Tennessee keeps eye on Alabama’s Mark Ingram

Alabama running back Mark Ingram grabbed national attention for his 24-carry, 246-yard performance against South Carolina last Saturday.

The sophomore from Flint, Mich., also caught the eye of the Tennessee defense, which visits Bryant-Denny Stadium today for the renewal of one of the SEC’s top rivalries.

“It’s just going to be a challenge all day between us and those backs and that offensive line,” Volunteer All-American strong safety Eric Berry said. “The way (Ingram) finishes runs, I can tell that he’s a well-coached running back. I think they finish runs the same way we try to finish plays on defense. That’s one of the biggest things we’re facing this week.”

Related Information:

  · The Huddle: Alabama Edition
Alabama sports writer Ken Rogers and Sports editor Jon Johnson preview the Alabama-Tennessee game.

 

·Ken Roger’s blog

Ingram has rushed for 140, 172 and 246 yards in the last three weeks. He leads the SEC in rushing with 129 yards per game and in scoring with 11 touchdowns, eight rushing. The sophomore has been tough to bring down. Of his 905 yards rushing, 533 came after first contact.

“Gosh, he’s physical. He’s good,” Tennessee defensive tackle Wes Brown said. “I was just telling some teammates that other than (Vol teammate) Montario (Hardesty), this may be one of the better backs in the league. He’s got yards after contact. He thrives off that. He just barrels through people. We’re going to have to tackle well, because he’s a very good back.
And they’re deep at running back, too. They’ve got other good running backs.”

Vol coach Lane Kiffin said Ingram “represents who they are.”

“Very rarely does the first guy bring him down, so we’re going to have our hands full,” Kiffin said. “When Trent (Richardson) goes in there, he’s as fast as they come. It’s a great combination of two backs, and we’re going to really, really have to tackle well.”

But while Ingram is a target for the Tennessee defense, fans may want to watch two of the best defensive players in the country in action. Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain and Tennessee strong safety Eric Berry will be consensus All-Americans if they both stay healthy.

“Obviously, Rolando wears crimson, so he’s my favorite,” Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said. “Eric Berry’s a tremendous player. … He’s a guy that can change the way your offense looks. He’s a guy that can singlehandedly change the game with his range and speed and his ability to cover. He’s a guy we’re going to have to neutralize as best we know how.”
Even McClain, who said he doesn’t pay attention to watching the opponent’s defense, has seen Berry’s work.

“It’s hard not to see the guy. He’s making so many plays on TV,” McClain said. “He’s obviously a great player.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban called Berry “maybe the best player, defensive player, in our conference.”

Berry, whose jersey number was retired by his high school last week, said Ingram’s talent is impressive, but he said the Crimson Tide’s running scheme makes it tough on a defense.

“Their running attack ... they try to get the corners to make a lot of plays,” Berry said. “They kind of seal off everyone else and get the running back one-on-one with the corners. That’s the one thing I’ve really noticed on film.

“We’ve just got to make sure we’re in the right places at the right time, and everyone’s got to be fitting in their gaps. And when the corner does have a chance to tackle the running back, we’ve got to make sure we’re rallying around the ball to help him.”

Berry indicated that the Vols will be crowding the box, daring McElroy to beat them.

“We realize that we can’t do anything about the quarterback if we don’t stop the run,” he said. “The easiest thing for a young quarterback to do is hand the ball off. And if he’s handing it off, and they’re getting first downs, then there’s no reason for him to put the ball in the air. We’ve got to make him put the ball in the air by stopping the run, and then hopefully get some turnovers.”