When Tony Conner stepped onto the field as a Rebel in 2013, he immediately made his presence felt at the Huskie position and starred there for the next two seasons, garnering second-team All-SEC honors his sophomore year. Through the first two games, Conner was on his way to another stellar season before injury struck against Alabama. His season was shortened after tearing the meniscus in his knee, missing six total games. One year later, he takes the field against the Tide again.
“Last year was last year. This year, I’m just looking for a total different outcome,” Conner said. “Every game, I just pray and hope that there won’t be any injuries for either team. I’m going to go out here to practice and make sure everybody’s focusing on the little things this week.”
Conner was impressed with the vertical passing game Alabama had flashed in the first two games.
“As I’ve been watching them, they’ve got a lot of speed guys. Their offense is a lot like our offense,” Conner said. “We know what they can do. Take nothing from Alabama, we’ve just got to go out and play right.”
Quarterback Jalen Hurts did well leading the Tide’s offense in his first two games, throwing for four scores and adding two more on the ground. Conner likened him to former dual-threat Alabama quarterback Blake Sims.
“From watching that first game, he’s a true freshman but he played tremendously well,” Conner said. “We’ve got to go out and play our Landshark defense. He’s a great quarterback from what I’ve seen. We’ve just got to execute.”
Senior Defensive Back Tony Conner celebrates after a play. (File Photo)
Conner was also prepared to go against a new face in a long line of great Alabama running backs.
“In the past you’ve got Derrick Henry, T.J. Yeldon and those guys. It’s nothing different,” Conner said. “They’ve got Bo (Scarbrough), and everybody’s been talking about him. He’s another Derrick Henry. We’ve got to go out and tackle and play our defense.”
Conner started in week one against Florida State, but complications with his injury forced him out of the game.
“Coming out in the second half, I’m just sitting in the locker room and it kind of just stiffed up,” Conner said. “I can tell that I wasn’t the way I was at first when I came out for the first half. (Head Trainer Pat Jernigan) always tells me to let him know if something is bothering me, and I did.”
Conner said that everything was normal now, and he is still getting treatment each day to get back to full strength.
“It’s kind of just going through each game and getting more reps,” Conner said. “As it continues to come, I’ll feel more and more comfortable. Just like the start of camp. The first day going out there, I wasn’t as comfortable as I am now. The first game played against Florida State, they cut a lot. I was out there thinking about there at the same time. It’s just a day-to-day thing, each game just getting better and getting prepared for it.”
