Courtney Upshaw thrust into spotlight

TUSCALOOSA — The timetable for Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw’s development may have speeded up late in the first quarter Saturday afternoon, when Dont’a Hightower left the game with a knee injury.

There wasn’t time to panic. There wasn’t time to worry about assignments. There wasn’t even time to check on Hightower — his friend and roommate.
Upshaw had to play. Now.

It was kind of a blur and the game moved fast for the sophomore from Eufaula.

He adjusted — after giving himself a stern talking to.

“I told myself when we went in at halftime that I need to get back there and rush the passer, get to him, try to put a little pressure on him,” Upshaw said after the Crimson Tide held Arkansas to seven points.

“After a couple plays I got more comfortable out there,” Upshaw said.

Comfort in the Alabama defense without Hightower is a relative term. The Tide’s Will linebacker also drops down and rushes as a fourth lineman in passing situations.

“We had a lot of scheme things for Dont’a to do in the game from a pass-rush standpoint,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “The other guys did a good job of filling in and executing.”

Hightower’s absence forced several changes to Alabama’s lineup. Sam linebacker Cory Reamer moved into Hightower’s Will spot inside. Jack linebacker Eryk Anders slid to Reamer’s Sam post, and Upshaw came into the game as the Jack. He also stayed in the game as the extra lineman in passing situations, which was Hightower’s role.

“I can’t really speak for everybody, but I know Dont’a’s a really big part of the defense,” Upshaw said.

Still, if Hightower is out for an extended period — and an MRI is scheduled for today — it will be a blow to the defense.

“We’ll miss him,” Upshaw said. “He made plays all over the field.”

Upshaw finished his first game with extended playing time at linebacker with just one tackle. He was critical of himself after the game.

“I think I did OK, but I can do a whole lot better,” he said. “I feel like I can pass rush. But sometimes, just coming in, not really being ready to go out there, I’ll be lazy with my rushes.”

He’s eager to see the film and said he’ll build on that. It will be easy to practice this week.

“It’ll be a whole lot of motivation,” Upshaw said. “We’ll go back, watch film, see what I did mistake-wise and see what I did good — and gain from that.”

Alabama’s defense took a big step forward by throttling Arkansas’ vaunted passing attack.

“It felt real good to be out there,” Upshaw said. “Out there, in front of the crowd, running around, trying to get a sack or trying to make a play. It felt real good.”

But Upshaw’s thrill was tempered.

“I feel like, honestly, I want to get on the field, but my friend just went down,” he said. “Especially with him being my roommate. We just hang and talk about a lot of things. ... I don’t want to get on the field like that.”

He and the rest of the Crimson Tide may not have a choice.