Alabama Football's Bradley Bozeman recalls his first career start at Arkansas
TUSCALOOSA -- Alabama redshirt junior center Bradley Bozeman will make his fifth straight start this weekend at Arkansas, and on the surface, Saturday’s matchup seems like a routine start against a physical SEC opponent.
But it holds a little more significance to Bozeman, who will return to the place he made the first start of his Crimson Tide career. Two years ago, after Ryan Kelly went down with an injury the week before at Ole Miss, the Roanoke, Ala., native stepped into the starting lineup on the road in Fayetteville as Alabama won a hard-fought game 14-13 inside Razorback Stadium.
Bozeman and left tackle Cam Robinson will play there for a second time, which helps the rest of the Tide offensive line. Especially since Bozeman vividly remembers that evening and just how difficult it was to play in that environment.
“Very tough atmosphere,” Bozeman said Monday afternoon. “We kind of struggled offensively that night. But we got it done. Our defense played a great game, and we did what we had to do.”
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Offensively, Alabama amassed 227 total yards (66 rushing, 161 passing) two years ago in Fayetteville, backing up Bozeman’s comments. Through five games this season, the Tide has averaged 484.4 yards per contest.
It wasn’t, however, butterflies or anything Bozeman did that resulted in a lackluster performance on offense in 2014. In fact, the now-redshirt junior center admitted he wasn’t that nervous ahead of his first ever start, even on the road.
“More for the Ole Miss game when I went in,” said Bozeman, when asked about his nerves. "Not so much for the Arkansas week because I knew that I was the guy.”
And how much more comfortable does he feel now than a couple years ago?
“I’m very confident in my play,” Bozeman said. “So it’s a great feeling to be able to go out and do what we have to do.”
In 2014, as a redshirt freshman, Bozeman started two games against Arkansas and Texas A&M in place of Kelly. He moved back to that familiar center position a little more than a week before the start of this season after working at right guard earlier in fall camp. And that versatility, that willingness to do whatever the coaches ask of him is admirable, according to his head coach.
“Bradley Bozeman has done a really good job,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said earlier this fall. “I thought he had a really good spring. He’s a tough guy. He really understands. He can play center, guard or tackle for us. So we’re really pleased with the progress he’s made. He gives us a lot of depth at a lot of different positions.”
A former three-star prospect in the 2013 recruiting cycle, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings, Bozeman will make his second career start in Fayetteville this weekend as the top-ranked Crimson Tide will face the No. 16 Razorbacks to begin a brutal, three-game stretch of SEC games -- a stretch that begins with a physical matchup.
“Every year, we’re fighting all the way down to the last minute,” Bozeman said of facing Arkansas, “and it’s a good matchup between two SEC teams that are both pretty good teams.”
TUSCALOOSA -- Alabama redshirt junior center Bradley Bozeman will make his fifth straight start this weekend at Arkansas, and on the surface, Saturday’s matchup seems like a routine start against a physical SEC opponent.
But it holds a little more significance to Bozeman, who will return to the place he made the first start of his Crimson Tide career. Two years ago, after Ryan Kelly went down with an injury the week before at Ole Miss, the Roanoke, Ala., native stepped into the starting lineup on the road in Fayetteville as Alabama won a hard-fought game 14-13 inside Razorback Stadium.
Bozeman and left tackle Cam Robinson will play there for a second time, which helps the rest of the Tide offensive line. Especially since Bozeman vividly remembers that evening and just how difficult it was to play in that environment.
“Very tough atmosphere,” Bozeman said Monday afternoon. “We kind of struggled offensively that night. But we got it done. Our defense played a great game, and we did what we had to do.”
(What's the latest with the Tide? Make sure you know by signing up for our FREE Alabama newsletter!)
Offensively, Alabama amassed 227 total yards (66 rushing, 161 passing) two years ago in Fayetteville, backing up Bozeman’s comments. Through five games this season, the Tide has averaged 484.4 yards per contest.
It wasn’t, however, butterflies or anything Bozeman did that resulted in a lackluster performance on offense in 2014. In fact, the now-redshirt junior center admitted he wasn’t that nervous ahead of his first ever start, even on the road.
“More for the Ole Miss game when I went in,” said Bozeman, when asked about his nerves. "Not so much for the Arkansas week because I knew that I was the guy.”
And how much more comfortable does he feel now than a couple years ago?
“I’m very confident in my play,” Bozeman said. “So it’s a great feeling to be able to go out and do what we have to do.”
In 2014, as a redshirt freshman, Bozeman started two games against Arkansas and Texas A&M in place of Kelly. He moved back to that familiar center position a little more than a week before the start of this season after working at right guard earlier in fall camp. And that versatility, that willingness to do whatever the coaches ask of him is admirable, according to his head coach.
“Bradley Bozeman has done a really good job,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said earlier this fall. “I thought he had a really good spring. He’s a tough guy. He really understands. He can play center, guard or tackle for us. So we’re really pleased with the progress he’s made. He gives us a lot of depth at a lot of different positions.”
A former three-star prospect in the 2013 recruiting cycle, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings, Bozeman will make his second career start in Fayetteville this weekend as the top-ranked Crimson Tide will face the No. 16 Razorbacks to begin a brutal, three-game stretch of SEC games -- a stretch that begins with a physical matchup.
“Every year, we’re fighting all the way down to the last minute,” Bozeman said of facing Arkansas, “and it’s a good matchup between two SEC teams that are both pretty good teams.”
