Alabama opened their 2022 campaign with a dominant 55-0 victory over Utah State. It certainly wasn't a surprising result, given how the Crimson Tide are the top ranked team in the nation and Utah State isn't ranked, but it was nice to see ‘Bama come out of the gates hot. And at the center of all of the action was star quarterback Bryce Young.
Young is coming off of a 2021 campaign in which he won the Heisman Trophy and led Alabama to the National Championship Game. Heading into his junior year, which figures to be his final collegiate season, Young is looking to let NFL teams know that he means business. He carved up Utah State's defense early and often last night and finished the game completing 18 of his 28 passes for 195 yards and five touchdowns.
Bryce Young also made his mark as a rusher, which isn't normal for him. Young picked up 100 yards and a touchdown on five carries on the ground, which was easily the highest mark of Young's college career. When asked about his unexpected ruishing contributions, Young offered a quick response to the question.
“I just try to do whatever's best for the team, whatever the defense gives me. But that was definitely interesting. It definitely wasn't something I was planning.” – Bryce Young, ABC News
It doesn't seem as if Bryce Young was planning to make such a strong contribution to Alabama's ground game, but it added an extra element to his offenses' gameplan that Utah State couldn't account for. It will be interesting to see whether or not Young will continue to pick up yards on the ground as the season goes on, or if it was a one time thing.
Either way, Alabama's offense seems poised to destroy opposing defenses yet again this upcoming season, and Bryce Young figures to play a big role in their success.