Alabama Crimson Tide

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.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- No. 1 Alabama jumped on Florida Atlantic early and hasn't let off the gas at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, sprinting out to a 30-0 lead heading into halftime.

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron found Kenny Bell on a crossing route for an 85-yard touchdown on the third play of the game. From there, the Crimson Tide have scored on every possession. Conversely, Florida Atlantic's offense has struggled mightily against the Alabama defense, registering just one first down in six possessions.

Stat of the half: Just how inept has the Florida Atlantic offense been? The Owls scraped together 23 total yards of offense and -1 yard passing.

Player of the half: Junior running back Eddie Lacy continues to show he's back to form after a big outing against Arkansas last week. Lacy broke the 100-yard rushing mark and is averaging more than 7 yards per carry.

What's working for Alabama: The defense has had no trouble getting into the Florida Atlantic backfield, pulling down Graham Wilbert for two sacks and totaling five tackles for a loss or no gain.

What's not working for Alabama: Holding onto the football has been a problem for the Crimson Tide. Christion Jones turned the ball over on a fumble inside the Alabama 30-yard line on a punt return. Also, true freshman tailback T.J. Yeldon fumbled the ball which was recovered by center Barrett Jones.

Dave Hooker talks with four-star running back Corn Elder (Nashville, Tenn./Ensworth) to get his thoughts on the latest in his recruitment and whether he'll play football or basketball in college.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Someone needed to remind fans that Cyrus Kouandjio wasn't a starter for the Alabama Crimson Tide last season. He might have looked like one from the minute he stepped foot on campus, playing in all eight games before an injury ended his season, but a starter he was not.

On Wednesday, he reminded every one of that fact, pointing out that there's still a lot for him to learn.

"This is my [first] SEC season playing and starting in college football and it’s been memorable," the Tide's starting left tackle said. "First game, how excited [I was]. I just learned that you just have to keep working."

Fifth-year senior Barrett Jones said he was impressed with the way Kouandjio handled himself in the season opener, taking note of how calm he was during his first career start at Cowboys Stadium against then-No. 8 Michigan.

Another veteran, tight end Michael Williams, drew a comparison to the tackle on the other side of the line when describing Kouandjio's game in Week 2.

“They’re both great blockers. [ D.J. Fluker] probably talks a little more than Cyrus just because he’s been out there a little more," Williams said. "But they’re both great players, and it’s great to play with both of them.”

Kouandjio, the baby of the offensive line as a true sophomore, said he's been pleased with his first season as a starter. He hasn't been perfect on the line, whiffing on a few assignments and exhibiting poor technique on some occasions. Other times he's looked the part of an All-American, flashing the same skill set that earned him a selection on the conference all-freshman team despite playing nearly half the season in a reserve role.

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