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Da'Ron Payne's pass rush prepares him to play
Ben Jones | Editor
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) is brought down by Alabama defensive back Cyrus Jones (5) and defensive lineman Daron Payne (94) during the Tennessee-Alabama game on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Laura Chramer | The Tuscaloosa News
Western Kentucky would not have been a matchup for DaāRon Payne to eagerly await as a freshman. The pass-happy Hilltoppers averaged over 40 passes a game in 2015, and over 42 each game in 2014. Thatās not what Payne was suited for when he arrived as a 345-pound freshman last season.
But as a 313-pound sophomore, Payne feels more prepared for Saturdayās game.
āIām looking forward to it,ā he said. āItāll probably be more of a chance for me to pass rush and tighten up my skills.ā
Payne made a major impact as a freshman, but most of his time on the field last year came against offenses known for physical running games. He started against Arkansas, LSU and Florida, but was a bit player in other matchups. Nose guards arenāt known for flashy statistics, but he didnāt register a single tackle against Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Auburn or Clemson.
He wasnāt built for those kind of games. Payne arrived as one of the University of Alabamaās strongest players, but hadnāt developed as a pass rusher. That was his focus this summer, as he dropped weight and learned from his teammates who helped set a school record with 52 sacks last year.
āLast year, I got to learn a lot from (Jarran) Reed, A'Shawn, Darren Lake, D.J. Pettway, and now this year, I get to still learn from Jon Allen and Dalvin Tomlinson,ā he said. āJust a learning process."
His first career sack hasnāt come yet ā he shared a sack with AāShawn Robinson against Tennessee last year ā but heās close. He narrowly missed Southern Cal quarterback Max Browne last week, but a teammate finished the play.
Heās starting to put all his skills and techniques together. Payne now has the speed to go with the strength he always had, and heās refining his technique with help from defensive line coach Karl Dunbar.
ā(Payne is) kind of unstoppable to block,ā sophomore guard Ross Pierschbacher said. āItās like heās got everything going for him. Iām glad we have him on our team.ā
WKU is another chance for his first career sack. He started at nose guard against the Trojans, and should see a more consistent role the rest of the season. Payne has tried to imitate some of his teammates in hopes of adding their abilities to get after the quarterback.
āWe've tried to improve him a little bit as a pass rusher so he could be a good inside player for us and I think he's done that,ā Alabama head coach Nick Saban said last week. āHe gives us another inside player that we can play, which I think is critical based on the guys that we lost.ā
Defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson said Payneās footwork has seen the biggest improvement. Heās always been an explosive player, but wasnāt skilled enough to escape double teams. Little by little, the big defensive lineman is learning what it takes.
āGetting in the playbook and having a year under his belt really benefited him,ā Pierschbacher said. āHeās probably arguably one of the strongest guys on the team. He ran like a 4.8 or something 40, and with a guy that size, you donāt see that very often. It makes it a really big challenge for us offensive linemen to go up against him.ā
TideSports.com - Da'Ron Payne's pass rush prepares him to play
Ben Jones | Editor
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) is brought down by Alabama defensive back Cyrus Jones (5) and defensive lineman Daron Payne (94) during the Tennessee-Alabama game on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Laura Chramer | The Tuscaloosa News
Western Kentucky would not have been a matchup for DaāRon Payne to eagerly await as a freshman. The pass-happy Hilltoppers averaged over 40 passes a game in 2015, and over 42 each game in 2014. Thatās not what Payne was suited for when he arrived as a 345-pound freshman last season.
But as a 313-pound sophomore, Payne feels more prepared for Saturdayās game.
āIām looking forward to it,ā he said. āItāll probably be more of a chance for me to pass rush and tighten up my skills.ā
Payne made a major impact as a freshman, but most of his time on the field last year came against offenses known for physical running games. He started against Arkansas, LSU and Florida, but was a bit player in other matchups. Nose guards arenāt known for flashy statistics, but he didnāt register a single tackle against Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Auburn or Clemson.
He wasnāt built for those kind of games. Payne arrived as one of the University of Alabamaās strongest players, but hadnāt developed as a pass rusher. That was his focus this summer, as he dropped weight and learned from his teammates who helped set a school record with 52 sacks last year.
āLast year, I got to learn a lot from (Jarran) Reed, A'Shawn, Darren Lake, D.J. Pettway, and now this year, I get to still learn from Jon Allen and Dalvin Tomlinson,ā he said. āJust a learning process."
His first career sack hasnāt come yet ā he shared a sack with AāShawn Robinson against Tennessee last year ā but heās close. He narrowly missed Southern Cal quarterback Max Browne last week, but a teammate finished the play.
Heās starting to put all his skills and techniques together. Payne now has the speed to go with the strength he always had, and heās refining his technique with help from defensive line coach Karl Dunbar.
ā(Payne is) kind of unstoppable to block,ā sophomore guard Ross Pierschbacher said. āItās like heās got everything going for him. Iām glad we have him on our team.ā
WKU is another chance for his first career sack. He started at nose guard against the Trojans, and should see a more consistent role the rest of the season. Payne has tried to imitate some of his teammates in hopes of adding their abilities to get after the quarterback.
āWe've tried to improve him a little bit as a pass rusher so he could be a good inside player for us and I think he's done that,ā Alabama head coach Nick Saban said last week. āHe gives us another inside player that we can play, which I think is critical based on the guys that we lost.ā
Defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson said Payneās footwork has seen the biggest improvement. Heās always been an explosive player, but wasnāt skilled enough to escape double teams. Little by little, the big defensive lineman is learning what it takes.
āGetting in the playbook and having a year under his belt really benefited him,ā Pierschbacher said. āHeās probably arguably one of the strongest guys on the team. He ran like a 4.8 or something 40, and with a guy that size, you donāt see that very often. It makes it a really big challenge for us offensive linemen to go up against him.ā
TideSports.com - Da'Ron Payne's pass rush prepares him to play
