Alabama Football: Third Quarter Observations from the Press Box

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) The third quarter is as far as I can go, because I will leave the press box to walk off the field with the players after the game and get some quotes.

For anyone who doubted anything I said about the quarterback race, you can officially send your apologies to me in the comment section.

Phillip Sims is an excellent quarterback and will one day lead the Crimson Tide to victories and championships, but it won't be now.

He is struggling with pocket presence and throwing very ill-advised throws exactly as I said he would. The simple truth is, he hasn't had the time to fully grasp the speed of everything going on around him and it shows.

This is what I said all along would happen but it certainly is something he can recover from with time and practice.

His interception put it first and goal and the though the fans were going crazy hoping the team could preserve the shutout, it just wasn't to be.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines and in the huddle, it is clear that A.J. McCarron is the man in charge of this offense. He simply looks like the veteran of the two.

Eddie Lacy is fist-bumping the linemen and clearly having the time of his life out there, while it's all business for Trent Richardson. Likewise, A.J. fist-pumps the good plays and helps the refs with all the the TD calls. It's nice to see some emotion on the offense.

Phillip Ely and other teammates all fist-bumped and patted down A.J. after the scoring drive. The team is clearly enjoying the blowout.

A.J. threw an interception with 1:32 to go in the third, but you have to give that assist to Michael Williams who let a perfect pass bounce off his hands into a defenders'. One has to wonder if the A.J. detractors will point to that as his fault.