The game was over after Alabama scored its third touchdown of the first quarter.
Quarterback AJ McCarron floated a pass to DeAndrew White in the back corner of the endzone that appeared to be uncatchable. But White lept and reached over Georgia State cornerback Damarius Matthews and caught the ball with one hand for a 10-yard touchdown.
“It was a good job by [Matthews],” White said. “It was just AJ trusting me and the chemistry we have. I just looked the ball in all the way and came down with it.”
White finished the game with four catches for 45 yards and a score, trailing only redshirt freshman receiver Chris Black – who pulled in six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown – for the team lead.
Before his early exit in the second quarter, McCarron completed 15-of-16 of his passes for 166 yards and four touchdowns.
Coach Nick Saban said he was pleased with the offense’s efficiency, not only in the first half but throughout the entire game.
“I was really pleased with the way we came out, especially offensively, and scored touchdowns on the first five possessions and a field goal on the sixth,” Saban said. “We executed better and I think our players made some improvement.”
The Crimson Tide amassed 477 yards of total offense, with 396 yards through the air. Alabama collected 31 first downs, compared to Georgia State’s nine.
Left guard Arie Kouandjio shared Saban’s sentiment, attesting Alabama’s success to a dominant start to the game.
“We made it a point to come out strong and finish strong amongst ourselves and amongst everyone else,” Kounandjio said. “It was a good step forward. We’re just focusing in and we’re doing what we’ve got to do.”
Georgia State’s only points of the game came from a field goal in the third quarter. Panthers’ kicker Wil Lutz booted a 53-yard field goal, which was the longest in Georgia State football history.
But Alabama’s defense held Georgia State to 175 yards of total offense and only 15 rushing yards. C.J. Mosley led the team with six tackles and two tackles for loss. Twenty-eight Crimson Tide players made at least one tackle in the game.
Sophomore safety Landon Collins saw his first start of his career, stepping in for the suspended Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. He said the defense has stepped up since its shootout with Texas A&M Sept. 14.
“We’ve been playing hard and dominating everybody and doing our assignments to the best of our ability,” Collins said.
Alabama now faces a five-game stretch against Southeastern Conference opponents and will look to use this win as a mold for its upcoming contests.
“That was what we were looking for, to try to play a perfect game,” White said. “Special teams, offense and defense came together. That’s what we want; that’s what we strive for.”
