Alabama had a good opportunity today against New Mexico State to get ready for a tough two-game stretch against Arkansas next week and at Auburn for the Iron Bowl the week after that.
The thought of an easy matchup for Nick Saban to get a chance to tinker with lineups, formations and new plays was brought into question early in this matchup. New Mexico State took the first lead by kicking a 50-yard field goal to go up 3-0 with under five minutes left in the first quarter.
However, all of those questions were put to bed as Alabama then scored 49 unanswered points in the rest of the first half on their way to a 59-3 win for the Crimson Tide.
Balanced offensive attack
Today, Bama ran the ball 41 times and tossed out 37 passes. That level of offensive balance is a good sign for anybody watching Alabama football.
Although the balance is not necessary by any means, (see Alabama’s 2020 offense), it is a huge help for any team. What that balance can do for a team is keep their opponents guessing, and leave wide open passes, or running lanes for the offense. If you can keep the defense guessing, you have them right where you want them.
There have been other weeks where Alabama has been pretty well balanced on offense; this was clearly a plan to keep this on track to carry that type of play calling into the next two games hosting Arkansas and at Auburn.
Most times a team is going to blow out a cupcake, they pull ahead early and then run the ball melt the clock, but the Crimson Tide clearly used this game to form a good habit and plan.
Bryce Young starts to prove his case for the Heisman Trophy
Young once again continued to show the nation why he deserves to be a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.
Young was super accurate in this game, completing 21-23 passes for a 91% completion rate against the New Mexico State Aggies defense. He threw for 270 yards, with an average of over 11 yards per pass this game.
He hasn’t quite gotten comfortable with using his legs, which is fine. Any star quarterback is probably better off staying safe than sorry, and Alabama does not want their star player to get hurt this close to the end of the season.
Injury update
Unfortunately, running back Roydell Williams, who was someone to keep an eye on entering the game, suffered an injury in today’s matchup early in the game and did not return.
After the win, Nick Saban advised that wide receiver JoJo Earle and Williams both had injuries in the first half of this game. Both injuries were leg injuries, more specifically having to do with the knees.
On the potential time that may be missed by Earle and Williams, Saban said, “[Roydell Williams will probably be out for a good while.” Earl is expected to be out for a few weeks.
Hayden Crigler is a contributing college football and college basketball writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him through email: [email protected] or on Twitter: @hayden_crigler.
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