M
Michael Casagrande |
Alabama checked all the boxes against Mercer.
Get in.
Get out.
Score some points and don't get anybody hurt.
The plan was simple for Alabama's offense on an overcast Saturday in mid-November. Facing a Mercer defense that held Auburn to 24 points in September, the Crimson Tide took care of things with cruel efficiency.
The 56-0 clinic saw touchdowns in the first five possessions and plenty of backups from there on. Jalen Hurts went 7-for-7 for 180 yards with three touchdowns and a QB rating of 457.4. The starter exited early in the second quarter as nine teammates got carries and 10 caught passes.
Of the first five scoring plays, only the first took longer than 1:41 off the clock. The third covered 98 yards in just four plays while the next two needed just three snaps apiece.
By halftime Alabama averaged 22.2 yards a completion and 11.1 yards per play after averaging 6.9 yards a snap in the first 10 games.
Nick Saban said they wanted to assert the running game early before hitting a few play-action passes. He liked Calvin Ridley's three catches, one of which went 66 yards for the third touchdown. Hurts pump faked the cornerback to the turf, leaving his top target all alone for the walk-in score. It was Ridley's 17th career touchdown, which tied him with DJ Hall for third on Alabama's career list behind leader Amari Cooper's 31.
Tua Tagovailoa then threw for three more touchdowns. The six combined fell just short of the school record of seven passing touchdowns recorded against Southern Miss in 1950. All six of Saturday's touchdowns were caught by different receivers.
"I have a lot of compassion for (Mercer) guys who play on those teams, and it's a great opportunity for them to come play in this kind of arena," Saban said. "I'm glad our players played to a standard, and I thought we were very efficient in our first line on the drives early. We were inefficient in the next one, and we fumbled the ball for an incompletion, so that has to get better."
There were a few turnover issues. The sixth drive ended abruptly when Henry Ruggs III fumbled a Tagovailoa pass in the second quarter. It was the sixth lost turnover of the season and the first since beating Tennessee. Another fumble came in the fourth quarter.
Nobody carried it more than Brian Robinson's seven rushes. He had 50 yards, just short of Bo Scarbrough's 54 on five carries.
"It was great to see Bo make a big play today and run it downhill like his old self," Saban said.
Scarbrough broke a 44-yarder in the second quarter to set up a Hale Hentges touchdown catch to put the Tide up 35-0.
The backups then scored three straight touchdowns to cap off the scoring in the second half. It had short fields thanks to a Deionte Thompson interception and a Xavian Marks punt return.
The day ended with 530 offensive yards split right down the middle -- 265 passing and 265 rushing.
And, perhaps most importantly, everyone appeared to exit with their health intact before the challenge awaiting next Saturday.
Continue reading...
Get in.
Get out.
Score some points and don't get anybody hurt.
The plan was simple for Alabama's offense on an overcast Saturday in mid-November. Facing a Mercer defense that held Auburn to 24 points in September, the Crimson Tide took care of things with cruel efficiency.
The 56-0 clinic saw touchdowns in the first five possessions and plenty of backups from there on. Jalen Hurts went 7-for-7 for 180 yards with three touchdowns and a QB rating of 457.4. The starter exited early in the second quarter as nine teammates got carries and 10 caught passes.
Of the first five scoring plays, only the first took longer than 1:41 off the clock. The third covered 98 yards in just four plays while the next two needed just three snaps apiece.
By halftime Alabama averaged 22.2 yards a completion and 11.1 yards per play after averaging 6.9 yards a snap in the first 10 games.
Nick Saban said they wanted to assert the running game early before hitting a few play-action passes. He liked Calvin Ridley's three catches, one of which went 66 yards for the third touchdown. Hurts pump faked the cornerback to the turf, leaving his top target all alone for the walk-in score. It was Ridley's 17th career touchdown, which tied him with DJ Hall for third on Alabama's career list behind leader Amari Cooper's 31.
Tua Tagovailoa then threw for three more touchdowns. The six combined fell just short of the school record of seven passing touchdowns recorded against Southern Miss in 1950. All six of Saturday's touchdowns were caught by different receivers.
"I have a lot of compassion for (Mercer) guys who play on those teams, and it's a great opportunity for them to come play in this kind of arena," Saban said. "I'm glad our players played to a standard, and I thought we were very efficient in our first line on the drives early. We were inefficient in the next one, and we fumbled the ball for an incompletion, so that has to get better."
There were a few turnover issues. The sixth drive ended abruptly when Henry Ruggs III fumbled a Tagovailoa pass in the second quarter. It was the sixth lost turnover of the season and the first since beating Tennessee. Another fumble came in the fourth quarter.
Nobody carried it more than Brian Robinson's seven rushes. He had 50 yards, just short of Bo Scarbrough's 54 on five carries.
"It was great to see Bo make a big play today and run it downhill like his old self," Saban said.
Scarbrough broke a 44-yarder in the second quarter to set up a Hale Hentges touchdown catch to put the Tide up 35-0.
The backups then scored three straight touchdowns to cap off the scoring in the second half. It had short fields thanks to a Deionte Thompson interception and a Xavian Marks punt return.
The day ended with 530 offensive yards split right down the middle -- 265 passing and 265 rushing.
And, perhaps most importantly, everyone appeared to exit with their health intact before the challenge awaiting next Saturday.
Continue reading...
