ARLINGTON, Texas — The coach’s voice began to rise with agitation. For some reason, those pesky reporters wanted to ask about the quarterbacks again. Nick Saban had declined to name a starter in the preseason. In the newest trend among coaches, it was only when Jake Coker trotted out there with the first-team offense, right after kickoff Saturday night, that we learned who had won Alabama’s hottest competition.
Sort of.
“I told both guys,” said Saban, referring to Coker and sophomore Cooper Bateman, “we’re not naming a starter, we’re naming who’s gonna start in a game.”
Coker wasn’t spectacular, but he was solid enough in No.