Crimson Tide Coaching Staff Names Seven Players of the Week for Football
The Alabama coaching staff recognized seven players of the week following the Crimson Tide’s 24-7 victory over third-ranked Florida State last Saturday in Atlanta, Ga., at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Damien Harris and Calvin Ridley on offense, Shaun Dion Hamilton and Levi Wallace on defense, and Keaton Anderson, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Thomas Fletcher and Harris, once again, on special teams.
Harris led the UA running game, finishing with a team-high 73 yards on only nine carries and carried one in for a score from 11 yards out. The junior tailback also added one reception, totaling 11 yards. Ridley paced the Alabama wideouts, tallying seven receptions for 82 total yards and one score, coming on a 53-yard touchdown strike from Jalen Hurts for the Tide’s first touchdown of the evening.
The Tide defense was led in tackles by Hamilton, who closed out his night with eight total stops. Hamilton added one sack and registered a career-high and team-leading 3.5 tackles for loss in his first game back since last year’s SEC Championship. Wallace entered the game off the bench, but made an impact during his time on the field. The senior snagged one interception and notched two stops, including half a tackle for a loss of one yard.
Anderson and Fletcher aided in the punt game, providing JK Scott with time to boot six punts for 211 yards, including a long of 53 yards. Fitzpatrick earned his accolades thanks to a blocked field goal to send the game to halftime with the Tide still in front by three. Harris also thwarted a Seminole special teams effort, blocking a punt at the FSU 6-yard line as he came off the edge to smother the punt. His blocked punt would lead to a Crimson Tide field goal that gave Alabama a six-point lead and continued a streak of 21 unanswered points by the Tide in the season-opening victory.