D.C. Reeves
TideSports.com Managing Editor
The competition didn't seem like a competition at all.
Instead, the mystery that had been Alabama's quarterback situation has found an answer in the form of Blake Sims, who saw every significant snap in the Crimson Tide's final tune-up before SEC play.
Sims, the starter for all three games, stayed in against Southern Miss until Alabama built a 26-point lead late in the third quarter, a sign that the senior has taken full control of the quarterback duties to this point.
"We feel like Blake had a really good week, we felt like he prepared well for the game," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "But I didn't feel real comfortable with the way the game was going and it just didn't feel right to make a change."
Sims earned the season-opening start against West Virginia because Saban believed he had a better grasp of the scheme. Two weeks later, Sims went 12-of-17 for 168 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions, all but cementing him as the Crimson Tide's unofficial starter heading into this week's tilt with Florida.
"A lot more. A lot more," Sims said of his comfort compared to his first career start on Aug. 30. "The first game I was trusting my line and my receivers and as games go by I'm trusting them more and more and they are trusting me, they know that I will get the ball there. Our relationship is just unbelievable and we're looking forward to getting better every week."
In what seemed like Coker's last chance to take hold in the competition, Coker didn't see playing time until 2:15 left in the third quarter when Alabama had built a 35-9 lead. Last week against FAU, Coker entered the game in the fourth series after Sims took 16 total snaps - scoring 21 points - to start. With the lead at just 21-6 at halftime, Sims came in and played in multiple series in the third quarter.
Choosing his words carefully throughout the competition, Saban still wouldn't name Sims the official starter following Saturday's game, but the postgame press conference was as close as he has come to date.
"Do we want to continue to work both quarterbacks and continue to develop both guys? Absolutely," Saban said. "Jake needs to play and needs to develop confidence.
"I think we're going to have to make decisions on a week-to-week basis on what gives us the best chance to win. Right now Blake is probably a little bit more confident. So if that remains that way he's probably going to start the game. He's started every game so far. But we have a lot of confidence in Jake I just think that Jake needs to play."
Sims looked the part, commanding the offense, firing passes accurately while on the run and playing a mistake-free game. When he wasn't finding top target Amari Cooper (8 catches, 135 yards, one touchdown), he was making plays with his feet (five carries, 46 yards) and keeping the offense rolling.
"Volume reflects confidence and he's been more vocal, he's been speaking up louder in the huddle and he's ben doing really well," Cooper said. "I think that any time you that know you can do well and you've been doing well, it helps your confidence."
Even while sharing some snaps, Sims' numbers compare favorably to the first three starts for former UA quarterback AJ McCarron. Sims is 48-of-64 (75 percent) for 646 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. McCarron was 65-95 (68.4 percent) for 779 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
With the good numbers and the big-time snaps, Alabama's competition seems to be over.
"Blake has been doing a good job. A good job with a game management part of it and he's done a pretty good job with the decisions that he makes," Saban said. "And we're just going to have to keep trying to get him to have the kind of confidence and continue to improve. He has a lot of confidence right now, he has a lot of confidence in our team and I think our team has confidence in him."
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1681104#sthash.QNhVLwGy.dpuf
TideSports.com Managing Editor
The competition didn't seem like a competition at all.
Instead, the mystery that had been Alabama's quarterback situation has found an answer in the form of Blake Sims, who saw every significant snap in the Crimson Tide's final tune-up before SEC play.
Sims, the starter for all three games, stayed in against Southern Miss until Alabama built a 26-point lead late in the third quarter, a sign that the senior has taken full control of the quarterback duties to this point.
"We feel like Blake had a really good week, we felt like he prepared well for the game," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "But I didn't feel real comfortable with the way the game was going and it just didn't feel right to make a change."
Sims earned the season-opening start against West Virginia because Saban believed he had a better grasp of the scheme. Two weeks later, Sims went 12-of-17 for 168 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions, all but cementing him as the Crimson Tide's unofficial starter heading into this week's tilt with Florida.
"A lot more. A lot more," Sims said of his comfort compared to his first career start on Aug. 30. "The first game I was trusting my line and my receivers and as games go by I'm trusting them more and more and they are trusting me, they know that I will get the ball there. Our relationship is just unbelievable and we're looking forward to getting better every week."
In what seemed like Coker's last chance to take hold in the competition, Coker didn't see playing time until 2:15 left in the third quarter when Alabama had built a 35-9 lead. Last week against FAU, Coker entered the game in the fourth series after Sims took 16 total snaps - scoring 21 points - to start. With the lead at just 21-6 at halftime, Sims came in and played in multiple series in the third quarter.
Choosing his words carefully throughout the competition, Saban still wouldn't name Sims the official starter following Saturday's game, but the postgame press conference was as close as he has come to date.
"Do we want to continue to work both quarterbacks and continue to develop both guys? Absolutely," Saban said. "Jake needs to play and needs to develop confidence.
"I think we're going to have to make decisions on a week-to-week basis on what gives us the best chance to win. Right now Blake is probably a little bit more confident. So if that remains that way he's probably going to start the game. He's started every game so far. But we have a lot of confidence in Jake I just think that Jake needs to play."
Sims looked the part, commanding the offense, firing passes accurately while on the run and playing a mistake-free game. When he wasn't finding top target Amari Cooper (8 catches, 135 yards, one touchdown), he was making plays with his feet (five carries, 46 yards) and keeping the offense rolling.
"Volume reflects confidence and he's been more vocal, he's been speaking up louder in the huddle and he's ben doing really well," Cooper said. "I think that any time you that know you can do well and you've been doing well, it helps your confidence."
Even while sharing some snaps, Sims' numbers compare favorably to the first three starts for former UA quarterback AJ McCarron. Sims is 48-of-64 (75 percent) for 646 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. McCarron was 65-95 (68.4 percent) for 779 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
With the good numbers and the big-time snaps, Alabama's competition seems to be over.
"Blake has been doing a good job. A good job with a game management part of it and he's done a pretty good job with the decisions that he makes," Saban said. "And we're just going to have to keep trying to get him to have the kind of confidence and continue to improve. He has a lot of confidence right now, he has a lot of confidence in our team and I think our team has confidence in him."
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1681104#sthash.QNhVLwGy.dpuf
