Alabama football handled its assignment at Saban Field versus Mercer.
Kalen DeBoer becomes the first head coach since Ray Perkins (1983) to earn at least eight wins as a first-year coach for the Crimson Tide. DeBoer guided Alabama to a 52-7 victory over the Bears. The Tide is now 8-2 and continues its advancement for the College Football Playoff. An initial reaction and takeaways are below from Alabama’s latest win over Mercer.
Initial Reaction
Alabama did not have a letdown situation against the Bears.
The coaching staff learned from its marquee victory over Georgia and made sure the players carried the same level of intensity from the LSU game back to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama forced three takeaways, and the first-team offense did its job to allow the second wave of players to take the field. Tide fans also got the message of significance for this game as a sellout crowd of 100,077 showed up to cheer on DeBoer and the players against the Bears. This was a good win for Alabama to build off last week.
Alabama got a chance to play a lot of young guys as well. Ty Simpson, Richard Young, Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, Bubba Hampton, Rico Scottt, Dylan Lonergan, Austin Mack, Ty Lockwood, and Jay Lindsey all played for the Tide versus Mercer.
Mack connected with Scott for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Takeaways
1. Jalen Milroe returns to tossing touchdown passes
Jalen Milroe had not tossed a touchdown pass in two straight games.
He erased that memory on Saturday with scoring tosses to Ryan Williams and Robbie Ouzts. Milroe completed 11 of 16 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. It was good to see him complete a deep shot to Ouzts for a 44-yard score.
He now has 15 touchdown passes on the season.
2. Ryan Williams reunites himself with the end zone
Ryan Williams did not record a touchdown against Missouri or LSU.
The talented freshman reunited himself with the painted grass for a rushing and a receiving touchdown.
Both of Williams’ scores came in the first quarter to set the tone. He has 10 touchdowns this season, falling one short of tying the single-season freshman record for the Crimson Tide. Amari Cooper has the record of 11 from his freshman year in 2012.
3. Jihaad Campbell continues to be a force on defense
Jihaad Campbell has been playing like a first-round linebacker in the last few games.
He led the defense with nine total tackles and had a sack and a tackle for loss. The junior continues to bring intensity to a Kane Wommack group that is clicking at the right time. He leads the team with 85 total tackles through 10 games for the Tide.
4. Alabama’s OL goes back-to-back games without allowing a sack
Alabama’s offensive front did not surrender a sack in two straight games.
After it handled LSU’s defensive line, the Crimson Tide kept Jalen Milroe clean versus Mercer. Alabama converted six of 11 third downs and two fourth-down attempts. The Tide had 58 total plays to 43 for Mercer and controlled the flow of the game.
Alabama’s offensive line got Richard Young into the end zone for a second straight game.
The redshirt freshman recorded a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
5. Kane Wommack has been cooking with takeaways
Kane Wommack has coached this defense to 15 takeaways in the last five games.
Alabama forced three turnovers against Mercer, but it has been on a role since the South Carolina matchup. The Crimson Tide forced two fumbles (recovered both) and an interception versus the Bears. DaShawn Jones and Domani Jackson forced a fumble, while Damon Payne and Zabien Brown recovered the fumbles. Brown, a freshman, returned a fumble recovery for a 66-yard touchdown — giving the team its first non-offensive score of the year. Qua Russaw posted his second career interception.
Alabama has purely rounded into form on defense. We also saw several young players on defense versus Mercer, including Keon Keeley, Eric Hill, Jordan Renaud, Hunter Osborne, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Cayden Jones, and Xavier Mincey.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
