Hurts a freshman phenom for No. 1 team
Ex-Channelview QB dazzles A&M with his varied skill set
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In the old days, Alabama opponents like Texas A&M could typically count on a tough Crimson Tide defense and a straight-ahead offense under coach Nick Saban.
The addition of two men in the past couple of years — offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts — have changed that perception in a hurry.
“They have a very dynamic offense, and that running quarterback helps them a lot,” A&M linebacker Claude George said following top-ranked Alabama’s 33-14 victory over the sixthranked Aggies on Saturday.
“That running quarterback” a year ago was still lighting up football fields around the Houston area for Channelview High. On Saturday, he electrified more than 100,000 fans in BryantDenny Stadium with a dazzling 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
“He’s a great rusher, we knew that,” A&M safety Justin Evans said of facing Hurts for the first time. “He got outside a few times, and he hurt us.”
Hurts’ 92 rushing yards were second only in the game to teammate Damien Harris’ 125 in the 19-point victory, and Hurts finished 15-of-25 for 165 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
“Jalen is a good player, and Lane has done a nice job of uti- lizing his skill set with some of the quarterback runs,” A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said.
A&Mrecruited Hurts, a fourstar prospect, during his high school days. But at the time the Aggies had a couple of young five-star quarterbacks on their roster in Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray. Allen and Murray transferred last December, however, and the Aggies tried coaxing Hurts to stay closer to home.
He honored his pledge to the Crimson Tide, however, and enrolled at Alabama last January to get a jump-start on his college career.
It has paid off in a big way both personally and for his new team, as Hurts’ 20 touchdowns (11 passing, nine rushing) are tied for ninth all-time on the Alabama single-season list, with four regular-season games to go.
Hurts, with a poise beyond his years, coolly engineered a 14play, 77-yard touchdown drive after Alabama fell behind 14-13 in the third quarter to the upsetminded Aggies. He dropped in a nice touch pass to Calvin Ridley from 4 yards out to finish that drive and give Alabama a 2014 lead, and then enticed a roar with his dashing, darting touchdown scramble that put away A&M for good in the fourth quarter.
On the downside for Alabama on Saturday, coach Nick Saban announced that standout defensive back Eddie Jackson suffered a fractured leg and is out for the season. An appreciative crowd chanted, “Eddie! Eddie!” as Jackson was carted off the field in the fourth quarter following a punt return.