Rapid Reaction: No steps back for Alabama in beatdown of Western Kentucky
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Alabama’s 38-10 win over Western Kentucky marked the team’s second nonconference game of the season, and it didn’t have nearly the same hype as last week’s game against USC.
Despite this fact, the Crimson Tide was impressive for the most part. Things heat up considerably next week.
Let’s take a look at Alabama’s decisive win over Western Kentucky on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
What it means: Alabama should retain its No. 1 ranking and remains undefeated. The defense continues to look dominant, while the offense still hasn’t reached its full potential.
What I liked: The Alabama defense looked stout. Western Kentucky had 649 yards last week against Rice and was humbled against Alabama with just 239 yards and 10 points. Jonathan Allen harassed quarterback Mike White for most of the game. Allen also blocked a field goal attempt at the end of the first half. Safety Eddie Jackson scored for the defense with a 55-yard touchdown on an interception. The Alabama passing game looked strong, although it could have been even better if timing had been better.
What I didn’t like: The offensive line had significant struggles in the first half, eliciting two false start calls, two holding calls, a botched snap and not gaining much traction in the running game. The line improved in the second half, but two of the miscues in the first half were drive-killers. Bozeman’s botched snap put the team back at midfield, while a holding call negated a 63-yard reception by ArDarius Stewart. If the Crimson Tide are to get through SEC play, the team needs better run-blocking than it showed in the first half.
Who’s the man: Jalen Hurts. While it’s tempting to give it to one of the receivers, choosing one specific receiver is tough. Both Stewart and Calvin Ridley had huge games, and even though their overall stats didn’t look great, Gehrig Dieter and O.J. Howard both had big plays. Hurts certainly wasn’t flawless. On one particular throw, he underthrew Stewart in what could have easily been a touchdown pass. Overall, Hurts gave enough to show he has the upper hand on Blake Barnett for now.
Key plays: The passing game had a bevy of big plays. Ridley hauled in a 51-yard pass from Hurts. Stewart’s 63-yard reception would have been the biggest play of the game if it hadn’t been negated by a holding call, but he still had a team-high 52-yarder. Dieter had a 40-yard reception to set up a touchdown in the fourth quarter. True freshman Mack Wilson recorded a pancake block to spring Bo Scarbrough for a 2-yard touchdown.
What’s next: Alabama opens SEC conference play in Oxford against a team that has beaten the Crimson Tide twice in the last two seasons. Conference road games are always a challenge, even more so against a team that has given Alabama so much trouble in recent years. The offensive line is going to have to do better than it has the first two weeks of the season.
