Tide Breezes Past UTC 66-10
Jalen Milroe dropping a dime to Kobe Prentice.
New Mexico State’s epic upset of Auburn last weekend was a good reminder that no game can be taken for granted. Since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2007, outside of a first-year shocker to Louisiana Monroe, Alabama has consistently taken care of business against opponents they were supposed to dominate. That trend continued on Saturday as the Crimson Tide downed outmatched UT-Chattanooga, 66-10. Bama was able to empty its bench and get valuable playing time to the younger players as they racked up 574 total yards against the Mocs. Quarterback Jalen Milroe played a half and looked sharp, completing 13 of 16 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns through the air. After sitting out last week’s game against Kentucky, senior wideout Jermaine Burton led the team, hauling in 3 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. In all, eight Bama players racked up yards on the ground and was led by sophomore Jam Miller’s 77 yards on 6 carries. Additionally, nine different players caught passes from three different quarterbacks.
Scoring happened early and often for the Tide as for the second week in a row, the Milroe led offense jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Bama would outscore the Mocs 17-7 in the second to take a commanding 38-7 lead into halftime. The Mocs were without their starting quarterback as well as their starting tailback, yet they still fought hard and were able to have some success on offense. Their last dive of the first half resulted in a UTC touchdown when Gino Appleberry, who gained a total of 104 yards on the day, broke free on a 40 yard run to give the Mocs their first points on the day.
They then opened the second half with a nice 9 play, 69 yard drive that stalled on the Bama 6 and resulted in a 23 yard field goal from Clayton Crile. Bama backup quarterback Ty Simpson would lead the Tide on two second half touchdown drives, yet the last one came as a result of an error that no doubt turned into a valuable teaching moment. At the start of the fourth quarter, Bama faced a 3rd and 9 from their own 21. Simpson felt pressure in the pocket and found the left sideline. With a convoy of blockers, the redshirt freshman went untouched into the endzone for the team’s longest rush from scrimmage of the year, however replay showed that he dropped the ball in celebration at the one yard line and the touchdown was taken away. No immediate recovery occurred, so the ball went back to Alabama on the one yard line and freshman tailback Richard Young scored his first touchdown of the year on the next play. Tide fans got their first glimpse of freshman quarterback Dylan Lonergan when he engineered Alabama’s final touchdown drive of the day that covered 54 yards on 6 plays. Justice Haynes finished off the drive with a nice 33 yard burst into the end zone.
Attention quickly has turned to the Iron Bowl, where Alabama will face a 6-5 Auburn squad on the Plains. The Tigers have had an up and down season under first year coach Hugh Freeze. On the positive, they pushed top ranked Georgia better than anyone this season, falling to the Dawgs at home in September, 27-20. They also fell to Ole Miss in a valiant effort, 28-21. On the negative, this past weekend’s stunner against New Mexico State is a hard one to explain and their 48-18 loss on the road against LSU was forgettable. Auburn’s only win against a team with a winning record came in week two against 6-5 Samford. No doubt, Auburn will have their best ready for the Tide on Saturday, and Tiger Nation will be hopeful that the Tide will be overlooking them, much like they did in 2021 when it took Bama four overtimes to upend Auburn during their last visit to Jordan-Hare. The Tigers passing attack under Michigan State transfer Peyton Thorne has struggled, as he is completing 61% of his passes with 14 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Auburn’s running game has led the way as Thorne and junior tailback Jarquez Hunter have carried the load on the ground. In terms of the Tide, there simply is far too much for them to play for, and a stumble, or near stumble at the hands of Auburn would be a huge surprise as Bama sits two games away from an SEC title and a possible CFP berth.
