Florida Atlantic (0 – 1) vs No. 2 Alabama (1 – 0)
Date: September 6, 2014
Time: 11:01 CDT
Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Local Weather at Kickoff: 86 degrees with a heat index of 94. 20 percent chance of precipitation and humidity at 64 percent.
Stadium Capacity: 101,821
Television Information: SEC Network
Broadcast Crew: Dave Neal as play-by-play announcer, Andre Ware as color analyst and Laura Rutledge as sideline reporter.
Radio Info: Crimson Tide Sports Network. Eli Gold as play-by-play announcer, Phil Savage as color analyst and Chris Savage as sideline reporter.
Vegas Odds: (via Bovada) Alabama (-40.5) with an over/under of 51
Next up for Alabama: September 13 vs Southern Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium, 6:00 kickoff on ESPN 2
Game Notes
Last (and only) meeting between these two teams: September 22nd, 2012.
Week One Recap:
The Tide
Alabama is coming off of a rather unimpressive victory over West Virginia in the Georgia Dome last Saturday.
Blake Sims led the Tide to a 33 – 23 victory over the Mountaineers, completing 24 passes of 33 attempts for 250 yards. Amari Cooper caught 12 of those passes for 130 yards, six went to DeAndrew White for 73 yards and three to Christion Jones for 31 yards. Although he completed 72.7 percent of his passes, Sims failed to throw a single touchdown in the game. As for rushing, Yeldon carried the ball 23 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Henry amassed 17 carries for 113 yards and one touchdown. Adam Griffith emerged as a kicking sensation, going 4 for 4 on field goals with the longest at 47 yards.
Alabama halted the Mountaineers’ rushing attempts, giving up only 28 yards on the ground. However, the Tide allowed Clint Trickett to pass for 365 yards, resulting in one touchdown to Kevin White. White also had 143 receiving yards for the day.
The Owls
Florida Atlantic didn’t fare so well in their competition versus Nebraska last week, resulting in a 55-7 defeat.
Jaquez Johnson led the Owls to one scoring drive, but sustained a shoulder injury shortly after. He would leave the game with six completions of 12 attempts with 61 yards and one touchdown. The backup, Greg Hankerson, went five for 18 with only 34 yards. Lucky Whitehead led the team in receptions with five for 40 yards and the solo touchdown for Florida Atlantic in the game. Their rushing attack was dismal at best, with 14 carries and 77 yards for running back Jay Warren.
Defense wasn’t the Owls strong suit either. Florida Atlantic allowed 784 yards of total offense from the Cornhuskers, 498 of those rushing and 286 passing.
Key Injuries
Alabama
Defensive back Jarrick Williams sustained a fracture in his foot that will cost him 4 weeks, while wide receiver DeAndrew White will miss two weeks with a shoulder injury.
Florida Atlantic
Cornerback D’Joun Smith and quarterback Jaquez Johnson both left the game against Nebraska with shoulder injuries. It is uncertain if either will play.
Welcome back
Star linebacker Trey DePriest and cornerback Eddie Jackson are set to play in Alabama’s lineup against the Owls. DePriest returns from a one-game suspension for a minor NCAA violation, while Jackson comes back from a torn ACL. Both are expected to make big impacts for the Tide this season.
Conclusion
In order for Florida Atlantic to remain competitive offensively against the Tide, they will need a strong showing from Jaquez Johnson. According to the Owl’s official website , Johnson was named Conference USA’s “Newcomer of the Year” last season, putting up 1876 passing yards and 772 rushing yards in 11 starts at the quarterback position. A dual threat quarterback like Johnson is known to cause trouble for Alabama.
Defensively, FAU will need D’Joun Smith to not only start, but play at the same level as last year. In 2013, Smith ranked 2nd in the nation for passes defended (20) and 3rd in the nation for interceptions (7). Although Sims played a decent role in Alabama’s win over West Virginia, the war in Saban’s mind is still not over. Two players battling for the same position could make a great night for Smith.
Be sure to check back with Bama Hammer and The Houndztooth for all of your game day coverage.