September 3, 2014
Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
He's an often overlooked player, but his importance to the Alabama offense was evident when he singlehandedly made multiple West Virginia players miss, turning a sure-fire failed third down conversion into a fresh set of downs.
DeAndrew White's six catches for 73 yards was second on the team to Amari Cooper, the player that provides the shadow White often falls within. With White missing at least two weeks with a separated shoulder, who will take his place?āØ UA coach Nick Saban said the team has multiple options.
"Chrisition Jones can play where DeAndrew White plays. Chris Black can play there and is probably a guy that deserves to play more than he has played," Saban said. "So this will be an opportunity for him. ArDarius Stewart can play there as well. All those guys will probably get some opportunity to do it."
Jones, a senior, caught three passes for 31 yards in the season opener and Black grabbed one reception for eight yards. Steward played but did not register a catch.
Saban cautioned that Stewart is still learning about the importance of attention to detail, but that he also possesses skills that translate to winning football.
"He has a lot of ability. He's strong, fast and explosive," Saban said. "But knowledge and experience are something you only come to get by going out and playing, and sometimes there's a few mistakes along the way that help you gain that. So as long as you're learning from them and growing from them I think that is the key to the drill."
DePriest back
Senior middle linebacker Trey DePriest is eligible for Saturday's game against Florida Atlantic after sitting the first game of the season due to a "minor NCAA infraction."
DePriest also missed the first portion of fall camp due to a sprained knee. His absence presented communication problems for the UA defense against West Virginia.
"ā¦it definitely showed he wasn't out there Saturday," senior safety Nick Perry said. "We weren't lined up correctly. We had a lot of mental errorsā¦When we did line up correctly, we were able to stop them and have negative plays."
Nearly a third of West Virginia's plays went for first downs (22 first downs in 69 plays), as the Mountaineers racked up 393 yards of total offense.
The team is hoping DePriest's return helps stabilize the unit.
"I think that Trey, because of his knowledge and experience and his ability to communicate, certainly allows the other players to be more confident in the calls and communicationā¦," Saban said.
Saban also said that sophomore cornerback Eddie Jackson and junior quarterback Jake Coker will make in Saturday's game.
'Bama family
Former Alabama players have seen the national spotlight recently, ranging from Rolando McClain potentially grabbing a starting position with the Dallas Cowboys to Dee Hart putting up an impressive opening game for the Colorado State Rams.
Their former teammates and coaches at UA couldn't be happier.
Hart, who transferred to Colorado State after the spring semester, rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in the Rams' 31-17 win over Colorado last Friday night. Alabama players watched the game from their hotel rooms in Atlanta, taking to social media to express their pride in their former teammate.
"We're happy for him. He had a few injuries his first couple of years here, so to see him out there and showing the world what he can really do is exciting," Perry said. "We were all happy and tuned it. We were in the hotel jumping up and down when he was scoring his touchdowns. He's just a little spark plug out there."
Whether it's former teammates in the NFL or guys like Hart, the motto remains the same.
"Once you're part of the 'Bama family you're always part of the 'Bama family," Perry said. "We're all looking out for each other."
Saban said McClain is one of his favorite people in the world, and he's excited he's back in professional football.
"He actually came here the first year we were here and had never won a game and didn't have a very good team, and he certainly became the alpha dog leader of some really good teams that probably had a lot to do with the whole turning around of the programā¦," Saban said.
"I'm excited about him having the opportunity to go back to play pro football, if that's what he wanted to do and that's what he chooses to do. I wish him the very, very best in his career. Hopefully he'll do well in Dallas for Jason Garrett and the Cowboys. We'll be excited to watch him play."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1677433#sthash.TcjJmuah.dpuf
Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
He's an often overlooked player, but his importance to the Alabama offense was evident when he singlehandedly made multiple West Virginia players miss, turning a sure-fire failed third down conversion into a fresh set of downs.
DeAndrew White's six catches for 73 yards was second on the team to Amari Cooper, the player that provides the shadow White often falls within. With White missing at least two weeks with a separated shoulder, who will take his place?āØ UA coach Nick Saban said the team has multiple options.
"Chrisition Jones can play where DeAndrew White plays. Chris Black can play there and is probably a guy that deserves to play more than he has played," Saban said. "So this will be an opportunity for him. ArDarius Stewart can play there as well. All those guys will probably get some opportunity to do it."
Jones, a senior, caught three passes for 31 yards in the season opener and Black grabbed one reception for eight yards. Steward played but did not register a catch.
Saban cautioned that Stewart is still learning about the importance of attention to detail, but that he also possesses skills that translate to winning football.
"He has a lot of ability. He's strong, fast and explosive," Saban said. "But knowledge and experience are something you only come to get by going out and playing, and sometimes there's a few mistakes along the way that help you gain that. So as long as you're learning from them and growing from them I think that is the key to the drill."
DePriest back
Senior middle linebacker Trey DePriest is eligible for Saturday's game against Florida Atlantic after sitting the first game of the season due to a "minor NCAA infraction."
DePriest also missed the first portion of fall camp due to a sprained knee. His absence presented communication problems for the UA defense against West Virginia.
"ā¦it definitely showed he wasn't out there Saturday," senior safety Nick Perry said. "We weren't lined up correctly. We had a lot of mental errorsā¦When we did line up correctly, we were able to stop them and have negative plays."
Nearly a third of West Virginia's plays went for first downs (22 first downs in 69 plays), as the Mountaineers racked up 393 yards of total offense.
The team is hoping DePriest's return helps stabilize the unit.
"I think that Trey, because of his knowledge and experience and his ability to communicate, certainly allows the other players to be more confident in the calls and communicationā¦," Saban said.
Saban also said that sophomore cornerback Eddie Jackson and junior quarterback Jake Coker will make in Saturday's game.
'Bama family
Former Alabama players have seen the national spotlight recently, ranging from Rolando McClain potentially grabbing a starting position with the Dallas Cowboys to Dee Hart putting up an impressive opening game for the Colorado State Rams.
Their former teammates and coaches at UA couldn't be happier.
Hart, who transferred to Colorado State after the spring semester, rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in the Rams' 31-17 win over Colorado last Friday night. Alabama players watched the game from their hotel rooms in Atlanta, taking to social media to express their pride in their former teammate.
"We're happy for him. He had a few injuries his first couple of years here, so to see him out there and showing the world what he can really do is exciting," Perry said. "We were all happy and tuned it. We were in the hotel jumping up and down when he was scoring his touchdowns. He's just a little spark plug out there."
Whether it's former teammates in the NFL or guys like Hart, the motto remains the same.
"Once you're part of the 'Bama family you're always part of the 'Bama family," Perry said. "We're all looking out for each other."
Saban said McClain is one of his favorite people in the world, and he's excited he's back in professional football.
"He actually came here the first year we were here and had never won a game and didn't have a very good team, and he certainly became the alpha dog leader of some really good teams that probably had a lot to do with the whole turning around of the programā¦," Saban said.
"I'm excited about him having the opportunity to go back to play pro football, if that's what he wanted to do and that's what he chooses to do. I wish him the very, very best in his career. Hopefully he'll do well in Dallas for Jason Garrett and the Cowboys. We'll be excited to watch him play."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1677433#sthash.TcjJmuah.dpuf
