Will Anderson Jr.: 'We want fans to leave their own stadiums' early when they play Alabama football
Most Arkansas fans will leave by the end of the third quarter Saturday if Alabama football's Will Anderson Jr. has his way.
A hostile environment likely awaits the Crimson Tide, but Anderson doesn't want his team to only survive. He sent a clear message Tuesday that he wants his team to thrive when No. 2 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) faces No. 19 Arkansas (3-1, 1-1) on Saturday (2:30 p.m., CBS) at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
"We want fans to leave their own stadiums," Anderson said. "I think the message this week is, we want fans to leave their own stadiums. We’re going to try to preach that all week. Go out there and have fun, do your job, make sure the fans are leaving by the time halftime comes. At least by the end of the third quarter."
The Crimson Tide didn't do that in its first road game of the season at Texas. It came down to a last-second field goal from Will Reichard for Alabama to win 20-19.
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The 2021 season also had what Anderson termed as some 'bumpy' road games. The Crimson Tide barely won at Florida and Auburn and lost to Texas A&M in College Station.
The only dominant road win was at Mississippi State, where Alabama won 49-9. Anderson had four sacks in that game.
"Coach Saban always talks about hateful competitors, and I’m starting to kind of see what he was saying," Anderson said.
So is Anderson hateful on the field?
He believes so.
"I tell people all the time, the audacity for the other team to even step on the field is disrespectful to me," Anderson said. "I tell people that all the time. People ask me what motivates me. I say, the audacity for the fans to show up and for the team to come step on the field and play with us. That’s kind of my own little thing in my head that I go through."
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football's Will Anderson Jr. wants opposing fans to exit early
