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Roll Tide? Alabama Beats West Virginia. But it was Ugly.

By Caleb Calhoun

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It wasn’t what they wanted, but Tide fans can utter the words: Alabama beats West Virginia.

For Alabama, it was a lot closer than you would have wanted.

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True, a win is a win, but with one of the most loaded and talented teams in college football going against a supposedly bottom-half Big 12 team, a 33-23 win isn’t what Tide fans likely expected.

Blake Sims was fine with the exception of one bad interception, but and T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry both dominated the running game, once again creating a two-headed monster that Nick Saban has always loved.

The offense in general wasn’t much of a problem, gaining more than 500 yards.

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    • But punching the ball in the end zone was a much tougher task than moving it with Alabama. The Tide had to settle for 4 field goals, and perhaps the best news of the night is that kicker Adam Griffith made all 4 kicks he attempted, including a 47-yarder. For Tide fans that spells Good Riddance Cade Foster.

    Sims managed the offense fine, and as long as the offense can move the ball like it did Saturday, it won’t be a problem. But the defense has something to worry about.

    In un-Saban like fashion, Alabama struggled with bad defensive play and a key turnover to keep this game close. There was the interception by Sims, but the defense also gave up nearly 400 yards to a West Virginia offense that shouldn’t be that good. That makes for three games in a row dating back to last year’s Auburn game that Alabama’s defense has looked suspect.

    Possibly the highly recruited talent on Saban’s defense still hasn’t learned its lesson about taking things lightly. You’d think last year’s two straight losses would be a wake-up call, but perhaps not.

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    • Still, Saban’s group is 1-0, and maybe West Virginia is better than we think.

    The Mountaineers showed a passing game that would not have been expected this year, and Dana Holgorsen should be excited. Clint Trickett’s 365 passing yards weren’t desperation yards, as West Virginia was in this game until the fourth quarter.

    Perhaps the Mountaineers have finally found a team that can compete and improve in Big 12 play.

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    • The way Trickett spread the ball around is more exciting. Senior Kevin White solidified himself as the go-to No. 1 guy after 147 yards receiving, and Wendell Smallwood and Jordan Thompson round out the No. 2 and No. 3 spots after 73 and 62 yards respectively.

    Holgorsen’s favorite stat, though, was probably 0 turnovers. If WVU plays like this all year, an 8-win season is not a stretch. We’ll see what happens.

    Alabama, meanwhile, has a lot of kinks to work out if it is going to show everybody that the end of last year was a fluke. Saban will get things corrected in the end. There’s not much to worry about.

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