Battle over? Blake Sims has edge on Jake Coker in Alabama rout
Jake Coker didn't seem to make the impression needed vs. FAU to overtake Blake Sims in the battle to be Alabama's starting quarterback.
By
Jerry Hinnen
•
1 min read
First, a disclaimer: the Florida Atlantic defense is awful. Horrible. Rotten. In only two weeks, the Owls have given up 1,405 yards (8.6 per play). Trips to Nebraska and Alabama aren't easy for anyone, but things were so easy for the Huskers and Tide that judging anything that happened for their offenses is the opposite of easy.
That said? It also wasn't easy to watch the Tide's lightning-shortened 41-0 demolition of FAU Saturday and not think that Blake Sims is the Tide's starting quarterback for the forseeable future.
Jake Coker had his share of promising moments, none moreso than one third-quarter throw on which he was leveled by an FAU defender and still had the arm strength to deliver a 40-yard strike to ArDarius Stewart. Coker is 6-foot-5 and -- as that throw showed -- has an artillery piece for an arm, meaning he's still the player that looks like he ought to be the quarterback at Alabama. This is a pro-style offense, and it's Coker, not Sims, who's the pro prospect.
But the Tide offense just seems to work better with Sims under center. It was Sims who led the laughably easy opening touchdown drive, capping it himself with a heady scramble on 3rd-and-5. It was Sims who finished the first half a sparkling 8 of 9 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was Sims who simply looked like he belonged as the team's starter.
He wasn't perfect; Sims missed a connection with Amari Cooper for what should have been a touchdown on a goal-to-go situation early in the third quarter. It's also fair to point out much of Sims' yardage came on after-catch gains from the incredible Cooper, who tied an Alabama record with 13 receptions.
But as we learned last week in the Tide's scrape past West Virginia: Until further notice, if a game is tight, Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin's default setting is to turn to the fifth-year senior. To change that, Coker couldn't just battle Sims to a draw against FAU; he had to outplay him decisively.
And on the balance, it was Sims -- who finished 11 of 13 for 214 yards to Coker's 15 of 24 for 202 -- who appeared to narrowly outplay Coker. If the quarterback battle in Tuscaloosa isn't over, it's likely just come very, very close.
