Alabama's Greatest Under Saban: Henry vs. Ingram in the Final Four
Bummed out about the NCAA Tournament being canceled? We are too. That’s why BamaInsider created its own version of March Madness to determine who is the Crimson Tide’s greatest player in the Nick Saban era.
We have compiled a 64-player field with seed rankings of No. 1 through No. 16. The tournament will be determined by fan voting. Fans can vote either through BamaInsider’s Twitter account (@bamainsider) or on the Talk of Champions message board. Players will be matched up against each other with the one receiving the most total votes between both mediums advancing to the next round.
Today we continue the Final Four with Derrick Henry vs. Mark Ingram.
No. 1 seed Derrick Henry vs. No. 2 seed Mark Ingram
Derrick Henry accolades
— Alabama’s second Heisman winner (2015).
— Alabama’s career record holder in rushing touchdowns (42)
— Alabama’s single-season record holder in rushing touchdowns (28), rushing yards (2,219) and carries (395)
— Third most yards per carry (career) list with a minimum of 400 attempts. Henry averaged 5.97 yards per rush across his 602-carry career while the two guys ahead of him finished with less than 500 carries.
The case for Henry: Derrick Henry was (perhaps still is) the physical embodiment of Nick Saban’s process. He was notoriously lousy to interview after games because he didn’t want to relive a moment of his success. Henry was simply doing a job.
If you wanted a quote from Henry, you better ask about his (rare) mistakes. He carried the ball 38 times for 210 yards and three touchdowns when No. 2 LSU visited Tuscaloosa that season. The only play he remembered was the time he fumbled.
So, throw out the Heismans they each have and the career touchdown record they share. So what’s left? Henry has several single-season records and averaged more yards per carry over his career than Mark Ingram.
So the numbers clearly favor Henry.
By the time the 2015 Iron Bowl arrived, everyone in the state knew Henry was getting the ball. It did not matter. He still averaged 5.9 yards on 46 carries that day. A week later, he carried it 44 times against Florida in the SEC Championship. He averaged 4.3 yards that game.
Henry did that all season. He carried the ball at least 20 times in every game, but the four non-conference contests.
Ingram could power an offense, but his track record suggests he couldn’t have carried the load the same way Henry did. Perhaps no one can.
Mark Ingram accolades
— Alabama's first Heisman winner (2009)
— Alabama's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (42)
— Ranks sixth all-time at Alabama with 3,261 rushing yards
— Ranks sixth all-time at Alabama with 5.7 yards per carry (minimum 400 carries)
The case for Ingram: Mark Ingram was overwhelmed and brought to tears upon winning the Heisman Trophy in 2009. "I'm a little overwhelmed right now," he said. "I'm just so excited to bring Alabama their first Heisman winner.” While the star back has meant a lot to Alabama, the Crimson Tide seems to mean equally as much to him.
After earning the Heisman Trophy, Ingram led Alabama to its first national championship under Saban, taking home offensive MVP honors with 116 yards and two touchdowns on the ground during Crimson Tide’s 37-21 victory over Texas. The Flint, Mich., native was the only northerner on Alabama’s roster but bled for the crimson and white perhaps more than anyone on the team. Ingram was drafted No. 28 overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2011 and has since made his way to three Pro Bowls. He’s represented Alabama the entire journey, routinely showing back up in Tuscaloosa, Ala., or supporting the Crimson Tide publicly from afar.
As far as this matchup is concerned, Henry might have the more impressive numbers. However, Ingram proved just as essential. While Henry set school records with 46 carries for 271 yards against Auburn in 2015, Ingram averaged almost twice as many yards per attempt when he gashed South Carolina for 246 yards on 24 carries in 2009. You can’t go wrong either way in this matchup. However, without Ingram to set the stage, we might never have seen Henry at Alabama.
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Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
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