Southern Miss came to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Golden Eagles will leave with a nice paycheck for their troubles. The Crimson Tide dominated in all phases of the game and captured a 52-12 victory over the Golden Eagles.
The game was essentially a warm up for Alabama as Nick Saban‘s crew sets its sights on the team’s first game in SEC play against the Florida Gators.
Saban is a perfectionist, though. He’ll want to clean up some areas on special teams. And Alabama can be expected to open up its offense next week.
Alabama’s offense only attempted 24 passes compared to 49 rushing attempts. Five different Alabama running backs carried the ball and gained at least 39 yards. Sophomore Derrick Henry led the way with 11 carries for 73 yards. Although, junior Kenyan Drake was the game’s star with three rushing touchdowns. Despite questions around Alabama’s offensive line, the unit continue to open holes and create yardage against a hapless Golden Eagles’ defense.if the directive was not to show much before the Florida game, Alabama is succeeding.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) September 13, 2014
Saban was also able to get backup quarterback Jacob Coker valuable playing time. If the quarterback competition is ongoing in Saban’s mind, starter Blake Sims didn’t make any mistakes. The senior was fairly accurate and threw a pair of touchdowns passes. Coker, meanwhile, was 5-of-7 passing, but he missed a streaking wide receiver that was wide open for a sure touchdown. Since Coker didn’t come into the game until late, it’s a good indication of which way Saban is leaning for the Florida game.
Alabama’s performance was exactly what everyone expects of an elite program playing an inferior opponent at home. Saban and his crew can now concentrate on the Gators.