As is typical of Alabama’s annual football matchup against an FCS opponent, the Crimson Tide got plenty of players who wouldn’t normally play on the field Saturday. The Tide defeated Mercer 52-7 to move to 8-2 on the season, playing five different quarterbacks in the win.

In addition to the signal callers, the Crimson Tide had 11 players carry the ball and 13 players catch a pass. Afterwards, Kalen DeBoer said his team was excited to get so many player reps.

“Downstairs, some of the upperclassmen were talking about how much they appreciate the young guys and how happy we were that some of those guys got the opportunity to go down there,” DeBoer said. “They give the scout team looks all week, all season, and for them to be able to go out and have a little bit of success and enjoy the moment was great and the whole team is happy for them.”

Even the Crimson Tide walk-ons came into play near the end. Overall, the backup players performed well, extending Alabama’s lead throughout their time on the field.

Most notably, Austin Mack, the fourth quarterback in the game for UA, found Rico Scott, who made a hard catch in the end zone for a touchdown.

After the game, Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell said it made him happy to see some of the Tide’s backups get opportunities to play.

“That leaves me speechless,” Campbell said. “That’s great. Just me, against those O-linemen from the scout, and then seeing them in a game, that’s one of the most precious things in football… You see these guys every day at practice, pardon my language, they go every broken day. They don’t care if they’re hurt, they don’t care if they’re hurt, but they go out there.”

Campbell’s defensive teammate, cornerback Domani Jackson, agreed.

“Without the scout team, we are nothing,” Jackson said. “That’s the truth. They grind every day, just like us, and don’t really get the chance to show their talent. So when we came in for a game like this, we preached for them to come in. We’re all excited.’

Alabama is back in action next Saturday at Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide will then close out the 2024 regular season against Auburn at Bryant-Denny Stadium.