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Alabama moved swiftly to usher out the Lane Kiffin era, handing the reigns to offensive analyst Steve Sarkisian after Nick Saban and Kiffin "mutually" decided it would be better for the new FAU coach to turn his attention to the Owls.

Sarkisian hasn't been coaching the Alabama players in his role as an analyst, so this week's College Football Playoff National Championship Game preparation is the first chance he's gotten to interact with the new roster. According to wide receiver Calvin Ridley, things have been running "smoother" with Sark than they were in the final weeks of Lane Kiffin's tenure.

"He's doing a really great job with us so far and I feel like we're going a lot faster and everything is going smoother," Ridley told ESPN during an interview on Thursday. "We're getting ready to go out there and show what the new offense is going to be about."

What the offense is going to be about, apparently, includes getting "our outside guys the ball more," per Ridley. While Alabama has leaned heavily on its multi-threat ground attack with quarterback Jalen Hurts and running backs Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough, the passing game has taken a back seat to pounding the rock.

As an offensive coach, Steve Sarkisian has been able to highlight receivers but he's also known for balance. Every year Sarkisian was at Washington, the Huskies had a 1,000-yard rusher, and his one full year at USC was a 1,400-yard season for then-Trojan Buck Allen. Sarkisian might be able to get the "outside guys" more looks, but history says he won't turn away from the Tide's bread and butter, the ground game.