TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Alabama receiver Julio Jones was on the bench with an ice pack affixed to his right knee. Mark Ingram was perhaps not quite up to his workhorse role after battling the flu, and Roy Upchurch went down early with an ankle injury.
The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide learned a potentially important lesson in Saturday night’s 40-14 win over Florida International: The offense can still produce big plays and points even with its biggest playmakers yielding center stage.
That’s largely thanks to the early contribution of senior receiver Mike McCoy and highly recruited freshman tailback Trent Richardson putting on a late show.
“I think we put up just over 200 yards last time against FIU (in 2006), so it’s huge for us to come out and put up big numbers,” guard Mike Johnson said. “We’d like for that to transfer more onto the scoreboard. It was a struggle getting points actually on the scoreboard tonight, but the yardage was there and we just grinded it out.
“Trent ran like he was possessed.”
nd span that pushed it from a six-point game to a rout starting late in the third quarter. He wound up with 118 yards on 15 carries, flashing some power, moves and breakaway speed.
“Trent is a magnificent player,” tight end Colin Peek said. “I’ve been waiting for him to have a huge breakout day. Trent has so much talent. I know he was battling some nicks and bruises and he was just hurdling people, pounding people.
“I was just proud to have him as my running back.”
Ingram still had a solid day with 56 yards rushing and 47 receiving. But he didn’t start and was pressed into action after Upchurch sprained an ankle. The two had combined for 240 yards on the ground in the opening week.
Alabama still racked up 275 yards rushing and 516 yards total against the Panthers (0-1).
Jones, meanwhile, banged his knee running a reverse on the game’s first series. His only catch was a 9-yarder on the second play, and he dropped a pass in the end zone later.
McCoy picked up his slack in the first half, when he caught five passes for 100 yards, easily a career-high. Terry Grant also had his biggest day since leading the Tide in rushing two years ago as a freshman, scoring on a 42-yard run and gaining 69 yards on six carries.
Greg McElroy hit nine different receivers and was 18 of 24 for 241 yards and a touchdown.
arrah and Star Jackson, even if it was only for late handoffs.
Plus, defensive end Marcell Dareus, starting in place of Brandon Deaderick, had two sacks. Freshman linebacker Nico Johnson and defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick, two of Alabama’s top signees, also got their first action,
Coach Nick Saban wasn’t exactly pleased with his team’s focus early against a nearly five-touchdown underdog, holding only a 20-14 lead before Richardson’s first touchdown late in the third quarter. That’s a pertinent point since Alabama is set to play another Sun Belt Conference team, North Texas, on Saturday.
“I don’t think it’s about who you play,” Saban said. “I think it’s about who you are. What I said to them in the locker room after the game, I said, ‘Guys, if you’re a true competitor and you want to be a great player and you ever want to have a chance to win a championship, you’ve got to play to your best level all the time.’
“If you ever listen to Michael Jordan talk or Tiger Woods, those kind of people want to be the best they can be because that’s who they are. That’s really kind of the attitude that we want on our team.”
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