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The Jumbo Package | 10.16.13

Your daily dose of Crimson Tide news and notes.

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas a blast from past for Bama | ESPN

"It will be a little bit different because we have played these spread teams that like to sling it around a little bit," Sunseri said. His versatility to play at the line of scrimmage and in coverage has become coveted with the rise of the HUNH, but he's still a masher at heart, the son of a defensive line coach who values grit. "It will be fun to play the run a little bit more," he added.

Bielema has fed freshman Alex Collins the football from his first step on campus. The 206-pound machine ran it 21 times for 131 yards in the season opener. He followed that up by running for more than 100 yards in each of his next two games, becoming the first freshman in NCAA history to reach the century mark in his first three games. Today he ranks 10th nationally in carries (123) and 11th in rushing yards (720). According to ESPN Stats & Information, he leads the SEC with 10 broken tackles. A whopping 37.2 percent of his total yards have come after contact.

It will definitely be interesting to see Bama take on a different style offense this Saturday.  As I mentioned in the podcast, though, Arkansas' passing game is dreadful.  We'll get a bit of an idea of how Bama's defense can handle power running, but I don't anticipate Arkansas will have much success, given their complete lack of balance.

ESPN debate about MVP candidacy 'an honor,' but AJ McCarron says 'I'm nothing' without Alabama teammates | AL.com

A few hours after he threw for a career-high 359 yards, AJ McCarron and his candidacy as college football's most valuable player was the focus of a debate between ESPN's Mark May and Lou Holtz.

"It’s an honor, but at the same time I’d be the first one to tell you I’m nothing without these guys," McCarron said, referring to his Crimson Tide teammates. "Whoever you pull off any team would be the first to tell you they are nothing without their teammates. If someone tells you they are someone without their teammates, they probably are not that good a teammate.

Exactly what you want to hear from your star quarterback.

Top DT target Matt Elam stays neutral at Alabama-Kentucky game | AL.com

"I just wanted to be neutral and not hurt anybody's feelings on that," Elam told 247Sports after Alabama's 48-7 victory, adding that he was happy with the view he got of both teams.

"With UK, it was the environment up there, how the coaches were, and how they played against the No. 1 team in the nation," he said. "On Bama's side, it was just playing at that elite level in the SEC while on an away game. I looked at the D-line and the schemes they play. I've seen UK play a lot. this time, I mainly focused on Alabama and how I would fit into their program.

If you're a Bama fan, you have to be encouraged by that takeaway.  If you're a Kentucky fan, you have to be a bit disappointed to learn that Elam's view of the game wasn't obstructed.

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