Alabama coaches select Players of the Week for ULM game
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama football is 3-0 after beating Louisiana-Monroe 63-7 in a Week 3 home matchup. It wasn’t a perfect game by the Crimson Tide, especially on the offensive side of the football, but the performance was more than enough to get the job done.
Last week, only five Alabama players were awarded Player of the Week honors by the coaching staff. This week, there are eight different players (nine total if you consider that one player was counted twice). That includes two on offense, three on defense and three on special teams. Here are those eight players:
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Offense
OL Darrian Dalcourt: Helped lead an Alabama offensive line that cleared the way for 509 yards of total offense. Handles the communication up front for the Crimson Tide.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs: Accumulated 158 all-purpose yards against the Warhawks on Saturday. That included a team-high 65 receiving yards and a touchdown on four receptions, as well as 36 yards on the ground (four carries).
Defense
LB Will Anderson: Totaled five tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack on only 20 snaps. Also intercepted the first pass of his career, returning it 25 yards for a defensive touchdown. Anderson was back to being his typical dominant style of play.
DB Brian Branch: Recorded five tackles against Louisiana-Monroe, one of which was a sack. Branch also got one pass breakup. Branch was also impressive on special teams.
DB DeMarcco Hellams: Led Alabama in tackles for the second straight week with nine. Helped the Crimson Tide defense only hold the Warhawks to 169 total yards of offense and only seven points.
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Special Teams
DB Brian Branch: Not only did Branch have an impressive day on defense, but he also contributed in a major way on special teams. He entered the game as a punt returner in the second half and returned the ball 68 yards for a touchdown. It was the team’s first punt return for a score since 2020.
WR Ja’Corey Brooks: Blocked a Louisiana-Monroe punt that was returned by Malachi Moore for an Alabama touchdown. Also brought in one reception for 29 yards while playing wide receiver.
CB Kool-Aid McKinstry: Was the biggest part of Alabama’s school record 262 combined punt return yardage, which broke the previous number by almost 60 yards (204 yards set back in 1947). McKinstry recorded 136 yards on five returns, good for an average of 27.2 yards. Those 136 yards were third-most in Alabama single-game history.
DB Malachi Moore: Picked up the blocked punt by Brooks and returned it for a three-yard special teams score. Also added two tackles on special teams as part of his four total stops on the day.
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