Tide And Weather Drown The Dogs 38-10
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
It was the kind of game that caused the Alabama head football coach to seek out his quarterback to shake his hand before crossing the field to shake hands with the opposing coach. That same coach ran to greet the fans that stayed to the end to watch a football game in a driving rain. That coach was Nick Saban.
The 13th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide muzzled the Dawgs of Georgia at Sanford Stadium this afternoon 38-10 in a driving rain that probably produced less moisture than the tears of the Dog's coaching staff, players, and especially the fans. Like in the Ole Miss game, many of the home team's fans left early. Yes, this time it was Georgia. In a driving rain...and driving Alabama offense.
During the halftime interview, Georgia head coach Mark Richt said, "They're handling us on the front right now. We're not getting enough in the run game. We got a little something going towards the end there but we've just got to regroup, go back to what we believe in and keep banging away right now." Roll on to the second half. The woes for Georgia continued. The only bright spot for the Dogs was the lapse in the Tide defense from getting the big lead that allowed Georgia's Nick Chubb to break an 83-yard touchdown run, giving him the record for all-time 100-plus yard games. Post-game Richt said, "The dam broke. Not talking about the game."
How about the breakout night for Calvin Ridley? Five catches for 120 yards and 1 touchdown on the night. But only one of many great performances by Alabama football players today. Quarterback Jake Coker was 11 of 16 for 190 passing yards with one touchdown, as well as one other rushing touchdown. Derrick Henry now has 10 straight games with a rushing touchdown. The entire Bama secondary looked good, but a standout performance by Minkah Fitzpatrick brought the Tide a defensive touchdown on a blocked punt recovery, and Eddie Jackson scored on a 50-yard interception return. Ronnie Harrison added another interception for the Tide, as well as redshirt freshman Marlon Humphrey. Geno Smith and Cyrus Jones also were outstanding. And of course there's Derrick Henry, who now has 10 straight games with a rushing touchdown.
Alabama's 38 points came on a touchdown by a running back, the quarterback, a pass, an interception, and a special teams blocked punt. This was a game all elements came together for the Crimson Tide. Hopefully, the first of many.
The Tide picked up 379 yards of total offense (190 passing and 189 rushing) compared to 299 yards (106 passing and 193 rushing) for Georgia. Bama had 15 first downs to 12 for the Bulldogs.
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
