Nick Saban opens up on the Chattanooga passing attack
Nick Saban has his squad playing like one of the most dangerous teams in college football. Just when many decided to count them out after their loss to Texas earlier this year, the Tide have been rolling along and they’re currently 9-1 overall. They’ve locked up a date with the Georgia Bulldogs in the upcoming SEC Championship Game. And Alabama is also currently in contention for a spot in the upcoming College Football Playoffs.
The Crimson Tide will be facing the Chattanooga Mocs this weekend, a team that features a highly explosive passing attack. In his Wednesday evening press conference, Nick Saban had words of praise for Chattanooga’s aerial attack.
“Well, first of all, their quarterback’s a really good player. I think the guy was at UCLA for four years or something like that. And so, he’s a major college passer. Very smart. Makes good decisions. All these guys….good skillset. I’d say they’re on the level of SEC receivers. They throw a lot of RPOs and a lot of advantage throws. So, these guys get a lot of touches in games, depending on how you’re playing on defense. So, it’s a talented group. And you know, they have one of the best offenses in their league, their division, whatever you want to call it, in the country,” Saban said.
Chattanooga is putting up 31.6 points per game on offense, ranking them 22nd in the country in that stat category in the FCS (formerly known as Division I-AA) level. Their quarterback Chase Artopoeus has thrown for 2,672 yards this year, ranking him ninth in the Division I-AA level. The Mocs also feature two receivers that rank in the top 20 of Division I-AA in receiving yardage this year (Jamoi Mayes and Javin Whatley).
Nick Saban on the impact of Roydell Williams
Alabama has had a number of different players contribute to their impressive run this season and on Wednesday evening in his press conference, head coach Nick Saban shared his thoughts on the impact of running back Roydell Williams.
“Oh you know, Roydell’s a great team guy. I mean, really good special teams’ player. Great character. I think he loves Alabama. Loves his teammates. He’s a really good teammate,” Saban began.
“Been very productive every opportunity that he’s gotten. Whether it’s to play running back or do something on special teams being kickoff returner. He’s always the first one to step up. He’s always got a smile on his face. And I think he’s a great example for guys that sort of persevere, in their career and overcome obstacles. And become very successful because of that. Because I think that’s probably one of the ingredients you need to have to be successful,” Saban said.
This season, Williams has rushed 79 times for 415 yards, while scoring two touchdowns on the ground. As a receiver, he’s hauled in 10 catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. For his entire career with the Tide thus far, he’s racked up over 1,000 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.