Jalen Hurts on Clemson: "As a team, we’re going to have to be ready."
Jalen Hurts | Quarterback | University of Alabama
On the challenges Clemson presents:
“Well, first off I just want to say they’re a good team. They have a good front, really experienced… got a lot of good guys… good coaching. They’re really coached well, and they play really good football on both sides of the ball so I think as a team we’re going to have to be ready to play them the best way we can.”
On if Clemson is the best defense they’ve faced this year:
“For sure one of them. Like I said, they have a good front and good DBs. They’re really coached well.”
On the changes in their offense this year:
“I think early on we came out the gate, you know, new Offensive Coordinator and trying to get a grasp for him and how he does things, really emphasizing execution. I think towards the end, you’re only as good as your last game. We didn’t execute well against Auburn, but that’s the past. We know that’s something that we have to do good to be successful in this game.”
On QBs taking a lot of heat after losses and handling those situations:
“I just have to stay true to myself, do what’s gotten me here. At the end of the day, this is my team. These are my guys, and my guys believe 100% in me. So I have to be myself and lead. They want to see the leader in me and that’s what I need to do.”
Damien Harris | Running Back | University of Alabama
On the challenges of preparing to play Clemson again the College Football Playoff:
“I don’t think it’s that hard. Playing them 3 years in a row, we know kind of everything they do inside and out. They basically know everything we do so it’s not like there is going to be any secrets in this game or anything different. It’s just different players. But, most of the same coaches, same scheme, things like that. So it’s just kind of a game about who wants it more - who goes out there and plays with the fundamental execution. The team who wants it the most is the team that is going to come out and win.”
On seeing similarities between Auburn and Clemson defenses:
“I mean, they’re both great defenses but Clemson does things a little bit different. I think they’ll be the best defense we’ve played so far this year. They’ve got a great front seven, great defensive line, great linebacker play, their secondary makes plays on the ball so like I said, they’ll be the best defense we’ve played this year. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
On if this front seven is better than the previous two season:
“You could say that. I mean, most of the guys were kind of young when we first played them in 2015 so those guys have kind of grown up. They’re kind of the veterans of that defense now with more experience and more time in their system. They really developed a good sense of what they’re doing, and they create a lot of problems.”
On having a chip on their shoulders:
“We just want to play Alabama football. We’re not really worried about what people in the outside world think. We know a lot of people just don’t like us because we’re Alabama, but at the end of the day that doesn’t really bother us. We’re going to practice the same, play the same way, and we’re going to get ready to play our best football on January 1.”
On concentrating on the game in New Orleans:
“It’s tough, but you definitely have to separate the experience from what we came here to do. We really didn’t come here to have fun in New Orleans. There are a lot of things to get into but we’re just focused on playing Clemson.”
Jonah Williams | Offensive Lineman | University of Alabama
On how it feels to get Clemson again:
“It’s exciting, you know, third part of the trilogy. They’re a great team, but we don’t look at it differently than any other game. It’s just another game on the schedule that we’ve got to prepare for, same as any other, so we try not to be influenced by emotion.”
On Clemson’s defensive line:
“They’re a really talented bunch. Well coached. They’re long, they’re rangy, quick, slippery—all the things you see in a good D-line. They generate a lot of negative plays so it poses a challenge for us, and it’s something we’ve been preparing for.”
On differentiating between fun and business:
“I don’t really have fun, so I don’t think of it like that, especially not now. It’s all business and a lot of people on the team feel that way. We’ve had a lot of time to work and get ready for this in the past month. I’m not here to have fun. I don’t play college football for the fun of it. This is something I take seriously. It’s not a hobby.”
On if the team has prepared harder because of last year’s loss:
“We work hard because that’s just who we are. We’ve turned the page from last year. We don’t try to sit here and reminisce or change what we’ve been doing. When things are going well, we work harder. When things go poorly, we work harder. That’s the M.O. we’ve taken.”
On if it’s unfair the way Jalen Hurts has been criticized:
“I think it’s the nature of the position you’re in as a player. And as the quarterback for Alabama, anything less than absolute perfection is a disappointment. I think that’s probably an unfair position to put someone in, but I don’t think he’s a guy that cares so much what other people think. For the team too, pretty much any fault is magnified due to the fact that in our history we generally haven’t had many.”
