Alabama recognized nine players for their play in the North Texas game. Here is the official release via UA Media Relations:

Alabama Coaches Recognize Players of the Week Following North Texas Victory
Nine Alabama players were recognized for their outstanding play by the coaching staff following the Crimson Tide’s 41-0 win over North Texas as announced by head coach Nick Saban Monday. Tailbacks Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy, along with tight end Brad Smelley were named players of the week on offense while safety Mark Barron, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, safety Robert Lester and linebacker Courtney Upshaw represented the defense. On special teams, linebacker Jerrell Harris and safety Will Lowery were selected.

Richardson ran for a career-high 167 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries. He is now tied for the national lead in scoring with eight touchdowns on the year. Lacy ran nine times for a career-best 161 yards with two scores. It marked the first time in school history that two backs ran for 150 or more yards in a single game. Smelley tied for the team lead with four catches for 46 yards with a long of 20 yards while also contributing as a blocker in the run game. UA ranks second in the SEC in rushing offense (242.0 ypg) and total offense (475.4 ypg) while scoring 38.7 points per game.

The defense recorded the first shutout for the Crimson Tide since the Chattanooga game on November 11, 2009. Barron had seven tackles to tie for the team lead while Hightower added five, Upshaw totaled four and Lester had two. Upshaw tallied a team-high three tackles for loss and also led the way with three QB hurries. Hightower was credited with two stops behind the line of scrimmage with one hurry. Lester blocked a field goal to preserve the shutout. North Texas had just one first down and 25 total yards in the first half Saturday night. Alabama leads the SEC in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense.

Harris and Lowery were in on three special teams tackles each and they both had a tackle inside the 20 along with a big hit. Harris is a member of the kickoff and punt team while Lowery is on kickoff return, punt return and kickoff.

One thought on “Alabama Football: Coaches name Players of the Week for North Texas game”

  1. FWIW, Bama once had four backs top 100 yards on the ground in the same game.

    On Oct. 27, 1973, Alabama beat Virginia Tech 77-6. The Crimson Tide set records for most total offense (833), highest average yards per play (11.9), most rushing yards (748) and most extra points (11) in the win over Tech. All four remain as school and SEC records today. In addition, four Tide players rushed for 100 yards in the win, including Jimmy Taylor (142), Wilbur Jackson (138), Calvin Culliver (127) and Richard Todd (102). I’m not sure how many time Bama threw the ball, but they did pickup 85 yards passing.

    Ironically, I would love to hear later this week that the Hokies are coming to the SEC along with W. Va., Missouri and, of course, Tx A&M, to make the SEC the first 16 team superconference.

    TCU or Louisville would seem more likely, though, with the Big East imploding and the ACC jacking up the exit fee, if the Mountaineers and Mizzou both jump on board.

    The horney toads play better football, but Louisville has a better pedigree in basketball and would enhance the SEC’s profile in the Big Dance. Plus, the Cardinals would add the “balance” Mike Slive could be looking for by giving the SEC two new teams from the East and two new teams from the West.

    Don’t know if Kentucky would go along with Louisville, but looks like the SEC is headed for 16 teams anyway and this would be one way to go ahead and get it done.

Comments are closed.