For the third straight season follow the bouncing ball was too much of a topic of discussion for the University of Alabama football team.

Once again the number of fumbles lost by the Crimson Tide was in double digits after having just four in 2011, which not only led the Southeastern Conference but tied Wake Forrest for fewest in the nation.

This past season Alabama had 18 fumbles and lost 12, which tied for 93rd in the nation out of 125 teams. Only Auburn had more in the SEC with 13, while leading the league was Missouri (three) and Kentucky (four).

It tied 2012 for the most fumbles lost since Nick Saban arrived in 2007:

Year, Fumbles-lost
2007 20-8
2008 19-10
2009 16-7
2010 20-9
2011 12-4
2012 24-12
2013 14-10
2013 18-12
Total: 143-72 (average 17.9-9.1)

While it’s not the most ever for a Saban team (one needs to only go back to his last year at LSU in 2004 when the Tigers lost 15), it’s still a frustrating trend for the program that rarely saw a loose ball with Mark Ingram Jr. in the backfield.

But that doesn’t mean that the running backs have been the only ones at fault.

Alabama 2014 fumbles
Player, Fumbles-lost
Blake Sims 5-3
Christion Jones 2-2
T.J. Yeldon 2-1
Derrick Henry 1-1
Kenyan Drake 1-1
Jalston Fowler 1-1
Cyrus Jones 1-0
DeAndrew White 1-1
Landon Collins 1-0
Tyren Jones 1-1
(Team fumbles not included)

By position, the breakdown is 5-3 for the quarterbacks, 6-5 for the running backs, 3-3 for the wide receivers (with Jones the primary returner on special teams), and 2-0 for defensive backs.

That a quarterback led the team is nothing new.

Fumbles during the Saban era
Player, Fumbles-lost
AJ McCarron 11-5
John Parker Wilson 11-4
T.J. Yeldon 10-7
Greg McElroy 10-5
Glen Coffee 7-4
Blake Sims 7-4
Javier Arenas 7-2
Trent Richardson 7-1
Kenyan Drake 6-5
Christion Jones 6-5
Eddie Lacy 6-4
Marquis Maze 5-1
DeAndrew White 4-3
Cyrus Jones 4-1
Mark Ingram 3-2
Jalston Fowler 2-2
Robert Lester 2-2
Roy Upchurch 2-2
Matt Caddell 2-1
Terry Grant 2-0
Earl Alexander 1-1
Simeon Castille 1-1
Derrick Henry 1-1
Jimmy Johns 1-1
Marquis Johnson 1-1
Tyren Jones 1-1
Jonathan Lowe 1-1
Mark Barron 1-0
Kenny Bell 1-0
Landon Collins 1-0
Phillip Ely 1-0
Darius Hanks 1-0
Harrison Jones 1-0
Kevin Norwood 1-0
Phillip Sims 1-0
Nikita Stover 1-0
Brian Vogler 1-0
Nick Walker 1-0
(Team fumbles not included)

Incidentally, two names noticeably missing from that list are Amari Cooper Julio Jones out of a combined 442 times touching the ball.

During the Saban era running backs have had 49 fumbles, losing 31, or averaging 6.1-3.9 per season. On average that’s roughly 34 percent of the Crimson Tide’s fumbles, and 43 percent of those lost during the past eight years – and both numbers have been on the rise.

Mark Ingram Jr. lost just two fumbles during his entire career, and Trent Richardson only one.

Specifically, Ingram had a fumble every 211 times he touched the ball (including carries, receptions, two returns and the one pass attempt), or a fumble lost every 317 touches.

Richardson had seven fumbles during his career with the only one lost against Ole Miss as a freshman. That’s an average of a fumble every 90.9 touches, but a fumble lost every 636 touches.

Yeldon’s numbers were more in line with Eddie Lacy.

Although Yeldon only had two fumbles during his final season, he finished his career with one every 61.3 times he touched the ball (receptions included), and one lost every 87.6.

Lacy finished his career with a fumble every 65.0 touches, and a fumble lost every 97.5.