Those who follow the Alabama Crimson Tide knew that Mark Ingram could sit out another week and the team would be just fine with Trent Richardson taking the bulk of the carries – even with No. 18 Penn State coming to town.
And they were fine – more than fine.
The nation’s best backup compiled 190 yards of total offense and one touchdown as the Crimson Tide dominated the Nittany Lions 24-3 in Tuscaloosa on Saturday evening. Richardson rushed 22 times for 144 yards (6.5 YPC) and one touchdown, while also catching four passes for 46 yards.
Just as impressive as Richardson’s performance was the effort by the Tide’s defense. Nick Saban’s D held PSU to only 283 total yards, including 156 through the air. They also forced four turnovers and if it weren’t for a garbage field goal in the fourth quarter, the Tide would have produced their first shutout of 2010.
Of course, the final result tonight was hardly shocking. The Nittany Lions are an extremely young team and while quarterback Robert Bolden is going to be good someday, he’s only a freshman. He looked poised last week, but obviously there’s a difference between playing Youngstown State at home and Alabama in one of the toughest environments in college football. He was bound to show his inexperience, which he did.
Getting back to Ingram, he had knee surgery less than two weeks ago and it’s still uncertain whether or not he’ll return next week against Duke. With Richardson lining up in the backfield, it looks like the defending Hesiman winner can take as long as he needs to return to the field of action.
