Utah State quarterback Levi Williams, left, and Alabama defensive again Kristian Story (11) chase Williams’ fumble through the first half of an NCAA school soccer sport, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Vasha Hunt, AP
Fifty-five to zero.
If that remaining rating doesn’t convey it sufficient, Utah State was merely crushed by No. 1-ranked Alabama Saturday evening at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The statistics are overwhelming.
Alabama out-gained Utah State by 423 whole yards, 559 to 136.
The Crimson Tide threw for 281 yards and rushed for 278. Utah State managed solely 57 yards by way of the air and 79 on the bottom.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Younger, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, out-gained, out-performed and out-produced the Aggies by himself. Younger accounted for six touchdowns, 5 passing and one other on the bottom. He accomplished 18 of 28 passes for 195 yards, ending with a quarterback score of 181.7.
Oh, and he additionally led Alabama with 100 yards on the bottom, averaging 20 yards per carry.
Bryce Younger is on the market having enjoyable 💯 @AlabamaFTBLpic.twitter.com/mqNu9vw1Uu
— SEC Community (@SECNetwork) September 4, 2022
By the use of comparability, Utah State’s quarterbacks — Logan Bonner, Cooper Legas and Levi Williams — mixed to finish solely 8 of twenty-two passes, they usually rushed the ball a mixed seven occasions, for a complete of 8 yards.
The Alabama protection was balanced and almost impenetrable — 18 Alabama defenders recorded a number of tackles — limiting Utah State to a median of two.3 yards per play.
Utah State was 3 of 17 on third down, and penalties have been a major challenge (the Aggies dedicated 11, which added as much as 110 unfavourable yards).
👀👀👀 @Real_Khyree
— Alabama Soccer (@AlabamaFTBL) September 4, 2022
📲https://t.co/Ebem8qSApq#RollTide | @SECNetworkpic.twitter.com/67HhbqLOqn
Realistically, these and different stats don’t actually do Alabama justice, both.
The Crimson Tide have been extra gifted, extra bodily and extra succesful than the Aggies. And it was evident from begin to end.
“This was a sport we needed to come play and didn’t really feel like we have been bodily going to match up very effectively and we didn’t,” Utah State head coach Blake Anderson mentioned.
“We aren't constructed that approach. Solely having been right here a yr and a half, we're a good distance away from with the ability to play that sport bodily, to have the ability to match up, and possibly we'll by no means be capable to.”
Or in easier phrases, as redshirt freshman security Ike Larsen put, “They're higher than us.”
What might be fabricated from a loss like that, a blowout so convincing that the sport was realistically over within the first quarter after Alabama scored 17 unanswered factors whereas limiting Utah State a lot that not one of many 100,000-plus followers in attendance might have doubted for a second that the Crimson Tide can be victorious?
Realistically, not an entire lot.
Alabama could find yourself being the most effective staff Utah State has ever performed, and that will be saying one thing contemplating the Aggies have performed three eventual nationwide champions since 1970, together with one of many best school soccer groups ever in Joe Burrow-led LSU in 2019.
“I want this was not an setting that our staff needed to be in, however it's what it's,” Anderson mentioned. “So long as they performed laborious and tried to do what we requested them to do, all I would like from them is to not doubt or be pissed off or be down in any respect.
“It's what it's. I’ve seen folks within the SEC are available right here and be handled precisely the identical approach.”
There are positives to be gleaned, even in demoralizing defeat.
For one — and this maybe essentially the most vital — the Aggies largely walked away unscathed on the damage entrance, regardless of scares to defensive tackles Hale Motu’apuaka and Poukesi Vakauta, in addition to linebacker AJ Vongphachanh.
“First indication is it's all bumps and bruises,” Anderson mentioned. “We have been fairly cautious with the rating the place it was. Didn’t really feel the necessity to threat something. As soon as guys had bumps and bruises, we have been fairly cautious about placing them again on the market.
“At first look, speaking to the medical workers, we must always have everybody wholesome and prepared for apply preparing for Weber (State). In that sense, it's a victory. We couldn’t afford to lose a starter or a key participant in a sport like this, so I feel that was lucky.”
A byproduct of that conservative method meant Utah State almost emptied its bench, with 28 totally different Aggies recording at the very least one deal with, eight making at the very least one rush and 6 tallying receptions.
Legas and Williams each noticed vital time after Bonner was benched following being dinged up early.
And there may be nothing fairly as precious to improvement as in-game reps, and people reps coming in opposition to the most effective staff within the nation actually didn’t harm.
“There's nothing fairly like enjoying a sport,” Anderson mentioned. “Apply isn't the identical and enjoying in opposition to that stage of expertise is exclusive in itself. We acquired lots of people on the sector. You’d prefer to assume, and I don’t know if there's a technique to calculate that, however I feel sport reps are enormous.
“To deal with a man, to line up the place you're imagined to in opposition to a extremely bodily, gifted soccer staff, with the matchups being that tough, there need to be some residual advantages from that. Hopefully down the stretch because the season progresses and now we have accidents and guys do need to step up, these reps will assist us be higher when it actually issues, late within the yr in convention play. That is among the few possibly advantages of tonight. There’s not many, however that could be one.”
Early within the week, Anderson and the Aggies made it clear that they have been underneath no illusions that they might compete with Alabama. Not likely.
“They (Alabama) are possibly the most effective staff on the planet,” Anderson mentioned in his Monday press convention. “There are simply no weaknesses. They're an enormous problem for our guys. We've got to concentrate on us, concentrate on getting higher.”
In Anderson’s eyes, his staff did simply that, whilst the remainder of the nation sees a dismal shutout loss.
“I like them and I'm happy with how laborious they performed,” Anderson mentioned. “We've got to place this one the place it belongs. Don’t let this one linger. Be taught from it, transfer on and belief the way in which we do issues.”
That “approach” led Utah State to a Mountain West Convention title final season, a purpose that continues to be very a lot alive.
And the Aggies are nonetheless purchased in.
“I’d by no means been in an setting like this earlier than and there have been butterflies,” Larsen mentioned. “They have been the higher staff tonight, and we simply need to take what we realized and transfer on from it.”