The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Alabama 63, Louisiana Monroe 7

The final word of the Crimson Tide's lopsided victory against Warhawks at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Terry Bowden pretty much cut to the chase after his team was routed at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

"They were just too good for us in every phase of game," the Louisiana Monroe coach said. "I think what you don't always see is the kicking game, how much more talented they were on the field with their specialists. 

"There were four punt returns that were large, a kick return that was large, and had a blocked punt for a touchdown."

Bowden said there was a quarter of the game was kind of fun for the Warhawks, alluding to the second frame when ULM scored and didn't give up any points until the final moments before halftime when the Crimson Tide drove 93 yards on six plays for a touchdown (more on that later). 

"They woke up a little bit," he said. 

It should be noted, though, that Bowden's press conference speech wasn't exactly new. Two weeks ago, the Warhawks lost at Texas, yes the same team Alabama beat last week, 52-10. 

"They were just better than us in all phases and we needed some breaks here or there to keep this game close," Bowden said during his postgame press conference. "They were the better football team and they'll be the better football team tomorrow." 

Play of the Game: Linebacker Will Anderson Jr.'s first career touchdown, on a 25-yard interception return off a botched screen, was on the second play after ULM managed to make an interception. Combined with the blocked punt that was returned for another touchdown, Alabama went from being up 7-0 when Bryce Young was picked off to 21-0 before having another offensive snap. 

Player(s) of the Game: We're just going to have to go with everyone on the special-teams units, where Alabama simply dominated. Thanks to Brian Branch's 68-yard punt return for a touchdown (he also had five tackles, a sack and broke up a pass on defense) the special teams alone outscored the entire Louisiana Monroe team. 

Statistic of the Game: Alabama had almost 100 more yards on eight punt returns, 262, then the Redhawks managed offensively (169). With Kool-Aid McKinstry leading with 136 punt-return yards, overall the Crimson Tide had 319 total return yards on special teams. 

The Good 

• Eight different Alabama players scored touchdowns and the Crimson Tide gained 509 yards offensively without anyone having 100-yard rushing or receiving performance. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs led all players with 158 all-purpose yards. 

• The Alabama defense yielded just 96 passing yards (on just 11 completions) and 78 rushing yards on 40 carries. Yet ULM had the ball for 13 minutes more (36:23 to 23:37). 

• The Crimson Tide had six running backs average 6.0 yards per carry or better, plus reserve quarterback Jalen Milroe had two carries for 42.0 yards. Overall, Alabama averaged 7.0 yards per rushing attempt. 

The Bad 

• How do you get an illegal formation penalty on the first offensive snap? 

• On Young's first interception he appeared not to see the defender, who made the easy pick on the deep attempt. The second interception went off the receiver's hands. 

• Alabama went from last week's 15 penalties to only being flagged six times, but Anderson's horse-collar penalty was totally unnecessary. 

Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY

The Ugly

Young didn't complete a third-down pass to a wide receiver. Overall, the Crimson Tide was 1-for-6 on third-down conversions. The one success was a throw downfield to Gibbs for a 12-yard completion. 

5 Things That We Noticed

• Alabama used 79 players in the game, including a few walk-ons at the end. 

• Young attempted four passes to a tight end, all in the 2-minute offense just before halftime, and completed them all. Cameron Latu caught the first three, including the impressive over-the-shoulder 38-yard catch in the seam, to set up freshman Amari Niblack's first career reception, the 15-yard touchdown. 

• Will Reichard's nine extra points nearly matched ULM's first downs (11) and pass completions (12). 

• Alabama didn't have to look too far to come with the idea for the blocked punt, as it mimicked what Texas did two weeks ago while scoring its first points of the season. A bull rush up the middle opened a gap for D'Shawn Jamison, resulting in Keilan Robinson's scoop and 12-yard score for the Longhorns. The Crimson Tide's tweak was to overload the left side, with wide receiver Ja'Corey Books making the play.  

• Louisiana Monroe had just one explosive play (a run 13 yards or more, or a pass 17 yards plus) in the game, a 13-yard carry by quarterback Chandler Rogers. The longest completion was just 16 yards to tight end Zach Rasmussen. The Warhawks' lone touchdown came after Alabama went for it on fourth-and-3 at the ULM 43. 

See Also:

Alabama succeeds on all three fronts, defeats ULM 63-7

Opportunities Both Gained and Missed, But a Good Day for Alabama in 63-7 Win

Instant Analysis: No. 2 Alabama 63, Louisiana-Monroe 7

Alabama's Defensive Dominance Continues Against ULM

No Big Plays, But Running Game Solid For Alabama

Alabama Finds New Ways to Score against Louisiana-Monroe

Alabama vs. ULM Notebook: Crimson Tide Plays to Standard in Lopsided Win

Everything Nick Saban Said After ULM at Alabama

Alabama Players React to Will Anderson's Pick-Six