A"Shawn Robinson run defense bails out Alabama

Of all that went wrong for Alabama Saturday in a 14-13 win over Arkansas, the one thing the Crimson Tide needed most given the opponent — a stout run defense — proved to be reliable as ever.

The dynamic Razorbacks duo of Jonathan Williams (83 yards) and Alex Collins (13 yards) never broke free for the big gains that had highlighted a 317-yards-per-game rushing attack all season. As a team, Arkansas rushed 39 times for 89 yards, about 30 percent of their season average. Central to Alabama’s run-stopping efforts was sophomore defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson. The 320-pounder made five tackles, 1.5 of them for losses, and forced a fumble by Williams that Alabama recovered in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter,  Robinson beat a double-team to force a fourth-and-1 run outside, where Xzavier Dickson made a tackle for no gain.

Alabama entered the game ranked No. 3 in the NCAA in rush defense, allowing 65 yards per game.

Beyond Robinson, key defensive contributions came from everywhere. Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen blocked a PAT try that proved to be the difference in the game, All-American safety Landon Collins intercepted a pass and broke up two others, and inside linebacker Reggie Ragland made 12 tackles.

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A"Shawn Robinson run defense bails out Alabama

Markus Golden, Shane Ray ring hammock bell again

Another week, another round of sacks for the Missouri defensive end tandem of Markus Golden and Shane Ray.

Ray pushed a punt having a third down sack in the very first half in a 38-10 win over Central Florida Saturday, and added a sack using a forced fumble in the fourth quarter, giving him five sacks in the season. Yet, he also picked up a roughing the passer penalty in the fourth quarter. Golden picked up a sack close to the conclusion of the next quarter despite playing a read-and-respond duty initially. UCF quarterback Justin Holman saw nothing but great coverage in the Missouri secondary, and attempted to break in the pocket when Golden chased him down to get a quick loss.

Missouri tallied six sacks in the day.

Both are undersized for NFL defensive ends, but Golden is considered the better prospect of the two at 260 pounds. Before this week, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said NFL scouts have told him the two might be even better than last year’s Missouri pass-rushing tandem of Kony Ealy and Michael Sam, both of whom became NFL draft picks in May.

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Markus Golden, Shane Ray ring hammock bell again

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers fend off furious Browns rally

This is the backstory to one of the great moments of Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ response to a frantic second-half rally by the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers’ dramatic win, as well as the Philadelphia Eagles‘ come-from-behind win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins‘ denial of the New England Patriots are nominees for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the week. Cast your vote for the GMC Never Say Never Moments of Week 1.

Ben Roethlisberger

Once upon a time, Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers was one of the NFL’s greatest rivalries. Separated by less than 150 miles and a long-time connection in the AFC North (and AFC Central before that) perpetuated the regional fervor. However, ever since returning from their hiatus in 1999, the Browns have an abysmal 5-27 record against their rivals. During that run, the Steelers finally evened up their all-time record against the Browns and now hold a 68-57 edge in the rivalry that dates back to 1950, thanks to Week 1’s dramatic victory.

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Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers fend off furious Browns rally

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany: Don"t make judgments yet

Much like an athletic director giving a vote of confidence to his beleaguered coach, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has given one to his beleaguered league.

"The narrative is still developing for each team and for each of the conferences," Delany told The Associated Press. "It will develop into a full narrative by Dec. 7, not Sept. 7."

Saturday was not a good day for the Big Ten. The conference was involved in each of the three national marquee games, and league teams lost all three: Michigan State to Oregon, Michigan to Notre Dame and Ohio State to Virginia Tech.

In addition, two Big Ten teams fell to MAC opponents: Purdue to Central Michigan and Northwestern to Northern Illinois. And most of the league’s wins were uninspiring, too: Penn State beat Akron 21-3, Minnesota held off Middle Tennessee 35-24, Iowa rallied to beat Ball State 17-13 in the final two minutes, Maryland beat USF 24-17, Nebraska scored with 20 seconds left on an incredible catch-and-run by Ameer Abdullah to subdue FCS opponent McNeese State 31-24 and Illinois fended off Western Kentucky 41-34. And on closer inspection, wins by Rutgers over FCS member Howard (38-25) and Wisconsin over Western Illinois (37-3 after leading just 9-3 at halftime) weren’t that impressive, either.

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Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany: Don"t make judgments yet