What we learned: Will Anderson could become a serious Heisman contender

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Will Anderson Jr. won’t say it, but someone should. Following No. 2 Alabama’s 20-14 victory over LSU, it’s time to start considering the Crimson Tide edge rusher as a serious candidate for this year’s Heisman Trophy award.

Anderson led Alabama with 12 tackles, including 1.5 sacks and four stops for a loss Saturday night. The five-star defender also recorded two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. However, when asked about his performance following the game, he brushed aside praise in the same fashing he disposes of opposing offensive linemen.

“What we do as a team is what we’re remembered for,” Anderson said, “not only my accomplishments but what we do as a team.”

Through nine games, Anderson has piled up a team-high 10.5 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss. His 21 stops for a loss are the most for an Alabama player since Wallace Gilberry recorded 27 during the entire 2007 season.

Anderson still has three regular-season games remaining plus a likely trip to the SEC Championship Game as well as up to two games after that. If he remains on his current pace and the Tide makes it back the national championship game, he’d end the season with 35 tackles for a loss and 17.5 sacks.

“I think Will’s a very dominant player like a lot of guys we’ve had at Alabama,” inside linebacker Christian Harris said. “Will’s going to do what he’s supposed to do every time.”

Former Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson was the last defensive player to win the Heisman, earning the honor in 1997. The last Heisman winner to serve as an edge rusher is Notre Dame’s Leon Hart back in 1949. However, he also contributed on the offensive side of the ball.

Could Anderson be the next defensive player to earn the honor this year?

“I’m just focused on helping the team get to another natty,” Anderson said with a smile when asked about his Heisman status after the game. “That’s all I’m worried about, getting to a natty.”

Alabama came away victorious on the scoreboard, but according to LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, the Tide wasn’t the best team to take the field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night.

“I want to compliment our team on how hard we played,” Orgeron said to start his postgame press conference. “I truly thought we were the better team tonight, but we just came up a couple plays short. I wish we would have had a better plan on offense, especially in the second half. We had opportunities to score, and we didn’t. I have to take that responsibility. I just wish that we could have put our guys in a better position to win.”

LSU recorded just 295 yards of offense but held Alabama to a season-low 308 yards, including just 6 on the ground. The Tigers also had several opportunities to take the lead late, advancing into Alabama territory on three straight possessions inside the final eight minutes.

LSU just wasn’t able to capitalize on those chances. The Tigers drove down to the 8-yard line midway through the fourth quarter before ultimately turning the ball over on downs following an incompletion on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line.

LSU took over at the Alabama 42-yard line following a fumble from Tide quarterback Bryce Young on the ensuing possession. However, the Tigers managed to gain just 1 yard over their next four plays. After getting the ball back one last time in the final minute, LSU advanced to the Alabama 30 only to see its last-second heave to the end zone swatted down to end the game.

“I’m proud of them,” Orgeron said. “We should have won the game. We should have won the game. They played their hearts out. We came into the stadium, we were going to win the game. These guys were not intimidated. They wanted to win the football game. We just fell a little bit short.”

There’s been a lot said about Young’s stature. However, while the 6-foot, 194-pound quarterback might not measure up to Alabama’s previous passers when it comes to height end weight, he doesn’t fall short in terms of toughness.

Young was constantly under duress Saturday night as LSU sacked him four times while recording two quarterback hurries. The quarterback also took a couple of big hits, including a leveling blow from LSU defensive back Jay Ward in the fourth quarter.

“That’s an SEC football game,” Young said. “It’s always going to be physical. It’s always going to be tough. That was a very good team, a good defense, a very physical team. So you’ve always got a little bit of soreness going in and out, but I’m blessed to not have anything major happen to me.”

Young might be feeling it Sunday morning, but the constant pressure didn’t stop him from putting together solid numbers Saturday night. The sophomore completed 24 of 37 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers. It was his fourth straight 300-yard game this season.

Young’s efforts through the air carried a struggling Alabama offense, as the Tide gained just 6 yards on 26 attempts, counting sacks. The 6 yards are the lowest rushing production the Tide has recorded in the Saban era.

“I think there are a lot of the things in the game that we probably didn’t do well,” Saban said. “We didn’t block them up front really well. We didn’t run the ball very well on offense. We couldn’t run it at the end of the game when we needed to. We weren’t as effective on third down. We had some protection issues. A lot of things that we can fix, and I think we need to fix them so we can be a little more consistent.”

Alabama’s offensive line was dealt an early blow as starting center Darrian Dalcourt left with an ankle injury following the game’s opening possession. Chris Owens slid over from right tackle to take Dalcourts spot with Damieon George filling in for Owens.

While Alabama likely won’t be able to survive a similar breakdown against better defenses, the Tide can take solace in knowing that its offense can still move the ball when the running game isn’t working.

“There’s positives that you can take from it,” Young said. “There’s stuff in both aspects of running and passing the ball that we did have some success on. So it’s not all negative. … Again, it’s a win and a win against a really good team in a tough division.”