Alabama came out of the gates firing on both sides of the football Saturday against Utah State. Headlined by a monster performance from quarterback Bryce Young, the Crimson Tide glided to a 55-0 victory.
Young, who is already following up a Heisman Trophy-winning season, hasn’t missed a beat with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien as he led Alabama to eight scoring drives, six of which went for touchdowns.
But Young was the man directly responsible for all six touchdowns throwing for five and rushing for one.
Despite having a new set of receivers to work with, Young proved to have solid chemistry with the new faces, particularly the younger options. Freshman wide receiver Kobe Prentice who was one of the surprise starters for the Crimson Tide proved why he was able to get on the field so early in his career.
Prentice displayed elite speed and a knack for finding the openings in the defense as he hauled in five catches for 60-yards in his Alabama debut.
On the flip side junior Traeshon Holden, who is finally getting his opportunity, took full advantage as he reeled in five catches for 70-yards and a pair of touchdowns. Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton also made a substantial impact on the day catching two touchdowns himself.
Alabama’s offensive time provided solid time for Young to spread the ball out to his receivers as the quarterback was sacked just one time.
The unit will continue to need reps together but so far Eric Wolford seems to have things going in a good direction in the protection phase. On the ground, it took a few drives for the group to get going but when it did it hit big in the form of running back Jahmyr Gibbs who broke off a 58-yard run. Gibbs finished the game with nine carries for 93-yards.
Young also made some noise on the ground rushing the ball five times for 100-yards and a touchdown which included a 63-yard carry. He became the first Alabama quarterback to rush for over 100-yards in a game since Jalen Hurts in 2017.
Defensively, Alabama’s first team stifled Utah State early and refused to allow it to get any momentum. Whether it was through the air or on the ground the Aggies found so success against Pete Golding’s unit.
The Crimson Tide’s starting defense allowed just 62-yards and two first downs when it was all on the field.
Alabama will now turn its attention to its big Week 2 matchup as it travels to Texas next Saturday.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
