Colorado State Rams vs Alabama Crimson Tide Match Player Stats On Sep 21, 2013

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 21, 2013

No. 1 Alabama 31, Colorado State 6: A.J. McCarron tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to DeAndrew White early in the fourth quarter and the Crimson Tide added a late score to win their home opener against the Rams.

McCarron was 20-of-26 for 258 yards with one interception for Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC), which recorded its 21st straight win against a non-conference opponent. Colorado State (1-3) trailed 17-6 with 12:41 remaining before Alabama capitalized on Garrett Grayson’s fumble and scored on the next play on McCarron’s lone touchdown pass of the game.

Grayson completed 24-of-38 passes for 228 yards for the Rams, who trailed 17-0 at the half before cutting into the lead with two field goals by Jared Roberts in the third quarter. The loss spoiled the return of Rams coach Jim McElwain, who was Alabama's offensive coordinator from 2008-2011.

Alabama came up empty on its first two drives of the game before Kenyan Drake’s 3-yard touchdown run capped an eight-play, 84-yard drive with 39 seconds left in the first quarter. Drake had three carries for three yards in place of T.J. Yeldon, who was suspended for the first quarter after receiving an unsportsmanlike penalty last week against Texas A&M.

Yeldon had seven carries for 49 yards for the Crimson Tide, who had 338 total yards of offense after exploding for 568 yards in their 49-42 win over Texas A&M. Alabama sealed this victory with 1:13 remaining when backup quarterback Blake Sims connected with Chris Black on a 14-yard touchdown pass.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Alabama improved to 65-3 when leading at halftime under coach Nick Saban. … Crimson Tide WR Christion Jones had nine receptions for a career-high 90 yards. … Alabama hosts Mississippi next Saturday, while Colorado State returns home to face Texas-El Paso in its final non-conference contest.