Nick Saban explains his plan for preparing for both Texas A&M quarterbacks
While the Alabama–Texas A&M matchup in Tuscaloosa this weekend may have lost a lot of juice since the start of the season, there’s still plenty of intrigue heading into the game. Namely, the health of the starting quarterbacks for each team.
Prepping for two quarterbacks is nothing Nick Saban hasn’t done before, so whether Alabama faces Haynes King or Max Johnson, the Tide will be prepared. As for Alabama’s own quarterback, the health of Bryce Young and his status for Saturday remain in question.
“We’ve seen a little bit of both guys. We don’t really know what the circumstances of the situation [are]. But, we have to prepare for both guys. We do this a lot. Especially when the skillset of the two guys is a little bit different,” Saban said.
King presents a more multi-dimensional threat at the position with his ability to scramble and extend plays or just run outright. Johnson, who Texas A&M turned to at quarterback in the last couple games, is much more of the pure pocket passer.
But with Johnson getting banged up late against Mississippi State last weekend, it’s not clear who will play for the Aggies. Neither has starred in their opportunities. Both are Johnson and King completing a shade more than 60% of their pass attempts for 517 and 510 yards, respectively. The big differentiator so far is Johnson has three passing touchdowns and no interceptions. King has three passing touchdowns and four interceptions, but has added a rushing touchdown.
All Saban and Alabama can do is prepare to defend what either Texas A&M quarterback has shown they can do on tape. If some new wrinkle comes their way, they’ll have to adjust on the fly.
“We have no way of knowing — if 13 [King] plays, if they’re going to do something different with him,” Saban said. “We just have to prepare for what we know they’ve done in the past and be ready to do our jobs in the game if there’s something different.”