The Crimson Tide’s commanding 52-7 victory over Mercer Saturday gave a glimpse of the talent of the third- and fourth-string players.
Backup quarterbacks
Backup quarterback Ty Simpson went 5/10 in pass attempts with 71 passing yards and two rushes for 14 yards.
On one play, Simpson scrambled outside the pocket, avoiding a sack, and eventually completed a 43-yard pass downfield to third-string tight end Josh Cuevas.
“People who know and have watched Ty can see that he has that ability,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said. “He can do things with his feet.”
Austin Mack, the third-string quarterback, went 2/3 in pass attempts for 39 passing yards and a 31-yard passing touchdown to freshman Rico Scott, the first of Mack’s college career.
Fourth-string freshman quarterback Dylan Lonergan went 5/6 in pass attempts with 23 passing yards; on Alabama’s final offensive drive of the game, Lonergan and Mack teamed up to go 7/9 in pass attempts for 62 passing yards and a TD pass to put the finishing touches on the victory.
Backup running backs
Freshman running back Richard Young has proven he will be an important asset in the Crimson Tide’s offense. The third-string running back had seven rushes for 26 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, nearly identical to what he did last week in Alabama’s 42-13 win over the LSU Tigers.
Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, JR Gardner and Michael Lorino III all got touches at running back. Those four combined for 10 rush attempts and 25 rushing yards. Alabama used seven different running backs in the win.
Backup wide receivers and tight ends
Freshman Rico Scott, who had only two receptions all season long going into Saturday, had two receptions for 37 receiving yards, including a 31-yard touchdown, his first at the collegiate level.
“Rico’s one of my best friends on the team,” wide receiver Ryan Williams said. “I told him before the game today, ‘you’re going to score today,’ and now he’s in the end zone.”
Caleb Odom had two receptions for 20 receiving yards. In the first half, Odom barely missed what would have been a 50-plus yard touchdown catch as he couldn’t hang onto the pass from Milroe.
Kobe Prentice had two catches, which was good for eight receiving yards. Prentice just missed a touchdown reception from Simpson on his first drive of the game after taking over for Milroe.
Ty Lockwood and Jay Lindsey, both backup tight ends, each had their first receptions of the season, both of which were for five yards.
Tight end Robbie Ouzts, who had his first touchdown of the season Saturday, said he was glad the backups got a chance to play on Saturday.
“It’s awesome to see those guys get out there on the field,” Ouzts said. “Those guys are out there putting in the work each and every single day with us, so to see them get a taste of that, I couldn’t be happier for them.”
The Crimson Tide will head to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on the Oklahoma Sooners on Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
