Milroe, Williams lead No. 9 Alabama to 52-7 win over Mercer, an FCS team

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third in just over two quarters to help No. 9 Alabama beat FCS team Mercer 52-7 on Saturday.

Ryan Williams ran for a 29-yard touchdown and caught a 14-yard score for the Crimson Tide (8-2, No. 9 CFP), who got a reprieve from Southeastern Conference games after re-entering the Top 10 following a dominating win over LSU last week. Now, they'll go back to focusing on polishing their playoff resume and battling for an SEC title with games against Oklahoma and Auburn and no more margin for error.

Alabama has won its last three games by a combined 128-20 since losing to No. 6 Tennessee, including wins over ranked SEC teams LSU and Missouri.

“Coming into this game, like we said last week, nameless, faceless opponent,” said Williams, the Tide's star freshman receiver. "That's really just been what we've been saying day in and day out. At this point, it's not about who we're playing against, it's about us executing at a high level."

The Bears (9-2), playing without injured quarterback DJ Smith, had already clinched a spot in the FCS playoffs and at least a share of the Southern Conference title. Whitt Newbauer started at quarterback for Mercer, going 15 of 22 for 140 yards with an interception. The Bears avoided the shutout with his 31-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Harris late in the first half.

This one went about as expected.

Alabama led 31-7 before the break. Milroe headed to the sidelines for good after capping the opening drive of the second half with a 3-yard scoring run, his 17th of the season. He was 11-of-16 passing for 186 yards — including a 44-yard touchdown to tight end Robbie Ouzts — and ran six times for 43 yards.

It was just the second touchdown of the senior tight end's career.

“He’s just kind of a Swiss Army knife for us,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said, noting that Ouzts addressed the team Friday night.

“You can just tell the love our team has for him."

Milroe, who ran for four touchdowns against LSU, then relaxed as backup Ty Simpson took over. Simpson showed scrambling ability on his biggest play, a 43-yard pass to Josh Cuevas after escaping the grasp of a defender. The two-year backup figures to be a leading contender for the starting job next season.

Alabama's defense had big moments, too. Freshman Zabien Brown returned a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown in one of three forced turnovers.

“We're hunting the ball,” DeBoer said.

The Takeaway

Mercer: Had three first-half drives into Alabama territory end with turnovers, including two fumbles. The Bears can secure the outright Southern Conference title with a win over Furman.

Alabama: Took care of business in an obvious mismatch and got backups like Simpson and two other quarterbacks some action. Simpson was 5 of 10 for 71 yards.