This was a postcard September afternoon smack in the middle of Missouri -- one chiseled from the mold of a football game day.
And with Alabama in town, there should’ve been a buzz on the campus surrounding Memorial Stadium. Instead, there were empty parking lots and signs reminding anyone hoping to tailgate to think otherwise.
SEC football was back in the northwest corner of the league, it just never felt like it until dusk when the ball was kicked. And on the day the reigning national champion lost at home and Georgia struggled at Arkansas, Alabama made things feel normal between the white lines.
In front of a responsibly distanced crowd of 11,738, the Crimson Tide checked the boxes on this delayed debut. The 38-19 win over Missouri made up for the lack of non-conference games as third-quarter action came for backups.
The offense operated with cruel efficiency, Mac Jones firmly in control with his stable full. Everyone got involved with Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith catching eight passes apiece. Najee Harris scored three times on 17 carries with 98 total yards. Touchdowns on five of the first seven possessions took any excitement from the already diminished atmosphere.
“It was decently normal,” Jones said. “I mean, the energy was there. We kind of made our own thing to bring our own energy so that was the whole goal and I think we did a good job of that. But with third downs, there was good crowd noise and it felt like a pretty normal game but at the end of the day, none of that really matters.”
Become an Alabama Insider: Sign up here for $4.99 a month to text, learn inside information from AL.com beat writers.
Dylan Moses was back to doing Dylan Moses things, flying around from sideline to sideline in his first game back from ACL surgery. He had four tackles -- two for loss and that doesn’t include the third-down sack wiped away by a holding call.
“I wasn’t impressed with the way we played tonight,” Moses said bluntly, referencing that second half when the stats and scores skewed things somewhat.
Moses didn’t love the 13 fourth-quarter points Missouri scored, including the walk-off touchdown to make it 38-19. The yardage disparity was only 414-322, Alabama after Missouri held the 209-99 edge after halftime.
And there were long-awaited freshmen debuts.
The world got its first look at Will Anderson the night Missouri felt the true freshman’s impact. Mac Jones' joked about calling him “The Terminator” and his stat line didn’t reflect the big hits and rushed throws the outside linebacker created. Jones said offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian coined the nickname in the film room because the rookie is always around the ball.
“He’s just destroying people,” Jones said.
Bryce Young also made his debut with family watching from the first few rows of Memorial Stadium. He showed flashes, completing 5 of 8 passes for 54 yards, scrambling a few times but also coughing up a fumble to close his first possession.
So, the offense was efficient and occasionally explosive. Check.
The defense held Missouri to two field goals and 190 yards through three quarters but found reason for disappointment. Check.
Freshmen, check.
Even special teams contributed a turnover on a muffed punt recovery. Add in the 5-for-5 extra points and a 34-yard field goal and it tipped the needle beyond ordinary. Two checks.
Still …
“It didn’t feel normal,” Nick Saban said. “I think it’s a little different playing without the fans and the enthusiasm, but I think our players played hard and they competed. I think the spirit of the game was different in terms of having fans but I don’t think the competitive spirit that the players played with and how they played and how hard they tried.”
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
"really" - Google News
September 27, 2020 at 05:31PM
https://ift.tt/30eHwlc
Normal? Not really, but Alabama football came close. - AL.com
"really" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3b3YJ3H
https://ift.tt/35qAk7d
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Normal? Not really, but Alabama football came close. - AL.com"
Post a Comment