3 thoughts as No. 1 Alabama rolls past Colorado State

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —The Alabama football team jumped out fast on the way to a 41-23 win over CSU on Saturday.

The No. 1 Crimson Tide (3-0) were up 17-0 early in the first quarter and forced two third-quarter interceptions to put the game away.

The Colorado State University football team briefly threatened, closing a 17-point deficit to seven, but the Rams (2-2) were unable to hang with the Crimson Tide for four quarters.

Here are three thoughts on the game played at Bryant-Denny stadium.

Alabama does what it does — In the words of Dennis Green, “they are who we thought they were.” Alabama was as advertised. The combination of size, speed, strength and depth was impressive. It’s easy to see why not only CSU couldn’t hang with the Tide, but why Alabama is a national title favorite. This is no Mountain West school.

Robert Foster’s 52-yard TD reception late in the first half to put Alabama up 24-10 was a show of next-level speed that CSU rarely sees.

Bo Scarbrough’s strength made it impossible to knock him backwards. Jalen Hurts missed a few open looks, but still showed off his athleticism and playmaking ability with a 27-yard TD run on Alabama’s first drive and a 78-yard TD to Calvin Ridley, after Ridley outran CSU’s defenders on the slant.

Hurts finished with 103 rush yards and was 12-17 for 248 and two touchdowns passing. Ridley had three catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. 

Rams hang in — Alabama jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game and all of a sudden CSU fans were worried the game might turn into an embarrassing, headline on SportsCenter type of blowout.

Those fears were allayed with an impressive fight back. Wyatt Bryan’s short field goal cut it to 17-3 early in the second quarter. The Rams then were within seven when Nick Stevens connected in the corner of the end zone with Warren Jackson for his first career TD.

A seven-point deficit and receiving the second-half kick would have made it very interesting, but Foster’s long touchdown put Alabama up 14 at half. Still, the Rams drove down and had a chance to cut the deficit before Stevens was picked off in Alabama territory. Another Stevens interception of Stevens helped push Alabama up 41-10.

Stevens scored a late rushing touchdown for CSU and then connected on another end zone fade to Jackson in the final two minutes. The 23 points (CSU went for two and failed after its final touchdown) is the most scored on Alabama in a regular season game since Oct. 8 of 2016 against Arkansas. 

Stevens finished 21-38 for 247 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Michael Gallup had four catches for 70 yards. Dalyn Dawkins had 59 rushing yards and 41 receiving. 

Little harm done — An 18-point loss isn’t much fun for the team and fans alike, but there’s really little harm done to CSU.

CSU still earned some national exposure (the game was broadcast on ESPN2) and receive a $1.5 million payout for this game. So long as there are no long-term injuries, this game doesn’t change the scope of the season for CSU.

Lytle:CSU fans awed by experiencing religion of Alabama football

The Rams still could (and should) contend for a Mountain West title, with 10 regular-season wins still achievable. The 2013 team that lost 31-6 at Alabama felt energized by sticking with the Tide until late in the game. CSU can find bright spots from Saturday and carry them into the rest of the season.

The Rams have a bye next week before opening MW play.

Only time will tell for sure, but there’s no reason the result Saturday should have residual negative impact on CSU’s season.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle.

Live Recap:CSU football can't overcome slow start, falls to Alabama