North Texas (1-1) at (1) Alabama (2-0)
Currently: - Game info: 12:20 pm EDT Sat Sep 19, 2009
A victory over a top-10 opponent in the season opener had Alabama looking poised to make a run for the national championship.
The Crimson Tide couldn’t match that intensity last weekend, though, and needed a late surge to put away a lesser opponent.
With another Sun Belt Conference team in North Texas coming to Alabama on Saturday, coach Nick Saban wants the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide to come out focused and with more energy before the competition gets tougher with the start of SEC play.
Alabama (2-0) is considered a favorite to win the SEC West title and contend for the national title. The Crimson Tide looked the part in a 34-24 victory over then-No. 7 Virginia Tech in the opener at the Georgia Dome but didn’t have that same spark in last Saturday’s 40-14 win over Florida International.
Alabama was favored by nearly five touchdowns, but the Golden Panthers hung around into the fourth quarter.
The Tide led 20-14 before freshman Trent Richardson’s nine-yard touchdown run with 3:14 remaining in the third. In the final quarter, Richardson scored on a 35-yard run and Terry Grant followed with a 42-yard TD run to put the game away.
“I don’t think our guys came out with the kind of energy, enthusiasm and intensity that we need to set the tone and we allowed them to stay in the game with some mistakes that we made and some things that we didn’t do correctly,” Saban said.
“I think we need to learn to get off fast and finish strong. I think that’s what we want to continue to emphasize with the players so we can play with a model of consistency over a 60-minute period.”
While the game was a struggle at times, a rising star emerged at running back for Alabama, which opens SEC play next weekend against Arkansas.
With starter Mark Ingram limited by the flu and top sub Roy Upchurch hobbled by an early ankle injury, Richardson stepped up with a stellar performance.
After having three carries in his first collegiate game against the Hokies, Richardson finished with 118 yards on 15 attempts while showing breakaway speed.
“Trent is a magnificent player,” tight end Colin Peek said. “I’ve been waiting for him to have a huge breakout day. Trent has so much talent.”
Julio Jones sat out most of the last game with a bruised right knee, but Saban said the star wide receiver and Upchurch have made significant improvement this week.
Although the offense wasn’t fully loaded against Florida International, Alabama still racked up 516 yards.
Greg McElroy completed a school-record 14 consecutive passes before finishing 18 of 24 for 241 yards and a touchdown.
McElroy will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline this week, as North Texas coach Todd Dodge was McElroy’s high school coach at Southlake Carroll (Texas).
“Other than this game, I will be pulling for them the rest of the year,” McElroy said.
Dodge will be without his starting quarterback this weekend after his son, Riley Dodge, separated his shoulder in last Saturday’s 31-30 double-overtime loss to Ohio.
Nathan Tune will start after completing 9 of 15 passes for 69 yards and one interception last week.
With their backup quarterback starting, the Mean Green (1-1) would probably like to rely on their strong running game, which has amassed 411 yards, but that could pose as a problem against the suffocating Alabama defense.
The Tide limited Florida International to one yard on the ground, and through two games they’ve yielded 65 rushing yards on 57 attempts.
The Mean Green have also had little luck against ranked opponents, losing all 13 games since 1996. They’ve been outscored 297-23 in five games against top-10 teams since 2004.
Alabama is 2-0 against North Texas, and this will be the first meeting since the Tide’s 33-7 win in 2002.
