TUSCALOOSA | How do you fill in for someone who has mountain for a nickname?
ALABAMA OLE MISS FOOTBALL
ALABAMA OLE MISS FOOTBALL
(Dusty Compton / Tuscaloosa News)
Alabama DL Josh Chapman (99) brings down Mississippi RB Enrique Davis (27) in the second quarter of the Alabama vs. Ole Miss college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Saturday Oct. 18, 2008.
That’s the monumental challenge the University of Alabama football team faces this week while preparing to visit rival Tennessee on Saturday. Junior nose guard Terrence Cody has already been ruled out due to a sprained knee, leaving huge a void in the heart of the defense.
Even redshirt freshman Josh Chapman doesn’t think it can be completely done, and he’s the one who will likely start in Cody’s spot.
“I guess I can try to bring the same thing that he brought to the table,” Chapman said. “He brings a lot of energy out there. He’s a funny guy. I can throw a couple jokes out there to try to help the team.
“I can’t jump on a pile like he did (last week). The way he did was like a little frog out there … or a big frog.”
Despite being pulled in most passing situations, the 6-foot-5, 365-pound Cody has been credited with 15 tackles, including 3½ for a loss, with a forced fumble and recovery on the same play against Western Kentucky.
But Cody’s real impact isn’t close to being reflected in those numbers.
Last week, Phil Steele named Cody a midseason first-team All-American, while Scout Inc. had him listed as the ninth-best prospect in next year’s NFL Draft should he come out early (FYI, junior left tackle Andre Smith was third).
“All-American, all-globe, I don’t care what they are,” junior cornerback Javier Arenas said about watching the opposition from the sideline. “It’s fascinating to watch them get pushed back because they’re huge, but this huge-er guy is putting them in the quarterbacks lap.”
Consequently, even after allowing more than 100 rushing yards for the first time this season against Ole Miss last Saturday — 158 yards on 34 carries — the Tide still ranks fourth nationally in stopping the run (66.1 average). By taking away the middle of the field, especially up front, opponents have had few options on how to attack the No. 2 Tide (7-0, 4-0 SEC).
Tennessee (3-4, 1-3), with a good offensive line and a new quarterback in sophomore Nick Stephens, could be the exception, and Alabama is already bracing itself for the challenge sans Mt. Cody.
“He does a great job of keeping those guys off the linebackers and letting them flow a lot more freely,” senior safety Rashad Johnson said. “There’s definitely a change, they may get the opportunity to get up to the linebacking corps sometimes and that’s when the safety needs to come in because we’re usually the only unblocked players on the field. So we have to do a great job of reading run or pass, and getting in.”
Chapman (6-1, 205) won’t have to carry the defensive line single-handedly, but the fact he and Cody were already on a five-play rotation is a tremendous source of comfort for teammates. So is his work ethic in the weight room.
“He’s the strongest guy on our team,” senior quarterback John Parker Wilson said. “He’s going to be a force up front.
“He’s just got it, he lifts more than anyone on our team. It’s like the bar starts bending and everything. He can lift more than all my lifts combined.”
Chapman can bench-press 486 pounds, and squat 600. He’s always been the strongest player on his team, even at Hoover High School when in ninth grade he benched 315.
“I love lifting weights,” Chapman said. “It is just something I can kick back and relax and do.
Overall, here are Alabama’s options:
Option 1: More Chapman.
Ideally the Tide would like to keep the same five-play rotation, but at minimum Chapman will get more reps during practice.
“He plays with strength,” Saban said. “He plays with power. He plays run-blocks very well. He is a true nose guard for what we want and he has played all year. It’s not like you haven’t seen him. He is out there and probably plays one-third of the run down plays in every game. He did a very good job in this game when he had to play the last quarter and a half.”
Option 2: More Lorenzo Washington.
Although he moved to end this season, the junior started 12 games at nose guard last year, and still slides to the interior on obvious passing plays.
During the brief time period reporters were allowed to watch Monday’s practice, Washington lined up behind Chapman for individual drills. Moving up to second-team end was sophomore Milton Talbert.
Option 3: More Nick Gentry.
On his first snap against Ole Miss, Gentry took advantage of his fresh legs to get a quarterback hurry and force an incompletion. However, because of his size (6-1, 254) it’s unlikely Gentry will see much playing time against the run.
“He may be small, but he’s strong as an ox,” Chapman said. “He has a good burst off the ball, and is great at rushing the passer.”
Option 4: Bring in more help.
In other words, take the redshirt off another true freshman, which Alabama would prefer not to do.
“Damion Square is a freshman that we’ve redshirted so far that we may give some reps to this week and make a decision later on in the week as to how we go from a depth standpoint at that position,” Saban said. “We don’t have a plan for that.”
Square (6-2, 290) has been one of the standouts of the scout team. Should the Tide sustain another injury he would almost certainly be activated.
So the plan for now is Chapman, whom Arenas calls the “Incredible Hunk” in the weight room, moves up and others fill in as best they can.
“I think any opponent is happier to see me than Cody,” Chapman said. “That’s a whole big load.”
