How will Alabama football respond to finishing the season after a loss to Louisiana State University?
Crimson Tide fans will be looking at Saturday’s matchup versus Mississippi at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Coach Nick Saban and a few players have discussed the pride that remains in Alabama’s building, despite having two losses. Experienced players such as Byron Young, Javion Cohen, and DeMarcco Hellams are getting young guys to understand there is still a lot to play for.
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The Tide dropped to No. 9 in Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings, so an opportunity to compete for a CFP National Championship is out of the picture. Alabama does a slim chance of making the Southeastern Conference title game; however, it needs to handle business versus Ole Miss and Auburn. Also, the Tide would need Arkansas and Texas A&M to beat LSU.
It has been a disappointing season for Alabama, but Hellams said ‘nobody on the team is quitting on each other.’
“The mindset in the locker room is to finish the season strong,” he said Tuesday. “There are still opportunities to create value for ourselves as a team and as individual players. We want to finish these games strong. We feel like we have things to play for as a team, so we do not have our heads down. We are not quitting on ourselves. We just want to finish the season strong.”
Hellams, a senior safety, said he saw players with a mindset of wanting to finish in practice.
“Last game, we lost,” he said. “Some things may seem like they are over with, but the season is not over. We are not quitting on ourselves as a team. I am not quitting on anybody on our team. Nobody on our team is quitting on each other. We all came together yesterday as a team and decided that we have to buy in as a team. We have to finish strong no matter the outside noise.”
RELATED: Alabama drops in College Football Playoff rankings after loss
Hellams is aware of the players that came before him to the University of Alabama. Several former players have expressed disappointment with this season. The expectation coming in was a national championship, but inconsistency and undisciplined performances led to two losses. Hellams, a native of Washington, D.C., said players embrace the pressure of legends before them.
“We all know what we signed up for when we came to Alabama,” he said. “We came here for that reason because we welcome the pressure. We welcome the standard, the mindset it takes to be an Alabama football player, so it is not too much pressure for anyone on this team. I feel like when we came to Alabama, we all knew what we came for when we put the A on our chest.”
Alabama’s defense will match wits with Lane Kiffin and Mississippi this weekend.
The Rebels (8-1) have an opportunity to claim the SEC West with a win over the Tide and an LSU loss to Arkansas. Kiffin is known for creativity in the vertical passing game and creating space for his best matchups, but Ole Miss has established an identity in the running game. Mississippi leads the SEC and is third in the nation for rushing offense with 267.4 yards a game.
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Kiffin recruited a running back (Quinshon Judkins) from the state of Alabama, and he’s been dominating.
Judkins is averaging 20 carries per game and 114.9 rushing yards per matchup. He has 1,034 yards and 13 touchdowns on 180 carries. Zach Evans is averaging 85 yards per game on 13.5 carries per contest. He stands with 680 yards rushing and seven touchdowns for the Rebels. Kiffin used the running game to set up screens, slants, and play action deep shots at Alabama, but he has perfected his craft at Ole Miss. He scored 48 points two years ago on Pete Golding’s defense in Oxford, Miss. DeMarcco Hellams knows how Kiffin likes to operate, but he is ready to make sure Alabama’s defense is not victimized for big plays.
“It is about preparing for whatever we see,” Hellams said about facing a team that likes to run the ball more.
“They [Ole Miss] have great backs. They have a solid backfield. Their quarterback is mobile, and he does a great job of making his reads. They have a very explosive run game, so we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Alabama returns to CBS Sports for Saturday as kickoff versus Ole Miss will be at 2:30 p.m. CT.
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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.
