Game Day, Part III

In the first game of his second season at Alabama, coach Nick Saban finally got a signature win, as the Crimson Tide rolled over Clemson, 34–10, in front of a crowd of 70,097 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

“I’m obviously very proud of our team,” said Saban, who improves to 10–3 in season-openers. “Finishing the game has been our motto for the season. The game tonight epitomized that.”

Bama’s defense held the Tigers rushing attack — headlined by James “Thunder” Davis and C.J. “Lightning” Spiller — to zero yards on the ground. Davis managed 13 yards on six carries, while Spiller could only gain seven yards on his two touches out of the backfield.

The Crimson Tide also dominated time of possession (41:13-to-18:47), ran for 239 yards and committed zero turnovers, while forcing two turnovers and limiting Clemson to just 188 total yards of offense.

Quarterback John Parker Wilson, who seemingly personified last year’s inconsistent Bama team, completed 22-of-30 passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns and zero picks. Wilson also surpassed Brodie Croyle’s school record for career completions (488), posting his 500th successful throw-and-catch.

“The way we came out today, the way we started, the way we maintained,” said Wilson. “I think that says a lot about our guys.”

The senior leader made sound decisions all night, but it was a tio of freshmen — receiver Julio Jones, running back Mark Ingram and linebacker Dont’a Hightower — who have diehard Bama fans feeling optimistic about this season and the direction of the program.

Jones, who caught a third-quarter touchdown, and Hightower, who recovered a first-quarter fumble, became just the ninth and tenth true freshmen to start the season-opener at Alabama since 1991.

Ingram, the son and namesake of the Super Bowl winning Giants wide receiver, had a game-high 97 yards on 17 carries. The freshman running back combined with junior back Glen Coffee, who had 90 yards on 17 carries, to give Bama the type of one-two punch on the ground that most expected Clemson to have on display.

Defensively, 21 different players made tackles for the Crimson Tide. On special teams, kicker Leigh Tiffin was 4-of-4 on field goal attempts, including a career-long 54-yarder to give Bama a 3–0 lead. As usual, Javier Arenas was a threat in the return game.

Whether the Tide is rising ahead of schedule or Clemson coach Tommy Bowden is just struggling to live up to lofty expectations, it’s too soon to tell. But for at least one night, Alabama looked like a force to be reckoned with for the first time in quite some time.

“We came out with a different mindset,” said Wilson. “Making good decisions was the big focus today. I think we did that, took care of the ball. We didn’t put ourselves in any bad situations, and the way our defense is running, that’s all we had to do.”

Gateway to the Best

There was another neutral site match-up in prime time, with Missouri defeating Illinois, 52–42, in a high-octane offensive shootout at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

The Tigers took a 31–13 lead into halftime before the Illini, led by gun-slinging quarterback Juice Williams, made a late charge to pull within a 10-point final margin.

Williams finished the night having competed 26-of-42 passes for 451 yards, five scoring strikes and two interceptions. A dual-threat runner last year, Juice let loose with his right arm in this season’s opener, which could be a sign of things to come.

Meanwhile, the night’s expected rocket launcher, Mizzou signal-caller and Heisman Trophy hopeful Chase Daniel, completed 26-of-45 passes for 323 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. But it was running back Derrick Washington who proved to be the Tigers’ workhorse, rushing for 130 yards on 19 carries, with scoring romps of 7 and 40 yards.

Dynamic playmaker Jeremy Maclin had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter, allowing coach Gary Pinkel’s team to regain a 17–13 lead immediately following an interception return for a touchdown by Illinois defensive end Derek Walker.

Speaking of interception returns, Mizzou linebacker Sean Weatherspoon — who knocked Juice out of last year’s border battle — had a 35-yard pick-six late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Tigers.