For the 2017 University of Alabama football season, TideSports intern Terrin Waack will provide select stellar stats, obscure facts and notable quotes from the most recent game to show how the Crimson Tide uses “The Process” against its opponents.
No. 1 Alabama defeated Fresno State, 41-10, at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday in front of 101,127 people for the Crimson Tide’s home opener.
Stellar stats
· The Crimson Tide has now defeated 66 consecutive unranked teams. No sympathy for the weak.
· Wide receiver Calvin Ridley has caught at least one pass in every game in which he has played. He’s a junior who has appeared in 32 games.
· It only took Alabama 39 seconds to score a touchdown against Fresno State, thanks to quarterback Jalen Hurts’ 55-yard run. Yet, that’s still not the fastest Crimson Tide has ever scored. In Saban’s Alabama debut, the team did it in 22 seconds.
· Hurts So Good: During the first half, every drive Hurts started ended in a touchdown. The only series that didn’t in the second quarter featured freshman Tua Tagovailoa behind center.
Obscure facts
· There were 101,127 people in Bryant-Denny, marking the second-largest crowd in front of which Fresno State has ever played. Alabama’s attendance average last season at home was 101,821 – full capacity.
· Alabama has never lost a home opener with Saban (11-0). OK, but the Crimson Tide has also never played a conference opponent in a home opener during that span.
· Freshman-to-freshman action: Tagovailoa threw his first collegiate touchdown pass to fellow true freshman Henry Rugs III in the fourth quarter from 16 yards out.
· Hurts tallied 154 rushing yards. Fresno State as a whole had 58.
Quoting Nick Saban
On how he thought the offensive line played …
Saban: “… And you’re right. I hadn’t seen the film yet, so it’s not fair to make a total assessment. You guys can see better where you watch the game from than I can see where I watch the game from. What’d you think?”
Reporter: “I thought it was so-so.”
Saban: “OK, well then I appreciate your opinion. Hell, if I watch the film and I think it’s so-so, maybe we’ll try to hire your (butt).”
Quoting the Crimson Tide
Jamey Mosley, on earning his first career start…
“If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.”
Quoting the opponent
Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford on Alabama scoring a touchdown for the second play…
“It would be really easy to say, ‘Yeah, that’s we thought it would be. These guys are unbelievable.’ But we kept playing and playing hard.”
Name of the game
FS: KeeSean Johnson
The junior is a wide receiver for the Bulldogs and not to be confused with the Keyshawn Johnson, three-time Pro Bowl selection who won a Super Bowl ring in 2003. They are not related.
GAME LEADERS
Top 3 rushers
1. UA: Jalen Hurts, 10 carries for 154 yards and two touchdowns
2. UA: Najee Harris, 13 carries for 70 yards
3. UA: Bo Scarbrough, six carries for 36 yards
Top 3 receivers
1. FS: De’Mari Scott, seven receptions for 67 yards
2. FS: KeeSean Johnson, eight receptions for 55 yards
3. UA: Calvin Ridley, five receptions for 45 yards
Top 3 passers
1. FS: Chason Virgil, 21-34-1 for 180 yards and a touchdown
2. UA: Jalen Hurts, 14-18-0 for 128 yards and a touchdown
3. UA: Tua Tagovailoa, 6-9-0 for 64 yards and a touchdown
Top 3 defenders
1. FS: Jeffrey Allison, 14 total tackles (a sack)
2. FS: Juju Hughes, nine total tackles
3. UA: Ronnie Harrison, eight total tackles (a tackle for loss)
NEXT UP
Alabama (2-0) hosts Colorado State (2-1) on Saturday in Bryant-Denny. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. and air on ESPN2.
MORE FUN
Unrelated but necessary
· Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield is a savage. After his team defeated Ohio State, he waved then shoved a giant OU flag into the center of the Buckeyes’ midfield scarlet “O.”
· Clemson storms the field after every game. Please realize this.
Casual plug-in
Check out my new podcast, “That’s Just Waack.” One episode is already up, another coming Wednesday. Link: https://omny.fm/shows/thats-just-waack
