Michigan rout proves Alabama is 'hungry' for another title

ARLINGTON, Texas – For eight months he had worked on their psyches, humbling players with messages about avoiding complacency and leaving memories of last year's national title in the trophy case.

By Kevin Jairaj, US Presswire

Nick Saban and No. 2 Alabama routed No. 8 Michigan on Saturday. Said OL Barrett Jones: "We're hungry and we're coming for another championship."

By Kevin Jairaj, US Presswire

Nick Saban and No. 2 Alabama routed No. 8 Michigan on Saturday. Said OL Barrett Jones: "We're hungry and we're coming for another championship."

And after all the offseason speeches and meetings about championship hangovers, Alabama coach Nick Saban unveiled a Crimson Tide team so dominant Saturday night that it sucked all the life out of the most anticipated game of college football's opening weekend.

In beating eighth-ranked Michigan, 41-14, second-ranked Alabama demonstrated little drop off in performance after seeing four players selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

It remains to be seen how strong Michigan will be in the second year under coach Brady Hoke. And the gap between the elite of the Big Ten and the best of the SEC appears as wide as ever. But in overwhelming the Wolverines in almost every way statistics can measure, the Crimson Tide showed that it may not take as much as a baby-step backward after winning last season's national title.

"It shows the nation that this is not the complacent Alabama that people were expecting," fifth-year senior offensive lineman Barrett Jones said.

"We're not the defending champs," added linebacker C.J. Mosley, who returned an interception 16 yards to make the score 31-0 in the second quarter.

While some highly-ranked teams boast recognizable talent at the skill positions, Alabama's strength is on the lines. And the Crimson Tide dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage to make this a one-sided contest.

After Alabama's title run last season, one of the best defenses of the modern era saw four players drafted among the top 35 picks. But despite the inexperience of new starters, Alabama flustered the most dangerous quarterback Saban recalled facing since Auburn's Cam Newton.

Michigan's Denard Robinson - 11 of 26 passing for 200 yards - threw two interceptions, did not attempt to run the ball until the final minute of the first half and briefly left the game in the third quarter after getting banged up.

"I think we were getting to him mentally," Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner said.

Robinson kept throwing in Milliner's direction so often in the first half - more than in any half of Milliner's career - that teammates kept asking him, "Hey, why are they picking on you?"

All Milliner did was break up two passes and intercept a pass - in the first quarter alone.

Alabama defensive back Vinnie Sunseri said he had expected Robinson to run more. And Michigan coach Brady Hoke acknowledged that there were some plays where perhaps Robinson could have held onto the ball and run it. But Alabama dominated the line of scrimmage, rendering Michigan's offense inept for much of the game.

When told that Michigan did not cross midfield until the score was 31-0, Alabama's Jones could only laugh at the achievement.

Alabama also demonstrated that it can fill the void left by the departure of running back Trent Richardson, the third pick in the draft, with a lineup of four capable backs. Eddie Lacy, T.J. Yeldon, Jalston Fowler and Dee Hart each carried the ball at least nine times, as Alabama amassed 232 yards on the ground.

Most impressive was Yeldon, a 6-2, 216-pound freshman who rushed for 111 yards on 11 carries in his debut. Saban said he expected Yeldon to get plenty of opportunities because Lacy had been nursing an ankle injury.

"We knew he was capable of that," Jones said. "He might be the next one in the great line of backs."

Said Saban: "Rather than try to put it in a box and say we are going to have two backs or three, we want to have as many play as deserve to play."

The game was hotly contested all the way up until Alabama's second offensive series, when it marched 61 yards with ease to score the game's first touchdown and establish control of the game.

But long before halftime, many of the 90,413 in attendance at Cowboys Stadium already had turned to the giant video screen -- and away from the game - for entertaining sights.

After the game, Saban, always working on his team's psyche, took a few minutes to praise his team then rattled off a laundry list of areas in need of improvement. He knows Alabama is capable of more in the passing game, and that quarterback A.J. McCarron is "too good a quarterback for us not to utilize his talents in throwing the football."

Looming down the road for Alabama is the always arduous SEC schedule, which includes a trip to Fayetteville, Ark., in two weeks. But the defending champions answered at least one question Saturday.

Complacent?

"We're hungry," Jones said. "And we're coming for another championship."

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