TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Landon Dickerson doesn’t think he plays with a mean streak.

“I just like to play football how I think it should be played,” Dickerson said Tuesday. “That’s just playing through the whistle, simple as that.”

Alabama’s newest offensive lineman loves the game, is fond of the way Quenton Nelson of the Indianapolis Colts plays it and tends to get under his opponents’ skin from time to time. As SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic accurately put it, Dickerson and Nelson play with “some nasty.”

Indianapolis House of Pancakes: Now Serving. ?? pic.twitter.com/foDgNjobeY — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 10, 2019

Dickerson’s aggressive approach often frustrates opposing players. Duke’s Edgar Cerenord, a team captain and sixth-year senior, was ejected from the opener for punching Dickerson.

“I mean, we are playing football, that’s what it is all about,” Dickerson said. “Some people let things get in their head, and you know, if that happens, that happens. I just really enjoy what I do.”

Dickerson joined the Crimson Tide program as a graduate transfer after three years at Florida State, and he brings that same intensity to the practice field. He said his favorite teammate to face at practice is senior defensive lineman Raekwon Davis. He said that without hesitation.

“We just push each other,” Dickerson said. “You can bring him up here and he’ll tell you the same thing. He’ll tell you he hates me on the field. … Everybody gets a little frustrated at practice, but it’s nice because we practice not reacting physically and causing penalties.”

Having someone hate you on the field is one of the biggest compliments a lineman can receive, Dickerson said, but that mindset doesn’t linger past the white lines. Instead, there is mutual respect.

“If somebody hates me at practice, me and him will cut up in the locker room or outside of practice all of the time,” Dickerson said. “... He’s going to give me his best and I’m going to give him my best, and we’re going to make each other better. That’s what it’s really all about. Me and him want to be great players and that’s the best way to do it.”

The 6-foot-6, 308-pound lineman has started his first two games in an Alabama uniform. Against Duke, Dickerson started at right guard, and against New Mexico State, he began the game at center -- a position he has never played in a game at the high school or collegiate levels. One of the biggest challenges for Dickerson was communication and making sure everybody on the same page.

As the Crimson Tide gets set for its first true road game at South Carolina, it appears as though Dickerson will slide back over to right guard with Chris Owens returning to practice this week.

Joining the team at the start of preseason camp, the redshirt junior has quickly become a key member of the Alabama offensive line. But wherever he is on the field this Saturday, Dickerson is just happy to be back playing the sport he loves, even if he ruffles a few feathers along the way.

“It was a really quick turnaround coming here in August, but I wanted to keep my head down and I tried to do what coach told me to do and just come out every day with a great attitude and just practice hard,” Dickerson said. “It’s paying off right now. Hopefully, I’ll keep it up and it keeps paying off the rest of the year.”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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