D.C. Reeves
TideSports.com Managing Editor
As the new names and fresh jerseys were just starting to roll in, thunder and lightning followed suit.
Alabama saw a host of its heralded young players get their first action of the season, opportunities cut short thanks to an early end to Saturday's 41-0 win over Florida Atlantic.
The game was called due to lightning with 7:53 left in the fourth quarter.
"First of all, I would have liked to have gone back out there and finished the game and I know our players would have liked to do the same thing," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "A lot more players probably would have had an opportunity to play and some of the guys that were getting to play that we certainly need to play to gain experience would have been able to finish the game. I think the circumstances were such that we would have had to wait a significant amount of time to be able to go back out there because of the lightning and the storms so I think everybody made a good decision just to end the game."
The Crimson Tide (2-0) found no resistance from the Owls' (0-2) overmatched defense early, a pattern that provided Saban a chance to get some players some live game experience.
A host of true freshman made their debuts on defense: Defensive end Da'Shawn Hand, the nation's No. 1 player in the Class of 2014, linebackers Rashaan Evans and Shaun Dion Hamilton, safety Laurence "Hootie" Jones, defensive tackle Josh Frazier and five-star cornerback Tony Brown all got their first looks.
Evans, who played on special teams last week against West Virginia but did not get in on defense, was the most impactful, recording two tackles and a sack.
Even his best play earned a teaching moment for the top-ranked linebacker in the country in 2014. After the sack, Evans started to celebrate before the whistle blew. And while video showed Evans' tackle on FAU's quarterback should have been ruled down, Evans was grabbed by Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and Smart pointed towards the video board to show Evans his mistake.
On offense, quarterback Jake Coker made his first throws at Alabama, and he had a multitude of young receivers to find who got significant playing time. Receivers Ardarius Stewart and Chris Black - who both saw about 10 snaps against West Virginia last week - were pushed into bigger roles with the injury to senior DeAndrew White. Stewart was second on the team with 63 yards on three catches. Chris Black caught three passes for 45 yards.
"They were making plays," Coker said when asked about the young pass catchers. "Even the bad balls I threw, they were still bringing them in. I was real proud of those guys and the way they played and I'm just happy I've got those guys on my team."
Tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith and Robert Foster made the first catches of their careers at Alabama. Just before the game was called, running back Tyren Jones impressed in his first two college carries, rumbling for 20 yards and seven yards. He finished with four carries for 33 yards.
He ran behind a second-team offensive line that had junior college transfer Dominick Jackson at right tackle along with Bradley Bozeman at center. Bozeman saw time in the final drive of Alabama's win in Atlanta.
Saban didn't get all the time he wanted to see his young reserves in action, but it was a start.
"I was really proud of the way our players competed in the game today," Saban said. "I thought we went out and improved some as a team.
"https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1678524
TideSports.com Managing Editor
As the new names and fresh jerseys were just starting to roll in, thunder and lightning followed suit.
Alabama saw a host of its heralded young players get their first action of the season, opportunities cut short thanks to an early end to Saturday's 41-0 win over Florida Atlantic.
The game was called due to lightning with 7:53 left in the fourth quarter.
"First of all, I would have liked to have gone back out there and finished the game and I know our players would have liked to do the same thing," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "A lot more players probably would have had an opportunity to play and some of the guys that were getting to play that we certainly need to play to gain experience would have been able to finish the game. I think the circumstances were such that we would have had to wait a significant amount of time to be able to go back out there because of the lightning and the storms so I think everybody made a good decision just to end the game."
The Crimson Tide (2-0) found no resistance from the Owls' (0-2) overmatched defense early, a pattern that provided Saban a chance to get some players some live game experience.
A host of true freshman made their debuts on defense: Defensive end Da'Shawn Hand, the nation's No. 1 player in the Class of 2014, linebackers Rashaan Evans and Shaun Dion Hamilton, safety Laurence "Hootie" Jones, defensive tackle Josh Frazier and five-star cornerback Tony Brown all got their first looks.
Evans, who played on special teams last week against West Virginia but did not get in on defense, was the most impactful, recording two tackles and a sack.
Even his best play earned a teaching moment for the top-ranked linebacker in the country in 2014. After the sack, Evans started to celebrate before the whistle blew. And while video showed Evans' tackle on FAU's quarterback should have been ruled down, Evans was grabbed by Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and Smart pointed towards the video board to show Evans his mistake.
On offense, quarterback Jake Coker made his first throws at Alabama, and he had a multitude of young receivers to find who got significant playing time. Receivers Ardarius Stewart and Chris Black - who both saw about 10 snaps against West Virginia last week - were pushed into bigger roles with the injury to senior DeAndrew White. Stewart was second on the team with 63 yards on three catches. Chris Black caught three passes for 45 yards.
"They were making plays," Coker said when asked about the young pass catchers. "Even the bad balls I threw, they were still bringing them in. I was real proud of those guys and the way they played and I'm just happy I've got those guys on my team."
Tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith and Robert Foster made the first catches of their careers at Alabama. Just before the game was called, running back Tyren Jones impressed in his first two college carries, rumbling for 20 yards and seven yards. He finished with four carries for 33 yards.
He ran behind a second-team offensive line that had junior college transfer Dominick Jackson at right tackle along with Bradley Bozeman at center. Bozeman saw time in the final drive of Alabama's win in Atlanta.
Saban didn't get all the time he wanted to see his young reserves in action, but it was a start.
"I was really proud of the way our players competed in the game today," Saban said. "I thought we went out and improved some as a team.
"https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1678524
