Tide notebook: Back-up linebacker Chris Jordan does well

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama took advantage of its blowout victory over North Texas by using a lot of players in the game.

In fact, the Crimson Tide’s leading tackler was Chris Jordan, who backs up All-American middle linebacker Rolando McClain.

Jordan came into the game with four minutes left in the third quarter and finished with six tackles, although two of those came on kickoff coverage.

McClain said the experience will help Jordan, who moved from running back to will linebacker as Dont’a Hightower’s backup last season as a true freshman. This season, he’s moved behind McClain, which means he’s coordinating the defensive calls when he’s in the game.

“He does a good job in practice. He knows what’s going on all the time. He’s a good player,” McClain said Monday. “I know if I went down for any reason I’d have a pretty good backup going in behind me.”

Jordan, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound sophomore from Brentwood, Tenn., has the requisite size and strength of a middle linebacker, McClain said.

“He can find the ball and he gets to the ball. Right now, in his second year, he’s playing with a lot of confidence that he didn’t have his first year,” McClain said.

True freshman linebacker Nico Johnson of Andalusia went in for Jordan during North Texas’ final drive of the game. Johnson made the tackle on the Mean Green’s final three plays, including a 1-yard tackle for loss. He added a fourth tackle on kickoff coverage.

Tide-UK on TV: Alabama’s first true road game of the season, the Oct. 3 trip to play Kentucky, will be an 11:20 a.m. (Central time) kickoff which will be televised on the SEC Network.

Other SEC games to be televised that day are LSU at Georgia (2:30 p.m. on CBS), Mississippi at Vanderbilt (6 p.m. on ESPNU), South Carolina State at South Carolina (6 p.m. on ESPN Classic), Texas A&M vs. Arkansas from Arlington, Texas (6:30 p.m. on ESPN2), Georgia Tech at Mississippi State (6:30 p.m. on CSS) and Auburn at Tennessee (6:45 p.m. on ESPN).

Players of the Week: Crimson Tide coaches singled out seven players for the efforts in Alabama’s win over North Texas.
Defensively, nose tackle Terrence Cody and safety Mark Barron were honored. Cody had a career-best five tackles to help limit the Mean Green to 61 yards of rushing. Barron made five tackles, including a 10-yard tackle for loss, and broke up two passes.

Quarterback Greg McElroy and tight end Colin Peek were the offensive players of the week. McElroy tied the school completion percentage record (minimum of 10 completions) when he went 13-for-15 (86.7 percent) for 176 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a 2-yard score. Peek caught two passes for 26 yards, but was praised for his blocking as Alabama rushed for 260 yards.

Javier Arenas, Robby Green and Chris Jordan earned special teams honors. Arenas accounted for 151 return yards with a 61-yard kickoff return and four punt returns for 90 yards. He is second all-time on the SEC career punt returns list. He trails only Vanderbilt’s Lee Nalley, who had 1,695 yards from 1947-49. Arenas has 1,472 yards in punt returns.

Injuries healing: Alabama remains relatively healthy — and is improving.

Preseason All-American wide receiver Julio Jones, who did not play against North Texas with a bruised knee, was back at practice Monday. Running back Roy Upchurch (ankle sprain) also practiced Monday.

“They will be evaluated day-to-day,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

Reserve running back Demetrius Goode hyperextended his knee last Saturday and “is probably going to be out for a day or two,” Saban said.

The coach said the injury isn’t believed to be serious and Goode will be evaluated on Wednesday or later in the week.