Cyrus Jones has career day in 56-6 win over Charleston Southern

Alabama eventually held a 49-0 halftime lead.

Most of the second-half work was handed by Cooper Bateman at quarterback and the freshman running back duo of Tuscaloosa native Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris, stepping in for the injured Kenyan Drake. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound Henry had run for more than 200 yards in three of his last four entering the day. The two-yard run into the end zone was Henry’s 21 rushing touchdown this season, tying him with Trent Richardson who set the current single-season school record for rushing touchdowns in 2011.

We’ll start this week’s look at the Alabama game by stating the obvious – Charleston Southern was in no way talented enough to compete against Alabama, and everything positive that came out of the game for Alabama has to be looked at with that understanding. “We put two guys back there to keep it from rolling, Cyrus and Richard Mullaney, and Cyrus did a good job of fielding the ball and returning it. He’s got really good running skills. We didn’t end up playing Derrick (Henry) that much, but I think it was more important to get the other guys the experience”.

But the highlight of the quarter came as time expired, Cyrus Jones returned a punt 43-yards for a touchdown.

That said, Cyrus Jones played the game of his life with two punt returns for touchdowns, several tackles for loss, and an intercepted option pitch that was scored as a fumble forced and a fumble recovered.

Meanwhile, the SEC Network’s doing Alabama a favor by listing Charleston Southern’s ranking in the FCS coaches poll.

“That’s the only way I can get it played”, Ragland said it with a smile. They played well, but again, individual performances can’t be taken too seriously against a team like CSU.

“We heard it all right before you heard it”, senior linebacker Reggie Ragland said about the Saban rant during a press conference. With the players, I told them if you’re not inspired to play every play that you play, then you’re kind of cheating yourself because you’re not who you are and how you compete. The Tide also ranks sixth nationally in pass efficiency defense, aided of course by Alabama’s best pass rush in years. “Obviously that’s not something that has happened (this season), and we gave up two punt returns”.

Both Harris and Scarbrough carried the ball 10 times and both scored their first career touchdowns.

Charleston Southern started backup quarterback Kyle Copeland instead of Austin Brown with the program’s first playoff game awaiting. Alabama RT Dominick Jackson dressed but did not play. He was replaced by Korren Kirven….

What the win means for Alabama: The final score didn’t matter.