re: Bama Football Tidings

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No. 2-ranked Alabama advanced to 2-0 with its 62-10 win over New Mexico State on Saturday in the Crimson Tide’s home opener. And in its Week 2 non-conference game, a total of 17 true freshmen from Alabama’s No. 1-ranked signing class from the 2019 recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite, saw the field in their home debuts at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Last week, 14 freshmen played against Duke, and one week later, four more players entered the game for the Tide in tight end Jahleel Billingsley, offensive linemen Pierce Quick and Tanner Bowles and linebacker King Mwikuta. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was the only freshman that participated in the Week 1 game in Atlanta that did not see the field against NMSU Saturday.

On top of the five players that started in Week 1, safety Jordan Battle was in the starting lineup this weekend at safety opposite of Xavier McKinney in Alabama’s defensive nickel formation.

Here are all the freshmen that entered the game in Alabama’s home opener in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

KEILAN ROBINSON
No. 15 RB, No. 244 overall in 2019 rankings
Robinson entered the game at running back in the third quarter and carried the ball five times for 80 yards and a touchdown. His 74-yard touchdown run gave Alabama a 62-7 lead with 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Robinson also lined up on kickoff return late in the game.

“We’ve been wanting to bring Keilan Robinson along because he’s the one guy that has juice that is a guy that’s a little different style of back than the other two guys that we play,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “So, hopefully, he’ll gain some confidence from making a great, long run today, and that’ll help him and we can utilize his skillset in the future.”

JORDAN BATTLE
No. 2 S, No. 43 overall in 2019 rankings
Battle started the game at strong safety and went on to play on all four special teams units (punt return, punt, kickoff and kickoff return). He finished the home opener with five total tackles.

SHANE LEE
No. 5 ILB, No. 78 overall in 2019 rankings
Lee started at Mike linebacker for the second game in a row and recorded five tackles, including one tackle for loss. He also saw the field on special teams on kickoff returns early in the game.

DJ DALE
No. 18 DT, No. 254 overall in 2019 rankings
Dale started at nose guard and recorded two tackles and one quarterback hurry.

CHRISTIAN HARRIS
No. 6 ILB, No. 110 overall in 2019 rankings
Harris started opposite Lee at the Will linebacker spot and also recorded one tackle.

EVAN NEAL
No. 1 OT, No. 7 overall in 2019 rankings
Neal started at left guard for the second game in a row.

WILL REICHARD
No. 1 K in 2019 rankings
Reichard was Alabama’s starter on field goals and kickoffs and made the third and fourth field goal tries of his career from 48 and 49 yards out, respectively. He was a perfect 8-for-8 on extra points and all but one of his kickoffs went for a touchback. Reichard also jogged out for one punt late in the game after sophomore Skyler DeLong started the game and kicked a 39-yard punt

BYRON YOUNG
No. 8 DT, No. 77 overall in 2019 rankings
Young entered the game as a reserve defensive end in the third quarter and recorded three tackles.

DEMARCCO HELLAMS
No. 8 S, No. 84 overall in 2019 rankings
Hellams appeared on kickoffs in the second quarter and lined up in the slot on defense in the second half. He recorded three tackles and shared the credit for a sack.

KING MWIKUTA
No. 9 WDE, No. 158 overall in 2019 rankings
Mwikuta made his first appearance on kickoffs in the third quarter and later lined up at outside linebacker. He recorded three tackles.

SCOOBY CARTER
No. 9 CB, No. 91 overall in 2019 rankings
Carter entered the game at left cornerback in the fourth quarter. He recorded one tackle.

JOHN METCHIE
No. 40 WR, No. 275 overall in 2019 rankings
Metchie was a reserve wide receiver off the bench in the first quarter but did not record any stats(actually caught 1 pass for -3 yards). He also contributed on special teams, playing on some kickoffs and punt returns.

MARCUS BANKS
No. 13 CB, No. 127 overall in 2019 rankings
Banks entered the game on kickoffs in the second quarter. He did not record any stats.

DARRIAN DALCOURT
No. 11 OG, No. 177 overall in 2019 rankings
Dalcourt entered the game at center in the third quarter.

PIERCE QUICK
No. 7 OT, No. 40 overall in 2019 rankings
Quick entered the game at left guard in the third quarter

JAHLEEL BILLINGSLEY
No. 11 TE, No. 308 overall in 2019 rankings
Billingsley entered the game at tight end in the third quarter. He did not record any stats.

TANNER BOWLES
No. 19 OG, No. 290 overall in 2019 rankings
Bowles blocked for field goals in the third quarter.

TRACKING FRESHMEN PARTICIPATION
Below, we track how many games Alabama’s freshmen have appeared in in 2019.
1. Evan Neal (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
2. Piece Quick (1) -- New Mexico State
3. Jordan Battle (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
4. Byron Young (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
5. Shane Lee (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
6. DeMarcco Hellams (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
7. Scooby Carter (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
8. Christian Harris (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
9. Marcus Banks (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
10. King Mwikuta (1) -- New Mexico State
11. Darrian Dalcourt (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
12. Taulia Tagovailoa (1) -- Duke
13. Keilan Robinson (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
14. DJ Dale (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
15. John Metchie (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State
16. Tanner Bowles (1) -- New Mexico State
17. Jahleel Billingsley (1) -- New Mexico State
18. Will Reichard (2) -- Duke, New Mexico State

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Alabama entered Saturday’s game against New Mexico State favored by 55 points. It was the Tide’s first meeting with a non-Power 5 opponent since The Citadel last November, a contest remembered for a sluggish start and tied score at halftime.

The Aggies never posed such a threat to Alabama but still managed to hold the Tide’s offensive starters to consecutive three-and-out possessions in the first quarter. Alabama’s backups also drew the postgame ire of Nick Saban for going three-and-out twice in the fourth quarter and allowing New Mexico State to hold the ball for nearly the final eight minutes.
Here is a phase-by-phase look at Alabama’s performance in their 62-10 win that improved their record to 2-0:

Passing offense: B
Tua Tagovailoa (16 of 24 for 227 yards and three touchdowns) played the entire first half and the first drive of the second half. His passing efficiency (187.4) and Total QBR (88.5) were both the fifth-lowest since he became the starter at the beginning of last season. His accuracy, touch and overall connection with his receivers left something to be desired at points Saturday, especially during a stretch late in the first quarter when four of five throws fell incomplete. Tagovailoa was able to bail the Tide out of a pair of third-and-long situations in New Mexico State territory during the first half that both led to touchdowns. One third-and-11 strike went to Jerry Jeudy for a 23-yard score, one of three receiving touchdowns for Jeudy, tying a single-game school record.
Backup Mac Jones entered in the third quarter and played the remainder of the game, completing 5 of 9 passes for 58 yards and one touchdown to Jeudy. Jones had less success once the Tide’s top receivers came out of the game, missing 6-foot-6 receiver Tyrell Shavers on a third-and-5 late in the third quarter and completing passes short of the sticks on third downs in the fourth quarter.

Rushing offense: B-
Alabama’s 318 rushing yards were their most since a win over Ole Miss in 2017 but overall the running game did not pass the eye test. Of those 318 yards and four rushing touchdowns, 174 and three touchdowns came on three plays: a 75-yard backward swing pass from Tagovailoa to Henry Ruggs on the game’s first play, a 25-yard scramble by Tagovailoa in the second quarter and a 74-yard scamper by freshman Keilan Robinson late in the third quarter. Alabama gained 144 yards on its other 29 rushing attempts, a 5.0 yards-per-carry average that was weighed down by 10 carries of three yards or less in non-short yardage situations. Six of those runs came in the first half by either Najee Harris or Brian Robinson Jr. when the Tide’s starting offense was on the field, which should be concerning against an Aggies defense that ranked 125th against the run last season.

“I think we’ve still got to work on running the ball a little bit more efficiently and effectively,” Saban said.

Injuries and shifting along the offensive line might have played a role Saturday. With starting center Chris Owens and backup Emil Ekiyor both out, right guard Landon Dickerson slid inside and Matt Womack entered the lineup.

Rushing defense: B+
The least concerning phase for much of Saturday’s game was the run defense. New Mexico State gained only one first down rushing through the first three quarters. That changed in the fourth quarter when Aggies running back Josh Foley broke a 22-yard run, New Mexico State’s longest of the day. On their next possession, the Aggies ran the ball 11 times in a 13-play stretch and gained four first downs on the ground. That sequence seemed to irritate Saban, who said after the game, “I think we got really sloppy at the end of the game when we played a lot of 2s. I was not pleased with the way they executed. … The defense never stopped them the last [eight] minutes of the game.”

Passing defense: A-
The one major hiccup of the afternoon for Alabama’s pass defense came on a 44-yard third-quarter completion from Aggies quarterback Josh Adkins to receiver Tony Nicholson. Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs remained on the field after the play and was carried to the medical tent, where he later emerged after experiencing cramps. That big gain set up a 4-yard scoring pass from Adkins, the Aggies’ only touchdown of the game and a mark against an Alabama red-zone defense that did not allow a touchdown to Duke on two trips inside the 20-yard line in the opener. Outside of his 44-yard strike, Adkins threw for only 117 yards in the blowout and was intercepted once, by Patrick Surtain II.

Special teams: A-
Freshman kicker Will Reichard did not have luck on his side when he had both of his field goals in the opener bounce off the uprights. There was no question about either of his attempts Saturday, from 48 and 49 yards. The first two successful field goals of his college career helped earn him the trust of Tagovailoa and fans, who loudly cheered the scores. Reichard also boomed nine of his 11 kickoffs for touchbacks and hit all eight of his extra point attempts. The only significant strike against Alabama’s special teams came on the Aggies’ first punt, which was returned by Jaylen Waddle 77 yards for a touchdown but called back on an illegal block in the back penalty.

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The betting line is out for this weekend’s matchup between Alabama and South Carolina, and the second-ranked Crimson Tide is a three-touchdown betting favorite over its second opponent.

Alabama opened as a 21-point favorite over South Carolina, according to Circa Sports, the sportsbook at the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The line has since moved to -22 on Sunday.

The Crimson Tide will open SEC play on the road when it travels to Columbia, S.C., to face the Gamecocks at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS. Alabama leads the all-time series with South Carolina, 10-4, but the Gamecocks won the last meeting in 2010 when UA last traveled to Columbia, 35-21.

That will not be the last time you are reminded of that game this week.

South Carolina opened the 2019 season with a 24-20 loss to North Carolina but convincingly defeated Charleston Southern, 72-10, this past weekend. The Gamecocks will be without their starting quarterback Jake Bentley because of a foot injury. In his place behind center will be Ryan Hilinski, who threw for 282 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against Charleston Southern.

South Carolina will host Alabama in the third week of the season, but the Tide is just one of the many challenges that await Will Muschamp and company. The Gamecocks play North Carolina and Clemson in non-conference play, as well as Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M in SEC games.

“Everybody knows what kind of schedule we’ve got,” senior offensive lineman Donell Stanley said. “We’ve got a schedule that can make us or break us. We just have to have the mindset every week of coming out and wanting to dominate, and if you aren’t with it, you need to leave.”

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