Alabama has bigger games ahead, but this week is all about finishing. The Crimson Tide will look to wrap up a perfect regular season as it heads to Fayetteville, Ark. for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff Saturday. Alabama (9-0) is currently a 32.5-point favorite over Arkansas (3-6).
Today we will dive into some of the matchup’s storylines by providing three observations, two questions and one prediction.
THREE OBSERVATIONS
Saban expects full staff against Arkansas
Alabama was a bit short-staffed last week as cornerbacks coach Karl Scott, defensive line coach Freddie Roach, outside linebackers coach Sal Sunseri and receivers coach Holmon Wiggins were all unable to travel with the team to Baton Rouge, La.
When asked Wednesday night, Saban said he expects to have each of the assistants back in time for this week’s game against Arkansas.
“I think we’ll get a couple guys back before the end of the week, and I think we’ll get a couple guys back on Friday,” Saban said. “So I do think we’ll have the coaches back.”
Alabama managed just fine without the quartet of assistants, beating LSU 55-17. New NCAA rules allowed the Tide to promote some of its analysts to on-field roles as defensive analysts Charlie Strong and Nick Perry filled in. Still, Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses called the adjustment a “big challenge” following the game.
“You know, stuff happens, and everybody just keeps on keeping on because a lot of things happen,” Saban said following the game. “... I think when you have good culture on your team and you establish that culture with your team, they can adapt and adjust to things that don’t go exactly like they expect it to. We certainly had a lot of opportunity to learn how to do that this season.”
Saban, who missed the Auburn game due to COVID-19, also took time Wednesday to talk about the plasma treatment he received after testing positive for the virus. The head coach said the procedure worked wonders toward his recovery and that he plans on donating his own plasma to help fight the virus once he is eligible to do so.
“I think it’s important that people really understand how helpful this can be,” Saban said of the treatment. “And I know if you’ve had this disease and you have immunity to it or whatever, you can give your blood plasma. It might help some other people who are being affected by this, and I know that we don’t have enough of it to go around.
“As soon as I’m eligible to be able to do that, I’m going to do it. I’m going to give my blood plasma so it really can help somebody else so that maybe they don’t have the issues and problems that can create some really serious sickness, sometimes fatalities.”
Landon Dickerson on flopping and having fun
Mac Jones might be labeled “The Joker,” but lately Landon Dickerson has been generating the laughs for Alabama. The blue-collared lineman, who sports a railroad tie as the front bumper of his car, was up to his typical antics against LSU.
Never shy to block until the echoes of the whistle, Dickerson has a way of getting under opponents’ skin during games. Against the Tigers, that came complete with a few gestures and some questionable acting.
Dickerson went viral on a couple of occasions over the weekend. There was the time when he vigorously pointed out that LSU defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy jumped offsides. Another humorous moment was when the 6-foot-6, 325-pound offensive lineman fell to the ground after Tigers defensive lineman Neil Farrell Jr. lightly bumped his face mask following a play.
Dickerson joked about the flop Tuesday, stating he’s still waiting on word back from SEC officials.
“It’s late contact after the play. Usually, that can draw a penalty, but I think the refs may have saw it a little differently,” he said. “It may go to review with the referees and stuff this week, but we’ll see what comes out of that.”
While Dickerson has a knack for getting in opponents’ heads, he claims he’s playing the game the only way he knows how — by having fun and giving his team the best chance of winning.
“I really think that I enjoy just football in every aspect when it comes to playing, being around teammates, just the camaraderie, anything that really goes with it,” Dickerson explained. “I enjoy every second of every day that I’m here and every day that I’m around my teammates and coaches and everybody here. It really just comes down to I enjoy what I do here, and I’m thankful. And the times that we can show it and show that we enjoy it and that we’re having fun with the game, I think that’s a really big part of playing any kind of sport.”
Saban loses a ‘really good friend’ in Ray Perkins
Alabama lost a legend Wednesday as former head coach and wide receiver Ray Perkins passed away at his home in Northport, Ala. For Saban, the passing meant the loss of a dear friend.
“The first thing I’d like to do is pass along, from the Alabama nation — all the folks, our family — our condolences to Ray Perkins’ family and friends,” Saban said on the SEC teleconference. “He served the University of Alabama with great class and integrity. He was a great coach and had a tremendous impact on the game.”
Perkins played receiver for Alabama from 1964-66 but is better known for succeeding Paul “Bear” Bryant as the Tide’s head coach. Perkins coached Alabama from 1983-86, posting a 32-15-1 record, including three bowl victories.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Perkins,” Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said in a statement. “Just a year ago we were celebrating him as our SEC Football Legend in Atlanta, an honor he was truly deserving of. Coach Perkins served in every possible capacity of Alabama Athletics as an All-American football player, head coach and athletics director, and he will certainly be missed.”
Perkins also spent eight years as a head coach in the NFL, leading the New York Giants from 1979-82 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1987-90. In addition, he spent 12 combined years as an assistant in the NFL with the New England Patriots (WR 1974-77, OC 1993-96), San Diego Chargers (OC 1978), Oakland Raiders (1997) and Cleveland Browns (TE 1998, RB 2000).
Saban and Perkins faced off on four occasions during their various stops in the NFL. While never a head coach against Perkins, Saban’s teams were 3-1 against Perkins’ teams.
“He was a really, really good person and a really good friend,” Saban said. “I would just like to say that to all the folks out there relative to our feelings about Coach Perkins and all that he did to impact our game.”
TWO QUESTIONS
Who starts at QB for Arkansas?
Alabama has played nine games this season. In nearly half of them, the Tide hasn’t been sure of who its opponent’s starting quarterback will be.
The trend began during the season opener when Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz kept things close to the vest before revealing Shawn Robinson as his starter moments before kickoff. A month later, there was question over whether Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt would stick with struggling Jarrett Guarantano behind center against Alabama. The following week, Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach was non-committal when deciding between K.J. Costello and Will Rogers. Last week, Alabama was forced to prepare for LSU’s two freshmen quarterbacks as head coach Ed Orgeron announced both T.J. Finley and Max Johnson would likely see action.
It’s no different this week as Arkansas starter Feleipe Franks is still battling a rib injury that kept him out of last week’s loss to Missouri. During the SEC teleconference, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said Franks is able to practice but is not yet back to 100 percent.
“We’ll continue obviously to practice today, tomorrow, and it’ll give him time to heal up a little bit more,” Pittman said. “Then we’ll make a decision game time on what we’re going to do at the quarterback position.”
Through eight games, Franks has completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,017 yards and 17 touchdowns with four interceptions while adding 229 yards and another score on the ground. Last week, he was replaced by redshirt freshman K.J. Jefferson, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 32 yards and another score.
“I think both guys do a really, really good job,” Saban said on the SEC teleconference. “(Jefferson) really played well against Missouri last week, really executed the offense well. They didn’t make a lot of changes in a lot of the things that they did. But they have a very, very good concept of what they do on offense and do a really good job of executing it.
“(Jefferson’s) athletic. He’s a big, strong guy. He threw the ball effectively, threw it well and I thought he played really well. And I think Feleipe has played really, really well all year long. He’s got a good understanding of what he’s doing. He’s been effective as a passer. He’s extended plays. He’s run when he needed to run. I think both guys are very capable, and both have done a really good job when they’ve gotten opportunities.”
Is DeVonta Smith Alabama’s best-ever receiver?
By the time the final whistle sounds Saturday, DeVonta Smith will have likely made history again. The senior receiver is just 50 yards away from Amari Cooper’s school record of 3,463 career receiving yards. At his current pace, Smith should reach the milestone at some point in the first half against Arkansas.
Smith is already the SEC’s all-time leader with 38 career touchdowns. Depending on how far Alabama goes in the postseason, he might also make a serious run at former Vanderbilt receiver Jordan Matthews’ SEC record of 3,759 yards through the air. But does that make him the Tide’s best-ever receiver?
It depends on how you look at it.
Assuming Smith finishes out the season at anything close to his blazing pace, he’ll leave Alabama with most of the Tide’s receiving records. However, it’s worth noting that he’ll have done that over four years while Cooper only stuck around in Tuscaloosa, Ala. for three.
If you’re looking at overall talent, Julio Jones is tough to beat. While the former Tide great never had an elite quarterback throwing him the ball at Alabama, he still put up good numbers during his college career. He also went on to make seven Pro Bowls and lead the NFL in receiving twice and is a member of the league’s 2010 all-decade team.
Calvin Ridley, D.J. Hall, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle are all worthy mentions as well. However, it’s really hard to argue against Smith.
Record? Check. Talent? Check. Highlight grabs? Check. Game-winning catches in national championship games? Well, you get the picture.
Time will tell where Smith ends up in Alabama history, but Saturday he figures to write another chapter.
PREDICTION
Bryce Young has his first multi-touchdown game
Barring a catastrophic circumstance or unexpected blowout in the postseason, this weekend could be the last time we see Bryce Young on the field this season. The five-star freshman quarterback hasn’t had much of an opportunity to shine, playing behind Heisman frontrunner Mac Jones. However, with Alabama listed as a heavy favorite, he should get more action this week.
Young is the next man up in the event that Jones goes down to injury or illness. Alabama could look to provide the freshman with more reps this week in his final opportunity to gain experience before the postseason. If so, expect Young to capitalize.
Today we will dive into some of the matchup’s storylines by providing three observations, two questions and one prediction.
THREE OBSERVATIONS
Saban expects full staff against Arkansas
Alabama was a bit short-staffed last week as cornerbacks coach Karl Scott, defensive line coach Freddie Roach, outside linebackers coach Sal Sunseri and receivers coach Holmon Wiggins were all unable to travel with the team to Baton Rouge, La.
When asked Wednesday night, Saban said he expects to have each of the assistants back in time for this week’s game against Arkansas.
“I think we’ll get a couple guys back before the end of the week, and I think we’ll get a couple guys back on Friday,” Saban said. “So I do think we’ll have the coaches back.”
Alabama managed just fine without the quartet of assistants, beating LSU 55-17. New NCAA rules allowed the Tide to promote some of its analysts to on-field roles as defensive analysts Charlie Strong and Nick Perry filled in. Still, Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses called the adjustment a “big challenge” following the game.
“You know, stuff happens, and everybody just keeps on keeping on because a lot of things happen,” Saban said following the game. “... I think when you have good culture on your team and you establish that culture with your team, they can adapt and adjust to things that don’t go exactly like they expect it to. We certainly had a lot of opportunity to learn how to do that this season.”
Saban, who missed the Auburn game due to COVID-19, also took time Wednesday to talk about the plasma treatment he received after testing positive for the virus. The head coach said the procedure worked wonders toward his recovery and that he plans on donating his own plasma to help fight the virus once he is eligible to do so.
“I think it’s important that people really understand how helpful this can be,” Saban said of the treatment. “And I know if you’ve had this disease and you have immunity to it or whatever, you can give your blood plasma. It might help some other people who are being affected by this, and I know that we don’t have enough of it to go around.
“As soon as I’m eligible to be able to do that, I’m going to do it. I’m going to give my blood plasma so it really can help somebody else so that maybe they don’t have the issues and problems that can create some really serious sickness, sometimes fatalities.”
Landon Dickerson on flopping and having fun
Mac Jones might be labeled “The Joker,” but lately Landon Dickerson has been generating the laughs for Alabama. The blue-collared lineman, who sports a railroad tie as the front bumper of his car, was up to his typical antics against LSU.
Never shy to block until the echoes of the whistle, Dickerson has a way of getting under opponents’ skin during games. Against the Tigers, that came complete with a few gestures and some questionable acting.
Dickerson went viral on a couple of occasions over the weekend. There was the time when he vigorously pointed out that LSU defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy jumped offsides. Another humorous moment was when the 6-foot-6, 325-pound offensive lineman fell to the ground after Tigers defensive lineman Neil Farrell Jr. lightly bumped his face mask following a play.
Dickerson joked about the flop Tuesday, stating he’s still waiting on word back from SEC officials.
“It’s late contact after the play. Usually, that can draw a penalty, but I think the refs may have saw it a little differently,” he said. “It may go to review with the referees and stuff this week, but we’ll see what comes out of that.”
While Dickerson has a knack for getting in opponents’ heads, he claims he’s playing the game the only way he knows how — by having fun and giving his team the best chance of winning.
“I really think that I enjoy just football in every aspect when it comes to playing, being around teammates, just the camaraderie, anything that really goes with it,” Dickerson explained. “I enjoy every second of every day that I’m here and every day that I’m around my teammates and coaches and everybody here. It really just comes down to I enjoy what I do here, and I’m thankful. And the times that we can show it and show that we enjoy it and that we’re having fun with the game, I think that’s a really big part of playing any kind of sport.”
Saban loses a ‘really good friend’ in Ray Perkins
Alabama lost a legend Wednesday as former head coach and wide receiver Ray Perkins passed away at his home in Northport, Ala. For Saban, the passing meant the loss of a dear friend.
“The first thing I’d like to do is pass along, from the Alabama nation — all the folks, our family — our condolences to Ray Perkins’ family and friends,” Saban said on the SEC teleconference. “He served the University of Alabama with great class and integrity. He was a great coach and had a tremendous impact on the game.”
Perkins played receiver for Alabama from 1964-66 but is better known for succeeding Paul “Bear” Bryant as the Tide’s head coach. Perkins coached Alabama from 1983-86, posting a 32-15-1 record, including three bowl victories.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Perkins,” Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said in a statement. “Just a year ago we were celebrating him as our SEC Football Legend in Atlanta, an honor he was truly deserving of. Coach Perkins served in every possible capacity of Alabama Athletics as an All-American football player, head coach and athletics director, and he will certainly be missed.”
Perkins also spent eight years as a head coach in the NFL, leading the New York Giants from 1979-82 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1987-90. In addition, he spent 12 combined years as an assistant in the NFL with the New England Patriots (WR 1974-77, OC 1993-96), San Diego Chargers (OC 1978), Oakland Raiders (1997) and Cleveland Browns (TE 1998, RB 2000).
Saban and Perkins faced off on four occasions during their various stops in the NFL. While never a head coach against Perkins, Saban’s teams were 3-1 against Perkins’ teams.
“He was a really, really good person and a really good friend,” Saban said. “I would just like to say that to all the folks out there relative to our feelings about Coach Perkins and all that he did to impact our game.”
TWO QUESTIONS
Who starts at QB for Arkansas?
Alabama has played nine games this season. In nearly half of them, the Tide hasn’t been sure of who its opponent’s starting quarterback will be.
The trend began during the season opener when Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz kept things close to the vest before revealing Shawn Robinson as his starter moments before kickoff. A month later, there was question over whether Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt would stick with struggling Jarrett Guarantano behind center against Alabama. The following week, Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach was non-committal when deciding between K.J. Costello and Will Rogers. Last week, Alabama was forced to prepare for LSU’s two freshmen quarterbacks as head coach Ed Orgeron announced both T.J. Finley and Max Johnson would likely see action.
It’s no different this week as Arkansas starter Feleipe Franks is still battling a rib injury that kept him out of last week’s loss to Missouri. During the SEC teleconference, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said Franks is able to practice but is not yet back to 100 percent.
“We’ll continue obviously to practice today, tomorrow, and it’ll give him time to heal up a little bit more,” Pittman said. “Then we’ll make a decision game time on what we’re going to do at the quarterback position.”
Through eight games, Franks has completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,017 yards and 17 touchdowns with four interceptions while adding 229 yards and another score on the ground. Last week, he was replaced by redshirt freshman K.J. Jefferson, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 32 yards and another score.
“I think both guys do a really, really good job,” Saban said on the SEC teleconference. “(Jefferson) really played well against Missouri last week, really executed the offense well. They didn’t make a lot of changes in a lot of the things that they did. But they have a very, very good concept of what they do on offense and do a really good job of executing it.
“(Jefferson’s) athletic. He’s a big, strong guy. He threw the ball effectively, threw it well and I thought he played really well. And I think Feleipe has played really, really well all year long. He’s got a good understanding of what he’s doing. He’s been effective as a passer. He’s extended plays. He’s run when he needed to run. I think both guys are very capable, and both have done a really good job when they’ve gotten opportunities.”
Is DeVonta Smith Alabama’s best-ever receiver?
By the time the final whistle sounds Saturday, DeVonta Smith will have likely made history again. The senior receiver is just 50 yards away from Amari Cooper’s school record of 3,463 career receiving yards. At his current pace, Smith should reach the milestone at some point in the first half against Arkansas.
Smith is already the SEC’s all-time leader with 38 career touchdowns. Depending on how far Alabama goes in the postseason, he might also make a serious run at former Vanderbilt receiver Jordan Matthews’ SEC record of 3,759 yards through the air. But does that make him the Tide’s best-ever receiver?
It depends on how you look at it.
Assuming Smith finishes out the season at anything close to his blazing pace, he’ll leave Alabama with most of the Tide’s receiving records. However, it’s worth noting that he’ll have done that over four years while Cooper only stuck around in Tuscaloosa, Ala. for three.
If you’re looking at overall talent, Julio Jones is tough to beat. While the former Tide great never had an elite quarterback throwing him the ball at Alabama, he still put up good numbers during his college career. He also went on to make seven Pro Bowls and lead the NFL in receiving twice and is a member of the league’s 2010 all-decade team.
Calvin Ridley, D.J. Hall, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle are all worthy mentions as well. However, it’s really hard to argue against Smith.
Record? Check. Talent? Check. Highlight grabs? Check. Game-winning catches in national championship games? Well, you get the picture.
Time will tell where Smith ends up in Alabama history, but Saturday he figures to write another chapter.
PREDICTION
Bryce Young has his first multi-touchdown game
Barring a catastrophic circumstance or unexpected blowout in the postseason, this weekend could be the last time we see Bryce Young on the field this season. The five-star freshman quarterback hasn’t had much of an opportunity to shine, playing behind Heisman frontrunner Mac Jones. However, with Alabama listed as a heavy favorite, he should get more action this week.
Young is the next man up in the event that Jones goes down to injury or illness. Alabama could look to provide the freshman with more reps this week in his final opportunity to gain experience before the postseason. If so, expect Young to capitalize.
