Everything trio of Alabama players said on Tuesday of Texas week
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama is moving on from its Week 1 victory over Utah State. Now, the focus is being shifted to Texas with the Crimson Tide set to travel to Austin this Saturday. On Tuesday afternoon, the media spoke to offensive lineman Darrian Dalcourt, running back Jase McClellan and linebacker Henry To’oTo’o.
Below, we’ve included everything those guys said during that media availability.
Darrian Dalcourt
On assessing Alabama’s OL against Utah State…
“Obviously, they played winning football and we were obviously ready.”
On having different guys come in to play different positions…
“I think the O-Line this year, I think one of the keys is composed like that. I think that is one of the strengths. Also a lot of people who can play winning football and showed that in the game.”
On what he sees from that Texas DL…
“From the game they played last week, we saw they have a high motor and big size, definitely going to be a big challenge, high motor, big size, give a lot of effort.”
On the difficulty of communicating on the road…
“Going to be a loud game. We’re ready for it. Small stuff like cadence, communications, hand signals, stuff like that, if you’re a lineman you may not be able to hear somebody. But that’s definitely an important part of our preparation, the communications on offense.”
On what makes five-man RB group special to block for…
“What makes it so special is that everyone has their own things they do really well. They are such great backs they play winning football. It’s a pleasure to block for each one of those guys.”
On when he felt comfortable handling the communication role…
“I would say last year Florida definitely a hard thing for me. It was my first time playing a true away loud game because of COVID. I took a lot from that and started making communications a lot better, not just from an offensive line standpoint, but from the quarterback for out offense.”
On having RB Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams back…
“It was really good. You got to see all the work they’ve put in, all the rehab they’ve put in from last year. It was definitely a pleasure to see them go out there and perform how I know they wanted to.”
On what the noise practice is like for the OL…
“I’m making calls to a certain extent, so there’s a lot on my shoulders to be able to get the offensive line set and to be able to communicate what we should be doing as a unit. My preparation for it is to be loud, to be vocal, and to be as commanding as I can for my group.”
On having to prepare for the Texas heat…
“Being big guys, I think we have to prepare with things like sodium shots, being able to keep hydrated, maybe drink extra water or Gatorade to keep the electrolytes in place. You drink that and we do a great job of keeping ourselves hydrated.”
On getting named Co-SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week…
“It was a great honor to win that award. There are obviously things I can work on and things I can get better at, but right now I’m just focusing on this next game.”
On if he ever loses his voice after a game like this…
“Yes, sometimes my throat gets a little sore. Sometimes somebody on the team can fix it. But it’s worth it for good communications.”
Jase McClellan
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On how it felt to be back after the injury…
“It felt great to just be in an environment, being with the team, playing with those guys, putting in the work.”
On if he picked up where he left off…
“It was just being in open space. I felt like yeah that was a part of my game and I played that part in the last game.”
On if he grew up being a Texas fan…
“My family members that were Texas fans wanted me to go to Texas and everything, But Alabama was the best place for me.”
On getting to return home…
“It’s fun. Most of my family members can see the game and are more attuned to it. More of them can come.”
On getting to be on the field with Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs…
“It’s just a package our coaches came up with. A good talented running back room, putting both of us out on the field at the same time, just distracting the defense somehow.”
On any tips he’s given about dealing with Texas heat…
“I would say it’s hotter here in Alabama during fall camp. Was just talking about that.”
On Alabama’s offensive line performance…
“It was a great performance. Most of those guys can play multiple positions. Just put the best in there and they did their jobs last weekend.”
On if he remembers the last Alabama-Texas game…
“No, I’m not aware of the last time.”
On his impressions of Texas…
“Just getting to them yesterday for the first time. Seeing that they’re a very fast defense. They’re very big at linebacker, big up front. A very talented team.”
Henry To’oTo’o
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On Texas RB Bijan Robinson…
“They’re a great overall team. It’s gonna be a huge challenge for us. We’re super excited to be able to challenge ourselves and play them. But Bijan’s a great running back. Everybody knows that, everybody sees that. He’s quick, elusive, finds holes that not an average back can find. It’s gonna be a huge challenge for us to be able to play gap defense and honing on what he does.”
On Alabama LB Jaylen Moody…
“Before the game, I just came up to him and told him how proud I am of him, all the hard work he’s put in and the time that he’s put in here at the university. I was super proud of him. And just to keep building off our first game, our chemistry, our communication and just playing with each other and gelling with each other.”
On Alabama’s Chris Braswell, outside linebackers…
“Our entire outside linebacker room is a great room. They do a great job of working together. They don’t have a lot of knuckleheads in there, so they do a great job of that. But Chris Braswell is such a huge part to our defense. He’s so fast, so heavy-handed, physical and is a great pass rusher. I try to take some moves from him and try to apply it to my own game. But he did a great job, and we’re expecting a lot of big things out of him this year.”
On Alabama’s cornerbacks…
“Our whole entire DB room, our cornerback room has been great. It’s good to have depth there, being able to cover fast guys. We play a lot of good competition, so being able to have guys that can cover them, that can sub in and out anytime in the game and use it as a key piece to our defense.”
On advice for playing on the road…
“We’ve played in a lot of hostile environments, especially last year. We’ve been in a lot of hostile environments. But I think the coaches – and we understand as a team – that this is gonna be a huge environment for us to play in. I think the team knows that as a whole. Nobody has to say nothing. We know that we have to communicate and do our jobs and just play physical throughout the whole game on Saturday. I think there’s an understanding that us going to Austin this weekend, it’s gonna be hostile, there’s gonna be a lot of noise, there’s gonna be a lot of people. So we’re excited and super juiced about it.”
On how much he has improved in coverage…
“That was kind of one of my focuses this offseason, and I think, for me, it’s been the understanding of the defense, the concepts that Coach Saban and Coach Golding put together. So that part of my game has been huge. I think that’s been one area I think I’ve improved in. It was just one game, so definitely got a lot more games to prove my coverage abilities. I’m super excited and look forward to proving that throughout the season.”
On what moves he wants to borrow from Braswell…
“See, I would tell y’all, but I don’t wanna let out Bras’s moves like that. But Bras is great. He’s fast moving off the ball.”
On if it’s easier playing on the road as a defensive player…
“Yeah, definitely. When we’re home, we can hardly hear anything because our crowd is going so crazy to mess with their offense. But it’s always exciting to go on the road, to be able to play on somebody’s turf field and be able to try to get a win from them and try to shut them out as much as you can and play as hard and physical as you can and obviously come out with a win. So super excited about that.”
On having an effective pass rush but not getting sacks…
“Affecting the quarterback, so that’s kind of one of the huge things that we focus on as a defense. Whether it be getting our hands up, making them throw a pass that he doesn’t wanna throw or affecting his vision. I know our guys wanted a sack so bad. We all wanted one. But affecting the quarterback every single, trying to make him nervous, getting him off the spot, is kind of something that we harp on. I know those guys are urging for one, but being able to have guys like that rushing to him makes it easier for us guys in the back end to be able to cover for longer and play the pass concepts that they have.”
