Joe Medley: Calvin Ridley is picking up where Amari Cooper left off
Calvin Ridley has taken on that look.
You might recognize it. That look came in a No. 8 jersey a few years back, and then it came in a No. 9 jersey.
It seems that receiver has never left Alabama. He just kept changing jersey numbers, and No. 3 now catches the quick screens and runs down the big plays when Alabama has to have them.
The emerging freshman's double move against an Arkansas defense determined not to give up the deep ball changed Saturday's game in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
He faked a post, turned a defender, took off and ran down Jake Coker's perfect lob for the 81-yard touchdown pass that gave Alabama the lead late in the third quarter. Alabama won 27-14 to avoid a season-wrecking second loss.
The Tide did plenty to put itself in position to suffer that loss but turned the game because it has found a defense-wrecking receiver who looks to be the next in Alabama's on-going line.
Julio Jones meet Amari Cooper meet Calvin Ridley.
Meet the freshman who appears to have Wally Pipped the injured Robert Foster.
Meet the speedster whose 45-yard touchdown catch at Georgia last week prompted Arkansas to keep safeties back all game against Alabama on Saturday.
That's right. Even with Derrick Henry in Alabama's backfield, Arkansas was willing to give him a little room to keep Alabama from hitting the play-action deep ball. It worked for nearly three full quarters.
The tactic worked to the tune of two Coker interceptions, both coming on bad decisions and throws.
It worked to make Alabama's offense labor to drive slowly down the field, only to hit a wall of Hogs in the red zone.
It worked until it didn't.
A super freshman -- the one with "elite talent" Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin warned us about in August -- said, Ridley me this.
The guy who caught the quick screens to start each half started his sprint in the third quarter. He faked to the inside, enough to turn Arkansas free safety Santos Ramirez.
Ridley turned back to his fly pattern line and left Ramiriez hopelessly chasing. Coker's beautiful deep ball hit Ridley in stride, and it was all over but the green Ridley still had to cover.
Alabama took the lead for good, 10-7.
In that moment, No. 3 looked a lot like No. 9 flagging down Blake Sims' deep ball against Florida last season. Ridley's play was just 2 yards longer.
Ridley looked every bit the disaster Arkansas came determined to prevent but couldn't. He looks like the disaster SEC defenses can't prevent for four quarters.
Coming into this season, talk centered around Alabama losing the disaster defenses couldn't prevent. Cooper wears the Oakland Raiders' silver and black and looks good in it.
Cooper came along a couple of years after Jones left for the NFL, and the Atlanta Falcons have risen up with him as their top receiving threat.
Not to worry, Alabama fans. The next in the line is on campus, and Ridley just might be that special player that saves an Alabama team with shaky quarterbacking and kicking.
-- Joe Medley is a columnist for the Anniston Star. You can write to him at jmedley@annistonstar.com.
This story was originally published October 11, 2015 at 11:36 PM with the headline "Joe Medley: Calvin Ridley is picking up where Amari Cooper left off ."