JC Latham shares how Alabama is preparing for Arkansas' defense

JC Latham and the rest of the Alabama offensive line have done a great job protecting quarterback Bryce Young so far this season, but face a big test Saturday against Arkansas.

The Razorbacks have been the country’s best team when it comes to getting after the quarterback, leading the nation with 20 sacks. Although that number is seven greater than second-place Ole Miss, Latham said the Crimson Tide won’t change their approach when they travel to Fayetteville.

“One thing we really did this offseason was just preparing in the pass (protection),” the Alabama right tackle said. “It’s not like all of a sudden we’re just gonna say, ‘Oh, now we’ve got to prepare for Arkansas.’ We’ve been doing this since offseason of last year. Banging out fundamentals and really working on pass protection and the little things as well. Not just, ‘Oh, we’ve got a great matchup right here.’ Whatever it is, we make sure we handle it knowing defensive schemes, the stunts that they run and what the tendencies (are) of the players that they like to do and do with.”

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So far this season, Alabama is allowing an average of just one sack per game. That pass protection has enabled quarterback Bryce Young to throw for 1,029 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions as he remains one of the top candidates to win the Heisman Trophy.

Couple that with a rushing attack featuring Jase McClellan and Jahmyr Gibbs, and the Crimson Tide are one of the most dynamic offenses in the country. However, they have yet to face a defense quite like the Razorbacks. Linebacker Drew Sanders, who transferred from Alabama this offseason, has been relentless and leads the team with six sacks. Then there are defensive linemen Jordan Domineck and Zach Williams, who have combined for seven.

JC Latham is keeping all that in mind, and knows the challenge ahead against Arkansas is not an easy one by any means. But at the same time, he is approaching the game with confidence in the ability of both himself and his teammates.

“They’ve got a really good defensive front seven,” he said. “They’re really physical. They do a lot of different things up front. But honestly, I think if we just bang out our fundamentals and handle business we’ll be OK.”