Alabama dominated Mercer on Saturday, taking down the Bears 52-7 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide never trailed, creating three turnovers and finally scoring its first non-offensive touchdown of the season. The team also got the opportunity to put players in the game who don’t tend to see much action.
“[It’s] good to get a win and get a lot of guys out there on the field,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game. “And for the guys to play a quarter and a half, essentially, and get a lot of guys on the football field, it was fun to see them get out there and play and work on their execution.”
With Alabama set to head to Norman next week to face Oklahoma, many questions were raised after the team’s blowout win in Week 12.
Can Alabama continue this level of offensive production?
The Mercer game wasn’t the first time this season that Alabama’s offense has found overflowing success, as this is the sixth time it has accumulated over 400 yards. However, it creates consistency, making Mercer the third straight opponent against which the offense has reached the mark.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe, in a limited sample size of just over two quarters, managed to pass for 186 yards and two touchdowns and add 43 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Once Milroe was subbed out, multiple Alabama quarterbacks found success, with Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Dylan Lonergan putting together touchdown drives.
On the ground, Justice Haynes, Jam Miller and Richard Young split carries throughout the game. Together, they contributed 87 yards and one touchdown to the team’s total of 189 rushing yards and three scores.
“I think the best thing for our offense is knowing that we’re not one-dimensional,” Milroe said after the game. “It’s all about mastering the game plan, mastering what all goes into each play that we have and distributing our ball to the playmakers.”
If Alabama can continue to reach this consistent offensive success, it will be difficult for Oklahoma and Auburn, let alone any team, to take down the Crimson Tide.
Could the Mercer game expand the pass-catching unit?
Against the Bears, 16 different players were thrown the ball, with 13 bringing in at least one catch. Namely, Josh Cuevas and Rico Scott had their best games of the season, with Cuevas recording two catches for 46 yards and Scott with two catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.
Cuevas and Scott were only in the game for one half, raising the question of what role they could play given a whole game to make an impact. On top of those two, Bubba Hampton, Jay Lindsey and Ty Lockwood recorded their first catches of the season.
Even if these players don’t start to make an impact during the 2024-25 season, they could add another layer of optimism to the team’s passing game in years to come.
How much of the Mercer game should actually be viewed as meaningful?
Any game is meaningful, but when all the third- and fourth-string players are in with an entire quarter to play, everything should be taken with a certain grain of salt.
The success of Alabama’s offense against Mercer should be viewed highly, as the Bears rank highly in multiple defensive statistics at the FCS level. For instance, the team ranks first in the nation among FCS teams in total sacks with 36, although the Crimson Tide did not allow a single one all game.
Another defensive statistic Mercer leads the nation in is turnovers created, totaling 28 on the season. Alabama did not turn the ball over once; instead, the team forced three turnovers, including a 66-yard scoop and score from Zabien Brown.
All of these questions will have a chance to be answered when Alabama travels to Norman to face Oklahoma on Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
