Evans ready to help Tide defense where he’s needed

Not even Rashaan Evans is sure what his role is on Alabama’s defense this season.

Is it outside linebacker, where he tallied four sacks last season? Or is it inside linebacker, where he has lined up primarily through five games this season?

“It’s whatever coach wants to put me at, either rushing off the edge or playing middle,” Evans said. “I’m just here to really kind of play my role and whatever that is I’m going to do it.”

Perhaps it’s just making plays like the strip sack he made on Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson last week that led to a 55-yard fumble return for a touchdown. On that play, Evans came from the middle, rolling off a blocker before stripping Johnson to set up safety Ronnie Harrison for the touchdown return.

“It was something I’ve always wanted to do to help my team,” Evans said. “Get the win and have the forced fumble.”

The play gave Alabama a 17-3 lead heading into the half and helped ignite a wave of momentum that carried the Tide to a 34-6 win.

“That was certainly a big play in the game,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said in his post-game interview Saturday. “We were struggling a little bit on offense. The score was 10-3, and they were hanging in the game. That was a big momentum swing for us.”

For Evans, it was just nice to be back on the field. The junior missed Alabama’s Week 4 win against Kent State with a lingering groin injury. He said the week off allowed him to fully recover.

“I had to deal with it,” Evans said of the injury. “I talked to my coach and told him that I needed some time off to kind of heal. When I did that, it was the best decision I could have made for the injury so it could heal.”

Now that his body is fully healed, Evans is looking to make sure he his mentally ready to stay on the field as well. Playing multiple positions, that means knowing the Tide’s playbook inside and out.

Earlier this week St. Louis Rams safety and former Alabama standout Mark Barron told CBS Sports Radio that Alabama’s defensive system is “more complicated than a lot of NFL systems.”

Evans said learning Alabama’s schemes was similar to learning a new language, and with any new language that meant hours of practice.

“I feel like if you’re actually out there doing the plays and stuff like that, it’s a lot easier,” Evans said. “Because you’re doing the plays and you’re learning the mistakes that you’re making. Then, after that, you learn what not to do and what to do. Eventually it just takes time, and after that, you’ll be straight.”

In his third year with the program, Evans still isn’t done learning. If he’s not on the field practicing or in his room studying, Evans said he’s usually spending time going over tape or plays in order to master the intricacies of Alabama’s defensive scheme.

“I feel like if you learn your plays, the game comes to you pretty easy and the game is a lot slower,” Evans said. “Coach Saban teaches us that — I’m going to watch what I say — but it’s kind of stupid to go into a game if you’re not prepared. It’s pretty much what he teaches us, and once we learn that we kind of treat every game the same with preparation, learning our plays and with reps.”

This week No. 1 Alabama will travel to No. 16 Arkansas in search of its 10th straight win against the Razorbacks. Evans says he plans to be on the field and ready for whatever Arkansas, and his coaches, throw his way.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Evans ready to help Tide defense where he’s needed."