Hurts digs deep, throws deep to bounce back against Arkansas
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Saban Presser | Jalen Hurts | Damien Harris
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts wished his eyes were deceiving him.
“I was just hoping he would’ve dropped it,” Hurts said.
The sophomore quarterback was already having a rough night. He only completed 6 of 11 passes for 94 yards in the first half, but those struggles persisted on Alabama’s first possession in the third quarter.
With an Arkansas defender closing in, Hurts jumped the gun and tossed a low ball to a receiver he couldn’t see. Kevin Richardson, an Arkansas defensive back, made him pay for that.
When it became clear the defender hadn’t dropped his pass, Hurts walked over to the sideline. There backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa walked over and patted Hurts on the shoulder.
Words of encouragement likely followed, but Hurts didn’t really hear them. He’d just thrown his first interception since the Iron Bowl, snapping a streak of 206 consecutive passing attempts without a pick.
“I don’t remember what he said,” Hurts said. “I’d just thrown the first interception of the season, but it’s about how you respond.
“We responded.”
Hurts finished the night completing 12 of 19 passes for 155 yards, a touchdown and the lone interception in No. 1 Alabama’s 41-9 victory over Arkansas. As a rusher, he added 41 yards and one touchdown on 10 attempts.
Despite what appeared to be an inefficient night for the Alabama signal caller, he actually finished 5 of 8 when targeting receivers at least 10 yards downfield and 2 of 4 on throws of 20 yards or more.
Hurts accuracy improved to 3 of 4 when he targeted receivers only 10-16 yards downfield. DeVonta Smith hauled in one of these for 11 yards (ignoring yards earned on the run after the catch). He was also targeted on Hurts’ lone incompletion in this range.
Calvin Ridley was the only other receiver who saw two targets when running routes deeper than 10 yards. Ridley hauled in both of his for 11 yards and 26 yards (again ignoring yards after the catch).
Hurts’ other two longer completions went 16 and 29 yards downfield to receivers Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy, respectively.
“I think he continues to make good throws, but I also think we need to clean up the pressure in the pocket, the timing and be a little more consistent in that regard,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “But I thought we made some good plays in the passing game today.”
Saban also said he felt Hurts was unable to capitalize on some play-action passes the Crimson Tide coaching staff called on Saturday due to unexpected pressure in the pocket.
It did seem like Hurts originally looked to target deeper routes more than eight times on Saturday, and after the game, numerous Alabama players said Arkansas’ defensive gameplan upfront caught them by surprise.
However, one play-action pass that worked became Hurts’ official response to his own mistake, and he didn’t have to wait long to issue it.
Hurts faked the handoff to running back Damien Harris before rolling back around to throw his first pass since he tossed the pick. There was nothing ill-timed about his throw this time as he found wide receiver Henry Ruggs for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
“When his number’s called, he answers the phone and he makes plays,” Hurts said of Ruggs. “I always mess with him (saying) ‘Early on he wouldn’t catch my eye, but he’d catch Tua’s. And I’d mess with him, but he’s doing a great job.”
Alabama running back Damien Harris didn’t need the ball in his hands on that particular play to know Alabama would score. The moment he saw the Arkansas defenders swarm to him, thinking he had the ball, Harris knew the play call had worked.
All Harris had to do was stop running and watch his Hurts and Ruggs at work. But that wasn’t the first time on Saturday that Harris watched Hurts exploit a defense that failed to recognize the quarterback kept the ball in his hands.
“The first play of the game we ran it was actually a read and Jalen handed off that time,” Harris said. “But then the second time when he had his rushing touchdown, I knew that everybody was gonna flow. Once I saw the defense flew across the field and he kept the ball and I knew he was going to score.”