ARLINGTON, Texas – Mike Tyson made famous the saying, “Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.”
So what’s the plan when you get punched by 11 people? There is no plan. No. 20 USC found that out the hard way as No. 1 Alabama’s latest Week 1 neutral site victim in a 52-6 blowout at AT&T Stadium on Saturday.
“I think that we had a really good plan for these guys,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “I think the players did a really good job of executing it, but we would not have been able to execute that plan if we could not stop the run.”
The plan is that simple. When Alabama stops the run – they limited USC to 30 carries for 64 yards – everything else follows.
They hit you. That’s Marlon Humphrey screaming up to fill to knock USC’s running back Justin Davis and send a message. Aside from a 46-yard run by Ronald Jones II, the Trojans’ tailbacks got nothing.
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They harass you. That’s Jonathan Allen’s decision to bypass the NFL might and become the centerpiece of a defense that might be Saban’s best unit yet. Yeah, we can’t believe we’re saying that either.
They’ll take out your best player. The old Bill Belichick principle. This time it was limiting to All-American receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to one catch for nine yards with split safety coverages over the top.
They’ll knock you the (bleep) out. That’s Humphrey with a late pick-six in the first half, which gave Alabama a 17-3 lead before halftime. The route from there was elementary.
What else can you say about this defense? Good lord.
“We were very physical at the point of attack at points,” Allen said. “We had great communication. That was the biggest thing we tried to focus on this game was to be very communicative.”
They got their point across after giving USC a few chances early. Like five chances, as in their first five drives that amounted to 19 plays and 40 yards before freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts found his rhythm.
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The Trojans couldn’t take advantage. They ran 28 plays on their first six drives and had a 3-0 lead, but those plays amounted to 79 yards. They got nothing from their tailbacks. They tried everything, and the plan didn’t work
Then Alabama hit them in the mouth with 38 unanswered points. Call it a second-round TKO. They join the likes of Clemson, Virginia Tech, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin; teams that the Tide routed in neutral-site openers under Saban.
It’s the Trojans’ worst loss in a half-century. Can USC get back up?
“Obviously one game doesn’t make a season,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “We knew coming in, win or lose, that our goal at the end of the year was to be Pac-12 champions.”
If that happens, they better have a better plan for a potential rematch. If Saturday is any indicator, then the SEC doesn’t have a real threat to Alabama’s plan unless Ole Miss shows something Monday night. Do you think Tennessee, Florida or Georgia would stand a chance? Could it come outside the SEC? Is it Clemson or Florida State? Ohio State or Michigan? That list is short.
Alabama still has questions, but most of those are on the offensive side of the ball, but the offense could blossom around Hurts with each week. The defense’s potential, is scary. The 2011 defense allowed 8.2 points per game and 183.6 total yards per game.
“We’re not trying to send a message,” Allen said. “We’re just trying to play for Alabama football and uphold a standard. I felt like we did a good job of that tonight.”
Allen won’t say it, but the defending national champions made a statement, and you better have a hell of a plan to beat them.
“You could win the first game and lose the next 11 but that’s not our plan,” Saban said. “We’ll improve.”
