The most commonly asked questions regarding Alabama football entering Saturday night’s opener against Wisconsin concern the unsettled quarterback position.
That does not top Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban’s curiosity list.
“The biggest question I have might not get answered in this game, but it will get answered over the course of time,” Saban said Monday in his first weekly news conference of the 2015 season. “The dynamics of Alabama football have changed a little bit over the last couple of years, and I’ve been anxious to get back to what we used to do. Tradition is always kind of under construction, and identity is not something you inherit or assume or get from somebody else.
“How is this team going to develop an identity of being the relentless, competitive and dangerous team that we’ve had in the past?”
Alabama is coming off a 12-2 season that included the 24th Southeastern Conference championship in program history. The Crimson Tide entered last season’s inaugural four-team national playoff as the top seed and got out to a 21-6 lead over Ohio State in the semifinals, but the Buckeyes roared back for a 42-35 upset and then defeated Oregon in the title game.
It was the second consecutive season-ending defeat for Alabama, which dropped the Sugar Bowl to Oklahoma after losing its 2013 regular-season finale at Auburn on the game’s final play.
Beating Wisconsin potentially would give Alabama some degree of Big Ten vindication when the two teams collide at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but the Badgers are quite familiar with SEC opposition. In going 11-3 last season, Wisconsin opened with a 28-24 loss to LSU in Houston and closed with a 34-31 overtime triumph over Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
Tide, take three
1. Alabama and Wisconsin have met once before, with the Badgers claiming a 15-0 victory in 1928.2. The Crimson Tide are 5-0 in neutral-site openers under Nick Saban, outscoring foes 177-81.3. Alabama has been ranked in the AP top 10 for 67 consecutive weeks. Miami set the mark of 137 straight from 1985 to 1993.
The Badgers will be playing their first game under Paul Chryst, the former Pittsburgh coach who was offensive coordinator for the Badgers in 2011 and ’12, and their first game without running back Melvin Gordon, last season’s Heisman Trophy runner-up.
“Wisconsin is not as talented as Alabama, and this isn’t one of Wisconsin’s better teams in recent years,” former LSU coach and current Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo said. “They’re having to replace some offensive linemen, and they obviously lost a great running back. They lost some size up front on defense.
“This is a game that Wisconsin needs to play and needs to schedule. They’re playing LSU next year up in Lambeau Field, so this is the right game for the program, but I don’t think it’s the right timing. Again, this isn’t one of Wisconsin’s best teams, and I think it’s another one of Alabama’s recent strong teams.”
As for the Crimson Tide’s quarterback competition involving redshirt senior Jacob Coker, redshirt junior Alec Morris and redshirt sophomore Cooper Bateman, Saban said a plan is in place for each to get a certain number of repetitions this week. Last year’s starter, Blake Sims, was not informed that he would be taking the first snap against West Virginia until the day before the opener, and Saban said this year’s decision will be made when he feels like it’s the right time.
“I would have liked to have made it three months ago,” he said. “I’m confident in all the guys. I’m confident that they can play well in this game, and I would just like to see somebody win the team over, which may not happen until they play.”
Alabama also will be looking to develop a group of receivers following the departures of Heisman finalist Amari Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christion Jones. Saban said Monday that Oregon State transfer Richard Mullaney has been a good addition because of his consistency and that ArDarius Stewart has played well and Robert Foster has made tremendous improvement.
How a new quarterback meshes with a new receiving corps may not answer Saban’s biggest question concerning this year, but it could be an important first step.
“Somehow we’ve kind of gotten away from playing with more effort and more toughness,” he said. “Some of the things we have to improve on go back to the core of this is the kind of team we want to be. That may have to do more with the success of this team than maybe anything else.
“I’ve been pleased with the progress and the commitment that we’ve made in that, but the challenge is always trying to sustain it.”
Tide tidbits
Saban said he expects third-team tailback Damien Harris, a true freshman, to “have a role” in the opener. Sophomore receiver Cam Sims, who tore his ACL in March, is questionable for Saturday. Darren Lake and freshman Daron Payne were bracketed as co-starters at noseguard with A’Shawn Robinson and Jonathan Allen sharing one defensive end spot and Jarran Reed and Dalvin Tomlinson sharing the other.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.