Progress report: How five Alabama stars looked at this point last season
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* Saban provides injury updates heading into game against Arkansas
* How fewer honey buns have led to more big plays for Damien Harris
Halfway through the regular season, No. 1 Alabama finds itself in the same position it was in at this point last year. The Crimson Tide is 6-0, 3-0 in the SEC and has outscored its opponents 258-62. That’s a slight improvement from its start in 2016 when Alabama outscored its opponents 269-95 over its first six games.
Now that we’ve seen a big enough sample size, its possible to look at some of Alabama’s key returners and check in on the progress they’ve made. Here’s a look at five of Alabama’s biggest playmakers and how they currently stack up to where they were at this point last season:
Jalen Hurts
2016 (Through six games)
Passing: 97 of 152 (63.8 percent) for 1, 242 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing: 62 carries for 296 yards (4.77 yards per carry), 5 TDS
2017
Passing: 70 of 111 (63.1 percent) for 870 yards, 7 TD, 0 INT
Rushing: 69 carries for 517 yards (7.49 yards per carry) 5 TDs
Last season's totals
Passing: 240 of 382 (62.8 percent) for 2,780 yards, 23 TD, 9 INTs
Rushing: 191 carries for 954 yards (4.99 yards per carry) 13 TDs
Outlook
This is a case where the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Going strictly by numbers, it would appear that Hurts’ passing ability has regressed from last season. However, the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year has been used differently in his sophomore season. Last year, Hurts benefited from several shovel passes which aided his completion rate, while this season he has been relied on more to throw the ball down the field.
There’s definitely room for improvement in the passing game. Hurts has passed for more than 150 yards just twice this through six games, a total he surpassed five times at this point last year. That being said, the sophomore should be commended for his ability to take care of the ball. Hurts has yet to turn the ball over this season and has thrown 191 straight passes without an interception, the second longest streak in school history behind AJ McCarron in 2011-12.
Perhaps the biggest improvement for Hurts has come on the ground where he has nearly doubled his yards per carry from where he was at this point last season. Hurts leads the team with 517 rushing yards and has averaged 7.49 yards a carry. Part of that is due to the quarterback being more selective in when he tucks the ball, while another factor is the added space defenses have allowed in order to respect his downfield passing ability.
Damien Harris
2016 (Through six games)
Rushing: 55 carries for 478 yards (8.69 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving: 7 receptions 81 yards, 1 TD
2017
Rushing: 59 carries for 500 yards (8.47 ypc), 7 TDs
Receiving: 5 receptions for 38 yards
Last season's totals
Rushing: 146 carries for 1,037 yards (7.1 ypc) 2 TDs
Receiving: 14 receptions for 99 yards, 2 TDs
Outlook
What a difference the end zone makes. Despite the attention has received for his hot start this season, it can be argued that the running back actually had an even better start last year.
Harris’ SEC-leading 8.47 yards per carry is actually a hair down from the 8.69 yards per carry he had after six games last season. The junior back has also been less impactful in the receiving game, tallying five catches for 38 yards, down from seven receptions for 81 yards last year. However, the stat most have latched onto is Harris’ team-leading seven touchdowns, already more than three times his season total from last year.
Either way, Harris is on track to become the first Alabama running back to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since T.J. Yeldon in 2012-13. Perhaps the biggest thing in Harris’ way of accomplishing that feat is his fellow running backs. The 5-foot-11, 221-pound back currently shares a backfield with fellow returning starters Bo Scarbrough and Josh Jacobs along with talented freshmen Najee Harris and Brian Robinson. That means fewer carries but also fresher legs for Damien Harris moving forward.
“He has good burst and acceleration when there is an opening and he's made more explosive runs for us than anybody on our team but I still feel that in the long run, the way he's playing, the way we're using the backs is probably the best thing for our team,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said of Damien Harris on Monday. “Maybe one of the reasons he is healthy and he's staying healthy and able to do what he's doing is that we're playing more guys at the position and he doesn't have to play as many plays. I'd rather see him do that over the long haul of the season rather than start running him 30 times in a game and all of a sudden, he's not able to run at all.”
Bo Scarbrough
2016 (Through six games)
Rushing: 38 carries for 164 yards (4.32 ypc), 4 TDs
Receiving: 2 receptions for 15 yards
2017
Rushing: 65 carries for 294 yards (4.52 ypc), 4 TDs
Receiving: 10 receptions for 78 yards
Last season's totals
Rushing: 125 carries for 812 yards (6.5 ypc) 11 TDs
Receiving: 4 receptions for 22 yards
Outlook
After a slow start last season, Bo Scarbrough’s first six games offer plenty of optimism for Alabama’s offense moving forward. Last year, the bruising back didn’t catch fire until he ripped off 454 yards and six touchdowns on the ground over the last four games of the year. If the junior can add another hot streak to a more consistent start to this season, he could be in store for a special year.
It was around this time last season that Scarbrough showed signs of breaking out. He rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown on five carries against Tennessee in Alabama’s seventh game last season before twisting his knee against LSU two games later, causing him to miss the next to games. Given Scarbrough’s injury history, he should benefit from shared carries which could lead to another dominating late-season performance. Another thing to watch is his production in the receiving game. Scarbrough has already recorded more than three times as many receiving yards as he did all of last season.
Calvin Ridley
2016 (Through six games)
Receiving: 34 receptions for 412 yards, 4 TDs
2017
Receiving: 29 receptions for 390 yards, 2 TDs
Last season's totals
54 receptions for 864 yards, 8 TDs
Outlook
Despite being far and away Alabama’s leading receiver this season, Calvin Ridley is actually off the pace from last year. The junior receiver leads the team with 29 receptions this season, almost four times as many as Jerry Jeudy (8), the Tide’s second-leading receiver. However, a mixture of Alabama’s preference to keep the ball on the ground mixed with some lopsided first-half scores have limited Ridley’s numbers to a certain extent.
That being said, the talented receiver still has a good chance of surpassing last season’s totals. Ridley went into a lull midway through last year, recording less than 30 yards in three straight games against Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi State. This season he has developed a chemistry with Hurts, his roommate off the field, allowing the receiver to put in consistent performances each week. Ridley has led the team in receptions in five of its six games this season and has recorded less than 60 yards receiving just twice.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
2016 (Through six games)
27 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 INT, 5 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble
2017
28 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 4 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble
Last season's totals
66 tackles, 1 sack, 6 INTs, 7 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble
Outlook
It’s hard to describe Minkah Fitzpatrick’s value through numbers. The junior defensive back is capable of sliding in anywhere in Alabama’s secondary, typically playing as the Star in the nickel package while moving closer to the line at Money when the Tide works out of the dime package.
As shown several times last season, Fitzpatrick’s quick jump off the line can be used to rush the passer in different blitz packages. Although he has recorded just one sack this season, Fitzpatrick has made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound defensive back already has two quarterback hurries and should get plenty of opportunities to get into the backfield as Alabama has blitzed its cornerbacks more this year.
Fitzpatrick still has some catching up to do if he wants to match his team-leading six interceptions from last season. The junior recorded his first pick during last week’s game against Texas A&M, jumping in front of a pass from Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond at the 1-yard line to prevent a scoring drive. His next opportunity to add to that total comes against an Arkansas team that he recorded three interceptions against last season.