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Alabama scored a bunch of points, but offense still a work in progress
By John Crist
Published:
This is why I have a hard time valuing any individual Alabama defender. Coach Nick Saban has an assembly line.
Despite losing four defensive stars in Round 2 of the NFL Draft last April, the Crimson Tide looked as nasty as ever Saturday in a 52-6 drumming of USC. The Trojans were held to 92 first-half yards.
No A’Shawn Robinson or Jarran Reed anymore along the D-line? Nothing to worry about. Jonathan Allen appears to be equally unblockable. No Reggie Ragland in the linebacking corps? Take it easy. Reuben Foster seems to be an even more menacing tackler. No Cyrus Jones at cornerback? Sensing a pattern?
Marlon Humphrey intercepted a Max Browne pass and returned it 18 yards for a second-quarter score.
As for the offensive side of the football, some of the defections from 2015 might turn out to be a little tougher to replace. Perhaps we didn’t give quarterback Jake Coker enough credit for his play.
Saban started redshirt freshman Blake Barnett, but he didn’t make much of an impact in the opening period. He completed 2-of-3 passes yet for only 3 yards, plus he lost 11 yards on a sack — took a big hit to the head, too. Going to the bullpen early, Saban wanted to see Jalen Hurts under center.
The ultimate true-freshman blunder, Hurts fumbled the ball away on his first snap on a read-option.
Eventually, Hurts let his natural skills — and cannon arm — take over. He hit ArDarius Stewart for a 39-yard TD pass to give ‘Bama its first lead of the game, 7-3. The kid scrambled and let it fly.
But the highlights were few and far between for the Tide offense through 30 minutes. Derrick Henry, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, broke the SEC’s single-season rushing record for a reason. His supposed successor, Bo Scarbrough, was held to a measly 9 yards on 4 carries before intermission.
Don’t underestimate the loss of All-American center Ryan Kelly, who was a first-round draft choice.
Hurts made a couple of more big plays in the third quarter, specifically a 71-yard scoring strike to Stewart and a 7-yard touchdown run of his own on the very next drive. Talent is there, no question.
That being said, this was more about Southern Cal’s mistakes than Alabama’s play-making. The Men of Troy had a player ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. The long TD to Stewart was a blown coverage — easy pass for Hurts. Then they flubbed a punt and gave the Tide possession deep in the red zone.
Give ‘Bama credit for forcing some crucial mistakes, but USC had a handful of unforced errors, too.
Instead of Scarbrough, the breakout ball carrier for the Crimson Tide was sophomore Damien Harris (below). A five-star signee out of high school, just like Scarbrough, he racked up 138 yards on 9 attempts.
With the victor long since decided in the second half, Scarbrough found some more wiggle room to make his numbers more impressive. He finished with 11 carries for 36 yards and a TD. In all likelihood, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will run both backs liberally, riding the hot hand week to week.
Of course, nobody enjoyed this old-fashioned beatdown more than Kiffin, the once-fired USC coach.
Up 45-6 and with Hurts already pulled for the night, Kiffin didn’t put Barnett back in the game to take a knee. He drew up a 45-yard touchdown toss to Gehrig Dieter to rub lemon juice in the wound.
The final statistics look awfully good in the box score. Alabama rushed for 242 yards and threw for 223 — three scores on the ground, three through the air. Hurts and Barnett both crossed 100 yards passing. Harris and Scarbrough combined for 172 yards at tailback. Stewart grabbed two touchdowns.
However, this wasn’t your father’s USC. This wasn’t even your older brother’s USC. Don’t get too excited.
There was certainly more good than bad from Hurts. He became the first player in two decades to run and throw for multiple scores facing the Trojans. Not bad for a youngster right out of high school.
While Barnett — like Scarbrough — padded his stats a bit with the matchup out of hand, Hurts is more than likely the quarterback of the future in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide quickly went into blowout mode when Hurts got it going. Coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not. Barnett looked overwhelmed early.
On the other side of the ball, excitement is indeed warranted. The ‘Bama D was, well, the ‘Bama D.
Browne and Sam Darnold completed just 18-of-37 passes for 130 yards. Neither drove USC into the end zone. Browne averaged 3.5 yards per attempt. Darnold? About the same: 3.6. No time and nobody open.
The Trojans couldn’t run the ball, either. Seven rushers combined for 64 yards on 30 carries, plus 46 of those yards came on a long sprint from Ronald Jones II. JuJu Smith-Schuster, arguably the top receiver in the country, was held to 1 catch for 9 yards. It was suffocation from start to finish.
The Tide are clearly a national-title contender, but this year is already different from last year.
Not on defense, though. The pass rush is loaded and able to bring the heat down after down. In all likelihood, these are the best linebackers in the nation. The secondary can wipe out any wideout.
But every offense has its own personality, particularly when there’s a new face at the game’s most important position. Coker was a dropback passer who let the athletes around him make plays. Hurts is a playmaker in his own right. If he matures fast, his added element could be quite the X factor.
Everyone has always wondered how good a Saban team could be with an ace QB. We might find out soon.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
John Crist is an award-winning contributor to Saturday Down South.
