TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Former University of Alabama player Jesse Williams used to wear war paint on his face in addition to his tattoos and mohawk haircut, and senior Brian Vogler likes to give a “little kamikaze scream” when his turn comes around during practices.

But Vogler says that offensive lineman Dominick Jackson doesn’t need either when he lines up in the backfield for a goal-line situation because of a certain quality that comes in handy during that situation.

“He’s crazy,” Vogler said. “So we put him back there and he’s crazy enough to run into a hole and probably hit the hardest one on their defense.”

For years a fan-favorite formation with the Crimson Tide has been using a lineman as an extra fullback when trying to punch in a touchdown. Former All-American nose guard Terrence Cody used to be a lead blocker for Mark Ingram, like Williams, and one could see opposing players actively looking for someone else to challenge.

Jackson got his turn on one of junior running back Kenyan Drake’s touchdown runs last week against Southern Miss, lining up next to senior fullback Jalston Fowler.

“Just an athletic guy who’s physical and has a good understanding of what we’re trying to do,” Coach Nick Saban said. “Whether we’ll continue to use a guy like that in that role or not, we’ll decide that week to week.”

Yet Vogler, who added that he would never do the scream during a game, wouldn’t mind seeing Jackson continue in the role, especially since he’s listed at 6-foot-7, 320 pounds. That’s a lot of extra leverage.

“Well obviously the other guy got pretty scared and tried to go underneath him,” Vogler said. “I hope he gets the opportunity to hit somebody. He’s hungry for it.”