Written by Adrian Beecher
Arlington, TX- Damien Harris rushed for 138 yards and 2 TD's on just nine carries for Alabama, and wide receiver ArDarius Stewart added 113 receiving yards and 2 TD's of his own as the Crimson Tide dismantled the USC Trojans 52-6 in the 2016 Advocare Cowboys Classic.
USC’s opening drive got things underway in Arlington as the Trojans marched 46 yards down the field to setup a 47 yard Matt Boermeester.
USC’s Max Browne opened up the night completing his first eight passes for 68 yards, but after that, it was a nightmare for the 1st year starter. The next five drives, Browne would complete just 1 of 8 passes as the Trojans were forced into five straight 3 and outs. He finished the game 14 of 29 passing for 101 yards; that tallies up to 6 for 21 after his 8 for eight start.
Just before USC’s 5th 3 and out, Alabama got their first points of the game with a 39 yard TD pass from Jalen Hurts to ArDarius Stewart to make it 7-3 with 7:46 left in the 2nd quarter.
Then on the Tide’s next drive they were able to continue where they able to keep their momentum as they added a field goal to their total. Then on the kickoff, USC’s Jabari Ruffin was ejected for stomping on a Bama player. This pushed the Trojans inside their 12-yard line.
On the Trojans second play from scrimmage, Max Browne’s pass was deflected and then intercepted by Marlon Humphrey who took it 18 yards for the score to make it 17-3 with 2:37 left to play in the half.
The Trojans would not get anything else going on their next possession and the Tide happily took their 17-3 lead into the locker room at the half.
The second half started like the 1st half ended, with Alabama in the end zone. This time, it came again with a pass from Hurts to Stewart that came from a busted coverage play when both USC defenders left their assignment and blitzed the quarterback. This left Stewart wide open to take it 71 yards into the end zone giving the Crimson Tide a 24-3 lead.
Then after USC went 3 and out on their first 2nd half possession, Chris Tilbey fumbled the punt. This setup Bama 1st and ten at the Trojans 13-yard line. Four rushing plays later, Jalen Hurts found himself in the end zone to give the Tide a 31 to 3 lead with 10:49 still left to play in the 3rd.
Two USC three and outs later, the Tide once again went to work. On 2nd and four from their 21-yard line, Damien Harris made a cut in the backfield, split through the defensive line to find a hole, then took it 73 yards to paydirt. With 5:44 left in the 3rd, Alabama was up 38-3, and the game was all but over.
USC was able to score a field goal on their next possession, which would be their final points of the game. Alabama on the other hand, they were far from finished. The Crimson Tide would add 2 more Touchdown score in the 4th quarter to pour salt into the Trojans wounds.
When the final whistle blew, it was a 52-6 shellacking by the tide of the Trojans. However, Alabama head coach Nick Saban was still not satisfied, saying they still have much work to do.
"If you want to know the truth about it, I wasn't pleased with the way we played. And, again, you know, if you look at your internal scoreboard rather than the external scoreboard and you say, "What do we need to do to improve? What do we need to do to get better?" Well, you just get satisfied with the result that we got. So you don't take coaching, you don't try to improve, you don't think that there are things that we can improve on, then we've got some really tough games with some really good teams. If we don't get better, we're going to struggle. And we play some of those teams in very tough places to play." said Saban.
In the end, the Tide are off to a great start to their National Title defense, and they look to be primed for a return to the College Football Playoff. They now turn their focus to Western Kentucky whom they will play in their home opener on Saturday, September 10th in Tuscaloosa.
USC on the other hand still has much work to do to get back into Title contention. Still head coach Clay Helton is confident that this is just a learning experience, and his team will rebound from this game.
"As I went through the game, obviously, I kept on saying to the guys, every play is an investment for our future; that, you know, every rep that we get against this type of team is going to be an investment. It did not turn out like we wanted it to tonight. And we're going to see the issues that came up and fix them. But these kids will retaliate. They are going to come back and they're going to do a great job. I know it. I saw it in their eye, that they want better for our team. And I know they will do better."
USC will now turn their focus to Utah State whom they will play September 10th in their home opener at the LA Coliseum.
USC’s opening drive got things underway in Arlington as the Trojans marched 46 yards down the field to setup a 47 yard Matt Boermeester.
USC’s Max Browne opened up the night completing his first eight passes for 68 yards, but after that, it was a nightmare for the 1st year starter. The next five drives, Browne would complete just 1 of 8 passes as the Trojans were forced into five straight 3 and outs. He finished the game 14 of 29 passing for 101 yards; that tallies up to 6 for 21 after his 8 for eight start.
Just before USC’s 5th 3 and out, Alabama got their first points of the game with a 39 yard TD pass from Jalen Hurts to ArDarius Stewart to make it 7-3 with 7:46 left in the 2nd quarter.
Then on the Tide’s next drive they were able to continue where they able to keep their momentum as they added a field goal to their total. Then on the kickoff, USC’s Jabari Ruffin was ejected for stomping on a Bama player. This pushed the Trojans inside their 12-yard line.
On the Trojans second play from scrimmage, Max Browne’s pass was deflected and then intercepted by Marlon Humphrey who took it 18 yards for the score to make it 17-3 with 2:37 left to play in the half.
The Trojans would not get anything else going on their next possession and the Tide happily took their 17-3 lead into the locker room at the half.
The second half started like the 1st half ended, with Alabama in the end zone. This time, it came again with a pass from Hurts to Stewart that came from a busted coverage play when both USC defenders left their assignment and blitzed the quarterback. This left Stewart wide open to take it 71 yards into the end zone giving the Crimson Tide a 24-3 lead.
Then after USC went 3 and out on their first 2nd half possession, Chris Tilbey fumbled the punt. This setup Bama 1st and ten at the Trojans 13-yard line. Four rushing plays later, Jalen Hurts found himself in the end zone to give the Tide a 31 to 3 lead with 10:49 still left to play in the 3rd.
Two USC three and outs later, the Tide once again went to work. On 2nd and four from their 21-yard line, Damien Harris made a cut in the backfield, split through the defensive line to find a hole, then took it 73 yards to paydirt. With 5:44 left in the 3rd, Alabama was up 38-3, and the game was all but over.
USC was able to score a field goal on their next possession, which would be their final points of the game. Alabama on the other hand, they were far from finished. The Crimson Tide would add 2 more Touchdown score in the 4th quarter to pour salt into the Trojans wounds.
When the final whistle blew, it was a 52-6 shellacking by the tide of the Trojans. However, Alabama head coach Nick Saban was still not satisfied, saying they still have much work to do.
"If you want to know the truth about it, I wasn't pleased with the way we played. And, again, you know, if you look at your internal scoreboard rather than the external scoreboard and you say, "What do we need to do to improve? What do we need to do to get better?" Well, you just get satisfied with the result that we got. So you don't take coaching, you don't try to improve, you don't think that there are things that we can improve on, then we've got some really tough games with some really good teams. If we don't get better, we're going to struggle. And we play some of those teams in very tough places to play." said Saban.
In the end, the Tide are off to a great start to their National Title defense, and they look to be primed for a return to the College Football Playoff. They now turn their focus to Western Kentucky whom they will play in their home opener on Saturday, September 10th in Tuscaloosa.
USC on the other hand still has much work to do to get back into Title contention. Still head coach Clay Helton is confident that this is just a learning experience, and his team will rebound from this game.
"As I went through the game, obviously, I kept on saying to the guys, every play is an investment for our future; that, you know, every rep that we get against this type of team is going to be an investment. It did not turn out like we wanted it to tonight. And we're going to see the issues that came up and fix them. But these kids will retaliate. They are going to come back and they're going to do a great job. I know it. I saw it in their eye, that they want better for our team. And I know they will do better."
USC will now turn their focus to Utah State whom they will play September 10th in their home opener at the LA Coliseum.