When push came to shove Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Alabama did what Alabama does.
It pushed harder.
And eventually, West Virginia relented, unable to withstand the punishing ground game that has been the signature piece to Alabama’s dominance.
Everyone was interested in what Alabama would do at quarterback. Blake Sims started — FSU transfer Jacob Coker didn’t take a snap — and he was solid (24 for 33, 250 yards_. But he didn’t win the game for the second-ranked Crimson Tide. Isn’t that the debate at Alabama — that the quarterback doesn’t have to win it for them?
When it came down to it, all Sims had to do was hand the ball off to the 1-2 punch of T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry.
Holding a 20-17 halftime lead, Alabama ran 23 times for 119 yards and passed 19 times for 165 yards.
That began to shift in the second half after the Mountaineers missed a potential game-tying field goal. With first down on its own 30, Alabama drove the field in six plays. Henry gained 44 yards on three carries, including a 19-yard TD run.
The 27-17 lead started looking like a mountain for West Virginia. The Mountaineers trimmed the lead to seven, but the Tide answered with another field goal and after Sims threw an interception on Alabama’s first play of the fourth quarter, Nick Saban’s squad ran the ball 14 of its final 19 plays.
Second half tally: 26 rushes, 169 yards; 14 passes, 85 yards. Sims added 42 more yards.
Yeldon ran 23 times for 126 yards and two scores and Henry totaled 113 yards on 17 carries with a TD.
For the game, Alabama piled up 288 rushing yards; West Virginia just 47.
Did Alabama have issues in its secondary? Absolutely. West Virginia QB Clint Trickett completed 29 of 45 passes for 365 yards and receiver Kevin White repeatedly looked like a physical matchup for the Tide defenders. White caught seven passes for 143 yards and a TD.
This Alabama team certainly has question marks, possibly more than its had since Saban began this dominating roll in 2008 — Alabama is 73-9 during that stretch. But as long as the Tide can keep pushing harder than their opponent, they’ll be in the playoff discussion.
AUBURN GETS STINGY
For a half, Auburn looked a lot like it did last year: an offensive juggernaut and a turnstile on defense.
But something happened in the locker room at halftime after Auburn squandered a 14-point lead and went into the break tied with Arkansas.
The Tigers came out in the second half and played defense. Real defense.
The Tigers outscored the Razorbacks 24-0 in the second half and outgained them 284-62 en route to a rain-soaked 45-21 victory in the season opener that was delayed for nearly 90 minutes because of lightning.
Arkansas gashed Auburn in the first half for 151 rushing yards, blasting open one huge hole after another at the line of scrimmage. In the second half, Arkansas managed just two more rushing yards.
Two .
Consider this: Arkansas’ second half drives went for 3, 20, 2, 5 and 8 yards.
That’s a significant develop for Auburn.
Everyone knows the Tigers are going to score. Preseason All-SEC quarterback Nick Marshall sat out the first half for an off-the-field transgression this summer, but the Tigers didn’t skip a beat. Sophomore Jeremy Johnson completed 12 of 16 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
With Marshall running the offense in the second, Auburn looked like the team that dominated opponents late last season. Gus Malzahn’s fast-paced scheme piled up 234 second half rushing yards — 302 for the game — and the Razorbacks, like Missouri, Alabama and even Florida State at the end of 2013, could do little to stop it.
Cameron Artis-Payne, getting first shot at replacing 2013 Heisman finalist Tre Mason, gained 177 yards on 26 carries and Corey Grant added 87 yards on 10 totes.
But it was the defense in the second half that will be talked about Sunday. A year after surrendering 420.7 yards per game, Auburn allowed 328 total yards Saturday. By comparison, the Tigers only held three teams to fewer yards last season — Western Carolina and Florida Atlantic. Tennessee (354 yards) was the only team to not reach 400 yards against the Tigers.
Auburn’s offense is good enough to score with any team in the country. But if Auburn quits giving up lots of points, it makes Malzahn’s offense that much better.
GOLSON'S RETURN
Welcome back, Everett Golson.
Not to spin this backward first, but Tommy Rees had just one game with four or more TDs in 2013 after Golson was kicked off the team. Golson unleashed four total TDs in the first half against Rice on Saturday.
He finished with 295 passing yards, 41 rushing yards and five TDs (three rush) in a 48-17 win against the Owls. Golson's dazzling return should serve as a reminder that he's only lost one game as a starter, and that happened to be a BCS championship game against No. 1 Alabama.
Golson helped No. 17 Notre Dame break it open with back-to-back back-breaking plays in the second quarter. Golson put the Irish ahead 21-10 with a 14-yard burst up the middle in which he launched over the pylon for the score Superman style. After a Notre Dame interception, Golson fired a 53-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Prosise with five seconds left in the half. Brian Kelly's offense looks like his offense again.
This version of Golson looks much different than the redshirt freshman of 2012. He served more as a caretaker then. Now he's a full-fledged dual-threat playmaker, the kind that can put up Heisman-type numbers in the process. Golson has the first leg up on some the other dual threats, like say, UCLA's Brett Hundley.
The Irish averaged 15.9 yards per pass and 6.0 yards per rush in the first half before the traditional early-season South Bend rain altered tempo in the second half. Still, Golson added a third touchdown on a busted play in which faked a handoff to back that wasn't there before picking his way in for a four-yard TD.
Now Golson leads Notre Dame into the series finale against Michigan, which routed Appalachian State, 52-14. Golson threw two picks and got the quick hook in favor of Rees, who led a 13-6 win.
Whoops, we spun it backward again. Rees is gone. Malik Zaire had a 56-yard run on his first snap, though. Let's not spin that way either, not yet.
Let's let Golson do this for himself for now.
NOT THIS TIME
It doesn't change the past, but Saturday proved the short-term outlook in Ann Arbor isn't nearly as bleak as the preseason prognostications.
Michigan routed Appalachian State 52-14 on Saturday. Again, it doesn't change the shocking 34-32 upset from 2007, but the Wolverines can move on from that after a quick-and-clean exorcism of the Mountaineers.
With new offensive Doug Nussmeier, Michigan might be moving forward quicker than anticipated. The Wolverines impressed with 555 total yards. A few takeaways:
— Devin Gardner's improved efficiency is noticeable. He finished 13-of-14 for 173 yards and three TDs. All of those TDs were to Devin Funchess, the first Michigan receiver to sport the No. 1 jersey since Braylon Edwards. Gardner, however, can't develop tunnel vision to the 6-foot-6 Funchess. Michigan's other receivers — Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson — combined for three catches for 48 yards. Funchess is a stud. We know that. Darboh and Chesson need to be consistent contributors.
— The two-headed running back system took time to get on track; Derrick Green had just four carries for four yards on the first two drives. Green, however, ripped off a 59-yard run in the second quarter and finished with 15 carries for 170 yards. De'Veon Smith added eight carries for 115 yards. The Wolverines finished with 345 rushing yards and averaged 9.9 yards per carry. That's old-school Michigan football
— and the same system Nussmeier thrived with at Alabama. That's how Brady Hoke wants this to go, and it should give a much-maligned offensive line some bite heading into the series hurrah in South Bend.
— Michigan's defense is better, and aggressive blitz packages and tighter coverages are proof of that. Appalachian State had just 64 total yards at halftime. Sophomore defensive linemen Willie Henry and Taco Charlton were disruptive, and Frank Clark could be playing his way into Sunday employment. The only spoiler? Highly-touted freshman cornerback Jabrill Peppers left with an ankle injury and did not return to the sideline in the second half.
Michigan might have done just enough to wiggle into the Top 25 before the trip to No. 17 Notre Dame. In the meantime, it's OK to put the past away.
The future looks much better anyway.
HUSKERS' RECORD DAY
The final score was as bad as it looked.
At least it was for Conference USA member Florida Atlantic. In a record-setting performance, No. 22 Nebraska was a rude host to the Owls in the season opener, throttling its opening day opponent, 55-7.
Behind a Heisman-like effort from senior running back Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska hit the 700-yard mark for the 10th time in school history with a Big Ten-record 779 total yards.
Abdullah ran the ball 21 times — his final carry coming with 7:51 left in the third quarter — for 227 yards. The Homewood, Alabama, native averaged 10.8 yards per carry with a 47-yard TD run with 6:29 left in the first half.
In contrast, Florida Atlantic had 200 yards of total offense.
"I know what this offense has the potential to do, but let's not get ahead of ourselves now," Pelini said. "Our captains said we didn't come into this season to beat Florida Atlantic. So we won a game we should have won. I do like the fashion we won it."
The win was Bo Pelini's 59th at Nebraska, moving him past Frank Solich for third-most in school history.
Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. was 15 of 29 for 271 yards and two touchdowns in his first game as the full-time starter, taking over for Taylor Martinez.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UPSET
Maybe the SEC should consider adding North Dakota State to its list of teams it will consider worthy non-conference opponents.
Because the three-time defending FCS champions are making a habit of beating FBS power conference opponents.
The Bison handled the Big 12’s Iowa State on Saturday, 34-14, for its 25th consecutive victory and the fourth year in a row they’ve beaten a Power 5 school — and every time on the road, of course.
A look at North Dakota State’s conquests the past four seasons:
— 2013: North Dakota State 24, Kansas State 21
— 2012: North Dakota State 22, Colorado State 7
— 2011: North Dakota State 37, Minnesota 24
— 2010: North Dakota State 6, Kansas 3
That makes it 5-0 vs. the FBS over the past five years. By comparison, Kansas owns just six wins against FBS teams since 2010.
What North Dakota State is doing is no fluke. In Saturday’s win against Iowa State, the Bison pounded out 499 total yards, including 293 on the ground.
There isn’t an FBS on the Bison’s schedule next season, yet, but Iowa, which escaped Saturday with a 31-23 win against another Missouri Valley Conference member, Northern Iowa, plays North Dakota State in 2016.
And they could be coming off a fifth straight FCS title when they meet.
Maybe banning games against FCS teams isn’t such a bad idea for the Power 5.
Contributors: Bill Bender, Ken Bradley, Daniel McFadin, Associated Press