Alabama Crimson Tide is facing decisive matchups early on its season. Under head coach Kalen DeBoer, the team holds a 5-2 record and their playoff aspirations are in jeopardy. Amid the turmoil, alumni and Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry sent Jalen Milroe and rest of players a strong message.
Fans in Tuscaloosa are going through an unprecedented slump. Alabama has not lost three games in a college football season since 2010. Eight weeks into this year’s campaign the Crimson Tide has already fallen twice, in shocking defeats to Vanderbilt and Tennessee. No game is a lock for DeBoer’s side and they are now walking on thin ice as they gear up for the final stretch.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe has struggled lately, taking a toll on his individual stats and the team’s offensive production. Moreover, the Heisman Trophy seems well out of the window for Milroe, instead the main focus is getting the Tide’s season back on track.
Amid the team’s struggles, the 2015 Heisman Trophy Winner Derrick Henry gave Milroe and the team some strong advice: “The back against the wall now,” Henry said, via On3. “You’re still the same ‘Bama team. Did you have some adversity? Yeah. But that doesn’t define you, it’s about how you overcome it. You’ve gotta have leaders step up, embrace that role more than ever, the team gotta be closer more than they have been to be able to go on this run.”
Derrick Henry #22 of the Baltimore Ravens runs the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.
“And I still feel like y’all the same ‘Bama team. Y’all gonna play defense, you can score from anywhere on the field, you’ve got everything you need to be a championship caliber team, you just gotta go out there and do it.”
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NCAAF News: Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer makes something clear about Jalen Milroe's struggles
Derrick Henry’s stats in Alabama
Derrick Henry played three years at the college level in Tuscaloosa. Under head coach Nick Saban, Henry thrived and became one of the most dominant half-backs in NCAA‘s recent history. As we’ve seen first-hand, the Baltimore Ravens star was able to keep that elite level in the pros.
During his college career, Henry tallied 3,591 rushing yards and 42 TDs in 39 games. He added 17 receptions for 285 yards and three scores. Henry was named the best player in the 2015 season, taking home the Heisman Trophy over finalists Christian McCaffrey and Deshaun Watson.
Alabama’s four Heisman Trophy Winners
Henry’s 2015 honor was the second time in school history that a Tide player earned the award. Previously, in 2009, running back Mark Ingram won the school’s first Heisman. After Henry, wide receiver Devonta Smith and quarterback Bryce Young hoisted the trophy in consecutive years, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Henry was the only Bama Heisman winner to fall out of the first round in the NFL Draft.
