Alabama lost Irv Smith and Hale Hentges to the National Football League; however, production still came from the tight end spot in its 42-3 win over Duke.
He wanted to establish the rushing attack versus the Blue Devils, but its crafty defensive front led to Steve Sarkisian (offensive coordinator) dialing up passes. With the Crimson Tide’s offensive line being more effective in pass protection, Tua Tagovailoa had an efficient performance – tossing for 336 yards and four touchdowns on 26 of 31 completed throws.
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Nine different receivers caught at least one pass from the junior quarterback, including Miller Forristall and Major Tennison.
Forristall, a junior, played in three games in 2017 (knee) and recorded one catch. He did not catch a single pass in 2018, as Irv Smith took over and became a valuable weapon for Tagovailoa. He was selected in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft.
Forristall, a former three-star, is healthy this season and it showed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., as he caught two passes for 33 yards. He accounted for the first touchdown of the matchup: a 27-yard catch and run to the end zone from Tagovailoa in the second quarter.
To start the second half, Tennison got into the mix.
A native of Flint, Texas, he was on the receiving end of a one-yard score from Tagovailoa in the third quarter.
The 6-foot-5, 248-pounder caught two passes for nine yards and position coach, Jeff Banks, was pleased to see both of his guys implemented within Alabama’s offense.
Duke primarily operated in a nickel defense, which gave the Tide an opportunity to create matchups with a couple of bigger bodies on the field.
According to Saban, it was good for Alabama to attack the edges, but he wants to see more “improvement” from the tight ends.
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The program has had some great players in recent years such as Michael Williams, Brad Smelley, Preston Dial, Collin Peek and O.J. Howard at the position, but it lacks experience behind Forristall and Tennison.
The Tide needs to develop Giles Amos and Cameron Latu; nevertheless, Saban and Tide fans did like what it saw from Forristall and Tennison.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
