How Alabamaâs backups performed in win over Chattanooga
As Dixieland Delight started to echo through Bryant-Denny Stadium, much of the upper deck had already emptied out. The word “BEAT” that Alabama football pipes in through the loudspeaker to cover up a profanity directed by fans toward Auburn was the loudest part of the tradition, late in the Crimson Tide’s 66-10 win against Chattanooga.
The FCS Mocs did their best, especially running back Gino Appleberry, who rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown. However, they were simply outmatched by the Tide, which moved to 10-1 on the season with the victory.
After the game, Nick Saban said UA dressed every healthy player, leading to “I think 134 guys” in uniform. Saban and company went deep into the bench, getting playing time for some of Alabama’s young talent.
“It’s good for their development,” Saban said. “It’s good for their experience. Obviously they can learn and grow from that as well, but just having the opportunity to play in a game in Bryant-Denny Stadium has got to be a great experience for some of these guys and we certainly appreciate the work that they do all year to help the other players get ready to play.”
Most noticeably, redshirt freshman Ty Simpson and true freshman Dylan Lonergan got in at quarterback in the second half, after Jalen Milroe put up 197 passing yards and three touchdowns. Lonergan played at the very end, completing of his pass attempts for 12 yards.
Simpson got extended action. His most memorable play was a 78-yard run that ended unfortunately, when he dropped the ball short of the goal line on what appeared to be a touchdown. That mistake upset Saban, but the coach was generally positive about Simpson’s performance.
“That’s gonna be a learning experience for him,” Saban said. “But I thought Ty played well today and the opportunity that he’s had the last two weeks to play has certainly, probably improved his confidence and it’s good that he gets some experience so if he needs to play he’s going to be able to go in there and execute.”
Quarterback wasn’t the only position where Alabama was able to go to the bench. All told, over 50 Crimson Tide players saw the field according to the postgame participation report released by the program.
On defense, players like Keanu Koht, Shawn Murphy, Edric Hill and more showed up on the stat sheet. Conor Talty got on the field to kick off.
At running back, Richard Young and Justice Haynes each scored their first touchdowns. Haynes finished the day with 42 yards and two scores.
“Justice is a really good player,” Saban said. “Probably hadn’t got as many opportunities as we’d like for him to because of the depth at that position. But I was very pleased with the way he played.”
The schedule gets more difficult again next week, when the Crimson Tide visits Auburn for the Iron Bowl. After that, Alabama will play Georgia in the SEC championship game.
Beyond that, things are uncertain. Alabama entered the week at No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings, needing to win out and get some help to make the field. Regardless of how it turns out, having more players on the team with game experience can’t hurt down the stretch.
“Got to play a ton of guys,” Saban said. “Always happy to be able to do that.”