Oct 20, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Amari Cooper (9) catches a pass against Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Prentiss Waggner (23) during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Alabama defeated Tennessee 44-13. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-US PRESSWIRE
The bright lights tend to swirl seemingly at 100 mph or more with the hype machine going just as fast. Affectionately known as diaper dandies, collegiate freshmen are thrown into an environment, especially the one surrounding Alabama football, that is ready and willing to engulf them into obscurity until maturity comes with the years and the scene is not so intimidating.
Not the case for Alabama true freshmen Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon, who both scored two touchdowns in Alabama’s 44-13 win over the Tennessee Volunteers. The two have combined to account for 35 percent of Alabama’s total yards this season and 23 percent of Alabama’s total scoring output so far.
” First of all, the guys who have contributed when they’re freshmen are guys who have showed the maturity to be able to develop, stay with it, as players, so that they can stay focused on becoming a complete player at their position, rather than getting frustrated by not having success,” head coach Nick Saban said. “I think that’s probably one key ingredient in each one of those guys.
“I think secondly, it speaks that we’ve been able to recruit some guys who are good enough players at certain positions to be able to contribute.”
Saban thinks some of it could come from being in the right slot, as well.
“But I also think it’s a little easier to contribute at some positions, like wide receiver or running back,” Saban said. “Maybe even cornerback. If you’re an offensive lineman, you’ve got to know who to block on every play, every pass protection, and every mistake you make, somebody’s going to get blown up. At running back, if you can carry the ball effectively and learn the five or six running plays you’ve got, you can do that and contribute in the game.
“You can be a very good receiver and be effective in running certain pass routes and be effective at doing that. You don’t have to be complete to be able to contribute at some of those positions.”
Regardless of the position, the players are loving the new guys making serious contributions.
“He’s been making big plays for us,” wide receiver Kevin Norwood said. “That’s what we need down the field. He comes out in practice every week and practices hard. (Quarterback) AJ (McCarron) has a lot of confidence in him.”
One exception
Cooper and Yeldon have showed that contributing to the Crimson Tide football team is not impossible. There is one area of the program that these freshman phenoms cannot touch, however: the media room.
Saban has long held a policy not allowing freshmen to speak to the media, a policy which he revealed the reasoning. Saban, while with the Michigan State Spartans, had a wide receiver by the name of Plaxico Burress, who you may know as the wideout that caught the game-winning pass from Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLII for the New York Giants, then accidentally shot himself in a club nine months later.
Burress was living life on the edge back then, too.
“He said ‘Yeah, going down there will be like taking candy from a baby,'” Saban said. “So, he just about got killed. They tried to kill him down there for 60 minutes in the game. We didn’t win the game.”
Saban does it not only to keep from giving the opposition bulletin board material, but also to help his younger players adjust to playing college football.
“We’re not trying to hold them back from anything,” Saban said. “We want to help them develop the skills necessary that they need to represent themselves in a first-class way. I understand and I think it takes a little pressure off them when they don’t have to talk to the media. Because they worry about it, especially if they’re not prepared for it.
“It might not be true in all cases but I think in general, it probably helps their development and takes a little pressure off them.”
A game of takeaway
Few teams are better at taking the ball away from the opposing offense than Mississippi State and Alabama. The only team separating the Bulldogs and the Tide from being No. 1 and No. 2 in the country in turnover margin are the Cinderella story Ohio Bobcats, as the Bulldogs are in the lead with a 2.43 average turnover margin, ahead of Ohio’s 2.14 and Alabama’s 2.00.
The Tide does not feel any pressure to hang with Mississippi State’s pace of forcing three turnovers per game.
“That’s one of the things, week in and week out, that we try to work toward,” linebacker Nico Johnson said. “That’s one of the things we wanted to change this year from last year is creating turnovers.”
Johnson also said that the Tide’s goal is to force three turnovers in every game.
Homecoming
It may be homecoming week on the Capstone, where the student body elects a homecoming queen and welcomes all alumni of the University back to the campus for a weekend. But it is a more literal homecoming of sorts for the football team, as this Saturday will be its first home game in 29 days since it played the Southeastern Conference’s other Mississippi team, Ole Miss, in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 29.
“It’s definitely good to get back to playing at home,” Saban said. “It seems like a long time since we’ve played at home, and it’s always good to be a part of homecoming.”
Linebacker C.J. Mosley added that he loves playing at home, but hates waiting in his room at the Hotel Capstone for a night kickoff, as the Tide and Bulldogs are set to square off at 7:30 p.m. Central time on ESPN.
Injury update
Saban addressed the health of his team today, noting that the Tide is looking rather good to be as late in the season as it is.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that are beat up a little bit,” Saban said. “But we don’t have anybody that it is in question as to whether or not they’ll be able to practice. We have some guys that aren’t full-speed today but I think will be OK by tomorrow and definitely by Wednesday.”