Mark Ingram talks Alabama vs Clemson, Heisman and Sean Payton staying with Saints

Monday night the 2015 college football season comes to a close, which means that it’s time to crown a new national champion and recognize the best team in the game for this given season. On Monday night in Glendale, Arizona, the No. 1-ranked Clemson Tigers will take on the No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

To get a little insight on the game, there was no one better out there to sit down with to help us break things down than former Alabama running back Mark Ingram.

Ingram, a Pro Bowl running back with the New Orleans Saints, is coming off his fifth season in the NFL. However, when hearing the name Mark Ingram, people tend to have one thought come to mind — that he’s the first Heisman winner in the illustrious history of Alabama Crimson Tide Football, capturing the award following the 2009 season. That was also a season in which the Tide won the first national championship of the Nick Saban era, defeating the Texas Longhorns in the 2010 Rose Bowl. It was the win that started the Tide dynasty rolling to the point where it is now.

Monday night, Alabama will look to capture their fourth national title in the last seven years, so we picked Ingram’s brain a bit on a number of topics.

Jack Jorgensen: Mark, firstly, before we delve into some football topics, you’re doing some tremendous work with the folks from the Capital One Cup. Now, Alabama’s mens’ athletic program has finished in the final Capital One Cup top-10 twice; but never won before. What would the $200,000 mean to them if the Tide were able to win the Capital One Cup?

Mark Ingram: I think it would mean everything. As an athlete who received a scholarship from the University of Alabama, that was a very important time in my life. It was a time that I appreciate so much, giving me the athletic scholarship and helping me to live out my dream playing college football and also, most importantly, to get an education; that’s something I’ll cherish the rest of my life. Capital One recognizes men’s and women’s college athletics. Whoever wins the Capital One Cup, they win $400,000 in combined student-athlete scholarships; $200,000 goes to the men and $200,000 goes to the women. I’m sure they’ll be very appreciative of that scholarship, because I know I was [when] receiving my scholarship from Alabama.

JJ: The news recently broke through that your current NFL head coach, Sean Payton, would be making his return to the team next season following some speculation that you might have to undergo a coaching change next season. How glad are you about this news?

MI: I’m excited that he’s back. I was happy to hear that news about him coming back and him being here in New Orleans for the long haul. We’ve been building this thing up, man, and we’ve had a couple years where it didn’t go as we wanted but I have a great feeling about our team and our future. We’re gonna get this thing going so we can make a run at a Super Bowl.

JJ: Now before we get into Monday’s clash, I do have to ask one more question in regards to the Saints that actually deals with what’s going down in Arizona. Your backfield mate, former Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, you guys have a wager on the line?

MI: We got some friendly gear on the line, you know. He’s gonna have to wear that “Roll Tide” for a couple weeks … he gonna have to wear that Crimson and White for a couple weeks. We’ll get a picture out, so y’all be looking for that [laughs].

JJ: Now this current roll that Alabama has been on, really this all started back in the 2009 season when you guys defeated Texas in the Rose Bowl, the same year you captured the Heisman. When you guys won that title back in 2009, did you envision this program coming this far to the point they’re at right now — going for a fourth title in the last seven years?

MI: It’s hard to envision three national championships in four years, or even four in the last seven, you can’t just write that. I know that with Coach Saban at the helm leading us, I knew anything was possible. He’s a guy who demands perfection, he pushes you to be the best that you can be on the field and off the field, he’s gonna demand perfection. If you’re slipping up, you’re gonna hear and know about it — other people are gonna know about it. Man, he’s a great coach to play for and just his process, his mindset and his attitude that he brings everyday — I didn’t put anything past him, I knew that anything was possible with him leading that Alabama program.

JJ: Derrick Henry was the Heisman winner this year, but in the lead-up to that as they were hyping it, you couldn’t really turn on the TV without being reminded in some form or fashion that you were the first Heisman winner in the history of this illustrious program. How much does it mean to you that you will always hold that distinction?

MI: Man it was very — it meant a lot to me. As you saw in my Heisman speech, all the All-Americans, all the national championships, you have Lombardi winners, Bednarik winners — you have all these college football accolades and there had never been a Heisman Trophy winner. So for me to be able to fill that void in that trophy case for all the Alabama nation, for my teammates, for my coaches, they helped me win that award and I couldn’t have done that without them. For my family, for my mother, my father, my sisters and everything we had been through with all the ups and downs. Just to be able to win that award for all those people that love and and were there to help me, I was glad to be able to do that for them. It was an amazing time and, like you say, every time some mentions me, “Heisman Trophy winner” will follow me for the rest of my life; I remember them saying at the Heisman ceremony that this will follow you from here on out and it has been. It’s just been a tremendous blessing, God has blessed me and I’m thankful for it.

JJ: Now, of course, your days in Tuscaloosa are over. This team this year has done some great things, so now we’ll move on to the Monday showdown. In your mind, from what you’ve seen of this Tide team, what is their main key for coming out with the win on Monday.

MI: First of all, we have to take care of the football, we can’t give them anything or help them, we have to take care of that football. If we run the ball efficiently, effectively and often, then everything will take care of itself. It’ll open everything up for Jake Coker, Calvin Ridley, ArDarius Stewart, O.J. Howard — it’ll open everything up for them down field so we can have them explosive plays. We have to be able to run the football. We have to be able to control the line of scrimmage both offensively and defensively. Offensive line dominates, defensive line dominates and gets pressure on the quarterback, everyone has to dominate. So I think everything comes down to the battle on the line of scrimmage.

JJ: From what you’ve seen of Clemson this season and with your history working with Coach Saban, are there any particular weaknesses on this Tigers team that he might look to exploit specifically?

MI: Clemson has been playing strong, man. Their offense is explosive, their defense has been playing pretty stingy. They’re gonna come out ready to play but I’m sure those guys [Alabama] are studying film day in and day out all day — I know Coach is for sure–  and finding ways to attack their team that will benefit us and help us win the game. So, I have no doubt that the game plan will be intact and those guys will be prepared to play.

JJ: The media narrative is out there that Alabama’s defenses has problems with the mobile quarterbacks. With that said, do you think Deshaun Watson is the best overall, dual-threat signal caller that Coach Saban has faced in his time in Tuscaloosa? Now, of course, this includes the likes of Johnny Manziel and Tim Tebow.

MI: Deshaun Watson is a great quarterback and, Johnny Manziel — you can put him right there with Johnny Football. Johnny was throwing it, he was running it and doing all kinds of great stuff when they beat Alabama [Laughs]. Deshaun Watson, man, that’s a guy who deserves all the hype and all the respect that he’s been getting, because he can hurt you with his arms and he can hurt you with his legs, he has to be accounted for; you have to know where he’s at all times so you can contain him. You can say that he’s one of the most — probably the most explosive quarterback that we have faced. They say that we have problems with spread offenses with dual-threat quarterbacks, but we’ll see. I think Coach Saban will have a good plan. I know those guys will be up for the challenge on defense. I know they’re hungry for a championship, I know they are ever since that Ole Miss loss. They’re hungry. I’m excited to see the game, I think it’ll be a great game, but at the end of the day Alabama prevails, man. We’re undefeated in National Championship games.

JJ: You obviously take a lot of pride in Alabama still, which is great. To finish, what is your favorite memory from your time with the Crimson Tide?

MI: Definitely that national title, man. It was definitely that national title 100 percent. Just being there with those guys — the blood, sweat and tears that you put into it. Working all spring, all summer, all year, the things you have to face. The ultimate goal is to win that championship. The Heisman wouldn’t be as special if I didn’t win that championship. But since I won the Heisman and the championship in the same year, it’s just amazing. They’re both — it means the world to me.

Mark is touring on behalf of the Capital One Cup, the prestigious award which recognizes the best men’s and women’s Division I athletic program in the country, giving a combined $400,000 in student-athlete scholarships.  The winner of the Clemson/Alabama matchup in Arizona will take home the college football national championship and earn 60 points toward the Capital One Cup.  For more information on the Cup, or to see where your school stands, fans can go to www.capitalonecup.com.