INSIDE ALABAMA’S SCHEDULE
Sept. 3 vs. USC (Arlington, Texas): W, 52-6
Quarterback Jalen Hurts wasted little time setting the tone for a spectacular freshman season. If any time was wasted, it was the first two Alabama possessions, when Hurts was on the bench. He entered the game on the third possession and finished with two rushing touchdowns and two passing (one for 71 yards). He was 6-for-11 passing for 118 yards. The Crimson Tide amassed 465 yards of offense to 194 for the Trojans.
Sept. 10 vs Western Kentucky: W, 38-10
The Crimson Tide overcame a sluggish first quarter that included a missed field-goal attempt and their first touchdown as time expired. When the game was over, Jalen Hurts had passed for 287 yards and Alabama had a comfortable victory. Western Kentucky’s only touchdown came with 46 seconds to play in the game.
Sept. 17 at Ole Miss: W, 48-43
Alabama trailed 24-3 with 2:47 to play in the first half, but outscored the Rebels 45-13 the rest of the way. During that onslaught, Eddie Jackson returned a punt 85 yards and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen a fumble 75 yards. The Crimson Tide led 48-30 with 5:28 to play in the game before the Rebels’ rally attempt fell short.
Sept. 24 vs Kent State: W, 48-0
The game was a thorough demolition by the Crimson Tide. Alabama outgained Kent State 502 yards to 166 and scored all of its points by the 6:14 mark in the third quarter. As a result, the workload was spread among several players. Nine players had carries and 12 caught passes.
Oct. 1 vs Kentucky: W, 34-6
Kentucky put together a decent season, but you wouldn’t know it from this game. The Crimson Tide outgained the Wildcats 488 yards to 161, with 315 yards passing to 89. This all occurred despite the time of possession going slightly in Kentucky’s favor. Calvin Ridley caught 11 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
Oct. 8 at Arkansas: W, 49-30
The teams combined for 990 yards of offense (517 for Alabama), with Arkansas dominating through the air and Alabama on the ground. The Crimson Tide took a 28-7 lead with 8:53 to play in the second quarter. By that time, Jalen Hurts had scored two rushing touchdowns and thrown for another. That one covered 56 yards to Damien Harris. Minkah Fitzpatrick returned an interception 100 yards early in the fourth quarter.
Oct. 15 at Tennessee: W, 49-10
One statistic from this game stands out: The Crimson Tide rushed for 409 yards to 32 for the Volunteers. Overall, Alabama outgained Tennessee 594-163. Jalen Hurts rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns. Alabama scored the game’s final three touchdowns, including a 79-yard punt return by Eddie Jackson and an 85-yard run by Bo Scarbrough, the last by the 11:38 mark in the fourth quarter.
Oct. 22 vs Texas A&M: W, 33-14
The Aggies took a 14-13 lead with 12:54 to play in the third quarter, and then watched the Crimson Tide roll. Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen provided separation with a 30-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 21 seconds to play in the third quarter that gave Alabama a 26-14 lead.
Nov. 5 at LSU: W, 10-0
This was a prime-time Bayou battle on CBS dominated by Alabama’s defense. The Crimson Tide held the Tigers to 125 yards, and despite its own 323 yards, Alabama couln’t score until the fourth quarter. Jalen Hurts scored on a 21-yard run for the only touchdown of the game. Adam Griffith added a 25-yard field goal with 2:41 to play.
Nov. 12 vs Mississippi State: W, 51-3
Jalen Hurts became the first player in Alabama history to surpass 300 yards in the air and 100 on the ground in the same game. He finished 28-of-37 passing for 347 yards and four touchdowns to go with 11 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. ArDarius Stewart caught three of the touchdown passes and finished with 156 yards receiving.
Nov. 19 vs Chattanooga: W, 31-3
Coming a week before the Iron Bowl, this one was sluggish by Crimson Tide standards. Chattanooga had an eight-minute advantage in time of possession, and Alabama held only a 332-184 advantage in yards gained. The numbers were tame compared with the eye-popping statistics of most previous games. Of course, those are small things in what was still a 28-point margin of victory.
Nov. 26 vs Auburn: W, 30-12
The Alabama machine revved its engines to high RPMs after the Chattanooga slowdown. Final tally on offense: Alabama 501 yards, Auburn 182. Alabama time of possession 40:29, Auburn 19:31. Alabama 81 plays, Auburn 45. Two third-quarter touchdowns involving Jalen Hurts (a 4-yard run and a 38-yard pass) provided the Crimson Tide surge that they needed.
Dec. 3 vs Florida (SEC Championship game, Georgia Dome): W, 54-16
Alabama won its 26th SEC championship and its seventh in the 25-year history of the SEC Championship game. In the first quarter, Minkah Fitzpatrick returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown and Josh Jacobs returned a punt 27 yards for a score. The Crimson Tide held the Gators to zero rushing yards, while gaining 234 yards.
