Alabama’s Terminator appeared to be running at full steam on Saturday. Despite playing with a brace on his injured right knee, Will Anderson Jr. was his usual disruptive self against Florida, recording seven tackles, including two stops for a loss in the Crimson Tide’s 31-29 victory over the Gators.
Anderson, who left Alabama’s game against Mercer after taking a blow to his knee, missed a day of practice last week and was listed as questionable for the matchup against Florida. However, the sophomore started for the Tide and never appeared to miss a beat, breaking through double teams to make his way into the backfield all afternoon.
Anderson’s biggest play came on a fourth-and-3 during the second quarter as his pressure on Emory Jones caused the Florida quarterback to force a pass that was batted down by defensive back Brian Branch.
Following his strong performance, cameras caught Anderson walking off the field under the arm of an Alabama staffer, prompting concern that he had once again suffered an injury. Although, when asked for an update on the outside linebacker after the game, Nick Saban said his star defender was just tired after playing four quarters in the sticky Florida heat.
“He was fine,” Saban said. “He played more plays probably and got tired in the game. That was probably his biggest issue. I talked to him in the locker room after the game and asked him if he had any issues, he said no. He said he did get tired in the game, though. It was humid out there.”
Young showed poise in first road start
It’s going to take more than a hostile crowd and a broken clock to rattle Bryce Young. The sophomore quarterback made his first road start Saturday, playing in front of 90,887 screaming fans inside of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Young silenced The Swamp early on, throwing touchdown passes on each of Alabama’s first three drives as the Tide jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter. However, the noise began to pick up again before the half as Alabama’s offense suffered three straight three-and-outs in the second quarter, allowing the Gators to claw their way back into the game.
“Crazy atmosphere,” Young said. “Those fans were really loud. We knew it was gonna be a hostile environment coming in, and it lived up to it, for sure. The fans were super loud. There was a lot we had to deal with. This was a really, really good team. We just played in a really, really tough environment. It was tough, but I’m super proud of us as a unit for overcoming it.”
While Young wasn’t able to maintain his clinical start to the game, he played well enough to lead Alabama to victory, completing 22 of 35 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Through three games, the five-star quarterback has completed 68 of 100 passes for 804 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception.
“I think Bryce did a really good job,” Saban said. “I think he was very composed. It was a difficult circumstance and situation to play in. We clapped some, we went on silent some. But I thought he managed the game really well, made some really, really good decisions for the most part. We did a nice job on third down, which was really important in the game. He made some good reads, guys made some good catches.”
Along with maintaining his poise amidst a raucous environment, Young managed a tricky situation late in the game as the stadium clock malfunctioned during Alabama’s final possession, forcing officials to keep track of time on the field.
With the scoreboard clock turned off Saban had to inform his quarterback when the clock was running and when it wasn’t from the sideline as the Tide’s offense looked to kill off the game while holding onto its two-point lead. While Young didn’t attempt a throw during the drive, he was able to get snaps off amidst the chaos to allow Alabama to milk the clock.
Robinson comes up clutch
Brian Robinson Jr. led Alabama with 75 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while also reeling in a 7-yard touchdown reception from Young. Although, that stat line doesn’t do the fifth-year senior enough justice.
Robinson came up big for the Tide when it mattered most, picking up a pair of crucial short-yardage situations.
The first of those came during the third quarter as Alabama faced a fourth-and-1 from the 3-yard line. Running behind blocks from left tackle Evan Neal and tight ends Kendall Randolph and Jahleel Billingsley, Robinson eased into the end zone to extend the Tide’s lead to 28-16. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound back also picked up an important first down on third-and-2 during Alabama’s final possession, allowing Alabama to take more time off the clock.
“B-Rob has proved it countless times, not just in games but in practice and the offseason,” Young said. “We have complete trust in our O-line to get the yards we need to. I have trust in all my backs, really. But it’s really a product of the work that not everyone sees on Saturdays. In the offseason, during the week, that’s how you build the trust of the players and coaches.”
Billingsley is back
Out of the dog house and into the end zone. After having his drive questioned by Saban several times during fall camp, Billingsley played a limited role in Alabama’s first two games against Miami and Mercer.
That changed Saturday as the junior tight end saw more action on offense while hauling in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Young in the first quarter. The score marked Billingsley’s first reception of the season and could signify an increased role moving forward. Last season, the 6-foot-4, 240-pounder recorded 287 yards and three touchdowns on 18 catches.
“We’re just always trying to encourage players to do the right things and do the things they need to do to create value for themselves,” Saban said of Billingsley earlier this month. “Jahleel and I have talked on several occasions because he’s certainly a guy that we want to have success for his own benefit individually as well as for the team.”
Penalties are still a problem
Penalty problems continued to haunt Alabama on Saturday as it was flagged a season-high 11 teams resulting in 75 yards. The Tide entered the game as one of the most penalized teams in the nation, piling up 17 fouls for 179 yards over its first two games.
Several of Alabama’s penalties against Florida came as a result of noisy crowd conditions as the Tide was flagged for four false starts and a delay of game on offense as well as two offsides calls on defense.
One of the costliest errors came on a pass interference call against Josh Jobe as the cornerback was whistled for the foul on a fourth-and-6 from the Alabama 41. Florida wasted no time capitalizing on the call as running back Malik Davis ran in a 26-yard touchdown the following play.
