Written by Christopher Walsh at Bleacher Reports.com
The most telling offensive numbers from the University of Alabama’s game against Southern California on Saturday may have been the ones at the bottom of the statistics page, or those that weren’t listed at all.
They include sophomore wide receiver Calvin Ridley having a mere two receptions for nine yards, the quarterbacks combining for only 12 completions, sophomore running back Bo Scarbrough averaging just 3.3 yards per carry and junior wide receiver Robert Foster not having any receptions at all.
If you had told Alabama fans those numbers beforehand, they might have shown some serious concern. Instead, it outgained No. 20 USC 242-64 on the ground, 223-130 in the air and crushed the Trojans 52-6.
“We have a lot of talent on offense at every position on the field,” senior wide receiver Gehrig Dieter said. “We have a lot of depth on offense.”
Yes it does. Although Alabama felt like it didn’t play that well at AT&T Stadium, or nowhere near its potential, one obvious thing from the game was that its playmakers were as good as advertised. For each one who didn’t have a big night, another did.
Sophomore running back Damien Harris, who was probably a little extra motivated by all the offseason attention Scarbrough received, had 138 rushing yards on nine carries.
Junior wide receiver ArDarius Stewart had a huge game with four receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Dieter, a graduate transfer from Bowling Green, caught his first touchdown pass with the Crimson Tide.
Those would be impressive showings in almost any game, but this was for a team that has yet to forge an offensive identity and is still in the middle of a quarterback competition.
It’s like the idiom of a kid in a candy store—how does offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin choose?
“I think we’ll do a lot more trying to keep the defense on their toes,” senior tight end O.J. Howard said last week. “So I think we’ll have a chance to take shots, like even starting off early in the game. And I think that’ll be helpful for us with so much potential and so much talent that we have on the offensive side of the ball. I think that’s something different we’ll change up.”
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