Alabama / Kentucky postgame interviews with Mike Shula, Shaud Williams, Thurman Ward, Derrick Pope, Brodie Croyle

Shaud Williams (#21 Sr. TB, 5-8 191 lbs. Andrews, TX - Texas Tech transfer)

These comments came following the Kentucky game as Shaud Williams answered questions from the press pool ...

Press Pool – The word “career night” get tossed around a lot, but you had one tonight.

Shaud Williams - I wouldn’t be able to do it without my teammates. I give those guys credit first because if it wasn’t for those guys out there blocking and the defense out there making stops and getting the ball back, none of it would have been possible. So I’ve got to tip my hat to those guys because they did a great job and they deserve all the credit

Can you teach running after contact? That’s what you seem to be so good at. Can you teach that or is that something you have to be born with?

I think that’s how our running backs gauge the kind of game they had is how many tackles they break. That’s one of our goals as the running back, as a corps, is to break tackles and don’t let the first guy tackle you, make more than one bring you down. It’s just something that’s instilled in us. We go out there and take pride in it. Every time we run the ball we try to break tackles.

We knew we had a good chance to run the ball. Those big hogs up front got it set in their head on Sunday that they were going to come out and open up some holes. That’s exactly what they did. You got to give all those guys up front credit. A lot of times, the things they do goes unnoticed, but it all starts with those guys up front and it wouldn’t be able to happen without those big hogs getting after it.

You seemed to come through every time Alabama needed a big play. In the crucial play, do you want the ball?

Oh yeah! Anybody who is a competitor wants the ball in their hands every time. We’ve got some good wideouts, Dre (Fulgham), Tri (Triandos Luke), Zach (Fletcher) … all those guys. They want the ball in their hands just as well. We’re all out there making plays and striving for the same goal. When we’ve got it clicking, Coach can just take his pick of who he wants to make the play this time. Every time he did it, whoever he called on stepped up and made a play.

How much motivation do you gain when you watch your defense play as well as it did?

It’s a lot of motivation for the offense. We came out fast, we just didn’t get any points on the board. To see our defense playing like that, it gives us a little bit of confidence knowing that we don’t have to go out there and press and try to make too much happen. They’re going to hold their own and it’s going to be tough for teams to score on them.

It’s great. The SEC is one of the toughest conferences in the country and when you come out and get a win in the SEC it’s a pretty big thing. If you start out slow, it’s such a tough conference, it’ll be hard to catch back up. So it’s always good to come out and win the SEC opener.

Shaud, a lot of people have talked about Coach Shula’s calm demeanor in these close games. Have you noticed that?

Oh yeah! I was standing over there beside him during the game, and he was as calm as could be. I think that all goes back to when he was a player here. Calm and never getting uptight. That gives us a lot of confidence as players. When we look over there and see Coach Shula so relaxed and letting everything flow it relaxes us and gives us the chance to go out there and just let everything come to us.

Click on the name for parts of their post-game interviews ..
Coach Mike Shula (Alabama Crimson Tide Head Coach)

Brodie Croyle (#12 So. QB, 6-3 200 lbs. Rainbow City, AL - Westbrook Christian High)

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