Alabama reminds Nick Saban that there’s always an answer, even if Bryce Young’s injury changes the question

Fayetteville, Ark. — The most decorated cheerleader at Razorback Stadium tries another wave of his wand. Given that Alabama’s Bryce Young has produced all the magic in his career, he’s hoping for more with a Hail Mary second-half visit to Bama’s courtside medical tent.

PLEASE NOTE: The defending Heisman Trophy winner has since been hit by an ankle and fell awkwardly on his right shoulder in the second quarter.

At the time, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman — the old dog — relied on the team’s strong momentum and called it a successful offside kick. The No. 20 Razorbacks scored 23 straight points on the No. 23 ball. 2 Crimson Tide, a favorite away with 17 points, just went up 28-0 late in the second quarter.

Will Young come back, nursing a sprained AC joint.

When the quarterback visited the tent for the second time Saturday afternoon, he was either hoping for a different diagnosis or some privacy so he could change into a Superman costume. Neither happened.

“There is only one Bryce Young in this country,” Saban later observed.

Ah, but there are different ways to win the game. Saban himself said the same after Alabama’s 49-26 win.

We should know by now that The Sabanator always has the answer. One of those Saturdays is in the transfer portal. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs had a career rushing run: 206 yards with two touchdowns, each over 70 yards.

Georgia Tech’s acclaimed transfer was third in general yards last season. He had one purpose on Saturday: to replace Young’s arm with his burst.

“The fourth quarter is here, hold up [four fingers] Like we do every day,” Gibbs said. “I stayed calm and played football.

Another answer comes from recruiting. Redshirt freshman QB Jalen Milroe replaced Young late in the second quarter. He led five touchdowns for 91 yards, including a 77-yard third drive in the fourth quarter to the Arkansas 3-yard line.

“The most important thing is to look at the chain,” Mirrow said. “…Once I got over the line of scrimmage, I just wanted to get the first down. Then my eyes got bigger and I was going to try and score.”

incomplete. Arkansas’ 23-point streak was broken after Jace McClellan scored after three games. Essentially, so does the spirit of the pig.

“It did stop the blood,” Saban said.

On his first touch in the fourth quarter, Gibbs rushed for 72 yards for his first touchdown. On his third touch, he ran for 76 yards. That’s a total of 242 yards — all of them on the ground — as part of a three-touchdown barrage in the fourth quarter that not only covered a 17-point gap but lightened the atmosphere.

When asked if the game plan changed after Young left, Saban snapped: “I’m going to call Jimbo. [Fisher] Tell him later. “

Fisher can be seen next week at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Texas A&M went 3-2 after being blown up in Mississippi and may not be ranked. Five weeks later, the Alabama hosts have a better idea of ​​who they are this season.

With Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson on fire, Tide’s top defense slipped, Pittman called for an offside kick, and Bama long snapper Kneeland Hibbett turned the ball over with a frantic pitch far, far from the punter, Set Hogs to Tide 3 of the third quarter.

“You have to be able to win more than one way,” Saban said. “We have to score in a different way than when Bryce was on the floor.”

In the second half, Yang could only pull on the sideline. Alabama transfer stud Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders stuck Young’s ankle when he ran to the right trying to throw the ball.

Saban said it should have been thrown away sooner. Lost yards resulted in a missed 52-yard field goal.

It had to be won in a different way then. After Young’s win, Milo took just nine throws. There were only four throws in the second half, 3 yards from the air.

A former four-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite, Milroe is 6-foot-2, 212 pounds and can run the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds. Gibbs was supposed to be the star of the season. It just took a while.

“The first time I knew Gibbs was the U.S. Army Bowl,” said Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. Speaking of the annual high school All-Star Game in San Antonio. “He’s the best runner in my opinion. When you watch it on the big screen, his cuts and holes are excellent. Against him every day in practice, he’s silent; he doesn’t talk much. He does his job.

“That’s why you came to Bama. For games like this.”

Young may have made Jimbo a solid guy in a weird way. Rather than focusing on the Saban-Fisher feud in the summer, there will be stifling speculation about Young’s condition all week.

Saban admitted after the game that Young’s AC joint sprain is not uncommon for quarterbacks; he’s experienced it before, and it usually resolves for him. That gets him into Texas A&M games every day.

Even with Young healthy, there are questions about Alabama’s participation in this road game. Four of the previous five such games have been within three points. The Texas screams, last year’s loss at Texas A&M and an overtime miracle against Auburn.

Now this. Tide came off the court calmly in more than one way, beating the Razorbacks for the 16th straight time. They scored 42+ for the seventh time in a row.

Things looked risky when Young went to the tent in the second quarter. Young had a few words of encouragement for his replacement as their roles changed in a split second. Then the backup goes higher.

“My first thought was talking to God, seeking protection, healing. I had a one-on-one conversation with God,” Milo said.

Does he have an answer?

“He did it,” Milo said.

That’s all Milroe will share. As Saban said, after such a victory, some things are best kept secret.



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