It has become the most guaranteed Labor Day weekend tradition in all of college football.
Alabama plays in a publicized game against a nonconference opponent at a neutral site and wins by double digits. Wisconsin was the latest to try to take down the Crimson Tide, but Alabama rolled to a 35-17 opening victory Saturday night at AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington.
“There were a lot of good things in this game,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said in a news conference as Saturday night gave way to Sunday morning. “I thought we dominated the line of scrimmage. We were able to stop their run. I thought we played really well defensively.
“We didn’t get the turnovers like we wanted and didn’t always get off the field on third down like we wanted, but I thought our guys competed and played hard.”
The Crimson Tide improved to 6-0 in neutral-site openers under Saban, a surge that began in 2008 when his second Alabama team waxed Clemson 34-10 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta. Alabama has won the six meetings by a combined 212-98, an average score of 35-16.
Saturday night’s devastation was widespread, as Alabama amassed 502 yards and 7.6 yards per play while allowing 268 yards and 4.5 yards per play. Wisconsin managed just 40 yards on 21 carries and had seven pass attempts broken up by the Tide.
Alabama entered the game with a new starting quarterback, but fifth-year senior Jake Coker eased any concerns by completing 15 of 21 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. The former Florida State backup to Jameis Winston did not turn the ball over.
“Jake did a really good job,” Saban said. “He threw the ball to the guys he was supposed to throw it to, and he made the right reads on the calls that were made and based on what Wisconsin was playing.”
Saban said he made the decision last Thursday to play both Coker and redshirt sophomore Cooper Bateman and to start Coker. Bateman also excelled against the Badgers, completing 7 of 8 passes for 51 yards.
It was no accident that Alabama turned to junior tailback Derrick Henry early to help open up the passing game. Henry had a 37-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give the Crimson Tide a 7-0 lead and added a 56-yard score in the third quarter.
Henry rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries and has racked up 383 yards, six touchdowns and 8.3 yards per carry in his last three games dating back to last season.
“He’s an extremely big guy with exceptional speed and explosion,” sophomore left tackle Cam Robinson told reporters. “It’s always fun to get him rolling downhill.”
The most notable negative in Alabama’s opening performance was committing 11 penalties for 120 yards.
“The big thing about the first game is looking at what you did well and what you need to improve on to get up to a standard,” Saban said.
Alabama is now 9-0 in season openers under Saban, and the Tide have won 31 straight games in August and September. They will make their Bryant-Denny Stadium debut Saturday afternoon against Middle Tennessee, with the game televised by the SEC Network at 4 EDT.
The Crimson Tide opened Sunday as 34-point favorites against the Blue Raiders.
Tide tidbits
Alabama has scored in the first half of 104 straight games, a streak that leads the nation and dates back to the 2007 loss to Florida State. There were seven first-time starters Saturday night for the Tide – Coker, receiver Robert Foster, and linemen Ross Pierschbacher and Dominick Jackson on offense, and nose tackle Darren Lake, linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton and cornerback Marlon Humphrey on defense. Wisconsin kicker and Baylor School graduate Rafael Gaglianone’s field-goal try at the end of the half hit the upright, which ended a streak of 14 consecutive made attempts.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.