Live Updates: No. 1 Alabama Football vs Mercer Bears

Live stats, information and analysis as the top-ranked Crimson Tide hosts its home opener against the Bears.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It's the home opener for Alabama football as the Crimson Tide gets set to face the Mercer Bears inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The top-ranked team in the nation enters Saturday's game as the heavy favorite over the Bears, with the Crimson Tide currently sitting at a 54.5-point favorite. Stay tuned for live updates, stats and analysis as Alabama faces Mercer in front of a full-capacity Bryant-Denny Stadium for the first time since 2019.

Also, check out our live updates thread on our message board.

Final Score: Alabama 48, Mercer 14.

Fourth Quarter

End of game.

• 40-yard field goal attempt by Reichard is good. 48-14 Alabama with 6:41 left to play.

• Milroe carries the ball on 4th and 1 around the end for a gain of 13 yards and a first down.

• Jalen Milroe is now in the game at quarterback for Alabama.

• McKinstry gets beat to the end zone on a pass from Payton to Ty James, 22-yard touchdown Mercer. Extra point is good. 45-14 Alabama with 12:24 left to play.

Third Quarter

• End of the third quarter.

• After another defensive holding Alabama has now committed nine penalties for 95 yards.

• Reichard attempts a 34-yard field goal and misses wide left. The miss marks his first since the 2019 season.

• Tyson rears back and hurls the ball down the field on his first play on the field. The pass finds Earle for 39 yards. 1st and goal Crimson Tide at the Bears 8.

• Paul Tyson is now in at quarterback for the Crimson Tide.

• Marcus Banks intercepts a pass by Payton and goes down with the ball at the Mercer 48. 1st and 10 Alabama.

• So far in this game, McClellan has four rushes for 13 yards and a single rushing touchdown. Through the air, he now has one reception for 21 yards and a touchdown.

• A 21-yard pass from Young to Jase McClellan results in another touchdown for the Crimson Tide. Extra point by Reichard is good. 45-7 Alabama with 5:50 left in the third.

• A squib kick by Mercer allows Alabama to return the ball to the UA 35-yard line. 1st and 10 Crimson Tide.

• Mercer drive summary: five plays, 85 yards, 2:24 TOP.

• Mercer now has the longest play of the game, a 60-yard touchdown pass from Fred Payton to Devron Harper. 38-7 Alabama with 8:21 to go in the third quarter.

• Young's pass complete to Jameson Williams for an eight-yard touchdown. Extra point by Reichard is good. 38-0 Alabama with 10:52 left to go in the third.

• Young throws the ball out into the flat to John Metchie III, who runs the ball down the field for 41 yards. That is Alabama's longest play of the game.

• A three-and-out for Mercer results in a punt. Earle returns the ball to the UA 43-yard line. However, a holding penalty takes it back to the 19. 1st and 10 Alabama.

• Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. has been taken to the locker room after injuring his knee and taken to the medical tent.

• Alabama kicks off the ball to start the second half. Mercer returns the ball to its own 23-yard line. 1st and 10 Bears.

Halftime Notes

• Alabama leads Mercer in yards on offense 192-35. Of Alabama's 192 offensive yards, 91 have come through the air and 101 on the ground. The Crimson Tide also has 13 first downs compared to the Bears' three.

• On defense, Alabama has held Mercer to 12 total passing yards and 23 yards on the ground. The Bears are currently averaging just 1.5 yards per play compared to Alabama's 5.1.

• One critique of Alabama is its penalties. Through the first 30 minutes, the Crimson Tide committed six penalties for 70 yards, something that no doubt Nick Saban is displeased with. Mercer has committed seven penalties for 54 yards.

Second Quarter

• End of the first half.

• Reichard's kickoff sails through the end zone for a touchback. 1st and 10 Mercer at its own 25.

• Alabama fails to convert the third down on the Mercer 13. Reichard attempts a 30-yard field goal and makes it. 31-0 Alabama with :33 left to play in the first half.

• Sanders has compiled 31 yards over the course of five carries this drive.

• Alabama running back Trey Sanders gets his first carry of the game, a 16-yard rush through the left gap. First down.

• Earle returns the punt 29 yards to the Mercer 46. 1st and 10 Alabama with 4:12 to go.

• Byron Young sacks Carter for a six-yard loss. Phidarian Mathis follows that play up with another sack of Peevy. 4th and 20, Mercer will punt.

• Kickoff returned to the Mercer 24-yard line. 1st and 10 Bears.

• On fourth down, McClellan rushes five yards for not just the first down but also a touchdown. Extra point by Reichard is good. 28-0 Alabama with 6:30 to go in the first half.

• Young scrambles up the middle on 3rd and 9 for a shorts 4th and 1.

• Mercer punts the ball from its own 1-yard line. JoJo Earle fields the punt at midfield and returns the ball to the Mercer 29. 1st and 10 Alabama.

• Fourth down on its own 45 for Alabama. Punt by Burnip lands at the Mercer 10, returned three yards to the 13. An illegal block in the back places the ball at the 6. 1st and 10 Bears at their own 6-yard line.

• Mercer is forced to punt once again. Bolden receives the ball at the 12 and returns it all the way to the Alabama 38. 1st and 10 Crimson Tide with 12:53 to go in the second quarter.

• Alabama's defense is battening down the hatches, none more so than McKinstry.  Through roughly 17 minutes of play, McKinstry has three tackles, one interception and one pass breakup and is always near the action on the field.

• Mercer returns the kickoff to its own 20-yard line. 1st and 10 Bears.

• Young's pass to Bolden is complete for 18 yards and an Alabama touchdown. Bolden had to leap over the goal line and dropped the ball, but having broken the play the touchdown stands. Extra point by Reichard is good. 21-0 Alabama.

• Alabama will start the second quarter at the Mercer 18-yard line, 1st and 10.

First Quarter

• End of the quarter.

• D.J. Dale is responsible for the first sack of Mercer quarterback Carter Peevy. Fourth down. Mercer punts the ball, returned by Bolden. A 10-yard holding penalty results in the football being spotted at the 35.

• Alabama finally has a good drive on offense. DRIVE SUMMARY: Five plays, 54 yards, 1:26 TOP.

• Brian Robinson carries the ball four yards for a touchdown. Extra point by Reichard is good. 14-0 Alabama with 3:22 to go in the first quarter.

• A pass tipped at the line by Drew Sanders results in a diving interception by Kool-Aid McKinstry, the first of his career. 1st and 10 Alabama, ball on the Crimson Tide 46.

• Mercer picks up its first first down of the game with a 9-yard reception by Bears WR Devron Harper. 1st and 10 Mercer.

• After a lackluster start on both sides of the football by Alabama, The energy is back on the Crimson Tide bench as well as the stadium. Reichard's kickoff lands out of bounds inside the five and will be spotted at the Mercer 35-yard line.

• Mercer punt is blocked by Chris Braswell and picked up by Jase McClellan. McClellan returns the ball 33 yards for a touchdown. Extra point by Will Reichard is good. 7-0 Alabama.

• Another fourth down, and the Crimson Tide is forced to punt. So far this game, the Bears have shown a lot of heart on defense, rendering the Alabama offense mostly ineffective. Punt by Burnip is 44 yards. 1st and 10 Mercer at its own 40-yard line.

• Alabama backs up the ball again with a holding penalty. That makes back-to-back penalties for the Crimson Tide equating 25 yards.

• Young's pass complete to Robinson for 10 yards and a first down. However, Jameson Williams gets tagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. 1st and 10, ball at the Crimson Tide 21-yard line.

• Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr. picks up the first first down of the game for either team with a 10-yard rush up the middle.

• Crimson Tide offensive line coach Doug Marrone can't be too happy with his offensive line on its last possession. In total, the team accounted for -3 rushing yards including Young's sack. No doubt Marrone is giving his o-line a stern talking to.

• Mercer is also unsuccessful and is forced to bring its punting unit onto the field. Ball lands at the approx. the 20 and is fielded by Slade Bolden. Bolden loses five yards on the return. Alabama will start its drive at its own 10-yard line.

• Hellams and Banks, along with McKinstry, did indeed start for the Alabama defense.

• Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young is sacked on third down for a seven-yard loss. Alabama is forced to punt. Burnip's punt sails to the 30-yard line, where it will stay. Mercer football, 1st and 10 at the Mercer 30.

• Mercer starts the game with an onside kick. Alabama recovers the ball and will start the game at its own 37-yard line.

Pregame

• Alabama football has arrived to Bryant-Denny Stadium:

• Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young has made his way out onto the field to warm up before the full team makes it way out of the locker room. A full crowd of spectators has gathered on the sidelines to view his throws.

• Young has now departed the field, but Paul Tyson and Jalen Milroe have come onto the field in full pads to warm up. Joining them are the special teams units.

• The whole team now joins the field. You can view our livestream of pregame warmups on Facebook here.

• It seems that freshman defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry will be getting his first career start at corner for the Alabama defense, with his alignment pending.

• DeMarcco Hellams, McKinstry and Marcu Banks are all working with the first-team defense. Jalyn Armour-Davis and Josh Jobe have yet to be seen.

• Today's officials: Jason Autrey (referee), Walt Hill (umpire), Chad Green (head line judge), Chuck Rice (line judge), Raymond Tate III (field judge), Mike Boshers (side judge), Martin Hankins (back judge), Chris Snead (center judge), Michael Kolen (alternate), Stan Murray (replay official), Pat Tate (communicator), Tom Danner (TV liason).

• The players have now departed the field and the crowd goes wild. The stadium looks to currently be about 50-percent full just 19 minutes before kickoff.

• Today's honorary captains: Thomas Boyd and Tommy Wilcox.

• The Million Dollar Band is now taking the field for the first time since the 2019 season. While a small portion of the band was present in 2020, the band was never allowed down onto the field for pregame music or halftime.

• Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats is in attendance along with assistant coaches Antoine Pettway and Bryan Hodgson. Softball coach Patrick Murphy is sitting directly behind them.

Game Preview

After downing No. 14 Miami 44-13 to open the 2021 college football season, No. 1 Alabama makes its triumphant return to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 11 to open its home schedule against Mercer.

While the Crimson Tide took care of business in Atlanta during Week 1, the Bears took down Point last Thursday by an impressive margin of 69-0. With the opportunity to go up 70-0 late in the game, Mercer placekicker Caleb Dowden missed the extra point to keep the score at 69-0.

The moment went viral for, well, obvious reasons. Dowden's tweet after the game also added fuel to the hilarious fire:

While Mercer shouldn't expect to score 69 points this coming weekend at Alabama, it did surprise with the effectiveness in Week 1. The Bears return a total of 19 of 22 starters from 2020, bringing much of its experience back. While the Crimson Tide is expected to roll in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, the possibility for moments like last Thursday's have the potential to make the game entertaining.

How to Watch: No. 1 Alabama vs Mercer

Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium

When: 3 p.m. CT

FuboTV

TV: SEC Network

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Eli Gold, Analyst: John Parker Wilson, Sideline: Rashad Johnson) CTSN or on Sirius/XM 193

Online: WatchESPN

Weather forecast: Sunny with highs in the mid-80s

Series info: It's the fourth meeting between the Crimson Tide and the Bears, with Alabama holding a 3-0 record all-time. The Crimson Tide prevailed in heavy-handed fashion at the team's last meeting back during the 2017 regular season, 56-0. The meeting of the two teams marked the first time the two programs had played each other since 1940.

SEC Schedule (Week 2)

*all games on Saturday unless otherwise noted

Auburn vs Alabama State, 11 a.m. CT - SEC Network

South Carolina at East Carolina, 11 a.m. CT - ESPN2

Tennessee vs Pittsburgh, 11 a.m. CT - ESPN

No. 13 Florida at South Florida, Noon CT - ABC

No. 5 Georgia vs UAB, 2:30 p.m. CT - ESPN2

No. 6 Texas A&M at Colorado, 2:30 p.m. CT - FOX

No. 1 Alabama vs Mercer, 3 p.m. CT - SEC Network

Arkansas vs No. 21 Texas, 6 p.m. CT - ESPN

Mississippi State vs NC State, 6 p.m. CT - ESPN2

Kentucky vs Missouri, 6:30 p.m. CT - SEC Network

Ole Miss vs Austin Peay, 6:30 p.m. CT - SEC Network+ | ESPN+

No. 16 LSU vs McNeese, 7 p.m. CT - SEC Network+ | ESPN+

Vanderbilt at Colorado State, 9 p.m. CT - CBS Sports Network