Jalen Hurts hung back in the pocket and waited, surveying the scene. Irv Smith Jr. was in the process of running a slow-developing skinny post route toward the end zone.
As he glanced at the crowd of bodies in front of him, Hurts never lost sight of Alabama's junior tight end, and when Smith cut toward the goal post the quarterback fired the ball into his hands to complete a 10-yard touchdown play Saturday during the Crimson Tide's 57-7 rout of Arkansas State.
"When the game comes," Smith said, "you want to have fun and get the ball.