A 21-0 lead in the first quarter, 300 rushing yards on the ground, and a record-setting day for A.J. McCarron: It was back to business as usual for Alabama, as the No. 4 Crimson Tide was able to bounce back from their loss last weekend in steamrolling Western Carolina 49-0.
Quarterback A.J. McCarron, one week removed from throwing his first two interceptions of the season, set Alabama’s single season record for touchdown passes on a 29-yard dart to Christion Jones in the early second quarter. It was his 21st touchdown pass of the season, surpassing the previous record set by Greg McElroy in 2010.
“It means a lot with all the tradition and all the great quarterbacks that have played here,” McCarron said. “Like I said, and like I will always say, none of that would be possible without my great offensive line … and my great wide receivers that I have out there making plays for me.”
McCarron and the offense went back to their efficient play-action attack early, as McCarron went 6-for-6 with 133 yards and running backs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon combined for 169 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. It was a much needed strong early showing for the Tide after falling behind early in each of its last two games.
“It was a big thing this week that we were focusing on, to come out and play Alabama football,” McCarron said. “We started slow last week, and I think it was a big key for us to get out to a fast start and get going.”
The Tide’s defense faced a little trouble in the first quarter, after allowing a 28-yard pass that moved the Catamounts to Alabama’s 36 yard line. The Tide immediately responded with a Vinnie Sunseri sack and a one- and zero-yard gain to force a punt.
Later in the second quarter, Christion Jones fumbled a punt return, giving the Catamounts another opportunity in Alabama territory at the 29 yard line. But the defense responded yet again, forcing a fumble two plays later that cornerback Deion Belue returned for a 57 yard touchdown.
The team’s ability to get out of tough spots on defense was a needed improvement for the Tide, which struggled to get off the field on third down the last two weeks. Senior offensive lineman Chance Warmack credited the team’s resiliency to the way the team was able to bounce back and come out strong.
“Our team is really resilient when it comes to adversity,” said Warmack. “We always want to triumph over adversity. That’s what the main goal is, and we had a good week of practice this week. We knew coming in that we just had to play Bama ball like we did today.”
With the win, the Tide improved to 10-1 and are a win against Auburn on Saturday away from facing Georgia in Atlanta in the SEC Championship. And with the Tide making the national championship game with a loss last year, potentially more will be on the line in the Iron Bowl than just an SEC Championship game birth.
But for now, Lacy said the team will just need to focus on Auburn this next weekend and continue to build off today’s performance.
“We have to do just prepare the way we have been doing all season long because we know they are going to come out and play hard and try to win just like we are going to try to win,” Lacy said “So we have to do everything we can to come out and win.”
