Alabama secondary finding its rhythm

TUSCALOOSA — Sophomore safety Mark Barron is starting to find a rhythm in Alabama’s secondary.

Barron was credited with five tackles, tied for second-most on the team behind linebacker Chris Jordan’s six, in Saturday’s 53-7 victory over North Texas.

“I feel like we were much more solid today and we made some improvement,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said after the victory.

Barron made the stop on a 10-yard tackle behind the line of scrimmage and broke up two Nathan Tune passes. One of those came when he knocked away a long pass after a receiver got behind a cornerback.

The other came when he dropped an almost certain interception on a sideline route that he would have turned into six points.

“It was right on my fingertips,” Barron said after the game, still wincing at the recollection. “It should have been a pick. I don’t know, I didn’t react fast enough, I guess. I’ll get another one.”

While that one got away, he’s putting himself in better position to make plays. Barron made an interception last week against Florida International. He seemed to be seeing the play quicker, anticipating better.

The key, he said, is gaining confidence in his assignments.

“Whenever you’re thinking too much, you’re going to play slower,” said Barron, a high school standout at St. Paul’s in Mobile.

“When you get it you start playing fast. So yeah, I feel like I’m getting it better.”

The secret hasn’t been a mystery.

“Getting reps in practice. That’s pretty much it,” Barron said. “I’ve seen so much of it in practice. It’s kind of easier to see right now.”

While Barron has improved with practice time, Saban said backup quarterback Star Jackson will benefit most from the extended game experience he enjoyed Saturday.

Just as Barron talked about thinking too much slows his game, Saban noted the offensive pacing was a bit slower under Jackson.

Still, Greg McElroy’s backup played about half the game with the first team. He directed the final drive of the first half, which ended in a field goal as time expired, and led the offense after McElroy drove the team to a touchdown on the first possession of the second half.

“He did a pretty good job but was a little slow in the operations sometimes,” Saban said. “We took a penalty down in the red zone on the 5-yard line (delay of game). That was not good with the clock right in front of him.

“That’s what you learn from, though. The clock winds when you go out of bounds outside of two minutes. Those are the kind of lessons that guys need to learn by playing.”

Jackson completed 9-of-13 passes for 87 yards and directed four scoring drives — two for touchdowns and two for field goals.

“It was great to get out on the field and help the team,” Jackson said. “I made a couple of mistakes, but we will go over it in film and get better. … I just have to continue to work and wait for my time.”

Alabama (3-0) plays its SEC opener Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium. CBS will televise the game nationally.