Alabama Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama defensive end Damion Square smiled when he remembered last year's game against Ole Miss.

"It was a good day," he said with a laugh, thinking back on the 52-7 win in Oxford, Miss.

The Crimson Tide dominated from start to finish that day, out gaining Ole Miss 615 yards to 141. The defense racked up five sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Square, then a junior, had three tackles, including one and half that resulted in negative yards.

"The defense got after them pretty well," he said.

But that was then and this is now.

No. 1 Alabama began preparation for a new-look Ole Miss team on Monday afternoon, one guided by new philosophies under first-year coach Hugh Freeze, who has the Rebels at 3-1 heading into their SEC opener.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said the Rebels are a "much, much improved team" with Freeze at the helm. On offense, Ole Miss has gotten better, increasing from 16.1 points per game in 2011 to 36.8 in 2012.

"They have been very, very impressive," Saban said. "The no-huddle style is a little bit like Auburn used to be when Gus Malzahn [was there]. They're playing hard, they're playing with a lot of spirit. They've got a lot of good skill players."

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The defending BCS National Champs have their own trading card set, and Michele Steele is joined by Upper Deck brand manager Brandon Miller to discuss what collectors can expect to find in it

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- One man's loss is another man's gain.

Kevin Norwood was on the wrong end of that equation during Saturday's game against Florida Atlantic. Alabama's leading pass-catcher coming into the weekend was forced to sit idly on the bench, waiting out the clock as an injured foot kept him sidelined.

Meanwhile, his fellow receivers didn't miss a beat.

On the third play of the game, Norwood's backup, Kenny Bell, caught a short pass on a crossing route, turned upfield and went 85 yards to the end zone.

"Norwood is like our brother," Bell said after the game. "So we just took everything and put it on our back and played for him today."

Every receiver on the two-deep depth chart had a reception against FAU, other than Norwood, who played just a few snaps before finding a spot on the bench. Bell caught his first touchdown of the year. DeAndrew White had his first game with more than one catch, connecting with quarterback AJ McCarron four times. True freshman Amari Cooper doubled his previous single-game high for receptions, and fellow rookie Cyrus Jones got his first career catch.

"That’s what our receivers can do," McCarron said following the 40-7 win over FAU. "They can make plays. I just have to get them the ball and let them do it."

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Another week and it still remains pretty clear Alabama is top dog in the SEC and nationally.

But has our No. 2 team fallen after a sloppy win on the road?

1. Alabama (4-0; LW: 1): I feel like a broken record, but Alabama dominated yet again Saturday. It's hard to find any real weaknesses in this team. Although the backups did give up a touchdown to Florida Atlantic, so there's that.

2. LSU (4-0; LW: 2): The Tigers looked pretty sloppy offensively in a tough 12-10 win against Auburn Saturday. LSU probably will have its name dragged through the mud after its play this weekend, but all good teams have those hiccup games. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger has to play better, but the defense still looks extremely dominant. The goal now is to not let that hiccup bleed into future games.

3. Georgia (4-0; LW: 3): This Bulldogs offense has been really fun to watch through the first four weeks. Quarterback Aaron Murray has looked like a real Heisman candidate at times, while freshman running back Todd Gurley just gets better every time he gets on the field. Georgia completely overwhelmed Vanderbilt and heads into a fun showdown with Tennessee with a load of confidence.

4. South Carolina (4-0; LW: 4): Connor Shaw has proven he's a true player for the Gamecocks. He battled through a hairline fracture in his throwing shoulder to complete 20-of-21 passes in a blowout win against Missouri. You're starting to see more balance from this Gamecocks offense and that will be very important as SEC play continues. The defensive front is also getting stronger each week.

5. Florida (4-0; LW: 5): The Gators seem to be growing up with each week. After back-to-back tough road wins, Florida shut out Kentucky at home and now has two weeks to prepare for LSU. This really has become more of the blue-collar team Will Muschamp wants, but we'll really find out how tough Florida is when LSU ventures into the Swamp.

6. Mississippi State (4-0; LW: 6): Dan Mullen wasn't exactly pleased with the effort the Bulldogs gave in their lackluster 30-10 win against South Alabama, but a win is a win these days. This team can't be too happy with the way it has played in the past two weeks, but it's still undefeated. It's obvious players are losing focus against lesser opponents, and that should change with SEC play starting back up next week.

7. Tennessee (3-1; LW: 7): There were some tense moments in the Vols' win over Akron Saturday, but the second half belonged to Tennessee. Tyler Bray showed off that cannon of a right arm, passing for 401 yards and four touchdowns. The running game also got going with Rajion Neal rushing for a career-high 151 yards. The key for this team is to duplicate those kinds of efforts against SEC opponents.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- For the first time in a while, Eddie Lacy is feeling comfortable again. The surgery and nagging injuries had slowed him down. Now, Alabama's star tailback is digging into the turf with full force, and it shows.

"He's starting to get the little wiggle," Alabama receiver Kenny Bell said after the game. "He's coming to be the Eddie Lacy of last year."

Lacy averaged 7.1 yards per carry against the Owls, putting up 107 yards on 15 attempts. He spent the second half watching the game from the sidelines as the rest of the Alabama running backs racked up the yardage. All told, the Tide rushed for 256 yards, with all four running backs averaging more than 6 yards a carry.

But after the game, the story was all about Lacy. He said his patented spin move was "a bit slow, but it's picking back up."

"I'm getting there," he said. "I feel like it was slower than I would normally do it, but I did it and it worked. It's all right in my book."

So long as he held onto the ball, coach Nick Saban was OK with it, too. When asked about Lacy's return to form against FAU, the sixth-year coach of the Crimson Tide bristled, pointing out that he thought he looked just as good against Arkansas the week before, rushing for 55 yards and three scores.

"I thought he ran really well last week," Saban said. "Eddie has had a toe operated on, a hamstring in camp, missed some time in camp, had an ankle sprain, so he has really had to fight through a lot. I think that he really didn’t get back in shape because of some of the time that he missed. I think now he is starting to get there.”

The jukes weren't executed perfectly, but to Lacy, it was all about feeling comfortable on the football field again. With the right state of mind, he seemed like himself again.

"Just being able to go out there, you don’t worry about your nagging injuries or nothing like that," he said. "You just go out and do what you’re capable of doing. So far, that’s what I’m doing, and it feels good."

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- In the first three games, the University of Alabama performed like a well-oiled machine once it got in the red zone. The Crimson Tide had scored touchdowns on 11 of the 12 trips in the red area and converted every opportunity into points.

On Saturday, the touchdowns were harder to come by.

Although Alabama won convincingly over Florida Atlantic, 40-7, the Tide crossed the goal line on just half of their six trips inside the Owls’ 20-yard line. They had to settle for three every other time.

“We certainly stalled out today,” UA head coach Nick Saban said. “How many times did we kick field goals today? Was it four? In those kind of situations, we are happy to get the points, and we are pleased that the field goal kickers are delivering for us, but at the same time, we would like to finish some of those drives with a little better execution.”

Junior running back Eddie Lacy led the Tide on the ground with 15 carries for 106 yards, but after scoring three touchdowns a week ago, he failed to hit pay dirt against Florida Atlantic. In fact, freshman Kenyan Drake was the only back to score in the game.

“We just have to execute,” Lacy said. “There were a few plays where the defense just got us. We basically have to go and watch film to see what they did and see what we have to do in order to stop that from happening next week.”

At the end of the first half, Alabama’s first unit showed signs of what it had been able to do all season. After executing an efficient two-minute drill, quarterback AJ McCarron finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Christion Jones.

“It’s always big anytime you can punch one in right before half,” McCarron said. “The biggest thing in that situation is communication. Everybody has to communicate and execute on the run, and I felt like we did a great job of that.”

Still, the junior signal caller, who has now thrown for 10 touchdowns and no interceptions through four games, wasn’t happy with the team’s execution.

“We left a lot of points out there,” he said. “We can do better.”

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Florida Atlantic may have thought Alabama ‘ain’t what people think,’ but the Crimson Tide proved why they are still the No. 1 team in the country with a dominating 40-7 win over the Owls on Saturday.

The offense finished with more than 500 total yards as UA quarterback AJ McCarron was 15-of-25 passing for 212 and three touchdowns, and running back Eddie Lacy carried the ball 15 times for 106 yards in the first half alone.

The late touchdown by Florida Atlantic was the first score the defense had allowed since the season opener against Michigan. Surprisingly, Alabama didn’t force a turnover in the game after forcing five the week before.

It was over when: Florida Atlantic defensive end Cory Henry didn’t do the Owls any favors when he ran his mouth before the game, and it took just three plays for Alabama's McCarron to connect with junior wide receiver Kenny Bell on an 85-yard touchdown pass to put the Tide on the board. There was no coming back from the early blow.

Game ball goes to: Lacy looked like himself again last week in the big win over Arkansas, and he followed it up with another solid performance on Saturday, carrying the ball 15 times for 106 yards in the first half. Although he didn’t get in the end zone, Lacy showed the burst, the power and the elusiveness that makes him great. He even threw in his patented spin move.

Stat of the game: Through three quarters, Alabama’s defense held Florida Atlantic to 41 total yards and one first down. The Owls put together a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter but still finished with just 110 yards in the game.

Unsung hero: Alabama’s offensive line is considered one of the best units in the nation, but it still doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. On Saturday, all four Tide running backs averaged more than 6 yards per carry. As a team, Alabama rushed for 256 yards on 47 carries.

What it means for Alabama: The final score may have seemed a bit surprising given what the Tide did to Arkansas last week, but all three units looked sharp, and more importantly, the game gave Alabama a chance to play some of its reserves and get them game experience. It’s a long season, and it’s important to be prepared in case of injury.

What it means for Florida Atlantic: The Owls never had a chance, but the final score was closer than what many people expected. The positives for Florida Atlantic were ball security and its red zone defense, and it’s something to build on for the future.