For the University of Alabama, its offensive line and entire defense made a statement last week in a dominating 62-7 rout of Mississippi. On the heels of the matchup, head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide’s coaching staff named eight players of the week in preparation for Texas A&M.
Damien Harris, Jerry Jeudy and Jonah Williams were honored on offense.
Harris tallied 85 yards of offense, including 62 yards rushing. He averaged 12.4 yards per carry on five attempts, with his 43-yard touchdown run tying the game at seven in the first quarter.
Harris also brought in a team-high four catches for 23 yards versus the Rebels.
Jeudy anchored the team in receiving with three catches for 136 yards with a pair of touchdown grabs. His 79-yard score on a pass from sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa started a 55-point onslaught for the Tide. Jeudy now has six touchdowns on the season, which leads the Southeastern Conference. Williams graded out at a team-high 94 percent on his assignments at left tackle. He did not allow a sack or commit a penalty on 58 snaps, while assisting Alabama in generating 519 yards of offense and converting six of 13 third downs.
The trio of Christian Miller, Deionte Thompson and Quinnen Williams was lights out defensively for the Tide. Alabama’s defense held the nation’s top-ranked scoring program to seven points and 248 yards offensively, both are lows for the Rebels.
Miller, a redshirt senior, turned in a career night with five total tackles – including 2.5 stops for loss and 2.5 sacks. Thompson earns his third straight weekly honor from the coaching staff, following his four tackles and second interception of the season. The redshirt junior returned the pick 40 yards to set up a touchdown drive. Williams, a redshirt sophomore, has been a breakout star on the defensive line. He led the team in tackles (six) and totaled one quarterback pressure.
Joseph Bulovas and Josh Jacobs were honored on special teams.
Bulovas had a strong performance as the starting kicker, making two field goal attempts from both 44 and 20 yards. He hit on all eight of his extra point tries, giving him 14 points for the game. Bulovas put in a season-high 11 kickoffs totaling 676 yards for an average of 61.5 yards per boot, and forced seven touchbacks.
Jacobs took a pair of kickoffs back for 101 yards with a long of 74 yards to set up an Alabama field goal. He graded out at 100 percent on his kickoff and kickoff return snaps for special teams. Jacobs also added 18 yards rushing and a score on offense.
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 @CoachingMSmith.
