Before you dismiss Alabama's 50 point victory over Charleston Southern as no big deal, just a predicable blowout of an over matched opponent, here are a few things to think about: The SEC East champion, Florida, was lucky to escape a defeat at the hands of Florida Atlantic. The Gators got a huge assist in overtime from an officiating crew that suspended enforcing the rule against pass interference. Between the Hedges, Georgia also needed an overtime period to beat Georgia Southern. In Columbia, the Fighting Chickens fell to The Citadel 23-22.
Coach Stallings once said if you think a game against an opponent from a lower division is no big deal, just lose it and you will see what a big deal it was.
Alabama dominated Charleston Southern in every phase of the game. When the first quarter ended, Alabama led 28-0 and Derrick Henry traded in his helmet for a ball cap. At the half, the Tide had amassed 49 points, Cooper Bateman was leading the offense and Bo Scarbrough had scored his first collegiate touchdown. In the second half, Coach Saban went so deep in the roster that we had players in the game who are not to be found in the media guide.
It was Senior Day, and one senior in particular played the game of his career. Cy Jones returned two punts for touchdowns, made 3 tackles for 13 lost yards, forced a fumble-well actually, he intercepted a pitch on the option play-recovered the ball and returned it 18 yards. Cy had a career day, but he and his classmates have had careers that have been matched by very few. I have more to say about the 2015 Senior Class, but first, here is how I grade the game:
Offense: B+ Yes, friends, a whole letter grade deduction is appropriate because of the quality of the opponent. The offense gained 403 total yards [208 rushing] which accounted for 23 first downs. Jake completed 11 of 13 pass attempts for 155 yards and two touchdowns [Richard Mullaney; Calvin Ridley].
Cooper Bateman completed 7 of 11 pass attempts for 47 yards and Alec Morris completed his only pass attempt for 6 yards.
Ridley gained 49 yards on 4 receptions and scored a touchdown. Ardarius Stewart also made 4 catches for 45 yards. Cam Sims added 25 yards on 3 receptions, and true freshman Xavian Marks [5-8, 160; RB; Rosenberg, Tx.], playing in his first game of the year, made 2 catches for 19 yards. Ten different players caught passes.
Derrick Henry gained 68 yards on 9 carries and added 28 yards on his lone reception of the game. Bo Scarbrough carried the ball 10 times for 69 yards. Damian Harris added 44 net yards on 10 rushing plays. Ronnie Clark, Derrick Gore and the aforementioned Xavian Marks also carried the ball on running plays.
The Tide had 5 offensive possessions that gained 40 or more yards [64, 55, 86, 53, 60] accounting for 4 TDs and a turnover on downs. Alabama scored a TD on each of its five drives of the first half. Alabama faced 9 third downs in the game and converted 5 of them.
Defense: B+ Again, the one full grade deduction is applicable.
CSU had 11 meaningful offensive possessions in the game. It scored a TD in the 4th quarter. The other 10 possessions resulted in 8 punts, a lost fumble and an interception. CSU only gained 134 yards of total offense [85 rushing]. Six of CSU's drives consisted of 3 plays or less.
Bradley Sylve and Dalvin Tomlinson each had 4 tackles. Shaun Dion Hamilton Tony Bown, Cy Jones, Reggie Ragland, and Jarran Reed each made 3 tackles.
All total, the defense made 9 tackles for lost yardage, forced 3 fumbles [1 recovered] and made an interception [Jabriel Washington] that was returned 34 yards.
Special Teams:
Punting A+ JK Scott did not punt the ball at all. Some speculated that he was working on a term paper, but he did make an appearance in the second half attempting a FG and a kickoff. The top mark was earned by Cy Jones' two punt returns for touchdowns. Jones deserves lots of individual credit, but the returns were well blocked, and there were no penalties.
Place Kicking: A- Griff made all 8 of his PAT attempts. Scott missed a 38 yard field goal attempt.
Kickoffs: A- Griff's 8 kickoffs averaged 64 yards and resulted in 6 touchbacks. Scott's lone attempt went out of bounds.
Coaching A+ Coach Saban got the attention of the college football world with his channeling of George Patton during the Wednesday presser. The players were not taking CSU lightly.
Alabama gained 581 all-purpose yards and was only penalized twice. The participation report lists 73 players who saw action in the game.
The Tide ran 60 total plays. The run / pass ratio was 34:26. Alabama faced 2d down and long 11 times. Lane Kiffen called a running play 9 times in that down/distance situation.
The 2015 Seniors have accumulated a record of 46-6 through the CSU game and they have the potential to play 4 more games. They earned a BCS Championship following the 2012 season, and captured two SEC titles [2012, 2014]. They will play for another conference championship with a win over Auburn. A victory over Florida in the SEC CG will mark the first time that a team has won back-to-back SEC championships since 1998. This is a special group of young men. They include players like Reggie Ragland and Cy Jones, who could have left for the NFL at the end of their junior year, but chose to return to Tuscaloosa for their senior season. Among this class are stellar players who are on national watch lists for individual honors, like Ryan Kelly and Reggie Ragland. But the class also includes journeymen players, like former walk-on Michael Nysewander [TE; 6-1, 237; Hoover] who labored in obscurity, only to become a solid contributor and leader, and D.J. Pettway, a highly touted recruit, dismissed after 2012 for off-the-field issues, who earned his way back on the team after spending the 2013 season at East Mississippi Community College.
The class also includes players like Jake Coker, Jarran Reed and Richard Mullaney who chose to play out their eligibility at Alabama after starting their career somewhere else.
Every player in this class has a story, and each has contributed to the fabric and personality of this team. Now, as a class, and a team, they stand at the threshold of truly remarkable success. The first stop across that threshold is the Loveliest Village on the Plains. The most important game of the season so far will be played the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Coach Saban says the fans are a part of the program......so let's all go be champions!
Roll Tide, Y'all....
The Commissioner
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