Alabama passing attack gets plenty of help

There was no axe this time for ArDarius Stewart. Instead, he brought a sledgehammer to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. Wielding such a tool is meant to represent the University of Alabama receiving corps, who Stewart nicknamed the “assassins.”

While the wide receiver remained sidelined due to an injury, his team closed out the day with a 48-0 pounding of Kent State.

“You see him turnt on the sidelines,” wide receiver Cam Sims said. “He can’t be out there to help us on the field, so you have to go out there and have his back.”

With Stewart out, Sims was the player tapped to fill the void. Sims was confident during the week that he’d add a deep threat to Alabama’s offense. His longest catch was 31 yards, which he snatched during the first quarter.

Sims did all of his damage during the first half alone. Before the clock ran out, he caught a career-high four passes for 54 yards. He was Alabama’s leading receiver, effectively having Stewart’s back like he wanted.

“He just said, ‘Let everything go and just go out there because you can do it. I see you do it every day,’” Sims said.

Alabama coach Nick Saban thought Sims, now that he’s finally healthy, did a nice job. He liked what he saw.

Saban believes that Sims, because of his 6-foot-5, 203-pound frame, paired with great hands and range as a receiver, can be very productive.

“It was good to see him make some plays,” Saban said. “I’m sure that’ll enhance his confidence in the future.”

Behind Sims was O.J. Howard with three receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.

The tight end had the longest grab of the afternoon at 34 yards. He cut his way across the middle to catch a pass from quarterback Blake Barnett for a second-quarter touchdown. The play is one of Howard’s favorites.

“Speed can really help that route a lot,” Howard said. “That’s what the coverage was, and I think it’s a really helpful route when it’s man-to-man.”

Trevon Diggs rounded out Alabama’s top receivers with three receptions for 23 yards. The true freshman had a long catch of 17 yards.

The Crimson Tide totaled 217 yards in the air. Starting quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 16 of 24 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Blake Barnett, who entered the game three minutes into the second quarter, went 4-for-7 with 55 yards and a touchdown.

“I thought that we threw the ball effectively,” Saban said. “I think our pass protection needs to continue to improve. Sometimes we got pressure in the pocket that we would rather not be getting so the quarterback can throw the ball on time.”

Cooper Bateman and David Cornwell also took some snaps during the second half.

Alabama had 12 different receivers taking turns on the field, combing for a total of 22 receptions with an average of 9.9 yards per catch.

“I’d give us a B-plus as far as execution,” Howard said, “but we need it at an A-plus every game.”