Alabama junior wide receiver Calvin Ridley turned in a milestone accomplishment last week against Florida State, but it got lost in the magnitude of an intense matchup.
Not a lot of weaknesses can be found in his game, unless one counts Ridley’s struggles in season-opening contests. He brought in a combined five receptions for 31 yards receiving versus the University of Wisconsin and University of Southern California in the last two years.
The 6-foot, 190-pounder came out on the attack inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, grabbing seven of Jalen Hurts’ 10 completions for a game-high 82 yards on 11.1 yards per reception.
While three of his catches resulted in first downs, Ridley’s 53-yard touchdown catch from Hurts in the second quarter gave Alabama a 10-7 lead and moved him into a tie for fifth all-time in school history for touchdown receptions (15). True freshman wide out Jerry Jeudy occupied a Seminole linebacker and defensive back on the play – allowing Ridley to streak downfield.
53-yard TD! Hurts to @CalvinRidley1 #BamavsFsu #Abc pic.twitter.com/ErWJpts4fG
— InsideBamaRecruiting (@RTRnews) September 3, 2017
Former Crimson Tide standouts Joey Jones (1980-83) and Julio Jones (2008-10) both ended their collegiate tenures with 15 touchdown receptions. It will be hard for Ridley to catch his immediate predecessor, Amari Cooper (31 career scores), but he’s definitely going to try.
The Florida native will look to move into a tie for fourth all-time next week with Ozzie Newsome, as Alabama hosts Fresno State University at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
