Alabama football coach Nick Saban didn't name a starting quarterback following Saturday's second scrimmage of the preseason, but he did praise one of the candidates.
Redshirt junior Alec Morris was the Crimson Tide's third-string quarterback last season behind Blake Sims and Jacob Coker. Morris was not viewed among the top two quarterbacks coming out of spring - Coker guided the first-team offense and David Cornwell led the second team in the A-Day game - but he was praised for his showing in the Aug. 15 scrimmage and apparently did well again.
"Alec has done a nice job," Saban said in a news conference. "I think he does a really good job of understanding the offense, and he helps the other players play better. He has shown command at the position, which I think is important.
"We've just got to continue to work on touch, accuracy and consistency, but we're really pleased with what Alec has done at this camp."
Morris, a 6-foot-3, 233-pounder from Allen, Texas, has yet to throw an official pass in his Crimson Tide career. He made his debut in Alabama's 49-0 win over UTC in 2013 and played late in lopsided wins last year over Southern Miss, Florida, Texas A&M and Western Carolina.
Saturday's scrimmage inside a humid Bryant-Denny Stadium consisted of about 125 plays, with the first 55 treated like a game.
"I thought there was a lot of improvement out there," Saban said. "It took a lot of mental toughness to kind of grind through the conditions."
Saban did not provide detailed statistics from the scrimmage but did reveal that Cooper Bateman had 27 throws, Coker 26, Morris 21 and early enrollee Blake Barnett 11. Saban did not mention Cornwell, nor did he mention him following last Wednesday's practice.
ArDarius Stewart had eight receptions including some contested catches, according to Saban, while freshman tailback Damien Harris ran the ball 14 times. That matched the combined carries of starting tailback Derrick Henry (eight) and backup Kenyan Drake (six).
Tide tidbits
Saban said right tackle Dominick Jackson might miss a couple of days this week with a strained shoulder and reserve offensive lineman Korren Kirven could be out a week with a knee sprain. Senior cornerback Cyrus Jones will handle return responsibilities, with junior receiver Chris Black serving as his backup. Other players singled out for their performances Saturday were punter JK Scott, inside linebackers Reggie Ragland and Reuben Foster and kicker Adam Griffith. Griffith, from Calhoun, Ga., made a 53-yard field goal.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.