Happy in the valley

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Football: Stillman no match for Samford. 7C On Sale at

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S U N D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 11 , 2011

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HAPPY IN THE VALLEY Crimson Tide defense overwhelms Lions; McCarron has solid day

INSIDE

By Cecil Hurt Sports Editor

STATE COLLEGE, PA .| It was a dramatic setting. It was a frenzied audience. It was a familiar result. For a second straight season, the University of Alabama used superior strength and precise execution to handle Penn State, overcoming a few minutes of fi rst-quarter Nittany emotion with inexorable force and a near-f lawless performance from quarterback AJ McCarron in a 27-11 win. A week after stepping forward in a time-sharing situation, McCarron was solid in his fi rst road start. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown, and didn’t throw an interception or take a sack. “I thought AJ managed the game well,” said Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. “This was a step in his development. A J is still a work in progress and he is going to continue to improve, as is Phillip (Sims). “But he was good today. He did a nice job. He showed leadership, confidence. He distributed the ball.” Said McCarron, “It was the whole offense that did a great job today, not me.” (Penn State) was ready at the beginning. We had to get in rhythm, but that’s the case wherever you play, home or away. We

STAFF PHOTO | MICHELLE LEPIANKA CARTER

Quarter glance Breakdown of each quarter and complete statistics | 4C

Alabama notebook Tide receiver Duron Carter not available for the game | 4C

STAFF PHOTO | ROBERT SUTTON

Too tough After an early mishap, UA defense dominates rest of game | 5C

Playing fearless

“I thought AJ managed the game well. This was a step in his development. AJ is still a work in progress and he is going to continue to improve, as is Phillip (Sims). But he was good today. He did a nice job. He showed leadership, confidence. He distributed the ball.” Alabama coach Nick Saban on quarterback AJ McCarron SEE T IDE | 6C

Tide quarterback makes all the right throws in first road start | 5C

Back on track Trent Richardson breaks 100-yard mark, Eddie Lacy has solid day | 5C

STAFF PHOTOS | MICHELLE LEPIANKA CARTER

ABOVE: Penn State quarterback Rob Bolden (1) is hit by Alabama defensive back DeQuan Menzie during the first half of Saturday’s game at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.

RIGHT: Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron (10) is pursued by Penn State defensive end Jack Crawford (81) during the second half. McCarron passed for 163 yards and a touchdown on 19 of 31 passing in the Crimson Tide’s 27-11 victory. At right is Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones (75).

STAFF PHOTO | ROBERT SUTTON

McCarron takes advantage of opportunity, gains confidence

Crowd control Alabama unfazed by playing in front of large crowd | 6C

JoePa impressed Penn State coach Joe Paterno likes what he saw in Alabama | 6C

For photo galleries from Saturday’s game, go to www.tidesports.com

STATE COLLEGE, PA . o one who speaks officially for University of Alabama football — a list that begins and ends with head coach Nick Saban — ever said the Crimson Tide’s quarterback situation had to be resolved in time for the team’s trip to play Penn State. It was, however, an article of faith among many Crimson Tide fans. That group, sensibly enough, felt like a road game in front of the biggest crowd ever to witness an Alabama football game in person was no place for experimentation. They were exactly right — almost as right as Sa-

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CECIL HURT

ban, in his picture-perfect handling of the situation. Both quarterbacks, A J McCarron and Phillip Sims, got fair looks in the season opener. McCarron, the more experienced of the two, had a better day and earned the nod, and virtually all of the playing time at Penn State. In that role, he performed almost flawlessly, at least if you measure flaws as “plays that could get a team with a world-

Late score wins it for West Alabama

Another thriller for Auburn The Associated Press

By J.R. Tidwell Special to The Tuscaloosa News

LIVINGSTON | Mathew Willis scored a touchdown on a 15-yard run with 53 seconds left to play to give West Alabama a 42-35 victory over Tarleton State in a shootout Saturday night. The win marks the fi rst for fi rst-year head coach Will Hall. “That was a great football team we just beat,” Hall said. “This is a big-time win for our program and one of our best wins in the last few years. A lot of people don’t know that (Tarleton State) will have a chance to win their league. This was the best Division II game in the country tonight.” SEE UWA | 9C

class defense in unnecessary trouble.” McCarron did none of that. He didn’t throw an interception and he didn’t take a sack. If there were lingering demons of doubt that he might try to overreach his considerable talents, he performed a 60-minute exorcism of those concerns. About the only thing he didn’t do was get any guarantees from his head coach — although he did get ample praise. “We still have competition at the position,” Saban said. “We feel like we have two very good players at SEE HURT | 6C

PHOTO | STEWART GWIN

University of West Alabama quarterback Gary Johnston (2) looks for running room in Saturday’s game against Tarleton State in LIvingston. Johnston led the Tigers in rushing with 21 carries for 106 yards and passed for 217 yards.

AUBUR N | Ryan Smith stopped Chris Relf at the goal line on the game’s final play to preserve Auburn’s 41-34 win over No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday. Relf kept the ball on an option and headed for the end zone before Smith went low and brought the 240-pound quarterback down for the Tigers (2-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference), who had gone from defending national champions to unranked underdog after needing a furious rally to beat Utah State last week. This time they held on against the Bulldogs (1-1, 0-1), who nearly pulled

off a similar comeback to force overtime. They marched 66-plus yards in the fi nal 2:52 with only one pass. Before the game’s last play, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen raced to an offi cial, signaling timeout, and managed to get three seconds put back on the clock. All 10 remaining ticked off when Relf came up short. Daren Bates, Jake Holland and Neiko Thorpe had led a swarm of defenders to stop Vick Ballard for a short loss on the previous play. Mike Dyer rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers, SEE AUBURN | 7C


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