This Alabama back is one of the team leaders in an unexpected stat
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Take one look at Alabama’s reception leaders this season, and the first name on the list should come as no surprise. Calvin Ridley sits at the top with 12 catches, four times more than any other Crimson Tide receiver.
It probably won’t come as a surprise either that Cam Sims is tied for second with three receptions. The name that would most likely be cause for a double take comes in who Sims is tied with: running back Bo Scarbrough.
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"Who, Bo? Nah, I wouldn't have expected it.” Sims said when informed of the stat Monday.
Despite the wide receiver’s surprise, Scarbrough sits tied for No. 2 on the team with three receptions for 19 yards. To put that into perspective, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound running back had just four catches for 22 yards in 13 games last season. During last week’s game against Fresno State, Scarbrough had two catches for 15 yards.
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“We’ve always tried to have the running backs involved in the passing game. Sometimes they have responsibilities before they go out in terms of pass protection so sometimes what the defense does determines whether they get out or they don’t get out,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “Sometimes you free-release them and somebody else has to block and if they rush, you have to block five-man protection and get the ball out hot which we do that, too. But we want to get our backs involved in the passing game and I think the system that we have right now allows us to do that. I think all of our guys are capable of doing that.”
Given his size, most consider Scarbrough to be a power back. After all, he was used as the Tide’s goal-line back last season and finished second on the team with 11 rushing touchdowns. Highlights of him dragging defenders with him for most the year only added to that stereotype.
However, don’t be fooled. The big man can catch, too.
That was evidenced by a finger-tip catch he pulled off at the sidelines during the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game. On that play, Scarbrough fully extended his arms while on the run to secure a pass from Micheal O'Connor, all while managing to stay in bounds.
That’s the standard Scarbrough’s teammates hold him to in practice.
“When he'll drop a pass or something I'll be like, 'That ain't the Under Armour Bo,'” Sims said with a smile. “He made a catch at the Under Armour Game on the sidelines, caught it with his fingertips and I'll be like, 'The Under Armour Bo would have caught that.'"
Last year, Josh Jacobs served as the Tide’s top pass catcher out of the backfield, tallying 14 receptions for 156 yards. After missing the first two games due to a hamstring injury, the sophomore is expected to practice more this week and could make his season debut Saturday when Alabama plays Colorado State at 6 p.m. CT inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Whether or not that means fewer receptions for Scarbrough moving forward is yet to be seen. However, for the moment, Alabama is enjoying “Under Armour Bo” just fine.