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AGGRAVATED ASSAULT Crimson Tide responds to last week’s lackluster effort with a total dominating performance against Texas A&M By Cecil Hurt Sports Editor

STAFF PHOTO | ROBERT SUTTON

Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper (9) catches a pass for a second-quarter touchdown against Texas A&M on Saturday at at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Cooper caught eight passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns in a 59-0 blowout win.

Nothing but blue skies. Not even Nick Saban’s Doppler radar for dissatisfaction will be able to locate any dark clouds of unhappiness after the Crimson Tide’s 59-0 dismantling of No. 21 Texas A&M on Saturday. A week after the Crimson Tide eked out a one-point win in wet, gloomy Fayetteville, an emotional UA team improved in every area, effectively ending the game by halftime with a record ﬁrst-half offensive explosion. “That was as close to Alabama football ... as we have had,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. “We had all kinds of anxiety. Sometimes, you get so tight that you don’t respond to it. So we had a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and I think we were having a lot of fun.” Said Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill, who was sacked five times, “They came out and played a lot harder than we did. When you don’t score any points, well.” The 35 second-quarter points were the most recorded by a Crimson Tide team in any single quarter of the modern era. The halftime margin was 45-0, with Saban sportingly playing reserves for all but the initial drive of the second half. The ﬁ nal 59-point margin was Alabama’s largest in 23 years, since a 62-0 win over Tulane in 1991. It was the Crimson Tide’s most one-sided SEC win since a 66-3 blowout of Vanderbilt in 1979. SEE T IDE | 6C

Crimson Tide gets back to ‘Alabama football’

hat sudden rush of wind you Saban, but the implifelt on a beautiful day in Tuscation was clear. caloosa wasn’t a rogue gust. Then, whoosh! It was a pendulum, rocketing from Alabama came out one direction to another. and set all sort of reA week ago, Alabama followers cords in demolishwere convinced their team was a sad ing Texas A&M and shell of its former self. More than things were good one email and Twitter message again. The favorite CECIL crossed my desk with the ﬁ rm premid-season and later HURT diction that Alabama’s only win for pastime in Tuscathe rest of the season would come loosa — analyzing against Western Carolina. Lists were every game in colbeing drawn up with the names of lege football and how it impacts Alacoaches that should be ﬁ red. None bama making the BCS (now operatof those lists included the name Nick ing under its new name of College

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Alabama players, including Xzavier Dickson (47), Maurice Smith (21), Tim Williams (56), and Reuben Foster (10) celebrate after a big play in the second quarter.

Football Playoff, though with all the familiar faces at the controls) — was back in full swing. Even Saban himself, in his post-game comment, dispensed the highest possible accolade. That, he said, “was Alabama football.” That is how quickly things can change. What most people, whether depressed or elated, don’t want to hear is that the truth is somewhere in the middle. Alabama was never quite as bad as people made it out to be in the previous two weeks, and they aren’t automatically back on top SEE HURT | 4C

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STAFF PHOTO | ROBERT SUTTON

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ANALYSIS:

Texas A&M suffers third straight defeat after Bama blowout

Alabama defense shuts down A&M’s high-flying offense

Yeldon paces almost unstoppable Crimson Tide running game

Sims throws four TDs, runs for another

How the Crimson Tide answered questions against Texas A&M

Alabama special teams comes up with some big moments

After meeting, Crimson Tide offensive line responds

For video and a photo gallery of Alabama’s game against Texas A&M, go to www.tidesports.com

ALABAMA BASKETBALL

Tide puts on a show at ‘Hoops On The Quad’ By Cecil Hurt Sports Editor

STAFF PHOTO | ERIN NELSON

Alabama men’s basketball player Levi Randolph shoots the ball as he competes against Crimson Tide women’s player Ashley Williams during the first ‘Hoops on the Quad’ event on Saturday.

The University of Alabama basketball teams, both men’s and women’s, got a full dose of fresh air and sunshine on Saturday, and both seemed to enjoy it. Alabama hosted its ﬁ rst “Hoops On The Quad” event, holding brief exhibitions in front of a crowd that lined all four sides of an elevated court. “I think it’s something everyone really enjoyed,” UA men’s head coach Anthony Grant said. “I know our players were really looking forward to it,

and I think they had a good time with it. It is deﬁnitely something we would consider doing again.” The Crimson team defeated the White team, 43-39, in the official 12-minute exhibition, although it was hardly in game conditions. There were no ofﬁcials, and Grant said the two teams played “NBA AllStar Game defense.” “We decided that the fans would be more interested in seeing the dunks and 3-point shots, so that is what we did today,” Grant said. “When we get back at Coleman Coliseum, we’ll be focused on de fense.”

Although there were no individual statistics for the exhibition, freshman Jeff Garrett probably had the most expressionistic dunks on the day. Senior Levi Randolph made a couple of wind-adjusted 3-pointers to lead the White team. Guard Retin Obasohan, who had ankle surgery in July, was not at full speed for the scrimmage. Grant said he hoped that Obasohan would be available by the Crimson Tide’s regular-season opener against Towson on Nov. 14. Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil@tidesports. com or 205-722-0225.