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If the straight right doesn’t hit you the left hook will.
Alabama and Florida State was pretty much the clash of bulls we expected it to be. The No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup between the Crimson Tide and Seminoles was quite a physical battle with neither team’s defense giving much to the other.
And when a game like that reaches a stalemate, the team that creates the break through special teams likely will win.
Alabama’s third unit came up huge in about a 15-minute span to life the Crimson Tide to a 24-7 win and hand Jimbo Fisher his first loss in as a head coach in a season-opening game.
After FSU drove down to the Alabama 20 (where the Tide got a bit of break when the officials missed a defensive pass interference by Tony Brown), the Tide blocked a field goal attempt by Ricky Aguayo.
In the third quarter as the stalemate continued, Alabama finally delivered the left hook and sent RB1 Damien Harris on a kick rush and he blocked a punt that gave the Crimson Tide a first-and-goal that led to a short field goal.
The second left hook came on the ensuing kickoff when FSU receiver Keith Gavin was stripped on the return and the Crimson Tide recovered. On the next play Harris rumbled for an 11-yard touchdown to give Alabama a 21-7 lead.
Ballgame.
Sometimes it happens so fast you can barely see it. That is what’s kept Alabama at the top of the college football world. They don’t always play the perfect game, but they rarely leave a stone unturned. They prepare with the goal of always having a backup plan and sometimes a backup to the backup plan.
What if the running game doesn’t generate big plays? (Outside of a 34-yard run by Harris to open the game, the Tide were content with landing body blows, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.)
What if Jalen Hurts doesn’t pass for 100 yards? (He didn’t. Hurts was 10-of-18 for 96 yards. Seven completions went to Calvin Ridley.)
What if the kicking game is inconsistent? (Andy Pappanastos was 3-of-5 with a long of 35. JK Scott shanked a punt that game FSU great field position but Alabama’s defense held strong.)
When all other areas of the game aren’t working, Alabama just manages to figure out a way to make something happen. On Saturday, it was sending the starting running back on a punt rush. Next time it’ll be something different. When you think you got the answer, they change the questions.
Alabama’s defense didn’t allow FSU to recover. FSU’s defense put up a yeoman’s effort to keep the game from getting too far out of hand. But after 60 minutes Saturday night in Atlanta the Seminoles found out what Alabama is really all about.
Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.
