Alabama Football: Welcome to the QB Club, A.J. McCarron (with Highlight Video)

A.J. McCarron silenced the critics who claimed that Phillip Sims would be the starter back in Weeks 1 and 2, but in five weeks of football he remained suspect.  Was he good enough to take the team all the way?

After last night's performance against Vanderbilt, I believe it's safe to answer that question with a resounding "YES!"

The competition was Vanderbilt, by no means a great team, but they have a pretty respectable passing defense this year, ranked fourth in the SEC. 

They also just happen to lead the nation with 14 picks.  That's right, 14 interceptions. 

It was homecoming, the upset alert was going off and a bunch of ball hawks were creeping on the other side of the field.  A perfect storm to let A.J. McCarron go gunslingin'.  Kudos, Nick Saban and Jim McElwain. 

The gambit paid off mid-first quarter.  A.J. nailed a red-zone pass to Brad "Love That" Smelley for six yards and a touchdown.  That's right—a red-zone touchdown pass against the No. 1 ball hawks in the nation.  Bold indeed, Mr. McCarron. 

The boldness didn't stop there that night.  No, A.J. was so bold and full of swagger that night, even the fans could smell the Old Spice reeking from him. 

With less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half, A.J. McCarron found himself in a situation where the pocket was collapsing.  He stepped up through it and saw a big field of green, perfectly primed for a touchdown run. 

And then the threw the ball into heavy coverage in the end zone.  That was the swag making a statement.  DeAndrew White hopped up through the swarm of opposing hands, snaked the ball and came down on one foot, half an inch from being out of bounds. 

Some might call it luck, but McCarron seems to have an uncanny knack for putting the ball in places only his receivers can reach. 

Then, in the third quarter, we all saw what we've been dying to see—McCarron throwing a touchdown pass where the ball itself travels 30 yards or more through the air before being caught. 

DeAndrew White, barely outrunning his double coverage, opened up a window the size of a poker card, and McCarron capitalized.  He hit DeAndrew 39 yards for another touchdown. 

A.J. totaled four touchdowns that night, his final being to the previously-quiet Darius Hanks. He completed almost 77 percent of his passes, going 23-of-30 for 237 yards with a 7.9 average.  Again, he piled up those stats against the No. 1 team in the nation for interceptions, and A.J. threw no picks. 

"Game manager."  Pfah.  A.J. McCarron is a quarterback. 

The only bad thing to happen to A.J. during his breakout game was when Anthony Steen whiffed on a block, letting A.J. get hit in the mouth by a 300-something pound defensive lineman. 

Go Anthony Steen.  Here's hoping Cyrus Kouandjio does some real growing up before the Tide face Oklahoma!  Oh so bold!

A.J. had the hot hand last night, and with his calm poise he looks to carry that all the way to the BCS National Championship game. 

His job may officially be to "not lose games", but he sure as hell can win them if he needs to.