Alabama looks to fix punt-return fumbles,
Three Alabama players have fumbled punts in the Crimson Tide’s last two games, so that’s certainly a point of emphasis during this open date.
Sophomore cornerback Trevon Diggs, freshman receiver Henry Ruggs III and junior receiver Xavian Marks have each had multiple opportunities to return punts the past two weeks, and all three have faltered. Ruggs fumbled twice during the first quarter of the 41-9 win over Arkansas on Oct. 14, losing one of them, and was replaced by Diggs, who fell on his own fumble in the second quarter.
Marks handled the punt returns in last week’s 45-7 win over Tennessee but lost a fumble with 10:46 remaining in the game.
“All three guys are very capable,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said in a news conference Tuesday night. “Trevon Diggs did a good job of doing it for a long time. Ruggs is very explosive. The thing about it is when guys sort of don’t have success, what is their confidence level and how comfortable are they?
“Judgment is really important, and ball security is really important.”
Diggs has a team-high 10 punt returns for a team-high 86 yards (8.6 per return) this season, while Ruggs has eight returns for 46 yards (5.8). Marks has five returns for 25 yards (5.0), with all of his coming against the Volunteers.
“Xavian is very explosive and made a great return (12 yards) in the game on Saturday,” Saban said. “We’re going to evaluate that through the course of the week and sort of try to figure out who can do the best job there.”
Junior defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick has been spotted in practice returning punts as well.
Alabama worked out Tuesday afternoon for the first time since the program’s 11th straight win over Tennessee. The Crimson Tide will practice again today and Thursday before taking the weekend off and turning their full attention to next Saturday’s showdown against LSU.
A first taste
True freshman linebacker VanDarius Cowan, a 6-foot-4, 236-pounder from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., got his first action of the season against Tennessee.
“He’s worked really hard and has given a lot of effort and has been very productive on the scout team,” Saban said. “We decided that we would go ahead and play him and coach him and develop him because of our situation at outside linebacker. How much he plays and how much he can contribute will be relative to how fast he gets to the point where he can play winning football.”
Cowan did not record a tackle against the Vols.
Tide tidbits
Alabama announced Tuesday that LSU returned tickets from its allotment for next Saturday’s game. Tickets are $125 and can be ordered at RollTide.com. … Fitzpatrick and Tide senior cornerback Levi Wallace are among the 13 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top defensive back. … Sophomore running back Josh Jacobs is not practicing this week due to an ankle injury. … Saban when asked if college football should have a 14-week regular season with two open dates: “I think it’s going down that road. I personally think that making a season longer is not in the best interest of the players.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.