ALABAMA: One last look at Tide's win over MTSU

TUSCALOOSA -- Second-ranked Alabama is headed toward a top-15 showdown with Ole Miss on Saturday. The Crimson Tide will host the Rebels at 8:15 p.m. CDT in Bryant-Denny Stadium on ESPN. Ole Miss defeated Alabama last season 23-17 in Oxford, Miss.

But before the Tide turns the page to its SEC opener, let's take one last look at its 37-10 win over Middle Tennessee from this past Saturday.

1. Saban challenges the quarterbacks.

"I think we're closer. We started Jake (Coker) two games in a row. I think there's a reason for that. I think that we want to give Cooper Bateman an opportunity. I also think giving him an opportunity is good experience in case he needs to play somewhere down the road."

That was Saban's response when asked if one of Alabama's quarterbacks was close to winning the team. Translation: Coker is the starter, but the Tide wanted to give Bateman some snaps in case Coker tanks or gets hurt.

Coker finished 15-of-26 (58 percent) for 214 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Bateman was 11-of-17 for 98 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

Both quarterbacks threw ugly interceptions against Middle Tennessee. Coker's was into double coverage while Bateman tried to force a throw into the end zone that was almost returned for a touchdown.

"Both guys (Coker and Bateman) really need to improve," Saban said. "I think that, offensively, we started to establish an identity against Wisconsin. I don't think we had much of one today, but that's not all the quarterback's fault. But there are many things that the quarterbacks can do better and we will certainly focus on trying to have them play better. We will evaluate the situation and do what's best for our team."

2. In-game/second half adjustments.

As it did against Wisconsin, Alabama's defense had to make a few adjustments on the fly during the game and during halftime.

In the first quarter, Middle Tennessee gained 120 yards on 27 plays. The Raiders wouldn't gain more than 70 yards in the following three quarters.

"They did a lot of things that we weren't very well-prepared for," Saban said. "We had to make a lot of adjustments during the game, but I thought the players did a really good job of that."

The Tide held Middle Tennessee to three yard per play in the second quarter, four yards per play in the third quarter and three in the fourth quarter.

When asked, Saban wouldn't get into the details about the Tide's adjustments.

"I can get into it technically but you wouldn't understand it and nobody else would understand it, just take my word for it," Saban said. "They were empty a lot, they were read. Some things we just didn't practice. You know players had to adjust to it, and as the game went on I thought we did a good job on adjusting to it, so you know as they intercepted the pass at the end we had played pretty well for a couple quarters, getting off the field on third down better, which we really didn't do a good job in the beginning of the game. We had a lot of respect for their coaches and their team and what they do, and I think they did a really good job today."

With Ole Miss coming to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, being able to make adjustments during the game will be paramount.

3. Playmakers emerging.

Through two games, it's becoming more clear which skill players Alabama wants to feature. First, everything starts with Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake. The duo has made a combined 11 explosive plays, which Saban defines as a run of 12 or more yards or a reception/pass of 16 or more yards. They've also scored eight total touchdowns between the two of them.

Other guys who have stepped up include wide receiver Robert Foster and tight end O.J. Howard.

Foster has eight catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns this season. He appears to be Coker's go-to target on the perimeter.

After catching 17 passes for 260 yards last season, Howard has seven grabs for 105 yards through two games. The 6-foot-6, 242-pound tight end is still just scratching the surface of what he can do in the passing game.

Behind those guys are ArDarius Stewart and Richard Mullaney. While they haven't connected on many, the Tide likes Stewart as a deep threat. Stewart leads the Tide with 10 receptions (65 yards). Mullaney has emerged as the sure-handed, possession receiver similar to Kevin Norwood a couple of years ago. He's also the team's backup punt returner.

Freshman receiver Calvin Ridley is another player who the offense has been trying to work into the fold. Ridley is tied for third on the team in receptions (7).

4. Henry's hot start.

Through two games, Henry has 243 yards and six rushing touchdowns. Henry's six scores has him tied for the most in the country (Old Dominion's Ray Lawry).

But how does that compare to previous Saban-era running backs in their first seasons as the starter?

During his Heisman trophy winning season in 2009, Mark Ingram had 206 yards and two scores (Virginia Tech, Florida Atlantic). Ingram didn't score his sixth rushing touchdown until the fifth game of the season. Also, Ingram had just one game with three rushing touchdowns that year in the SEC Championship game versus Florida.

In 2011, Trent Richardson scored five rushing touchdowns, but gained just 148 yards (Kent State, Penn State). That season, Richardson had three games with three or more rushing touchdowns.

Due to lingering injuries, Eddie Lacy wasn't used as much at the start of his first year as the feature back (18 carries compared to 36 for Ingram and 39 for Richardson).

Lacy had just 71 yards and a touchdown through two games (Michigan, Western Kentucky). But Lacy did finish with three games with three rushing touchdowns throughout the year.

Yeldon ran for 224 yards and two touchdowns in 2013 (Virginia Tech, Texas A&M). Yeldon had just one game in which he scored three rushing touchdowns.

One thing the previous backs have in common is a national championship. While Yeldon wasn't technically the starter in 2012, he received 175 carries to Lacy's 184.

Contact Anniston Star Sports Writer Marq Burnett at mburnett@annistonstar.com. On Twitter:@Marq_Burnett.

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 10:53 PM with the headline "ALABAMA: One last look at Tide's win over MTSU ."