Alabama dominated the All-Southeastern Conference football first and second teams last month with 11 selections, yet it's a Crimson Tide player who came nowhere close to sniffing such recognition who has everybody's attention entering Monday night's national championship game against Clemson in Tampa, Fla.
Sophomore tailback Bo Scarbrough, who had just 358 rushing yards this season entering the Iron Bowl, is suddenly a prominent piece to Alabama's attack, having rushed 47 times for 361 yards in the last three games. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder from Tuscaloosa set an Alabama postseason record last Saturday with 180 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in the 24-7 defeat of Washington in the Peach Bowl.
"Bo has really played well for us, especially late in the season, when he got healthy," Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. "We've been playing him more and more, and he has certainly delivered in a really positive way."
The Alabama and Clemson teams flew into Tampa on Friday and are scheduled to hold their final practices today.
Scarbrough has been beset by injuries throughout his career, the latest being the twisted knee he sustained in the 10-0 triumph at LSU. He sat out wins over Mississippi State and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before rushing 17 times for 90 yards in the 30-12 victory over Auburn and 11 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the 54-16 trampling of Florida in the SEC title game.
His average over the past three games is 7.7 yards per carry, topped by his 9.5-yard clip against the Huskies.
"He's so big, so powerful and so fast, and it's so hard for people to bring him down," senior tight end O.J. Howard said. "We've always known he could do this. He's been pretty hot for us these past few games."
Said Scarbrough: "It's just trusting in the process and believing in your teammates and believing in yourself that you can get the job done."
Alabama still could start fellow sophomore Damien Harris, a 1,013-yard rusher, against Clemson, but it may not be long until Scarbrough enters. Former Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said after last Saturday's win that Scarbrough, who had a magnificent 68-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring in the fourth quarter, is a rare performer.
"They don't make many guys that big who are that fast," Kiffin said. "Unfortunately, it feels like he's been injured all the time to where we couldn't get him for a full month to get him in a rhythm. What we saw was the result of a whole month of practice, and he made the big plays."
That Scarbrough is still playing is somewhat of an achievement in itself.
While attending Northridge High in Tuscaloosa, he suffered a broken ankle as a freshman, tore his ACL as a sophomore and suffered a third season-ending injury as a junior with a high-ankle sprain. He transferred to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for his senior season in 2013, when he rushed for 1,468 yards and 20 touchdowns in 10 games.
Scarbrough was a member of Alabama's 2014 class but did not meet eligibility requirements, so he did not enroll until January 2015. In his first spring scrimmage with the Crimson Tide, he suffered a knee injury that forced him to sit the first four games of last season.
"By having so many injuries, it's really a mind thing," Scarbrough said. "You can't let your mind take over your body. You've just got to keep pushing and pushing, and that's what I did. I worked at it every day."
Scarbrough is certainly working out now for the Crimson Tide, who hope to capture a fifth national championship in eight seasons. In Alabama's 45-40 win over Clemson in last year's title game in Arizona, Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Derrick Henry had 36 rushes for 158 yards and three touchdowns.
Whether Scarbrough could handle that kind of load remains to be seen, but there is little doubt Saban never has been more confident in him.
"Bo has always been a really hard worker, and he's had some obstacles to overcome," Saban said. "Most of them have been little injuries that have plagued him a little bit, but never once did he put his head down. Never once did he get frustrated or discouraged.
"He just kept working. Every time you call on him, he's ready to roll."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.