PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Tua Tagovailoa completed 14 of 21 passes for 164 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, before leaving last week’s game late in the third quarter. He is second nationally in passing efficiency (207.67 rating), as he has completed 146 of 215 passes (67.9 percent) for 2,525 yards, with 28 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has rushed 37 times for 148 yards and three scores.
–DT Quinnen Williams is making a strong case for national defensive player of the year honors — and maybe to be a Heisman finalist. He has 49 tackles, including 14 for loss and five sacks, to go along with nine quarterback hurries. He’s been dominant and has rocketed toward to the top of first-round draft projections.
“It’s cool,” he said at BamaCentral.com of all the attention. “It’s not a distraction to me right now, but it’s cool to have my parents and my grandmother to be proud of me and watch stuff. But I really don’t look at it. I make sure I’m focused on my team, focused on the defense itself and just focused on what we have at stake.”
–PK Joseph Bulovas might someday be needed for a clutch lick. He should be feeling good after hitting a career-long 49-yard field goal last week against Mississippi State. The previous long for the redshirt freshman was a 47-yarder against Texas A&M on Sept. 22.
–WR Jerry Jeudy, a sophomore, is one of 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top receiver. He leads a standout group of Alabama wideouts, with 45 catches for 925 yards and 10 touchdowns.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the first meeting between Alabama and The Citadel.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think they’ve done a good job this year and I think that’s helped us play a little bit better. We thought that those guys were all capable of being very productive this year, and in the last few weeks, they certainly haven’t disappointed us.” — Coach Nick Saban, on the Alabama defensive line.
