Alabama Spring Football 2016: Scrimmage #1 - Stars and Statistics

The Crimson Tide held their first scrimmage of the spring at Bryant-Denny Stadium under sunny yet windy conditions. It should be no surprise to Bama fans that the biggest star of the day was Bo Scarbrough.

STATS

After position drills, the two-hour scrimmage was closed to the public but the University released a small dose of statistics on the day. These stats include 11-on-11, situational drills, red zone area, goal line, and two-minute drills.

RUSHING
Bo Scarbrough - 9 rushes, 132 yards, 3 TD (95 yard TD run)
Jalen Hurts - 10 rushes, 57 yards
Damien Harris - 12 rushes, 36 yards (1 reception)

RECEIVING
ArDarius Stewart - 7 rec., 100 yards, 2 TD (touchdown of 40 and 18 yards)
Calvin Ridley - 3 rec., 50 yards

DEFENSE
Dalvin Tomlinson - 8 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 PBU
Rashaan Evans - 8 tackles, 1 sack
Reuben Foster - 7 tackles, 1 INT (returned for TD)
Ryan Anderson - 7 tackles, 1 sack

NOTES & NEWS

Quarterbacks:

• All four quarterbacks rotated throughout and got equal playing time. Blake Barnett and Cooper Bateman were paired together in one group, while David Cornwell and Jalen Hurts were in the other.
• For what it is worth, Bateman led the quarterbacks through position drills.

When asked about the offensive line, Nick Saban called out a few player:

• Lester Cotton has played both tackle positions and some time at guard as well.
• Freshman 5-star Jonah Williams saw some time at first team left tackle.
• Korren Kirven is playing well.
  
• Ross Pierschbacher at center is looking more like a reality (my words, not Saban's).
• Guards Dallas Warmack and Brandon Kennedy are "making progress and playing better".

Regarding the secondary, Saban mentioned the following players:

• Minkah Fitzpatrick and Anthony Averett are playing cornerback. Though Fitzpatrick is likely the starter opposite Marlon Humphrey, he has worked at the Star position as well.
• Maurice Smith and Tony Brown have been playing the Star with Brown playing some corner as well.

More observations:

• Wide receiver Robert Foster looked really going through drills. Although still wearing a black no-contact jersey, he showed speed and hands equivalent to what he displayed last fall before tearing his rotator cuff against Ole Miss.
• Linebacker Keith Holcombe was back at practice after splitting time with the baseball team.
  
• Starting left tackle Cam Robinson did not participate during drills. he is recovering from off-season surgery.
• Many players were rotated around with several trying out two or more positions.
• A-Day Game is scheduled for Saturday, April 16, at 2 pm CT at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN with Joe Tessitore and Kirk Herbstreit calling the action. Sadly, Joey Galloway will be joining them.

SABAN COMMENTS

Overall:

"I thought the effort was good. The toughness was good. We got a lot of turns for a lot of players that needed the experience. The No. 1 thing about this is it really doesn't matter about the result that anybody got out there today. It's what are your goals? What do you need to do to accomplish the goals that you have? What sacrifices do you need to make? Who do you need to work with? Are you going to make the kind of choices and decisions to do the things you need to do to be the best that you can be and create the right habits so that you have the chance to play winning football? This gives us a great indication of where we are and what we need to do to improve."

Regarding the QB battle:

"They made some good throws today. There were some inconsistencies in the passing game. When I say that, I’m not just talking about quarterbacks throwing the ball. I’m talking about the protection, the receivers running the right routes, the timing, all those things. I think the thing that affects the passing game and the kicking game as much as anything is the wind, and it was really windy. And it was a cross wind, so that makes it even more difficult."

UP NEXT

Today's scrimmage counts as the eighth practice of 15 allowed. The next scrimmage will be Saturday, April 9.