Alabama, Sims facing first hostile test of season

photo Alabama quarterback Blake Sims (6) catches the ball during warmups before the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida Atlantic Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

So how will he perform in a white jersey?

The sizzling season start fifth-year senior Blake Sims has produced as Alabama's starting quarterback has occurred in friendly settings. The Crimson Tide opened their season wearing home uniforms against West Virginia in Atlanta, where they enjoyed a crowd advantage, and they have played their past three games inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

That changes Saturday when Sims and his third-ranked Crimson Tide visit No. 11 Ole Miss in the biggest game Vaught-Hemingway Stadium has hosted in more than a decade.

"We don't want to see anything different this week from any other week," Alabama coach Nick Saban said Monday in a news conference. "We want to see him be well-prepared for what he needs to do."

Nearly two weeks have passed since Sims caught the eye of the college football world with his 445-yard passing performance in a 42-21 thumping of Florida. The 6-foot, 208-pounder left the game in the third quarter with a bruised shoulder but returned to polish off the Gators, and he had an open date in which to heal.

Saban has said on multiple occasions this week that Sims has looked fine throwing in practice, adding Wednesday evening that it was like the setback never occurred.

As Alabama begins its journey through a demanding SEC West, Saban hopes Sims can learn from his last game. Although the Walter Camp Foundation named Sims its national offensive player of the week, Saban pinned a lot of the Crimson Tide's early inconsistencies against the Gators on the first-year starter.

"In the first half of our last game, some of the sloppy play we had was because he wasn't managing the game very well," Saban said. "The communication wasn't good, and people were uncertain about what to do. When you have that, people tend to play slow. We didn't have much rhythm or tempo, and we were much better in the second half."

Alabama's fourth turnover against Florida occurred early in the third quarter and allowed the Gators to pull into a 21-21 deadlock. From there, the Crimson Tide dominated, and Sims believes a lot can be learned from that experience as well.

"We had been waiting for bad things to start happening," Sims said, "and we wanted to know how we would handle them."

In Alabama's most recent trip to Ole Miss, a 52-7 thrashing in 2011, Trent Richardson rushed 17 times for 183 yards and four touchdowns, and Jalston Fowler ran nine times for 125 yards and two scores. Sims was a redshirt freshman tailback that season, and he added to the carnage in Oxford with five carries for 74 yards.

Sims is ranked fourth nationally in passing efficiency, having completed 71 of 97 throws (73.2 percent) for 1,091 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He has formed an amazing bond with junior receiver Amari Cooper, who is off to the fastest start in SEC history with 43 receptions for 655 yards and five scores.

"From last year to spring, Blake improved a lot," Cooper said. "From spring to camp, he improved even more. We've all had faith in Blake, and when the sun goes down we're still working."

Said Sims: "When you've got great wide receivers who can get open -- any quarterback can hit an open guy."

Alabama's offense under first-year coordinator Lane Kiffin also ranks fourth nationally with an average of 594.3 yards a game after amassing 645 against Florida, the most ever allowed by the Gators. Against Ole Miss, however, the Crimson Tide will face a Rebels defense leading the SEC by allowing 248 yards per game (Alabama is second at 250.3).

The Rebels will be the biggest test yet for Sims with their ability to bring pressure with Robert Nkemdiche, D.T. Shackelford and C.J. Johnson, as well as help combat Cooper down the field with the safety tandem of Tony Conner and Cody Prewitt.

"I think we're going to play a lot better teams coming up here that can affect the quarterback with the rush," Saban said after Wednesday's practice. "I don't think we've played against a significant rusher all year, so protection will be a factor. As we get in our league, and we saw this in the last game, we're going to get closer coverage, so it's going to get a little more difficult to continue this kind of efficiency.

"I don't mean to take away from our accomplishments, but it's about to get more challenging."

Time will only tell how Sims performs in a white jersey. He certainly has excelled in crimson.

"Lane has done a really good job with their quarterback in terms of dialing that guy in and having him take the ball to the right spots," Florida coach Will Muschamp said. "His legs hurt us a lot in that game. He had a scramble for 24 yards and a scramble for 18, and he kept some plays alive with his pocket movement.

"That's something you've got to be able to defend as well."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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