Quick thoughts on Alabama’s 48-14 win over Western Carolina.
What it means: Alabama caught the injury bug and got caught looking ahead. The Crimson Tide were pretty clearly unfocused early on, allowing Western Carolina to move up and down the field on a few occasions in the first half. The Crimson Tide pulled it together before halftime, building a 24-point lead going into the locker room, but the first half performance left a lot to be desired. In addition, Alabama could be in some trouble next week. Amari Cooper left the game in the first quarter after taking a helmet to the knee, and a host of other players, including Brian Vogler, Jalston Fowler and Cam Robinson, left the game after getting dinged up.
What I liked: Receivers stepping up. Cooper gets more than 40 percent of Alabama’s targets in the passing game, so his absence left a massive hole. Alabama still threw for 337 yards, and 11 different players caught passes for the Crimson Tide, the highest number of pass catchers the Tide have had this season.
What I didn’t like: The injuries. Playing against FCS teams, coming out healthy is always a big concern for coaches. In a physical game, Nick Saban’s crew didn’t have that kind of luck. Western Carolina came out hitting like they had a point to prove, sometimes taking things a little too far, like a chop block on A’Shawn Robinson that knocked the defensive lineman out of the game. Alabama saw a host of offensive players leave the game, including their most vital player in Cooper. They’ll have to hope for some quick recoveries for next weeks’ rivalry game and the SEC Championship, if they get there.
Key play: Amari Cooper’s injury. Cooper took a helmet to the knee on Alabama’s first drive, reaching for his knee immediately after the play. He limped off the field and didn’t return to the game. Cooper came back to the sideline still in uniform, but if he’s limited at all over the next few weeks it will be a serious blow to Alabama’s championship chances, both SEC and national.
Who’s the man: Chris Black. The sophomore receiver had dealt with some injury problems in his young career but came up huge in Cooper’s absence. With 6 catches for 101 yards, Black topped his yardage total for the season and nearly equaled his catch total (he came in with 7 receptions for 77 yards). While it came against an FCS team, the emergence of another receiving threat would be a great development for the Crimson Tide.
What’s next: It’s the game fans in the state of Alabama wait for all year and talk about for 51 weeks afterwards: the Iron Bowl. Alabama hosts Auburn in primetime next week. Auburn is knocked out of SEC West contention, so they’ll be playing for pride, but Alabama has a spot in the SEC Championship on the line. The Iron Bowl is spirited no matter what, and Alabama has a heartbreaking loss last season to make up for.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
