BAMA-MIAMI: Tide breaks in new quarterback in rout of Canes
Alabama defeated Miami, Fla. in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta on Saturday. (Alabama Media Relations)
By TIM GAYLE
Bryce Young was nearly flawless, directing the Alabama offense to points on its first five offensive possessions of the 2021 season to help the top-ranked Crimson Tide crush 14th-ranked Miami 44-13 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic on Saturday.
Young set school records in his debut with a performance that seemed to catch both coaches off guard. The normally reserved Nick Saban saved his highest praise for his pupil, while Miami coach Manny Diaz admitted he thought the Hurricane defense would force the sophomore into bad decisions.
“We thought they’d run the ball a lot more,” Diaz said. “But even with the way it ended up shaking down, we still got them in what we thought were favorable third-down situations. The unknown was how he would react when a play broke down. We knew turnovers would be a big deal, trying to pressure him into turning the ball over.
“They have a lot of confidence in him. Obviously, he’s earned it. The way he played tonight, for a young guy, was very impressive because we tried to make it hard, changing looks and getting him on the run.”
Young guided the Crimson Tide to the end zone on the game’s first possession, hitting John Metchie with a 37-yard touchdown pass. Two Will Reichard field goals and a pair of Cameron Latu scoring receptions later, the Tide was firmly in control, leading 27-0 in the second quarter.
“I think Bryce did really, really well,” Saban said. “He’s smart. I think most people just look at the stats and say ‘he was whatever he was for whatever he was for this many yards’ but, you know, he redirects the protection and plays like a veteran out there. I was really impressed with the way he played in the game, the poise he played with, the command that he had. When we had opportunities to make plays on third down and a couple of other explosive plays, he certainly did a great job of getting the ball to the right guy at the right time in the right place. So I was really pleased.”
Young completed 27 of 38 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns, the most yards and points ever for a starting quarterback in his debut at Alabama. His four TD passes broke the debut record of three set by Joe Namath against Georgia in 1962 and tied by Mac Jones vs. Arkansas in 2019.
“It felt great,” Young said of his much-anticipated debut after Jones’ record-setting season in leading the Tide to the 2020 national championship. “Obviously, any time there’s an offseason there’s a lot of anticipation. You start to get a little anxious but for us to get the first one out of the way, we did some good things but there’s some stuff for us to improve on. It’s fun, always, to be out there with my guys so it was definitely a lot of fun but we have a lot of growth and improvement left to do.”
Young’s performance overshadowed that of Miami quarterback D’Eriq King, who has been hyped by the Hurricanes as a Heisman candidate after overcoming offseason knee surgery. While King had his moments, he also had the bigger burden of trying to move the ball against the heralded Alabama defense.
“I thought the difference in the game was third-down offense,” Diaz said. “I thought their quarterback made some plays, keeping plays alive outside the pocket that extended drives that kept our offense off the field. Offensively, we had a hard time getting any rhythm because of that and I just thought their (defensive) front is as advertised.”
Hurricane supporters had promised “The U” was back, similar to claims last season that quickly faded after a 42-17 debacle at Clemson. Diaz shot down any similarities, giving credit to Alabama.
“I didn’t feel it was (similar) for a couple of reasons,” he said. “To be honest, trying to explain why I didn’t feel it was is not worth trying to explain why it wasn’t. Like I said, and I’ll speak for when they had the football, which they had the majority of the first half, they were just making more plays than us on third down. I didn’t see a lack of competitiveness, I didn’t see a lack of toughness. I saw football things happening in a football game that allowed them to maintain possession. It doesn’t matter because the result, as you say, is the same, so read into it what you want but I think they’ll be some things -- under the rubble of the loss when we look at the film tomorrow -- that will give us encouragement moving forward.”
There were plenty more encouraging things to see on the other sideline, starting with Young. He was asked after the game if he was living up to the high standards that have followed him around for most of his career.
“For me, external pressure is something that will always be there,” he said. “It’s not something I’m focused on. It’s just doing what I can to execute the game plan, us coming out and working during the week and executing on the weekend. I’m not really a big-picture guy. It’s what week are we on, who are we preparing for and that’s all I was focused on.”
Next week, he’ll be focused on the Tide’s home opener when Alabama plays host to Mercer on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.