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The Lead: Jalen Hurts shows veteran poise in blowout of Fresno State
Alabama grade out: How the Crimson Tide looked in week two
Alabama is now 2-0 on the season and ranked No. 1 in the Nation in both the Amway Coaches Poll as well as the AP Top 25 following their 41-10 victory over Fresno State. In two games, Alabama has outscored the competition an impressive 65-17 and will host Colorado State in week three where they enter as a 23 1/2 point favorite.
Today, we open the week with a three, two, one series, which we’ll provide three things we learned, ask two questions, and make one prediction.
Three Things We've Learned
1. The future looks plentiful for Alabama
The Crimson Tide entered their matchup against Fresno State as a 43 1/2 point favorite and after the starters put the game out of reach leading 28-3 in the second quarter, it provided an opportunity for Alabama’s youth to step onto the field to gain experience. True freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa saw his first action of the season and was 6 of 9 passing for 64-yards and threw a touchdown to another true freshman in Henry Ruggs for 16-yards. True freshman Najee Harris actually led the team in rushing on the day racking up 13 carries for 70-yards and his rushing style was continually compared to Oakland Raider running back Marshawn Lynch by TV commentators.
Jerry Jeudy recorded his first catch of the year and Jedrick Wills saw plenty of time at right tackle. On defense, Dylan Moses along with Chris Allen who are two of Alabama’s prized freshmen linebackers also saw time on the field, each looked capable of playing when called on moving forward. The freshman class at Alabama is very, very good, and the sample size we saw on Saturday proves that the Crimson Tide’s future on the football field should be just as successful as present day Alabama Football.
2. The offense played better
While Alabama played a lesser opponent in week two, the Crimson Tide coaches and players always stress, “It’s not about who we play, it’s about how we play.” The offense racked up 497-yards of total offense, 305-yards on the ground, and 192-yards through the air, which was an increase of total yards from week one of +228-yards. Last week against Florida State only three receivers caught a football, this past Saturday 11 different receivers made the stat line, and while Alabama has yet to have a 100-yard game from a running back, quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for a career high 154-yards and two touchdowns.
For the second week in a row Alabama did not turn over the football and compared to six punts in week one, Alabama only punted three times against Fresno State. One of the most telling stats about this team has been their consistency to put points on the board when inside the red-zone. In two games, Alabama is 9 for 9 in red-zone opportunities, and if that stat is part of this year’s offensive identity, Alabama is going to be very difficult to beat.
3. The Linebacking corps will be fine
