Saban said. “A guy that has made some plays in practice and made a significant improvement is DeAndrew White. He’s got a lot of ability. He’s got a lot of speed, and he’s starting to get more comfortable with what he’s supposed to do.”
Quarterback A.J. McCarron threw for four touchdowns and no interceptions Saturday, but completed less than 50 percent of his passes (19-of-40). Phillip Sims was 19-of-34 for 232 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was in a black jersey because of a badly sprained thumb. Other defensive backs, including second-team All-American safety Mark Barron, have been battling injuries this spring.
“It’s kind of hard to evaluate sometimes when you have so many guys in the secondary with black shirts on, what the tackling is like on the perimeter,” Saban said. “You just have to evaluate if they are in position to make plays.”
Saban did say Saturday that the cornerback position is a three-man rotation for the starting positions, and that DeQuan Menzie deserves to start.
Here’s the rest of the scrimmage stats:
PASSING LEADERS
A.J. McCarron – 19 for 40, 255 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Phillip Sims – 19 for 34, 232 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
RUSHING LEADERS
Trent Richardson – 13 rush, 44 yards
Dee Hart – 13 rush, 41 yards
Jalston Fowler – 10 rush, 23 yards, 2 TD
Eddie Lacy – 8 rush, 22 yards, 1 TD
RECEIVING LEADERS
Darius Hanks – 6 rec., 131 yards, 3 TD
Trent Richardson – 6 rec., 87 yards
DeAndrew White – 5 rec. 85 yards, 1 TD
Marquis Maze – 5 rec., 73 yards, 2 TD
Brian Vogler – 4 rec., 36 yards
Corey Grant – 2 rec., 34 yards
Harrison Jones – 2 rec., 22 yards
Brad Smelley – 2 rec., 21 yards
Michael Williams – 3 rec., 17 yards
FIELD GOALS
Cade Foster – Made: 50, 30; Missed: 48, 58
Jeremy Shelley – Made: 43, 25; Missed: 30
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Dont’a Hightower – 10 total, 3 TFL, 1 sack
Courtney Upshaw – 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
C.J. Mosley – 7 tackles, 2 PBU
Robert Lester – 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
Mark Barron – 4 total, 1 PBU, 1 sack
DeQuan Menzie – 4 tackles, 1 PBU
Trey DePriest – 4 total, 2 TFL
Ed Stinson – 4 tackles, 1 TFL
Dee Milliner – 4 tackles
Quinton Dial – 4 tackles, 1 sack
