Five Tiders Earn Recognition In Loss

Witnesses to Alabama’s 29-24 loss at the hands of Texas A&M in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday might have thought there would be no players of the game selected by the Crimson Tide coaching staff. There were, however, some who performed well for Bama in the loss and they were recognized.

Although it was a lower number than usual, five Alabama players were recognized by the coaching staff for their outstanding performances following Saturday’s game against Texas A&M. Wide receiver Amari Cooper and tailback Eddie Lacy were named players of the week on offense; cornerback John Fulton and linebacker C.J. Mosley represented the defense; and on special teams, punter Cody Mandell was selected.

Cooper recorded a game-high 136 yards on six catches with one touchdown. His 54-yard score in the fourth quarter pulled the Crimson Tide within five at 29-24. He also had a 50-yard catch in the fourth quarter. Cooper leads the team with 38 receptions, 608 yards and six touchdowns. Lacy totaled 127 yards, including 92 on the ground on 16 carries. He had four receptions for 35 yards. Lacy is Alabama’s top rusher through 10 games with 771 yards and also leads the team with nine rushing touchdowns.

Mosley led all players with 14 total tackles, including nine solo stops. He had a sack for an eight-yard loss at the Texas A&M 1-yard line that eventually led to a punt and a Crimson Tide field goal. Mosley was given weekly honorable mention by the Southeastern Conference. He leads the team with 83 tackles on the season and is tied for the lead with four sacks. Fulton got the start at cornerback as Alabama was in nickel and dime defense most of the night and responded with five tackles (four solo) and a career-high four pass break-ups. After a tough start, Alabama’s defense settled in to hold the Aggies to nine points over the final three quarters of play.

On special teams, Mandell averaged 56.5 yards on four punts. He had two kicks of 60 yards and two others of 54 and 52 yards, respectively. Mandell ranks 14th nationally in punting with a season average of 44 yards.

This week Alabama steps out of conference for what should be an easy game against Western Carolina. The Catamounts opened the year with a 42-14 romp over Mars Hill, but have lost the following nine games to stand at 1-9 on the season. Western Carolina did have an open date last weekend. Kickoff Saturday will be at 11:21 a.m. CST with television coverage on the SEC Network.