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Things have looked mighty different in the SEC so far this season. That is, except mighty Alabama.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide lived up to the billing with a thorough 52-6 dismantling of No. 20 USC in Arlington, Texas on Saturday night.
The Trojans took a 3-0 lead into the second quarter, but that’s where any doubt surrounding the defending champions would end as Alabama reeled off 38 unanswered points.
Blake Barnett got the start, but things seemed to turn once true freshman Jalen Hurts got under center for Alabama. Meanwhile, the Tide was its typical self on defense.
What it means: Alabama made all the talk about USC having comparable talent look flat out silly. The Tide outgained the Trojans 465 to 194, USC’s lowest output since Week 2 of the 2013 season. Alabama clearly wasn’t suffering from any national championship hangover, at least not after the first quarter.
What I liked: Dominating defense. Jonathan Allen already has himself a couple sacks and Marlon Humphrey got his first interception. When it was all said and done, Alabama had nine combined tackles for loss and made life miserable on the ground (64) and through the air (130).
What I didn’t like: The first five offensive drives for Alabama consisted of four punts and a fumble. The team could’ve stood to be better early, but did anyone think the Tide would roll right out of the gates with the talent it has to groom on the offensive line, in the backfield and under center? Outside of that, if you want to be picky after a 46-point win against a ranked prestigious program like USC, you could point to things like the Trojans’ first drive of the game or how there are still questions to answer at quarterback. Still, the first drive proved itself to be an aberration, and the signal-callers overall didn’t perform badly.
Who’s the man: We could give this to Jonathan Allen (2 sacks, 2 pass breakups) or Damien Harris (9 carries, 138 yards), but . how about Jalen Hurts not even starting and coming in to account for 4 total TDs (2 passing, 2 rushing)? If you’re an Alabama fan, you’re excited about the skill set this guy has to offer, and how offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin plans to use him. And he’s a true freshman.
Key plays: A couple plays seemed to awaken Alabama in the second quarter. First, it was a facemask penalty by Ajene Harris that put Alabama in prime position to put its first points on the board after looking sloppy offensively to that point. That set up the Tide at the Trojans’ 36-yard line, then facing 3rd-and-13, Hurts connected with ArDarius Stewart (4 catches, 113 yards and 2 TDs) for a 39-yard touchdown. As it turned out, those 7 points would’ve been enough to win the game right there.
What’s next: Alabama hosts Western Kentucky at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Last Thursday, the Hilltoppers stumbled out of the gates, literally, before routing Rice 46-14. Jeff Brohm’s squad went 12-2 last season, finishing No. 24 in the AP Poll.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
