By outreach@cw.ua.edu (Terrin Waack)
During the 2016 Alabama football season, The Crimson White will provide select stellar stats, obscure facts and notable quotes from the most recent game to take readers Behind the Process.
No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 20 Southern Cal, 52-6, in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.
Stellar stats
The attendance of 81,359 marked the seventh highest at AT&T Stadium out of college football games. The Crimson Tide is now 6-2 against the Trojans. USC scored two field goals on yards of 47 and 41 thanks to junior kicker Matt Boermeester. They were his first career attempts. Adam Griffith cracked Alabama’s Top 10 all-time scoring list after his field goal and seven extra-point kicks during Saturday’s game. He falls in at 10th with 238 points. Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen notched two sacks during the first half alone. Earlier in the week, the senior said his goal is 28 sacks by the end of the season. He recorded 12 last season.
Obscure facts
Alabama set the largest point differential among college football teams that have played at AT&T Stadium with 46. Saturday’s game signified the worst season opener for USC since 1966 when the Trojans lost 51-0 to Notre Dame. USC was on a 17-year season-opening win streak. That ended Saturday. The Trojans hadn’t played a No. 1 team since its 22-13 loss at home to Notre Dame in 2012. USC kicked the most punts in a game at AT&T Stadium with 10, totaling 403 yards. Alabama’s defense denied USC’s offense throughout the game, so much so it marked the first time since a 1997 27-0 loss to Washington that the Trojans did not score a touchdown. In regards to an opener, the last time USC did not score a touchdown was in 1960 against Oregon State, 14-0.
Best Nick Saban quote
On quarterback rotation:
“And everybody here want wanted to know who the quarterback was going to be, all right? But did anybody write when one of Southern Cla players said, ‘I wish we knew who was going to play quarterback for them?’ And isn’t that the object, to make it hard for the other team, or to make it good for you guys to write about?
“I’m wondering. I don’t know. It’s one of those hypothetical questions that you always ask me.”
Best player quote
DB Minkah Fitzpatrick – On the defense getting pumped after interception:
“That was [Marlon Humphrey’s] first pick six, so it got us really pumped up. He got into the pick six club. We needed a big play like that to get us started. That point was a really big turning point.”
Game leaders
Top 3 rushers
1. UA: Damien Harris, nine carries for 138 yards2. USC: Ronald Jones II, seven carries for 46 yards3. UA: Bo Scarbrough, 11 carries for 36 yards
Top 3 receivers (based on receptions)
1. UA: ArDarius Stewart, four receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns2. USC: Deontay Burnett, four receptions for 26 yards3. USC: Steven Mitchell Jr., four receptions for 22 yards
Top 3 passers
1. UA: Jalen Hurts, 6-11-1 for 118 yards and two touchdowns2. USC: Max Browne, 14-29-1 for 101 yards; sacked three times3. UA: Blake Barnett, 5-6-0 for 100 yards and a touchdown; sacked two times
Top 3 defenders (based on total tackles)
1. USC: Porter Gustin, nine total tackles (one sack and one tackle for loss)2. USC: Cameron Smith, nine total tackles (one fumble recovery)3. UA: Anthony Averett, eight total tackles
Alabama is 1-0 and plays Western Kentucky at home on Saturday.
Source:: The Crimson White Sports
