Kool-Aid McKinstry has strong message when asked about Will Anderson's pick-six
Alabama‘s 63-7 rout of Louisiana-Monroe was full of highlight plays for the Crimson Tide, but the biggest may have been edge rusher Will Anderson‘s 25-yard interception return for a touchdown. Anderson’s teammate cornerback Ga’Quincy ‘Kool-Aid’ McKinstry spoke about his big play.
“What he can’t do man?” McKinstry laughed and said. “I mean I’ve done seen it all, that’s actually my first time seeing him catch an interception.”
Anderson is no stranger to making plays, they just usually come in the form of sacks and tackles for loss. His interception Saturday was the first of his career at Alabama as well as his first touchdown, as he high-pointed a tipped screen pass and broke a tackle on his way to the end zone. McKinstry spoke a little bit more about the play and about Anderson as a teammate.
“It was very exciting for us as a defensive unit and were just proud of him. He brings so much energy to the team as a whole,” McKinstry said.
Anderson was the epitome of a game wrecker last season, leading the nation in tackles for loss with 34.5 while also recording 17.5 half sacks. His performance was good enough to earn him the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as well as unanimous first team All-American status by nearly every publication and organization in college football. His highlight, interception play was impressive, and if he can add any more to the season along with his disruptive backfield presence, he will be even more of a force to reckon with this year.
Byron Young reveals Alabama’s mindset on forcing more turnovers
Alabama‘s defense has been historically stifling for the past few seasons, known for stopping the run, getting to the quarterback, and generating turnovers. For the most part, the Crimson Tide have shown that they can do all of those things this season except the latter, as they have forced zero turnovers so far through week 2. Defensive lineman Byron Young spoke about the defense’s mindset regarding turnovers.
“It’s discussed a lot, I think that’s something that we gotta focus on more. I think it’s something we need to be more intentional about just in practice at times, because we do a turnover circuit every single day and it’s something that we take pride in and it’s something that we know that we’ve been known for in the past,” Young said. “So it’s something that bothers us and it’s something we really have to concentrate on going forward.”
Heading into week 3 of last season, the Crimson Tide had already created four turnovers, two interceptions each against Miami and Mercer. Alabama has gotten their hands on the football, with 3 pass breaks up in each of their first two ball games, but has also missed some opportunities to recover fumbles when they were forced.
The most important statistic for the Crimson Tide is their record, as they remain an undefeated 2-0 and are ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 Poll. But hopefully for their defense, they can create some turnovers moving forward and will get their next opportunity to force some against Louisiana-Monroe this Saturday, a team who’s only given up the ball to their opponent once so far this season.