=== No. 4 Alabama rolls past Western Carolina ===
 
 Tuscaloosa,  AL  (Sports Network) -  Eddie Lacy rushed  for 99 yards and three
 touchdowns  as  No. 4 Alabama  rolled over  Western Carolina, 49-0, at Bryant-
 Denny Stadium.
 
 AJ  McCarron  completed all  six of his  passes for 133  yards and a touchdown
 before getting removed in the second quarter after the Crimson Tide (10-1) had
 jumped out to a comfortable lead.
 
 Blake  Sims  replaced McCarron for the  remainder of the game and completed 2-
 of-6 passes for 27 yards while adding 70 yards and a score on eight carries as
 Alabama rebounded from its first loss of the season.
 
 "I  was  pleased with  the way our  guys competed in  the game today," Alabama
 coach Nick Saban said. "Our guys played the way we wanted to play. We improved
 as  a  team and had  a good week  of practice. Everything is  ahead of us as a
 team."
 
 Troy  Mitchell  started the game  for Western Carolina  (1-10) and was held to
 just 30 yards on 4-of-8 passes and six yards on nine carries.
 
 Eddie  Sullivan entered  next  and  was just  as  ineffective, going  4-for-12
 through  the  air for 63 yards  as the Catamounts  were held to just 163 total
 yards on offense.
 
 "They're  an excellent football team that we could not stop," Western Carolina
 coach Mark Speir said about Alabama.
 
 Alabama  received the ball  first and marched right down the field to take the
 lead  as Amari Cooper had receptions of 14 and 36 yards to highlight a 6-play,
 62-yard drive Lacy capped with a 7-yard touchdown run.
 
 Christion Jones' 28-yard punt return set the Crimson Tide up on offense at the
 Western  Carolina 44  following a three-and-out by the Catamounts, and Michael
 Williams'  22-yard  catch set up  T.J. Yeldon's  3-yard rumble across the goal
 line for a 14-0 lead with 7:58 left in the first quarter.
 
 Alabama  added to its lead on its next touch with a 3-play drive that included
 a  34-yard grab by Kenny Bell and a 21-yard run by Lacy before Lacy pushed the
 ball into the end zone from seven yards out.
 
 Western  Carolina then  recorded its first first down of the contest and moved
 the ball into Alabama territory with a 28-yard reception by Garrett Brown, but
 Mitchell  was  sacked for an  8-yard loss on the  next play and the Catamounts
 were  again  forced to punt after  a pair of  short runs by Michael Vaughn and
 Mitchell.
 
 The  punt was  downed at the Alabama  1-yard line, but the Crimson Tide needed
 just eight plays to drive the length of the field as McCarron reeled off a 24-
 yard  run before  finding Jones for a  29-yard score and a 28-0 lead with 8:17
 left in the second quarter.
 
 Sims  replaced McCarron under center from there and led a 7-play, 71-yard trek
 that included just one pass and was finished off by a 3-yard TD run by Lacy.
 
 Lacy carried the ball four times for 38 yards on the scoring drive.
 
 Western  Carolina seemed poised to get on the board within the final minute of
 the  second quarter after Jones muffed a punt and the Catamounts recovered the
 ball  at  the Alabama 29,  but two plays  later, Mitchell's backwards pass was
 dropped  and Deion Belue  returned the fumble 57 yards for a score, giving the
 Crimson tide a 42-0 advantage at the break.
 
 After Alabama added to its lead with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Sims on its
 first touch of the third quarter, the Catamounts put together their best drive
 of the game, moving the ball inside the Crimson Tide's red zone.
 
 But Western Carolina decided to go for it on a 4th-and-1 at the Alabama 14 and
 Michael  Johnson was  stuffed for no gain  to turn the ball over on downs with
 1:15 left in the third quarter.
 
 The  teams traded punts throughout the fourth quarter to run out the remainder
 of the clock.
 
                                   Game Notes
 
 Alabama  racked  up 460 total  yards on  offense ... McCarron's touchdown pass
 gave him 21 for the season, setting an Alabama single-season record ... Yeldon
 finished with 55 yards on seven carries ... Lacy carried the ball 10 times ...
 Sullivan  was the  Catamounts leading rusher with 28 yards on four carries ...
 Alabama  was 6-for-9  on third-down conversions, while Western Carolina was 2-
 for-11 on third downs.
 
 11/17 16:28:50 ET

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