Are defenses coming harder after Bryce Young following his injury?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Defenses aren’t taking things easy on Bryce Young as he continues to battle back from a sprained shoulder.

After taking a gruesome hit against Tennessee last week, the Alabama quarterback withstood a few knocks during Saturday’s game against Mississippi State as well. Three of those came after the whistle as the Bulldogs were flagged for a trio of roughing-the-passer penalties on Young. One was a bit soft, but the Heisman Trophy winner still took a big pop when he was leveled after a throw in the fourth quarter.

So are teams coming a little bit harder after Young following his injury? It depends on who you ask.

Following Alabama’s 30-6 win over Mississippi State on Saturday night, Nick Saban said he couldn’t comment on the topic, stating “You’d have to ask the other team that.” Starting right tackle J.C. Latham isn’t sure either, but he has noticed his quarterback taking some big hits lately.

“Maybe,” Latham said when asked if teams are coming harder after Young following his injury. “Shoot, Bryce is a tough guy though, so he can take a hit. Sometimes they blitz everybody, and all five of us [linemen] are protecting, so it’s kind of hard for us to pick up the extra blitzer. But Bryce knows that, and he’s a tough guy. He can take the hit.”

“If they’re planning on getting him hurt or trying to go for his hurt shoulder, I don’t think it will work because he’s a tough guy.”

Young himself doesn’t think anything malicious is at play.

“I think they’re just competitors,” Young said. “Everyone’s a competitor at this level. When you play at a high level, everyone wants to sack the quarterback, whoever that is. I don’t think it’s anything personal. It’s a really good team. They’re some really good rushers out there, and whenever you’re trying to rush the passer, you want to get home.”

Still, Latham has stern words for any defender looking to get a cheap hit on Young moving forward.

“It really pisses us off because that’s our quarterback,” Latham said. “We don’t want our quarterback getting hit. It’s kind of like poking the bear. That’s our guy back there, so we try to make sure he stays upright. So when guys take cheap shots at him or whatever the case may be, we’re going to take that personal.”

The hard hits haven’t affected Young so far. Over the past two weeks, he has completed 56 of 87 passes (64.4%) for 704 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. While Saturday’s performance won’t go down as one of his more memorable games, Young was able to complete 21 of 35 passes for 249 yards and a pair of scores while leading Alabama to a comfortable victory.

“Bryce played really well in the game, but I think to get him back to 100% will really help,” Saban said. “I think if he can practice some at some point in time before we get ready for our next game, that’ll probably help him as well.”

Young will have some time to heal as Alabama is off next week before traveling to LSU on Nov. 5. That being said, the rivalry between the Crimson Tide and Tigers is known for its physical nature, and the quarterback isn’t likely to get a friendly welcome for LSU’s defenders.

“We’ve got to do a good job of protecting him so he doesn’t get hit,” Saban said. “That’s what we can control.”

If one thing is certain, Young will have an inspired group of blockers in front of him.

“Seeing him really overcome his injury and just trying to get back out there as soon as possible just to give us the best success really means a lot to us,” Latham said. “He’s going through it, so anything that any of us are going through, we can push through, too.”

And on those times when Young inevitably does have to take a hit, he isn’t too worried.

“I definitely think [toughness] is something I pride myself in,” he said. “… It’s easy also when I get to lean on my brothers around me. You make a play, you get hit, my O-line’s always there to pick me up. They’re always protecting me, so that really helps me too, and that plays a huge factor.”