Carpenter Helped Hammer Tennessee

With the Southeastern Conference having six ranked teams and players having outstanding performances in critical games, it’s hard to shoehorn all the deserving players into award-winning slots. Bama had only one SEC honoree this week after a decisive victory at Tennessee, but Bama coaches had awards for many.

Alabama left tackle James Carpenter was selected as the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week the league office announced on Monday while the Bama coaching staff selected eight players of the week following the Crimson Tide’s 41-10 victory over Tennessee.

Carpenter, a senior from Augusta, Ga., received the top grade on the Alabama offensive line in the victory at Tennessee. He did not surrender a sack or a pressure or get called for a penalty. Carpenter produced the key block in Trent Richardson’s 65-yard touchdown run and helped clear a path off the left side on both of Mark Ingram’s 1-yard touchdown runs.

How hard was it to get an SEC honor this week? Julio Jones set an Alabama record for yards receiving in a game and didn’t make the SEC grade. Considering the caliber of players who have worn crimson, any time a player breaks a Tide record, it has been a good day’s work.

Julio Jones and Greg McElroy joined Carpenter as offensive players of the week by the Alabama coaching staff. Jones established a new Alabama single-game record with 221 receiving yards on a career-high 12 receptions. He also moved into second place at UA in career receiving yards with 2,189.

McElroy connected on 21-of-32 passes for 264 yards with no interceptions as he guided an offense that accounted for 536 yards in the game, including 210 rushing yards and 326 yards in the air to average 7.8 yards per play and record 24 first downs. The Tide also converted 54 percent of their third down attempts (7 of 13).

On the defensive side of the ball, the coaching staff recognized DeMarcus Milliner, C.J. Mosley and Marcell Dareus as its defensive players of the week.

Mosley led the Crimson Tide with nine total tackles, including four solo stops with half of a sack. Milliner added seven solo tackles while forcing a fumble and breaking up a pass. Dareus disrupted the UT quarterbacks all night, batting down two passes and making two assisted tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including half of a sack.

Special teams honors from the coaching staff went to sophomore Will Lowery and junior Brandon Gibson. Lowery recorded three solo tackles on kickoff coverage while Gibson registered one solo tackle on kick coverage.

This was the first week of the season that Richardson was not a weekly honoree by the coaches either for offense or special teams work. All Richardson did was run 65 yards for one touchdown and catch a five-yard pass from A.J. McCarron for another, and finish with 12 carries for 119 yards, one pass for five yards, and two kickoff returns for 48 yards, for 172 all-purpose yards.

Alabama has a bye this week before traveling to Baton Rouge, La., on November 6, for a 2:30 p.m. (CDT) kickoff against LSU at Tiger Stadium. CBS will televise the game.