| Team Stat Comparison |
| |
 |
 |
| 1st Downs |
7 |
28 |
| Total Yards |
187 |
523 |
| Passing |
126 |
263 |
| Rushing |
61 |
260 |
| Penalties |
3-27 |
2-15 |
| 3rd Down
Conversions |
4-14 |
10-14 |
| 4th Down
Conversions |
0-1 |
1-1 |
| Turnovers |
0 |
1 |
| Possession |
29:17 |
30:43 |
|
|
| North Texas
Passing |
| |
C/ATT |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
|
Tune |
16/23 |
126 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Alabama Passing |
| |
C/ATT |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
|
McElroy |
13/15 |
176 |
2 |
0 |
|
Jackson |
9/13 |
87 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
| North Texas
Receiving |
| |
REC |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
|
Dunbar |
2 |
40 |
1 |
34 |
|
Carey |
5 |
34 |
0 |
17 |
|
| Alabama
Receiving |
| |
REC |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
|
Maze |
4 |
49 |
1 |
34 |
|
Ingram |
3 |
38 |
1 |
29 |
|
| Scoring Summary |
| FIRST QUARTER |
UNT |
ALA |
|
|
TD |
07:47 |
Greg McElroy 2 Yd Run (Leigh Tiffin
Kick) |
0 |
7 |
|
|
TD |
02:52 |
Marquis Maze 34 Yd Pass From Greg
McElroy (Leigh Tiffin Kick) |
0 |
14 |
| SECOND QUARTER |
UNT |
ALA |
|
|
TD |
11:56 |
Trent Richardson 1 Yd Run (Leigh Tiffin
Kick) |
0 |
21 |
|
|
TD |
03:56 |
Mark Ingram 29 Yd Pass From Greg McElroy
(Pat Failed) |
0 |
27 |
|
|
FG |
00:00 |
Leigh Tiffin 35 Yd |
0 |
30 |
| THIRD QUARTER |
UNT |
ALA |
|
|
TD |
12:26 |
Mark Ingram 5 Yd Run (Leigh Tiffin Kick)
|
0 |
37 |
|
|
TD |
04:29 |
Terry Grant 1 Yd Run (Leigh Tiffin Kick)
|
0 |
44 |
|
|
TD |
02:11 |
Lance Dunbar 34 Yd Pass From Nathan Tune
(Jeremy Knott Kick) |
7 |
44 |
| FOURTH QUARTER |
UNT |
ALA |
|
|
FG |
11:42 |
Leigh Tiffin 20 Yd |
7 |
47 |
|
|
TD |
05:59 |
Terry Grant 9 Yd Run (Pat Failed) |
7 |
53 |
Alabama stomps North Texas in highest-scoring game since
2001
Associated Press
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --
Alabama coach Nick Saban was waiting for his team to play
solid ball for the full 60 minutes.
Well, 55 minutes and 40 seconds isn't too bad.
Fast Facts
• Greg McElroy passed for two TDs and ran for
another as Alabama made quick work of North Texas
and improved to 3-0.
• The Crimson Tide had two TDs in each of the
first two quarters and led 30-0 at the half. They
outgained the Mean Green 524 to 187, including 260
yards on the ground.
• Alabama is 19-1 all-time vs. the Sun Belt and
3-0 against North Texas.
Greg McElroy fumbled on the game's first play but just
about everything else went well for the fourth-ranked
Crimson Tide in a 53-7 victory over North Texas on Saturday.
McElroy passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another
before sitting out most of the second half, the one miscue a
distant memory.
"Until today, I wondered, 'Was this team really going to
fulfill its full potential?'" Saban said. "I just wasn't
pleased with the lack of consistency we played with in the
first two games. We played really well at times and at other
times we didn't, but I feel like we were much more solid
today and we made some improvement."
Good timing.
Mark Ingram ran for 91 yards and a TD on eight carries,
and scored on a 29-yard reception for the Tide (3-0) in its
final pre-conference tuneup before Arkansas visits last
year's SEC West champions. Freshman
Trent Richardson added 87 yards and a touchdown, and
Terry Grant scored twice and gained 79 yards.
It was the highest-scoring game for Alabama since a 56-7
win over UTEP in 2001.
Star receiver
Julio Jones missed the game with a bruised right knee,
tailback Roy Upchurch was out with a high ankle sprain and
the subs got plenty of action after Alabama raced to a 30-0
halftime lead. With starting quarterback Riley Dodge out with a separated non-throwing shoulder,
North Texas (1-2) was outgained 523-187.
"Our goal was to dominate for 60 minutes," said McElroy,
a high school teammate of Dodge. "We were able to do that."
McElroy completed 13 of 15 passes for 176 yards,
including the 29-yarder to Ingram and a 34-yard touchdown
pass to
Marquis Maze before leaving after one drive in the third
quarter. He ran for a 2-yard score against a team led by his
high school coach and Riley's father, Todd Dodge.
"That was a different experience," McElroy said. "It was
a good feeling for him to tell me he was proud of me."
Dodge left impressed with the Tide as well.
"They were as advertised," he said. "Coming in and
preparing for them, we felt like there was definitely a
reason they were ranked No. 4 in the nation. They obviously
should [be], and have high hopes of being able to play for a
national championship. They've got all the ingredients you
need: a big physical offensive line, tough running backs, an
accurate quarterback and a defense that's very tenacious."
Backup
Star Jackson led a field goal drive in the final 2:08 of
the first half and was 9 of 13 passing for 87 yards, the
first pass attempts of his career.
The only downers for Alabama: the game-opening fumble by
McElroy when he was hit after cocking his arm and Leigh
Tiffin's two missed extra points. The defense forced a
three-and-out after that fumble gave the Mean Green the ball
near midfield.
"Even though the first play wasn't good, I felt like we
dominated the line of scrimmage and the game for probably
the first time in the beginning of a game all year," Saban
said.
North Texas junior
Nathan Tune was 16 of 23 for 126 yards and a touchdown
in his first start, but got little help from a run game
stymied by the Tide's massive defensive front seven.
North Texas managed just 61 yards rushing -- most of it
in the fourth quarter -- and got seven carries for 8 yards
from leading rusher
Cam Montgomery.
"We just could not run the ball," Dodge said. "We knew it
was going to be tough going in to run against that front and
we sure tried but weren't able to get anything going."
The absence of Jones and Upchurch didn't seem to slow the
offense down much.
Alabama converted 10 of 14 third-down plays and collected
28 first downs to seven for the Mean Green. The assortment
of backs routinely sprung free for nice gains up the middle.
Tide return man Javier Arenas had a huge second half with
punt returns of 36 and 33 yards and a 61-yard kick return to
set up three scores.
Alabama had six consecutive scoring drives after McElroy
lost a fumble on the game's first play from scrimmage,
starting with a 13-play, 95-yard march.
The Tide had 11 plays of 10-plus yards in the first half.
"We came out fast, finished strong," Ingram said. "We put
two good halves together, and we should be proud of that.
"We're looking forward to getting to the SEC schedule and
make a run back at the championship."
|
