TUSCALOOSA -- On two occasions Saturday at Arkansas, Alabama true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts was involved in situations that would have likely forced the average player to lose his composure on the field.

But Hurts has proven to be anything but average in terms of his demeanor.

During the Channelview, Texas, native’s six-yard touchdown run that gave the Crimson Tide an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Hurts nearly lost his helmet because of a convincing face mask penalty. He snapped his head around after his eyes were pulled to the turf and he crossed the goal line only to literally dust himself off, forgetting the penalty even occurred.

Later in the game after throwing an interception, Hurts was pinned to the ground by his neck by Arkansas defensive lineman JaMichael Winston as his teammates attempted to stop the Hogs from returning the pick. Before Bradley Bozeman and Cam Robinson could do anything in retaliation, Hurts popped up from the turf and made his way to the sideline.

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Alabama’s starting left guard Ross Pierschbacher didn’t see the play unfold Saturday but said “it was a bad deal” once he watched it after the game. Winston’s actions did not result in a flag from the referees in Fayetteville.

“The play was well away from that so I’m not sure anybody saw it,” sophomore running back Damien Harris said Monday. “It’s one of those plays where you have to keep your quarterback healthy and protect him. We have to do a better job about that and keep stuff like that from happening.”

The Arkansas game’s plays weren’t the first instances this season that would rattle most first-year quarterbacks. Hurts has shown poise and maturity beyond his years this fall in several games, and his teammates have taken notice.

“He shows toughness every single game, it seems like,” Harris said of Hurts. “Whether it’s from the hit he took against Ole Miss, getting back up, or plays where he almost got his helmet ripped off ... He never shakes, he never flinches. He just gets up and plays the next play. He just shows incredible toughness each and every down.”

Being able to shake off a vicious face mask and ignore someone that just shoved him down to the ground and held him there for more than five seconds are just a couple of examples of why Hurts is different than most in his attitude.

“I think that speaks volumes to the type of player that he is,” Pierschbacher said. “And so just for him to go into a place like that and play against these tough, hard-nosed teams, to respond the way he does, it’s a credit to him. It’s fun to be his teammate.”

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