TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — Alabama football hosted the Chattanooga Mocs for its final home game of the season, and the Crimson Tide crushed the Mocs, 66-10.

On the first play of the game, quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a deep ball to Jermaine Burton for a 56-yard gain which would later result in a touchdown on the opening drive. Milroe only played in the first half but finished 13-of-16 for 197 yards and three touchdowns.

Chattanooga’s offense struggled to get things going early, as at one point, it only had one first down, and that came off a targeting penalty against Chris Braswell. The Mocs found a rhythm late in the first half, as they scored a touchdown on its final drive of the first half and scored a field goal on its first drive of the second half. Running back Gino Appleberry had 104 yards on 22 carries and a score.

Here’s what we learned:

Bama was able to rest starters early

  • Milroe only played in the first half, as the score was 38-7 going into halftime. The Crimson Tide was able to get its young players valuable playing time, as they avoided injuries and look to be as healthy as possible for the big rivalry matchup with Auburn.

Alabama ran the ball effectively

  • In a game that the Crimson Tide was expected to dominate, that’s exactly what it did. Alabama used a plethora of running backs in the game, as five different backs got touches in the game, and the Tide finished with 317 total rushing yards. Backup quarterback Ty Simpson led the team in rushing with one carry for 78 yards, which is the longest rushing play for Bama this season. Simpson was originally given a touchdown for the run, but it was negated after review showed he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.

Caleb Downs may be the answer as punt returner

  • Kool-Aid McKinstry, who has struggled at times as the punt returner this season, had his spot taken by Caleb Downs after fumbling a punt in the first quarter. Downs made the most of his opportunity, returning a punt 85 yards to the house. It’ll be worth keeping an eye out for who does the punt returning in the Iron Bowl.