Alabama will see a familiar face Saturday afternoon when the No. 2 Crimson Tide visit No. 20 Arkansas.
A lot of times, too.
Razorbacks junior linebacker Drew Sanders is in his first season in Fayetteville after spending the past two years in Tuscaloosa. The 6-foot-5, 233-pounder has excelled in his new locale, having racked up 31 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks through the 3-1 start for Sam Pittman's Hogs.
"I'm very happy for Drew. He's getting what he deserves," Alabama junior linebacker Will Anderson said Tuesday in a news conference. "He's playing extremely well, and I'm happy for him and very proud of him. We were roommates, and we talked about things all the time, and we would motivate each other.
"To see him doing well at Arkansas is great."
Sanders leads the Razorbacks in tackles for loss and sacks and is second in overall tackles to fellow linebacker Bumper Pool. In their 44-30 win over South Carolina on Sept. 10, Sanders compiled 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup to win the Bednarik Award as the national defensive player of the week.
The Denton, Texas, resident became just the second Southeastern Conference defender since 2000 -- Greg Hardy of Ole Miss was the first in 2007 -- to record 10-plus tackles with two or more sacks and two or more forced fumbles in the same game.
"Drew was a good player when he was here," Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. "He had some unfortunate injuries, but he's certainly playing well for them, and it's good to see that he's doing a good job. We're happy for him and his family."
Said sophomore right tackle JC Latham: "I went against him a lot in fall camp of last year, so I know a little bit about him. He plays really physical and has a nose for the football. It will be a good matchup."
Sanders was a top-25 national signee in 2020 who played in all 13 games as a freshman during Alabama's convincing run to Saban's sixth national title with the Crimson Tide. As a sophomore last season, he broke into the starting lineup three times and collected 24 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and a sack.
Pittman is very aware of the unique storyline to this SEC West matchup.
"We'll try to downplay that as much as we can, because it's more about him shedding blocks and tackling and doing his assignments," Pittman said. "Obviously it's going to be different because you know people. He's probably been through something like this in high school, knowing people, but nothing like this week.
"He's a mature guy, and I assume it won't affect him too much."
Young turning 20
Alabama junior quarterback Bryce Young will make his 20th career start Saturday, having assembled a 17-2 record that includes last year's SEC title and his run to the 2021 Heisman Trophy.
"I'm getting old, man," a smiling Young said Tuesday. "You feel more comfortable. You've seen more live reps and get put in different situations. At this point, I've been in a good amount of them."
Defensive 'genius'
Crimson Tide senior defensive tackle DJ Dale referred to senior inside linebacker Henry To'o To'o as a "genius" last week. To'o To'o learned of that reference this week and was asked to give an example of what he's done to earn such a reputation.
"I look at the small stuff from an offensive lineman," To'o To'o said. "If his hand is light, he's probably pulling or it's probably a pass. If they're heavy and his head is down, it's probably a run. With little stuff like that, I try to give the guys cues, but we do a great job as a whole defensive unit of giving each other cues and playing off each other.
Tide tidbits
Alabama led the Arkansas series 10-7 when Saban became Alabama's coach in 2007, but the Crimson Tide now hold a 25-7 advantage. ... Anderson played just 24 snaps during Saturday's 55-3 thrashing of Vanderbilt, recording five tackles, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks to earn SEC defensive player of the week for the sixth time in his career. ... The Razorbacks lead the SEC with 20 sacks.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.