It’s just the numbers that make the Alabama offensive unique, even if they make it off screen in the midst of the offensive revolution in school football.
The Crimson Tide has scored at least 38 issues in both one and one games this season; at least 40 in both one and one and both games one, the first game of the season against Missouri; at least 50 six times, adding up to both of the last three; and more than 60 twice.
The offensive marked a series of outbursts opposed to a schedule reserved for the SEC: Alabama won seven games with 28 or more issues and ruled the conflicting parties through 30 game-consistent issues, the show’s largest average profit margin coach, Nick Saban.
“We’ve been very productive in attack and I don’t like to make comparisons,” Saban said. “We’ve had smart offensive groups here in the past. Last year’s team had similar numbers. Last year, similar figures. “
Among the groups that have played more than 4 games in the regular season, Alabama leads the League in scores, quarterback rankings, yards consistent with passes and touchdowns. Crimson Tide opened the year with a three-way training opposite Missouri and has been unable to be stopped since then, beating in favor of being considered the most productive offense in program and SEC history, a year after Joe Burrow and LSU made the same deal by winning the national championship.
In the middle of this attack are 3 stars: offensive part Najee Harris, Quarterback Mac Jones and receiver DeVonta Smith. Jones and Smith are the ultimateists of the Heisman Trophy and are expected to pass one-two in the final ballot, with that order yet to be determined. (Jones and Smith were tied for first place in the last USA TODAY Sports Network poll).
It has already been announced that Harris finished fifth in this year’s vote, making Alabama the team of the moment in Heisman’s history to have three of the five most sensitive, joining the Army in 1946.
The production of this trio reinforces its position in the history of FBS. However, what makes this simultaneous celebrity so interesting is their mutual experience: Harris, Jones and Smith are fourth-year players on a show that sees their brightest talents leave after three seasons, at a time when freshmans can win the Heisman and Players stage, on campus more prepared than ever to be the center of attention.
“I think the thing, especially now in school football, is that you rarely have the best very smart football players for you in their fourth year,” Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. “Many boys leave early, right?
That Harris and Smith chose to return as seniors were two of last season’s notable peak surprises. With two exceptions, the Alabama offensive in 2019 has included an exodus of skill to the NFL draft: quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and open catchers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III left the 3th touchdown in the first round on the table.
“I am very satisfied with the adulthood they showed and the attention they paid,” Saban said. “I think they all have many goals and aspirations for our team, and they also have many goals and aspirations for themselves. I think when you have the right character, the competitive character, you can keep those things in balance. “
Harris ran for 763 yards at 6. 7 yards consistent with the race at the time of year, dividing hauls as co-starter of the tide, then amassed 1,224 yards and thirteen landings for 5. 9 yards consistent with the race in 2019. Smith jammed Tagovailoa’s winning landing pass to beat Georgia and won the 2017 national championship, then hit 42 yards for 693 yards at the time of the year before leading last year’s team in yards, landings and yards consistent with the reception.
In a sense, not everyone had anything to go out on, especially Harris, who had earned the honors of all the meetings in a position that was undervalued as a provisional product, which recently led to an increase in the number of offensive midfielders who withdrew through an additional one or two seasons of eligibility. (Harris, Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard chose to return after last year, perhaps indicating a return to the popular past of the country’s most productive defenses. )
But Harris and Smith have maximized this season. Smith leads the FBS with 98 receptions for 1,511 yards to pass with his 17 touchdowns, and after touchdown 15 more receptions with two scores in the SEC Championship game against Florida, he positioned himself to be the first major open catcher. to win the Heisman from Tim Brown of Notre Dame in 1987.
“I feel like I made the right decision, a wonderful decision,” Smith said. “And being with this team opened my eyes to a lot of things and made me very satisfied to have made this decision. “
Harris heads to Friday’s national semi-final against the Fighting Irish (5 p. m. ET, ESPN) with 1,262 yards on the court and 27 touchdowns on FBS.
The fact that Jones is still in Alabama in 2020 is also unique, albeit from another perspective: a fourth junior year, Jones, the quarterback of the moment in the 2017 recruiting cycle, lost in the background with Tagovailoa, and then dressed in a red blouse. in his first year on campus, he spent the last two seasons as a replacement for Tide.
He received his first chance in prolonged action in the final weeks of last season, when he replaced an injured Tagovailoa and threw 927 yards in three starts, but released two interceptions in an Iron Bowl loss to Auburn.
If you’re not a national recruit like Tagovailoa, Jones remains a coveted prospect with several other Power Five scholarship offerings, adding SEC equipment. If he stays true to the program for several years at the moment level of the depth chart, and then participates in a low-season Festival with true five-star freshman Bryce Young, Jones reversed the trend of Power Five quarterbacks transferring early in their educational studies careers.
Jones leads the country in a final touch consistent with percentage (76. 5%) and yards consistent with intent (11. 4) and is ready to set a new FBS record in a quarterback power season (202. 3). ) and third for touchdowns (32).
While its production has been minimized and even questioned because of Crimson Tide’s surrounding ability, Jones’ breakthrough in 2020 illustrates the uniqueness of this offensive monster: Alabama has relied on age and reveled in achieving ancient results.
“When you become a new quarterback in Alabama, you need to have smart game creators around you. We have that,” Jones said, but at the same time, those guys came back and put the “us” before me, and they wanted to win a national championship. We’re where we need to be.
“We have a little way to go, but I’m proud of those boys. And I’m grateful that they came back here and I had the chance to play with them for a full year. “