gameday 04.16.11
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The Crimson White, GamedayTRANSCRIPT
AMEDAYG2 p.m. April 16, 2011 A-Day TV: ESPNU
PRIMED &PREPAREDAlabama’s secondary endured some growing pains last season. This year could be a diff erent story.
A-DAY EDITION
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GAMEDAY STAFF• Jason Galloway, GameDay editor• Tony Tsoukalas, assistant GameDay editor• Victor Luckerson, editor-in-chief• Jonathan Reed, managing editor• Brandee Easter, print-production editor• Emily Johnson, design editor• Adam Greene, chief copy editor
Secondary a primaryAfter struggling in 2010, the secondary returns as the most experianced part of the defense Page 12
INSIDE GameDay|
4 | RICHARDSON READY TO CARRY THE LOADWith the departure of
Mark Ingram, the Tide will turn to Trent Richardson
to take over at running back
By Laura Owens
CW | Jerrod Seaton
GAME INFO
SATURDAY, APRIL 16
Cover photo: CW | John Michael Simpson
• Field: Bryant-Denny Stadium• Location: Tuscaloosa• Time: 2 p.m.• TV: ESPNU
7 | PITTING FOR POSITIONS
Check out this Spring’s most touted
position battles. By Tony Tsoukalas
20 | NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
GameDay previews the new faces in different
places for the Tide By Tony Tsoukalas
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JASON GALLOWAYGameDay Editor
LAURA OWENSAsst. GameDay Editor
POLL OF THE WEEK
2010 GameDay Picks WinnersJohn McWilliams — 200/247 (80.97%)
Alex Austin — 197/247 (79.76%)
Nathan Gilbert — 194/247 (78.54%)
194/247 (78.54%)
172/274 (69.64%)
—
—
Check back next year, and visitgameday.ua.edu.
to play in The Crimson White’s college football pick ’em league. Weekly lead-ers will get their names published in
the 2011 edition of GameDay.
> 1> 2> 3
Phillip Sims (36%)Dee Hart (23%)AJ McCarron (18%)Jesse Williams (14%)DeAndrew White (9%)
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For the past two years, the dynamic running back duo of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson has dominated the Alabama backfield. With Ingram leaving early for the NFL draft, the running game will fall more on Richardson’s shoulders. “I think his role is going to be more significant now that he’s sort of the back for us,” head coach Nick Saban said.
BY LAURA OWENSSENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
Hitting the ground running
5G
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“He’s always ready to come in a work because that’s just the type of guy he is,” Fluker said. “He has that go-go attitude. He’s been progressing pretty good.” Fluker said it’s been good to see such energy coming from Richardson this spring. “With Trent, he’s a smart char-acter,” he said. “He comes in and works hard. He’s just showing us that he’s dedicated to the team.” Richardson said the other running backs are also working hard to make up for the loss of Ingram. He said Eddie Lacy in particular have stepped up. “Eddie brings so much to the table because Eddie can do a lot of stuff,” Richardson said. “He’s trying to get his speed up. He’s got some speed, too. We call him ‘Feet’ because he’s got quick feet. He can catch the ball, too. “They’re going to help me out in the long run, especially with the offensive linemen, when you’ve got two running backs, maybe three this year that can do a lot of stuff, that’s going to help us out a lot this year. It’ll probably be a lot like what me and Mark had.” Richardson’s leadership will become even more important this season as he helps the other run-ning backs develop around him. “I think a lot of players respect
him,” Saban said. “He’s always been a part of the peer group leadership program. He’s been a leader on the field by the way he competes, the kind of person he is, the way he practices every day. He’s a really good person, so I think he always affects the people around him in a positive way.”
Richardson said he passes the Heisman Trophy Ingram won in 2009 every day on his way to practice and that it’s weird to see something that football players dream about right next to him. But as far as looking for his own Heisman, he said that’s not his focus.
CW | John Michael Simpson
Trent Richardson dives over the top of Tennessee defenders during Ala-bama’s 41-10 win over the Volunteers on Oct. 23 at Neyland stadium. Rich-ardson will look to take over as the Tide’s primary running back this Fall with the departure of Mark Ingram.
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QUARTERBACKQUARTERBACK
POSITION BATTLESAJ McCarron
Many are penciling in McCarron to be the favorite in this battle. The 6-4 190-pound quarterback has been labeled by some as a gun-slinger, and he possesses a rocket arm. Questions have been raised about whether McCarron will be able to handle in-game decisions. If McCarron can develop into an established signal caller, his future with the Tide will be bright.
Darius Hanks
Pending a surprising decision by the Alabama coaching staff, Marquis Maze will be the Tide’s pri-mary reciever, but Hanks could fac-tor in as the Tides second option. The six-foot, 185 pound reciever hauled in 32 catches for 456 yards last season. Hanks is thought to be the favorite, as he was the Tide’s third reciever last year behind Julio Jones and Maze.
Alfred McCullough
McCullough did a good job filling in for an injured D.J. Fluker at right tackle last season. Despite not hav-ing quite the potential as Douglas, McCullough’s experience with the Tide might prove to be an edge for him. This will be one of the most important battles of the Spring. The Tide needs McCullough to come through big to open up holes for its running backs.
Phillip Sims
Don’t count Sims out of this battle. The 6-2 217-pound former four-star prospect was rated the No.1 over-all quarterback in the 2010 signing class by ESPN. While most give the edge on arm strength to McCarron, Sims is no light-weight when it comes to how he throws the ball. Look for Sims to make this a battle and challange McCarron for the starting role.
DeAndrew White
White was redshirted last season, but upon signing with the Tide in 2010 created a lot of buzz. the 5-11 175-pound reviever is an absolute burner. White finished second in the 200-meter dash in high school in the state of Texas during his senior year of high school. Look for White to headline a group of tal-ented recievers competing against Darius Hanks for the the No. 2 role.
Aaron Douglas
Since deciding to join the Tide from Arizona Western junior col-lege, Douglas has generated much excitement. The former Tennessee Volunteer was a Freshman All-SEC selection before leaving UT. Douglas has shown in the past that he can succeed at a high level. He will need to prove that he can repeat his per-formance during the spring to earn the nod for starting left tackle.
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Top 10 2010 spring game attendance
2. Nebraska – 77,936
3. Ohio State – 65,223
4. Auburn – 63,217
5. Penn State – 55,000
6. Florida – 51,500
7. Florida State – 51,000
8. Texas – 44,000
9. Virginia Tech – 41,000
10. Georgia – 38,472
No. 1 ALABAMA - 91,312
Tide quarterback Tide quarterback AJ McCarron AJ McCarron
throws the ball in throws the ball in front of a packed front of a packed house in Bryant-house in Bryant-
Denny Stadium at Denny Stadium at last year’s A-Day last year’s A-Day
game.game.
CW | Jerrod SeatonCW | Jerrod Seaton
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Alabama remembers the Iron Bowl
#finishingBY BRITTON LYNN
Senior Sports [email protected]
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Last year’s Iron Bowl was especially tragic for Alabama, losing 28-27 to arch-rival Auburn in Bryant-Denny Stadium despite leading by as much as 24. “That’s a day we will never forget,” said junior running back Trent Richardson. “We were up 24-0 then (Auburn) came back and beat us. We let them win. We let the game get away from us. It’s big for us because we are not going back down that alley. Me as a leader, I will not let us go back down that alley. As a team we know we can’t go back down that alley.” Following the game, head
coach Nick Saban said the Iron Bowl would not be forgotten, and that the team would use its mistakes against the Tigers to become a better team in the future. Even though Auburn ended up going on to win the national championship after playing Alabama, to Saban and the rest of the team there is no excuse for the loss. “These kinds of teams don’t go away,” Saban said. “There are a lot of lessons to be learned out there about how important finishing is and continuing to do things cor-rectly.” The Alabama football team has vowed that this coming
Despite finishing this past football season with a 10-3 record and a 49-7
beating of Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl game, the Crimson Tide still
looks back on one game it feels shouldn’t have been lost.
The Iron Bowl.
Au-burn de-fend-ers gang tackle Ala-bama run-ning back Trent Rich-ardson during the Tigers’ come-back victory over the Tide in last year’s Iron Bowl.
CW |
Jerrod
Seaton
Your doctoraway from
home.
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Iron Bowl 2010
season will be different. Posted inside Alabama’s locker room, weight room, and practice facil-ity are signs hanging that read, “Never Forget. 28-27.” These signs aren’t just there to remind the Tide of its loss against the Tigers, but to emphasize how important it is for them to finish every game. “It just represents that we need to finish more,” said sophomore offensive lineman DJ Fluker. “We need to be able to come out and execute first half, second half and all of the game. We need to remember in our mind to work harder this year anytime [we are playing]. I think we’ve been doing pretty good this year.” So instead of dwelling on what they think should have been the ending to last year’s Iron Bowl, the players are turning their energy toward not making the same mis-take again by staying mentally focused throughout the entire game.
“[The loss] is always going to be in the back of our heads,” Richardson said. “Whenever we do go out there, that’s something that should be in the back of our heads. Whenever we do go out there for practice and do strap up for the games, that’s not going to happen.” A lot of the team said the differ-ence between last year’s team and this season’s team is the potential it has because of its persistent leaders. “We have leaders on our team and they always stay on top of us,” Fluker said. “Always trying to make us better as a unit offen-sively and defensively always try-ing to keep us together. I think we are a family. With that bond that’s greater than anything. We go out there in practice and work hard all the time because we have the men-tality to be great as players.” The Tide has many starters coming back this season, 23 new,
AUBURN
quarter by quarter score breakdown
ALABAMA
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
21 0
3
3
0
7
14
7
Final 27 28
enthusiastic signees and a group of players who are ready to make a name for themselves. “We have a good chance being that team this year if we finish every game like we are supposed to and fight for the full four quar-
ters,” Richardson said. “The way we are practicing and going into the spring and depending on how we do in this camp and the way we’ve been coached I think we can go all the way this year and go to that game.”
“[The loss] is always going to be in the back of our heads. Whenever we do go out there, that’s some-thing that should be in the back of our heads. When-ever we do go out there for practice and do strap up for the games that’s not going to happen.”
— Running back Trent Richardson
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Last season’s group was talent-ed, accounting for 18 of the teams 22 total interceptions, but lacked experience. They gave up big plays in crucial moments of games, putting pressure on the defense in tough situations throughout games last year. After a year of ups and downs last season, this year’s group will look to shut down opposing teams’ passing games. Four players that will play major roles in the pro-duction of this year’s secondary are Barron, Robert Lester, Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie among others. Whether it be mak-ing plays, leadership or pure ath-leticism, each player brings some-thing different to the group and collectively they will look to be a force on this year’s defense. “We are a lot more comfortable
with the defense and playing with each other,” junior safety Robert Lester said. “We are building a lot more chemistry this season and we are trying to cut out all of the mental errors.” One of the many things that head coach Nick Saban preaches is mental toughness. With this year’s group, mental mistakes should be a thing of the past. Not only is the secondary talented, but they are also battle tested and have all experienced the rigorous schedule that the Tide has to go through on a weekly basis in the Southeastern Conference. Barron is the veteran and most experienced of the group. This will be his third year starting at the strong safety position. In his first year as a starter as a sophomore in 2009, he led the SEC in intercep-
tions with seven. In 2010, he had three total interceptions and led the team with 75 tackles, including two sacks. He chose not to enter the National Football League draft and return to school for his senior year. That decision could propel the Alabama secondary to being one of the best in the country. Barron sustained a shoulder injury in the offseason but is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to play once the season starts. He figures to be the main play caller for this year’s defense. Lester is the playmaker of the group, and he had a breakout sea-son in 2010 at the free safety posi-tion. His team-high eight intercep-tions led the SEC and was second in all of college football. Along with Barron, he will be called upon to take on a bigger leadership role this season. Lester said he wel-comes the pressure, and he is more prepared for this season. “Last year I worried a lot about our communication,” Lester said. “I would look to Mark [Barron] to make sure my calls were right. Now I have the confidence to make calls and even change calls if Mark does it wrong. I’m more comfort-able back there now and I want to
make sure I do whatever is right for the secondary.” Kirkpatrick is the phenom of the group. At 6-foot-3, 192 pounds, he is big enough to cover physical receivers and agile enough to stay with the quicker receivers. Coming out of high school, Kirkpatrick was highly recruited and was the top defensive back in his class. He saw limited playing time as fresh-man, mainly on special teams, but took over the starting spot in 2010. He had three interceptions and 53 tackles, including four tackles for loss. With a year of experience under his belt, Kirkpatrick will now look to be the shutdown cor-ner that scouts projected him to be coming out of high school. “He is developing and learning the defense just like everybody else,” Lester said. “He’s a great person and a great competitor. He’s the type of guy that is going to get into the offense’s head and force them to make mistakes.” The breakout of the group this year could be Menzie. He is a junior college transfer from Copiah-Lincoln Community College and was expected to play a huge role in the Tide’s secondary in 2010, but an Achilles injury slowed his
When Alabama entered spring practice last year, it only had one returning starter in the secondary, strong safety Mark Barron. This season, the Tide’s secondary will be one of the most experienced units on the entire team.
Junior cornerback
Dre Kirkpatrick celebrates
after beating Tennesee
41-10. Kirkpatrick will be counted on
this season as a key
component of the Tide’s secondary.
CW | Jerrod Seaton
Alabama safety Mark Barron returns an intercep-tion against Auburn in 2009. Barron will be a major part of a secondary with more experience than last season.
CW File
production. He was still able to play in 12 games last season but was not nearly the same athlete because of his nagging injuries. Now completely healthy, Menzie has come on strong this spring and is receiving high praise from head coach Nick Saban. “Based on him being healthy and able to perform, if you look at our first scrimmage, [Menzie] was our best corner,” Saban said. “It makes for good competition because we have three guys that have played a significant amount at that position. It will be interest-ing to see how those guys compete and respond to that.” Other contributors for the sec-ondary will include Will Lowrey and Dee Millner, who both played in all 13 games for the Tide last sea-son. As a true freshman, Millner had only one interception but was the team’s fourth-leading tackler with 55 total tackles. Lowrey had two interceptions and 33 tackles in 2010. With a solid secondary in place, the Tide will be allowed to use more blitz packages with the linebackers this season. The tal-ented group compliments Saban’s defensive coaching style because he likes to put his corners in man-to-man, bump-and-run coverage.
When corners can play on an “island”, one-on-one without safe-ty help, it allows defensive coordi-
nators to create more exotic blitz packages to further confuse the offense.
Look for this year’s secondary to be the best unit on the Alabama defense.
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Highlights from last season
CW | Drew Hoover
CW | Drew Hoover
CW | Jerrod Seaton
CW | John Michael Simpson
Left: An Auburn defender tackles Alabama running back Trent Richardson during the Crimson Tide’s 28-27 loss to the Tigers.Above: South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore runs through the Alabama defense during the Tide’s fi rst regular-season loss since 2007.Bottom Left: Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones makes a diving, one-handed snag in the season opener against San Jose State. Bottom Right: Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones lines up for a play in the Tide’s 41-10 victory over Tennessee last season. Jones had the best game of his career, catch-ing 12 passes for 221 yards.
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Closing in on NFL draft
MARCELL DAREUS, DL• Measurables: 6-4, 319 pounds •Biggest Strength: Versatility. Dareus could fit into both a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme• Draft projection: Top five pick• Kiper says: “A scheme-versatile player who can be a disruptive, penetrating force as an interior line-man, or a fantastic pass rusher as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme, Dareus is a safe pick. He doesn’t have remarkable quickness, but his agility and versatility at a full 319 pounds is the stuff of an elite lineman.”
MARK INGRAM, RB• Measurables: 5-10, 215 pounds•Biggest Strength: Footwork. Ingram’s ability to cut and weave his way through defenses makes him the top running back in this class.• Draft projection: Mid-to-late first round • Kiper says: “The most complete back in this class, he has great balance, runs with great pad level, bal-ance and leverage, and explodes from contact. Once he gets through the initial hole, he’s a terror on the second level.”
JULIO JONES, WR• Measurables: 6-4, 220 pounds •Biggest Strength: Athleticism. Jones was a beast in the combine, post-ing a 4.39 40-time and broad jumping 11 feet 3 inches. • Draft projection: Top 10 pick• Kiper says: “His size and speed combination is the best in the draft at the posi-tion, and his development as a wideout over the past year shows a determination and work ethic that will be loved by the coaching staff.”
JAMES CARPENTER, LT• Measurables: 6-5, 300 pounds•Biggest Strength: Run blocking. Carpenter was a leading force behind Alabama’s run offense, mauling over defenders and creating holes for running backs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson.• Draft projection: Third round
GREG MCELROY, QB
• Measurables: 6-3, 225 pounds•Biggest Strength: Decision making. Though McElroy does not have the rocket arms of other quar-terbacks in this class, his game calling and decision making should get him a few looks at the next level.• Draft projection: Fifth round
CW | Drew Hoover
CW | Drew Hoover
CW File
CW File
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Meet the New KidsDEE
HARTAARON
DOUGLASJESSE
WILLIAMS
PHILIP ELY
QUINTON DIAL
Douglas played at Tennessee as a redshirt freshman before transferring to Arizona Western and even-tually Alabama. While at Tennessee, Douglas earned Freshman All-SEC honors. Arizona Western JCMeasurables: 6-6, 230
The thunder from down under, Williams hails from Brisbane Australia. Williams transferred from Arizona Western and figures to play a huge role in Alabama’s defensive line. Arizona Western JCMeasurables: 6-4, 340
Ely has drawn com-parisons to former Tide quarterback Greg McElroy. Both McElroy and Ely are known for their game manage-ment as well as their ability to win. Plant Senior HS, Fla.Measurables: 6-1, 186
Originally a 2008 Tide commit, Dial returns to Alabama after two years at East Mississippi Junior College. Rivals.com gave the defensive lineman a four-star rating.East Mississippi JCMeasurables: 6-5, 309
Dee Hart is one of the most exciting prospects joining the Tide this spring. The five-star running back was voted MVP of the Army All-American game. Dr. Phillips HS, Fla.Measurables: 5-9, 189
Rivals.com Tennessee Media Relations
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Son of Linebackers coach Sal Sunseri, Vinne could help the Tide in many ways on defense. A four-star recruit, Sunseri could figure as a linebacker or safety for the Tide. Northridge HS, Ala.Measurables: 6-0, 205
Love is following his brother Tyler to Alabama. The three-star defensive lineman was ranked as the No. 34 defensive tackle by ESPNU. Mountain Brook HS, Ala.Measurables: 6-4, 270
RONALD CARSWELL A smooth athlete, Carswell has plenty of room to grow into a solid receiver. Carswell comes to the Crimson Tide from the same high school as former Tide great Kareem Jackson. Westside HS, Ga.Measurables: 6-0, 171
VINNIE SUNSERI
TREY DEPRIEST WILSON LOVEMany thought DePriest, a native of Springfield, Ohio, would go to Ohio State. However, the four-star Rival’s pros-pect surprised everyone when he decided to join the Tide. Springfield HS, OhioMeasurables: 6-2, 230
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When was the last time an ultra-talented backup running back took over the starting job for Alabama? When was the last time the Crimson Tide brought back near-ly all of its defensive starters? How about the last time a new but capable quarterback took over under center? The answer to all three is 2009, the year Alabama won its 13th national championship. But those aren’t even the most convincing reasons why I think the Tide will be able to make another run at the title this season. The biggest hook is the sched-ule. Alabama has four gimme games on its schedule – home games it should not lose even under the worst circumstances: Kent State, North Texas, Georgia Southern and Vanderbilt. The Tide favors from the sched-ule turnover that wiped South Carolina off and added the Commodores. There are two more games – at Ole Miss and vs Tennessee – that
are close to being on the list and would still cause a complete shock if Alabama l o s t . That’s half the sched-ule right there.
Of the remaining six games, I look at four of them as teams Alabama should have no problem taking care of: at Penn State, vs Arkansas, at Mississippi State and at Auburn. Penn State is a decent team and Happy Valley is a tough place to play, but I don’t see the Nittany Lions being much better than they were last season, when an extremely young Tide defense held them to three points. Bobby Petrino’s Razorbacks will likely have another potent offense, but replacing Ryan Mallet is sure to cause a bit of a
drop off, and the Tide has this game at home. Mississippi State is an improv-ing team, but the Bulldogs have a ceiling. In a year where State blew out Michigan in a January Bowl game, Alabama – in a bit of an off year – still beat the Bulldogs easily. As everyone has seen year in and year out, anything can hap-pen in the Iron Bowl. However, come Thanksgiving weekend, I’m guessing the losses of Cam Newton and Nick Fairley would force Auburn to have to pull a monumental upset to beat the Tide. That leaves Florida and LSU. The only reason the Gators haven’t been mentioned before now is because there is a slight chance, that shot in the dark, that under Will Muschamp, under Charlie Weis’ offense, that Florida rises right back to the top in 2011. That is unlikely, though. The Gators are still an extremely talented team, but it will take a little while to transition from the
spread to a pro-style offense, and getting Florida on its schedule early (game five) is an advantage for Alabama. That leaves LSU, the only team I could really picture Alabama losing to in the regular season. But attempting to pick this game six and a half months in advance, I’m still taking the Tide. The Tigers lost a few key piec-es on its defense from last sea-son but not much else. The main reason Alabama lost in Baton Rouge last season was because the Tide’s secondary gave up huge plays in key situations. This year’s defensive backfield will be better and more experienced, and an improved Alabama pass rush will expose LSU’s lack of talent at the quarterback position, some-thing it could not do well in last year’s game. The Tide’s weaknesses from last year will likely be gone this season. If AJ McCarron or Phillip Sims can give Alabama close to the production Greg McElroy did two years ago, the schedule sets up for a legitimate run at No. 14.
Tide poised for national title runCOLUMN
Jason GallowaySports Editor
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DATE OPPONENT LOCATIONSept. 3
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ALABAMA2011 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
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