Alabama Football G06 at Arkansas 2014
Alabama wide receiver Cam Sims (7) will be among the young players who'll see increased action against Western Carolina.
(Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Consider it the futures game.
The annual pre-Iron Bowl visit from a Football Championship Subdivision team is something of a rest stop between a brutal SEC stretch and the Iron Bowl showdown. Alabama will use its starters just long enough to find the rhythm Saturday afternoon against Western Carolina. Nick Saban said they want to keep the momentum going in the 3 p.m. homecoming game.
But with Auburn looming and an SEC West Division title on the line for Alabama, Saturday will be about avoiding disaster and playing the next generation. A year ago, the offensive starters left after one possession in the third quarter of the 49-0 beating of Chattanooga on the Saturday before facing Auburn.
Saban, on several occasions this week, said they respect the Catamounts' speedy offense.
"But if we play to the standard that we'd like to play to, hopefully that will create an opportunity for a lot of players to get a chance to play in this game," Saban said on his Thursday radio show. "We haven't had as many opportunities to do that this year as we have in the past because we played in a lot more close games, especially since early in the season."
Backup quarterback Jacob Coker has appeared just twice in SEC play. He entered for one possession when Blake Sims hurt his shoulder against Florida and then played at the end of the 59-0 pounding of Texas A&M. Sims, as a backup last year, saw time in three SEC games.
A total of 64 Alabama players saw action in the Chattanooga game last November compared to the 40 who participated last week against No. 1 Mississippi State.
There's also the matter of resting a few banged up players entering the final stretch of the season. Leading rusher T.J. Yeldon was limited in practice two weeks after spraining his ankle at LSU. He still played last week to lead the team with 72 rushing yards, but after battling injuries most of the season, Yeldon won't be expected to do much Saturday. That should free up carries for young backs like Tyren Jones and Altee Tenpenny.
Kicker Adam Griffith and receiver DeAndrew White were also limited in practice this week as they work through nagging injuries. Saban said they'd evaluate punter JK Scott's ability to kick some shorter field goals if they rest Griffith. As a high school senior, Scott made 8 of 15 field goals and 23 of 24 extra points.
At receivers, you players like Cam Sims, Robert Foster and ArDarius Stewart should see increased action. Sims and Stewart have been playing considerable time recently, but haven't seen many passes. Sims' four receptions came in a two-game span against Arkansas and Texas A&M. Stewart has caught at least one in three of the last four games.
"Cam has done a real nice job all year long, we have lots of confidence in him as a receiver," Saban said. "I know as a young player he had a drop or two early in the season, but he makes a lot of catches in practice, he's a big guy, he's a little bit of a mismatch guy that way. He is physical, he is tough, that's not why we put him in the game, we're just trying to give (Amari Cooer) a blow with him."
Defensively, young players at all three levels could have an impact. On the line, Da'Shawn Hand should see increased action at end. He hasn't played in the last two games, but had tackles against Tennessee and Texas A&M.
At linebacker, Shaun Dion Hamilton has been a name mentioned this season as one to watch. He's appeared in every game but Ole Miss with his last tackle coming against Texas A&M.
The secondary should feature newcomers like Tony Brown at cornerback and Laurence "Hootie" Jones at safety. Brown started against Florida and Ole Miss and played a reserve role since Eddie Jackson's health improved. Jones was the first off the bench when Landon Collins had to leave a game earlier this season.