College Football Rewind: Blake Sims defies predictions as Alabama QB
Welcome back to College Football Rewind. This is your first look back at what happened each week and what it means moving forward. Every Saturday night, I will analyze the week’s games and the always colorful world of college football. Check back later for analysis of the late games.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Blake Sims wasn't supposed to do what he did Saturday afternoon for Alabama. Not even Sims could have imagined throwing for 445 yards (second all-time in school history) and four touchdowns in a 42-21 win over Florida.
"I didn't think I would be able to do that," Sims said.
Sims is the latest example of why it's foolish to anoint or toss aside players before we actually see them when they're given the chance. On a day when Jake Coker could have been starting at Florida State with Jameis Winston suspended, the high-profile Seminoles transfer watched again as Sims' confidence continued to grow as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback.
The Lane Kiffin-Blake Sims pairing may be the most fascinating coordinator-quarterback relationship in college football this season. It's still a work in progress -- Sims struggled at times in the first half communicating plays to his teammates -- but even Nick Saban said Sims is playing "really, really well."
Kiffin's first play-call back in the SEC? An 87-yard touchdown pass from Sims to Kenyan Drake when Kiffin found the right matchup and Sims proved he can throw a deep ball. Sims threw for 335 yards in the first half, second-most in a half in Alabama history behind Greg McElroy's 339 in 2010 against Auburn. Amari Cooper, arguably the best wide receiver in the country, continued to play at an elite level with 10 catches for 201 yards and three scores.
Saban has never had this many offensive options at Alabama, not even in the Julio Jones-Mark Ingram-Trent Richardson years. For the first time in Alabama history, the school had a 400-yard passer (Sims), a 200-yard receiver (Cooper) and a 100-yard rusher (Derrick Henry). And don't forget T.J. Yeldon, DeAndrew White and Drake.
Alabama tried its best in the first half to give the game away with turnovers. "I was not communicating very well, not echoing the play, not getting it in fast enough, not getting the guys where they're supposed to be so they can execute," Sims said. "That's on me."
Sims suffered a scare when he bruised his shoulder in the second half and had trouble throwing the ball on the sideline. He went to the locker room and later returned to the game. "Hopefully I'll be ready for Ole Miss (in two weeks)," Sims said.
Alabama is counting on Sims being healthy, contrary to what the public would have thought a couple weeks ago.
"People have to respect him as a passer," Saban said. "He has made too many plays and too many good throws for people to not respect him as a passer. He’s done a really good job for us."
What We Learned in Week 4
1. Jameis Winston remains a circus. Winston managed to be suspended for an entire game and still create a sideshow. Before the Florida State-Clemson game, Winston came out in full pads and participated in warmups. Shortly after speaking with Jimbo Fisher, Winston went to the locker room and later reappeared wearing his jersey without pads. This is hardly surprising. Winston craves the attention and Florida State set itself up for the circus by allowing him on the sideline while suspended for the entire game. Winston apologized on Tuesday for making vulgar comments and said it was a selfish act to put his team in this position. Then he showed up his coach by taking warmups in a game in which he's not playing.
2. Big Ten's biggest win is … Indiana over Missouri? In another sign of how wide-open the SEC East is and how much weaker it is compared to the SEC West, No. 18 Missouri was stunned at home 31-27 by Indiana. The Hoosiers ran for 241 yards on a Missouri defense that was supposed to be a strength for the team. Indiana was coming off a loss last week to Bowling Green. The win won't make up for all of the September disappointments for the Big Ten, but the conferences needed a win like that. Missouri now has a bitter taste in its mouth before playing South Carolina and Georgia in its next two games.
3. Virginia Tech is still the inconsistent Virginia Tech. The Hokies have gone from 2-0 darling to 2-2 enigma within two weeks. Virginia Tech followed a road win at Ohio State on Sept. 6 by losing consecutive games at home for the first time since 1995, falling to East Carolina and Georgia Tech. Hokies quarterback Michael Brewer, the Texas Tech transfer, has eight interceptions in four games. Even more puzzling is the Hokies' seasonlong problem with penalties (10 per game, including 12 in the loss to Georgia Tech). This can't help the ACC in the College Football Playoff picture. The ACC's signature win of the season has lost a lot of luster in a short amount of time.
What Was He Thinking?
How bad has it gotten for Michigan? A kick returner from Utah either trolled or paid tribute to Desmond Howard in the Big House. After Kaelin Clay returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, he struck the famous pose by Howard from 23 years ago. LSU’s Leonard Fournette struck a pose against Sam Houston State after his first career touchdown. That was bad taste for a rookie against weak competition. But Clay doing it the only time he will ever play in the Big House? I can dig that.
Score of the Week
East Carolina 70, North Carolina 41. One year after whipping the Tar Heels 55-31, the Pirates destroyed their instate rival again. Even with wide receiver Cam Worthy out with a two-game suspension due to a "verbal disagreement" with a male student on campus, the Pirates' offense didn't miss a beat. It's time to stop expressing surprise at East Carolina. This is a good team and clearly the best one in North Carolina. East Carolina has won four straight games against the ACC.
Stat of the Week
Wisconsin rushed for 644 yards, the most in the Big Ten's modern era, dating back to 1946. The only instance when a Big Ten team ran for more: Minnesota (832 in 1905), Ohio State (718 in 1930) and Minnesota (663 in 1927). Melvin Gordon ran for 253 yards and five touchdowns on only 13 carries. The only blemish: Gordon lost his first fumble in 322 carries.
This Week in Tempo
My weekly look at the evolving trends, successes, failures and all-around moaning about up-tempo offenses.
Stop the presses: A Nick Saban team ran 87 plays for 645 yards against Florida. Credit Lane Kiffin for bringing a more consistent up-tempo style than Alabama has tinkered with briefly in the past. Credit Florida's overwhelmed secondary for some major blown assignments. Alabama isn't going Oregon or Texas A&M fast, but the pace seems to suit the Crimson Tide as long as Blake Sims can communicate the calls in a consistent manner. Still, the irony is rich that Saban -- the coach who questioned whether faster tempo is what football should be for safety purposes -- has turned to more tempo himself.
Week 5 Questions
1. Who should we take more seriously, UCLA or Arizona State? No. 12 UCLA and No. 15 Arizona State meet in Tempe for an intriguing Thursday night game. A year ago, Arizona State held off UCLA 38-33 in Pasadena to win the Pac-12 South in late November. Each of the past three meetings have been decided by five points or fewer. This season, UCLA has looked vulnerable after a lot of preseason hype, and Arizona State has three easy wins but hasn't played a quality team. This could be a game of backup quarterbacks. The Sun Devils will be without injured quarterback Taylor Kelly, and UCLA coach Jim Mora won't say if his starter, Brett Hundley, will play after injuring his elbow against Texas.
2. What unpredictable result will the SEC East provide next? It's Tennessee-Georgia and South Carolina-Missouri next week. In some years, you might say the winners of those games would be in good position to win the SEC East. This isn't one of those years. Expect a wide-open SEC East race until the very end.
Quote of the Week
“I barely know what’s going on with ISIS to tell you the truth. I'm oblivious.”
-- Kansas coach Charlie Weis, following a 24-10 win over Central Michigan, on the scrutiny he's facing so far in two-plus years
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