Alabama football: Crimson Tide rolls up 591 yards in easy victory over San Jose State

Offense totals 591 yards without Heisman winner

By Michael Casagrande

Special to the Ledger-Enquirer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Though not billed as such, Saturday night’s exercise at Bryant-Denny Stadium was little more than a dress rehearsal for the Crimson Tide’s season.

Albeit in front of 101,821 witnesses and anyone willing to drop $29.95 for pay-per-view, Alabama’s top priority was breaking in the new talent while taking care of outmanned San Jose State.

The 48-3 victory lacked drama in terms of tense moments for the defending national champions, who put 15 new starters into the spotlight a week before playing host to No. 19 Penn State on prime time national television.

A far cry from last season’s top-10 showdown with Virginia Tech that opened the season, the Tide did a little more experimenting than in the past. And outside of two big plays allowed that accounted for 81 of the Spartans’ 175 total yards, the young defense performed as coach Nick Saban hoped.

In all, 63 Alabama players got into the action in the top-ranked Tide’s first test since winning the BCS national title in the Rose Bowl in January. Saturday’s opener was against a Spartan program that won just twice in 2009.

“There were just some execution things, that when we get challenged by better teams, we’re going to get exposed if we don’t do things better,” Saban said. “I think the players understand that and this is an opportunity for them to learn and grow and actually make improvements and hopefully, there were some lessons learned out there.”

Offensively, the Tide showed its experience as it cruised to touchdown drives in four of its first five possessions and 591 total yards with Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram sidelined by a minor knee injury suffered late in Monday’s practice.

Quarterback Greg McElroy completed his first six passes and 13-of-15 overall as his preseason emphasis on raising his completion percentage was realized in his first outing. Julio Jones was on the receiving end of McElroy’s first three completions of the night, but it was his first catch on an AJ McCarron-thrown ball that likely will live in highlight reels for years to come.

With Alabama already leading 21-3, McCarron spotted Jones cutting through the middle of the Spartan defense on the redshirt freshman’s second collegiate play. On a ball thrown a little in front of the target, a diving Jones reached up with his left hand only to pull in the 29-yard touchdown reception.

Though the play was reviewed, Jones — who had team highs with six receptions and 93 yards — said he was “100 percent sure” it was a catch.

McCarron’s view was different.

“I just started freaking out,” he said. “Words just can’t explain what I was feeling at that time and that moment of the game. But I didn’t see him catch the ball.”

McCarron’s early entrance was all part of the design. Saban said he wanted the Mobile product to see meaningful playing time early in the game, just in case he is called upon in a similar situation later in the season. He finished 9-of-15 for 116 yards ,while McElroy threw for 218 yards including a 48-yard touchdown strike to Marquis Maze on the second possession.

Eddie Lacy’s 111 rushing yards on 13 carries bettered Trent Richardson’s 10 carries and 68 yards, but the No. 2 back didn’t play after halftime.

As expected, the rebuilt Tide defense experienced a few hiccups in its debut.

The Spartans did their most damage on their first drive, highlighted by a 32-yard run by Tuscaloosa-born Brandon Rutley made worse by a 15-yard face-mask penalty. After a 67-yard drive, though, the defense held and yielded just a 31-yard field goal.

The jig was up after that for the Spartan offense.

Their next four drives produced just four net yards and Robert Lester produced the first turnover of the season when the new starter at free safety intercepted a Jorda La Secia pass on SJSU’s second possession.

“Later on (Alabama) swarmed us pretty good,” San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre said. “… They’ve got some young athletes out there, but they’re athletes. We should have taken advantage of a couple of other third-and-shorts that we didn’t take advantage of later in the game that we should have gotten some first downs on.”