Five Records Alabama Football Fan Should Keep an Eye on During 2020 Season
It's already a college football season like none other, and Alabama is finally playing its first game since facing Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1.
When the Crimson Tide visits Missouri on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN), Alabama will be looking to take its first step to what it hopes will be another championship run, both in the Southeastern Conference and national levels.
But it'll be the start of this season's record watch as the Nick Saban era begins its 14th season in Tuscaloosa.
Here are five to keep an eye on as Alabama tries to work its way through a 10-game SEC-only schedule and subsequent postseason:
1] Najee Harris
The running back is 15th on the Alabama all-time rushing list with 2,377 career yards. Derrick Henry is the the Crimson Tide's king (pun intended) with 3,591 yards.
Harris needs 1,215 yards to overtake him. Considering he had 1,224 rushing yards last year it's definitely doable, although Alabama is playing an SEC-only 10-game schedule in 2020 (plus possible postseason games).
2] DeVonta Smith
Smith has 118 career catches for 2,109 yards and 23 touchdowns while averaging 17.9 yards per grab. He's already in the top 10 in all four categories.
He would need 111 receptions to become Alabama all-time leader (Amari Cooper, 228, 2012-14), but that one's the most unrealistic.
• Smith needs 1,355 yards to top Cooper in career yards (3,463). Last year he had 1,265, which were the third most in Alabama history.
• He needs eight to tie and nine to surpass Cooper's 31 career touchdowns.
• His 17.9 average is second-best in Crimson Tide history, trailing only Ozzie Newsome's 20.3 (1974-77).
3] Jaylen Waddle
His chances of catching Javier Arenas in career punt return yards are slim, as Waddle has 720, which is only sixth on the Alabama all-time list. Arenas had 1,752 from 2006-9, the second-most in NCAA history.
However, Waddle has a huge lead in career punt-return average at 20.0 yards. Arenas is second at 14.1, with Harry Gilmer third at 13.4 (1944-47). The NCAA record is 23.6 (Jack Mitchell, Oklahoma, 1946-48).
Last season Waddle led the nation and set the Alabama program record for single-season punt-return average at 24.4 yards per return with 20 for 487 yards and a touchdown.
The guess here is that most teams kick away from him a lot more in 2020.
4] Nick Saban
Ok, we're not going to pick the obvious one, most national championships in college football history, as the coach needs just one more to be the undisputed leader at the Bowl Championship Subdivision level.
Saban's 123 regular-season conference wins, which includes the SEC Championship Game, ranks third all-time. He's still 36 behind Paul "Bear" W. Bryant's 159, but he might have a change to catch and surpass Steve Spurrier's 131 in second.
However, Saban's .815 winning percentage in those games is way out in front. Tennessee legend Robert Neyland is second at .787, with Alabama's Frank Thomas third at .765.
5] Team rankings
One of the most astounding statistics regarding Alabama's dynasty is that the Crimson Tide has been ranked first in the Associated Press poll at least once each season since 2008.
The 12-year streak is the longest in the history of the AP rankings, with Miami a distant second at seven (1986-92).
The Crimson Tide was voted No. 2 this week.
Biggest Breakout Player
That loud screeching sound you heard in Tuscaloosa last week wasn't just because of the incredibly expensive 20/59 bridge archway that was just installed has to be replaced because it was defective, but everyone hitting the brakes on their breakout player predictions for 2020.
That's not to say defensive lineman Christian Barmore won't have a huge season. He still might despite dealing with a knee injury lately. The redshirt sophomore wasn't the talk of the defense during fall camp, though.
It was freshman Will Anderson Jr. There was a buzz about him the moment he showed up, and it exploded this week when senior linebacker Dylan Moses said, "I expect great things from him."
Saban is notorious for downplaying expectations for true freshman, but Anderson has been such a force behind closed doors that the coaches felt they couldn't afford not to play him. He's also starting at Jack, the hybrid defensive end/linebacker who almost never comes off the field.
"Terrific guy, great athlete," senior center Landon Dickerson said. "He’s done a lot of great things in person."
If that doesn't convince you, consider what sophomore nose tackle D.J. Dale said about the two players this week.
On Barmore: “I think he’s ready. He’s very energetic."
On Anderson: "He’s a guy who came in confident, willing to learn, compete, he listens. He’s got it.”
Anderson is wearing No. 31 this season.
Did You Notice?
• Herb Gould says the SEC can help save the ACC and Big 12 who weren't ready to be the face of college football. The SEC's Back
• Check out Tony Barnhart's sit-down interview with the SEC commissioner: Greg Sankey's Long and Winding Journey to Sept. 26
• Here’s everything you need to know about SEC football as the conference begins play this weekend.
• Can Wearable Devices Help Detect COVID?
• How 18 Words on Twitter Helped Change a Flag and Unlocked the Power of the College Athlete
Sports Illustrated cover graphic
On the Lighter/Inspirational Side
• It’s beard vs. mustache this week on ‘Thursday Night Football’
• Eli Manning has thrown a football exactly once since retiring in December—when Larry Fitzgerald was in the neighborhood and begged him to throw some routes.
• Trashaun Willis, a high school football player from Iowa with one arm, scored six touchdowns in a single game.
• Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini completed chemotherapy treatments, six months after being diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer.
Christopher Walsh's notes column All Things CW regularly appears on BamaCentral+, which will soon be a premium page on BamaCentral.
