Jalen Hurts for president?
Alabama coach Nick Saban used that comparison — in a figurative sense, of course — to describe how the freshman quarterback needs to handle his third SEC road test against No. 9 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
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“He’s got to be the commander-in-chief out there pre-snap,” Saban said on the SEC teleconference Wednesday. “He’s got to be a field general after he gets the ball in his hands and make good choices and decisions with what he does because he’s always distributing to somebody whether he’s handing off or throwing it.
“This will probably be the most challenging situation he’s faced all year,” Saban said.
Hurts’ performance on the road so far has been a difference maker for No. 1 Alabama in its attempt to repeat as national champions. He led a comeback from a 24-3 deficit against then-No. 19 Ole Miss for a 48-43 victory on Sept. 17. Last week, Hurts totaled four TDs in a 49-30 victory against then-No. 16 Arkansas. This is simply the next road test against another ranked conference opponent. Only this will be against a hostile crowd of 102,455. The stage keeps getting bigger.
“What has been really, really helpful for him is to play with poise,” Saban said. “I think it’s going to be really important, especially playing on the road again, that he can maintain that level of poise. That will certainly be necessary against Tennessee.”
Hurts continues to handle the hype of being a true freshman quarterback attempting to win a national championship. The last quarterback to pull that off was Oklahoma’s Jamelle Holieway in 1985. Hurts’ four-TD debut against USC in the opener was on a neutral site, but he’s been just as impressive in the two road starts for two different reasons.
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Hurts rushed for 146 yards on 18 carries to help ignite the comeback against the Rebels to help erase that first-half deficit. He then completed 13 of 17 passes for 253 yards and totaled four more TDs and helped the Tide build a 28-7 lead at Arkansas.
Total those two starts, and Hurts is completing 66.7 percent of his passes and averages 205.5 passing yards and 83 rushing yards with just one sack and one turnover.
“He’s playing at a high level,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. “I see a mature competitor. I see an individual who does a great job of really distributing the football and understanding why.”
The tests will keep coming. Alabama welcomes No. 6 Texas A&M before a bye week and the last SEC road game at LSU. The Crimson Tide’s last three games are at home, with the regular-season finale against No. 23 Auburn.
Saban will look for more of the same from Hurts, as that patented-process continues. Only this road leads to Atlanta for the SEC championship.
“He’s done a nice job and he’s improved every week,” Saban said. “I think his disposition as a player certainly enhances that, to some degree. He doesn’t seem to get too rattled by things and even when he makes an error or a mistake, he goes to the next play.”
