Alabama currently sits at 5-0 and number one in the AP Poll as they head into a Saturday bye week and on paper business seems to be going as usual for Nick Saban’s squad. But by taking a closer look at things, the Crimson Tide has had to overcome its share of adversity to get back atop the rankings.
Injuries have been one of the gashes in the crimson armor for the team has lost starters throughout the season especially on the defensive side of the ball. Joshua McMillon (Knee), Dylan Moses (Knee) and LaBryan Ray (Foot) are all either missing significant time or are out for the entire season.
When asked about his message to the team regarding the various injuries, Saban broke out a classic Alabama saying.
“You have to have the philosophy that it’s the next guy up,” said Saban. “It’s unfortunate that we’ve had some really good players, from their standpoint, not be able to participate this year but it’s created opportunities for other players.”
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Since the start of the season, Alabama has rolled out two freshmen inside linebackers in Shane Lee and Christian Harris who have had to answer the bell despite the inexperience. The pair has had it’s moments where the inexperience has shown but the two have also shown glimpses of great potential.
Freshman defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe has also done a nice job filling in for Ray adding more youth to the front seven. Normally the number of freshman players on defense would result in disaster from the opening kickoff, but the unit has found a way to scrap out a few decent performances.
Much of the success will go to Saban, but his seven new assistants have also made a large impact on the player’s development.
“It’s been good. I like the coaches we have. They all buy in,” said Saban.
“They do a great job with their relationships with the players, which I think is one of the most important things assistant coaches have to have. They’re knowledgable. They work hard. We’ve had some unfortunate circumstances with some experienced players that have challenged all of us to get these guys the resiliency that they need to be able to adjust when things go poorly.
“When things go well be able to bounce back. Resilience is about getting back to normal when good or bad happens. Young guys have a harder time with that. That comes with maturity. Our staff has worked hard to help out players do that.”
Saban and the new coaching staff have worked hard to overcome the struggles of the youth of the defense but possibly the best security blanket for these young players has been junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Now the all-time touchdown leader in the history of the school Tagovailoa is off the best start by any quarterback in the country right now, which includes Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. So far Tagovailoa has passed for 1,718 yards with 23 touchdowns and interceptions.
No one was sure the Heisman candidate could get off to an even better start from a year ago, but coach Saban has seen a ton of growth from Tagovailoa.
“I think he was an outstanding performer a year ago,” said Saban. “But I do think that one of the things (Steve Sarkisian) has done, Tua probably has a better understanding of what we do on offense and expect for him, and he has a much better understanding of what the other team is doing on defense.
“He understands the coverages better, which makes him be able to make quicker decisions. He’s always been a very instinctive guy. His reaction to what other teams is better this year than it was a year ago.”
Despite all the early success, Alabama will have to climb a couple more mountains before the season is all said and done. This includes hosting LSU and taking trips to Texas A&M and Auburn.
“You do the best to prepare them from a knowledge and experience standpoint because this is hard to coach,” said Saban. “They have to go through the process, make some mistakes, do some things right, reenforce the positive, correct the negatives and hopefully they improve with this knowledge and experience.”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
