319 pound Bama defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne lunges into Piesman eligbility

Most of the Piesman-related attention in Tuscaloosa has been focused on Jonathan Allen, and for good reason. But let’s not ignore the efforts of his teammate Da’Ron Payne on this play.

So much has to go right here. The recovery from the stumble right before the recovery of the ball. The clean, no bobble scoop off the ground. The lunge while Payne’s kind of being tackled from behind by two players (one from his own team) to just barely get the ball across the line before his knee touches. It’s not the longest or flashiest of Piesman moments, but it’s impressive nonetheless, and it means Alabama’s got multiple eligible players for this year’s award.