Tide Coaches Pick 9 After Win Over Vols

For the first time this year, Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley was NOT selected by the Crimson Tide coaches as one of the players of the week. So when is a negative news? When the leading tackler and the man who made a key interception that led to a touchdown and had a tackle for loss doesn’t merit the list.

And it’s not like it was an exclusive list. Alabama coaches selected nine Alabama ploayers for their performances following the Crimson Tide’s 44-13 victory over Tennessee last week. C.J. Mosley had been selected by the staff each of the first six weeks and continues as the leader in weeks selected at six.

Alabama, 7-0 and ranked first in the nation, is 4-0 in Southeastern Conference games. Mosley gets a chance to return to the honor roll this week when Bama hosts undefeated Mississippi State (7-0 overall, 3-0 in SEC games) at 7:30 p.m. CDT Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium. ESPN will televise the game. Mississippi State is ranked 12th in the Coaches Poll and 13th in the Associated Press poll.

Players recognized by the Tide coaching staff after the win in Knoxville are wide receiver Amari Cooper, quarterback A.J. McCarron, and tight end Michael Williams on offense; defensive backs Deion Belue, Dee Milliner, and Vinnie Sunseri on defense; and Nico Johnson, Cyrus Jones, and T.J. Yeldon on special teams.

Cooper set an Alabama freshman record with 162 receiving yards on seven catches and scored two touchdowns. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week and leads the team in receiving yardage (425), receiving touchdowns (5) and receptions (28). McCarron threw for a career-high 306 yards, completing 17-of-22 passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He leads the nation in pass efficiency (183.6) and has thrown a school-record 239 passes without an interception. Williams caught two passes for six yards, including a 1-yard pass from McCarron that gave the Tide a 20-3 lead in the 2nd quarter. Williams was also a key blocker for an offense that totaled 539 yards, including 233 on the ground.

Belue, Milliner and Sunseri helped limit one of the top passing teams in the country with their play in the defensive backfield. Belue was credited with one tackle and a pass break-up while Milliner recorded five tackles with a pass break-up. Milliner leads the nation in passes defended with 15. Sunseri was second on the team with six tackles and had one tackle for loss. Alabama gave up just 282 total yards (203 passing, 79 rushing) and forced a pair of interceptions, and leads the nation in all four major defensive categories.

On special teams, Jones totaled 86 yards on punt and kickoff returns. He had four punt returns for 59 yards with a long of 32, and one kickoff return for 27 yards. Yeldon had key blocks on the kick and punt return teams while Johnson contributed on punt and punt return teams. He finished the game with four total tackles.

Mosley leads the team in weekly player of the week honors with six, followed by Milliner with four.