The Alabama coaching staff named seven players of the week following the Crimson Tide’s 27-6 win over No. 4/4/4 Cincinnati in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic last Friday. Evan Neal and Brian Robinson Jr. on offense; Will Anderson Jr., Jordan Battle and Brian Branch on defense; and Demouy Kennedy and Drew Sanders on special teams were all honored for their play against the Bearcats.
OFFENSE
Evan Neal
- Blocked for an Alabama offense that racked up 482 yards by day’s end
- Helped open holes to allow the Tide backs to rush for a season-high 301 yards on the ground
- Also provided time for Bryce Young to throw for 181 yards and three touchdowns through the air
Brian Robinson Jr.
- Posted a record-setting day in the Semifinal matchup
- Rushed for a career-high 204 yards on 26 carries to average a whopping 7.8 yards per carry
- His 204 yards were the most rushing yards by an Alabama back in a bowl matchup in program history
DEFENSE
Will Anderson Jr.
- Led Alabama with two sacks (-12 yards) while tying for the team-high mark for tackles for loss with two
- The pair of tackles behind the line were part of his six total stops against the Bearcats
- Anderson Jr. moved his sack total to 17.5 (-108 yards) on the season, half a sack short of tying Derrick Thomas (1987) for second on Alabama’s single-season list
Jordan Battle
- Totaled seven tackles against UC to tie for second on the Tide defense
- Contributed six solo stops to tie for the team-high mark
- Directed an Alabama secondary that limited the Bearcats to only 144 yards passing
Brian Branch
- Made an impact all over the field in the Semifinal
- Finished with a team-high eight tackles, including half a sack (-2 yards)
- Added a pair of pass breakups to the Tide’s season-high tying six in the game
SPECIAL TEAMS
Demouy Kennedy
- Made a key stop on punt coverage to limit the UC returner to a 12-yard gain
- Also saw time on kickoff coverage
Drew Sanders
- Impacted the game on both special teams and defense
- Worked on the Tide’s punt and kickoff coverage units against Cincinnati
**This information was acquired from a recent press release from Alabama Athletics.**
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
