Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron hasn’t thrown a touchdown since Jan. 2, 2014, in a Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma.
Make that hadn’t.
McCarron threw his first touchdown pass in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform during a preseason game Saturday night. McCarron squeezed the 31-yard score in between several defenders.
McCarron, a fifth-round pick, spent nearly the entire regular season last year on the reserve/non-football injury list due to shoulder soreness. On Saturday, he completed 12 of 17 passes for 149 yards.
“I saw them clear out and knew I had to get the ball over the LB. Marvin made a great catch" ~ AJ McCarron on his 1st NFL passing TD
— Ryan C. Fowler (@RyanCFowler) August 30, 2015
"The offensive line and the backs made a lot of plays today. It was an unbelievable experience.” ~ AJ McCarron pic.twitter.com/yqHHjcKfy6
— Ryan C. Fowler (@RyanCFowler) August 30, 2015
"We brought him here for a reason. We felt good about him. His career
here got delayed a little bit." ~ Marvin Lewis on AJ McCarron— Ryan C. Fowler (@RyanCFowler) August 30, 2015
McCarron is slotted to spend the ’15 season backing up Andy Dalton. But his teammates and coaches had some very nice things to say about him following Saturday’s performance.
McCarron won two BCS National Championships as Alabama’s starting quarterback in 2011 and ’12. Unfortunately for the Tide, he does not retain any college eligibility.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
