Grant earns SEC honors for second straight week

TUSCALOOSA | Winning the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week award is becoming a habit for Terry Grant.

The University of Alabama’s redshirt rookie running back won the honor for the second week in a row on Monday for his performance in the Crimson Tide’s 24-10 victory at Vanderbilt.

Grant, a native of Lumberton, Miss., broke the 100-yard barrier for the second straight week with 173 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns. He accounted for 80 of Alabama’s 86 yards on a drive in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory for the Tide.

Grant ranks eighth nationally and first in the SEC in rushing at 153.5 yards per game. His five rushing touchdowns tie him for first nationally, and he has led Alabama to a No. 12 ranking in team rushing.

The UA coaching staff cited two of Grant’s primary blockers, tackle Andre Smith and tight end Travis McCall, as the team’s offensive players of the week. Not only did the duo help clear the way for a 221-yard rushing attack against Vanderbilt, they were part of a unit that gave up just one sack.

Wallace Gilberry, who was mentioned in the SEC’s weekly awards among the league’s other outstanding performances, shared team defensive player of the week awards with fellow defensive lineman Bobby Greenwood. Gilberry had four solo tackles, one tackle for loss, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. Greenwood made three solo tackles, two for loss, and had a sack and a quarterback hurry.

Javier Arenas and Kareem Jackson shared special team honors as recognized by the coaching staff. Arenas finished with 138 total return yards, including a 69-yard punt return early in the game that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Grant on Alabama’s first offensive play. Arenas ranks second in the SEC in punt returns with an 18.4-yard average and fifth in kickoff returns with a 26.8-yard average. Jackson had four solo tackles and an assist while also forcing a fumble playing on special teams and in the defensive backfield.

Dolphins get letters from former head coach

Saban sent letters to players he coached last season while with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League wishing them the best for the coming season. The letters, on UA letterhead, arrived last week before Miami’s season opener against the Washington Redskins.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect, gratitude, whatever you want to call it, for the hard work that the guys that are still on the team there, and on other teams, did while I was there,” Saban said. “I just wanted to wish them the best luck in this season out of respect for them, and also wish their families well.

“That’s the reason I did it. It didn’t come about for any other reason than that, other than I would like to see them do well.”

Saban didn’t see Miami’s season opener.

“I didn’t watch the game at all,” he said. “I was here preparing for our game.”

Saban stirred up a swarm of controversy in January when he left the Miami job after two seasons to come to Alabama.

Ronnie Brown, a former Auburn standout running back who plays for Miami, thought Saban’s gesture was classy.

“For him to be there and face the things that he is facing as far as expectations, I think it’s pretty good that he would do that,” Brown told the Orlando Sentinel.

Bye-bye Razorbacks

The season is entering its third weekend, and Alabama is already facing an opponent coming off a bye week, the first of five games the Tide will play against teams who have an open date the week before.

UA head coach Nick Saban has mixed thoughts on what kind of advantage that may or may not be for Arkansas. He said a weekend off can be a good or bad thing for a football team.

“Obviously you have more time to prepare and you have more time to make changes,” Saban said. “It could effect the other team’s preparations.

“I guess it comes down to if you’re in a good rhythm as a team sometimes it’s better to keep playing. If you’re in a not-so-good rhythm, it’s good to have a bye week to try to get your rhythm together.

“It can be good or bad depending on when it occurs and how your team’s playing.”

Saban, who likes to compile extensive data on things like injury rates during back-to-back two-a-day practices, said he hasn’t studied the effect of bye weeks on his teams.

“I don’t have any statistical information that supports whether a bye week is a good thing or a bad thing,” he said. “A lot of people assume that it’s a good thing, but I can’t support that one way or the other, I don’t even know how we’ve done after our bye weeks through the years. Probably a good research project for somebody that might help me answer this question better.”

Injury report

Saban said junior running back Jimmy Johns (ankle) will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis this week.

“I don’t think it’s anything that’s really, really bad,” the coach.

Saban said running back Glen Coffee (shoulder) will likely see limited contact work in practice this week.

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.