Tide looked more eager to play UGA than ULM

How did Alabama look Saturday, a week after losing to Ole Miss? A lot like a team that's ready to play Georgia in a week.

Problem is, there was a game in between those. It was Saturday, in a nowhere-near-full Bryant-Denny Stadium.

A nowhere-near-inspired Alabama team, fresh off dropping 10 spots in both major polls, beat a nowhere-near-capable Louisiana-Monroe team 34-0.

It should have been 50-something to nothing, based on talent.

It should have been 50-something to nothing, based on the fact that ULM's running came consisted of quarterbacks inexplicably keeping on zone reads and slamming into a lot of crimson jerseys over and over and over.

It should have been 50-something to nothing, based on ULM showing no downfield passing capability. The Warhawks' best pass on this day belonged to punter Chris Qualls, who took advantage of an over-aggressive Alabama rush with a Tim Tebow-style jump pass.

And at that, ULM eked a first down by two yards.

So, credit Alabama's defense with a shutout, but it should have been a shutout.

And it shouldn't have taken Alabama three quarters plus to break 30 points, but, as Nick Saban would say, it is what it is.

Only he didn't say that. Maybe even Mr. Iron Focus was off his game.

He rightly praised the defense, which held a terrible offense to 92 yards. The Warhawks went without a first down on 10 of 16 possessions, including the first six.

Saban rightly praised special teams for improving a week after two crucial fumbles on kickoff returns against Ole Miss. This week, take away two fumbles and add two Adam Griffith field goals to make him 3-for-7 on the season.

Saban rightly pointed out a perhaps too-vanilla game plan on offense and sparing use of running back Derrick Henry, who he said struggled with illness during the week.

But it took Alabama three quarters plus to break 30 points against a Sun Belt Conference defense, and most of the blame doesn't belong to quarterback Jake Coker this time. He threw an interception and nearly threw another, but five dropped passes put a dent in his output.

None of the drops agonized more than Calvin Ridley's in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Coker laid out a perfect, back-shoulder throw on a fade, and Ridley had nearly 10 feet of separation.

But hey, it gave Griffith another chance to work out his yips.

And it's not hard to explain a less-than-inspired showing on Alabama's part, considering where this game fell on the schedule. The Crimson Tide lost at home to Ole Miss for the first time since 1988 a week before this game and will play one of its biggest SEC games at Georgia next week.

Speaking of Georgia, the Bulldogs found a little

more inspiration Saturday than Alabama seemed to find. After a mediocre first half, they blew holes open for Nick Chubb in the second and turned a 14-point game into a 48-6 rout of Southern.

Georgia used some inspiration today. Maybe Alabama will have more in reserve next week in Athens.

Contact Sports Columnist Joe Medley at jmedley@annistonstar.com. On Twitter, @jmedley_star.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Tide looked more eager to play UGA than ULM ."