Alabama coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide entered Bryant-Denny Stadium on a sunny but windy, 64-degree afternoon for its first scrimmage of the spring season.
After two hours of action, Saban caught up with the media to address his thoughts on the matter.
Running back Bo Scarbrough, wide out ArDarius Stewart and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson each led their respected position group. Scarbrough totaled 132 rushing yards and three touchdowns on nine carries. Stewart posted seven catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Tomlinson recorded eight tackles, two sacks and two pass breakups.
Saban said today’s scrimmage was exactly how a first one should look, but he was pleased with the effort and toughness from the players.
“There were a lot of good things and a lot of things that need to be cleaned up,” Saban said. “We are looking at a lot people in a lot of situations and circumstances. We rotated the quarterbacks a lot to try and give everybody an opportunity which probably affected the continuity on offense. The offense really started off well and then it was hit or miss afterwards.”
Saban said the one this scrimmage did was provide some players with a lot knowledge and experience.
“The number one thing about this is it really doesn’t matter what the result is,” he said. “It’s about knowing your goals and creating the right habits so that you can play winning football.”
Despite not releasing quarterback stats, Saban was impressed with how some of the guys performed. He named dropped redshirt sophomore David Cornwell as one who threw the ball “fairly well.”
Alabama’s defense, who looks to improve on its 52 sacks from 2015, was able to deflect some passes and create turnovers. Saban said it’s kind of hard to figure out things when you play against yourself.
“Everybody has the right to fail, but they don’t have the right to fail for their teammates,” Saban said. “So everybody has to make a commitment to the people who are depending on them and I’ve been pleased with the progress this team has made. We need to continue to improve.”
Reflecting back on Scarbrough, Saban said he is capable of doing what Alabama wants of him.
“I think part of it is confidence and having confidence in what’s he’s doing,” Saban said. “When he understands what he’s supposed to do and why, he plays fast and is very effective.”
Depth was another issue Saban touched on. The Crimson Tide scrimmage without three to four starters, forcing it to shuffle some people around with much of it coming in the secondary.
“Minkah [Fitzpatrick] has been playing corner and Marlon [Humphrey] has been doing a nice job at corner,” Saban said.
“Mo [Maurice Smith] has been playing some Star, Tony Brown is playing some Star and back at corner. Minkah plays Star sometimes. Anthony Averett has done a nice job and has made improvements. We moved Mo to safety because Eddie [Jackson] is out.”
A question concerning Blake Barnett’s mechanics came toward the end of the presser. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound redshirt freshman goes through a slight wind up before releasing the ball.
Saban said he doesn’t plan on having Barnett tighten it. Instead he compared it to former NFL quarterback and University of Miami great, Bernie Kosar.
“The best thing to do is just watch where the ball goes,” Saban said. “And if it’s accurate and on time with him [Barnett] having good arm strength, you don’t need to worry about it.”
Saban ended the conversion with “Barnett is accurate. He has good arm strength. So we don’t need to tinker with his mechanics.” Alabama will have its second scrimmage next week, prior to A-Day. Listed below are the stats that were released from Saturday’s scrimmage.
Rushing numbers
- Bo Scarbrough- 9 carries, 132 yards, three touchdowns
- Jalen Hurts- 10 carries, 57 yards
- Damien Harris- 12 carries, 36 yards
Receiving numbers
- ArDarius Stewart- 7 catches, 100 yards, two touchdowns
- Calvin Ridley- 3 catches, 50 yards
Defensive numbers
- Dalvin Tomlinson- 8 tackles, two sacks, two pass breakups
- Rashaan Evans- 8 tackles, one sack
- Reuben Foster- 7 tackles, one interception
- Ryan Anderson- 7 tackles, one sack
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @ESPN_Future.
