Standing in the jam-packed scrum of several thousand people trying to board the east-bound MARTA train from the Georgia Dome Station, the grades I was prepared to give the Tide’s performance against Va. Tech. were substantially lower than the ones I will award with the benefit of time, distance, relief from the Hokie fans [about which more later] and the chance to study the stats.
Watching the game live, there was a lot to be concerned about. Alabama’s offense looked out of sync. First down production was practically non-existent. Penalties were too common, turnovers were too critical, and kick coverage was too crappy. But with the advantage of perspective, Alabama’s 10 point win over Virginia Tech looks a lot better Sunday afternoon than the near-disastrous squeaker it seemed at midnight Saturday.
Yes, the offense was out of sync in the first half; but play improved in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter. No question that penalties and turnovers hurt, but as the game progressed, execution improved. In many ways it was an ugly win, but it was the first game of the season, with four of the offensive stalwarts of 2008 all in the NFL [JPW survived the final cut with the Falcons]. It was a convincing win against a very good defensive football team. When asked about Mark Ingram’s 150 yard rushing performance, Frank Beamer said “We don’t usually have someone run the ball like that against us.”
Indeed.
Virginia Tech’s defense was nearly as good as Alabama’s. They are very athletic and have lots of speed, especially at linebacker. In three possessions straddling the first and second quarters, the Hokies held Alabama to only 10 plays, that resulted in a field goal, a punt and an interception.
But Alabama’s offense, especially the line, seemed to grow stronger as the game wore on and by the 4th quarter, Alabama was gashing a clearly fatigued Hokie defense. On the other side of the football, Alabama proved to be every bit as good as the pre-season hype. Even with Jerrell Harris suspended for four games and Brandon Deaderick recovering from a gunshot wound, Alabama’s front seven were dominant and the secondary was – apart from a questionable penalty call and one missed assignment – impenetrable. Special teams were inconsistent and VPI clearly had the edge in that aspect of the contest. By the time the clock finally ran down to zero, Alabama had overcome self-inflicted adversity, inexperienced players had made large strides towards gelling as a potent unit, and the Tide had soundly beaten a top 10 team that is unanimously predicted to win its conference.
Here’s how I grade the game:
Offense: B -- Bama gained 498 yards of total offense [268 rushing]. Mark Ingram averaged 5.8 yards rushing on 26 carries while Roy Upchurch added 92 yards on 7 attempts [12.9 average] including a 19 yard TD that included completely de-cleating Hokie safety Dorian Porch. However, first down production was poor and Bama’s first sustained drive did not come until the 8:33 mark in the 2nd quarter; but what a drive it was-11 plays, 76 yards and 5:24 off the game clock. The Tide offense managed 5 drives in excess of 40 yards [76, 60, 57, 54 and 74] that resulted in three TDs, a fumble and a missed field goal.
After a shakey first half, Greg McElroy completed 15 of 30 pass attempts with 1 TD and 1 INT. In the course of the night, McElroy demonstrated that he can indeed throw the deep ball including a 35 yarder to Darius Hanks in the 1st quarter and one for 48 to Marquis Maze in the 4th. Julio Jones led all receivers with 4 catches. Five different players caught passes; three receivers [Hanks, Maze and Jones], tight end Colin Peak and Ingram. McElroy had a terribly dry patch in the second quarter, at one point throwing 9 incomplete passes in a row. In the post-game interview, he admitted to being frustrated, but he clearly
improved as the game wore on and by the 4th quarter was in complete control of his team and making excellent decisions.
Alabama earned 22 first downs, converted 6 of 17 third down possessions and accumulated over 37 minutes of possession time.
The coaching staff installed a “Wild Tide” play evidently intended to confuse the Tech defense. It achieved nothing.
Defense: B+ The Hokies could only manage 121 yards of offense against the Bama stop-troops [64 rushing], were held to only 11 first downs and converted only 2 of 11 third downs. Alabama tacklers stopped the Turkeys 9 times for loss of yardage including 5 sacks. Eryk Anders led all defenders with 8 tackles [3 solo] including 2 for a loss and forced a fumble. Rolando McClain had 5 tackles [4 solo; 2 sacks], Javier Arenas and Marcel Dareus each added a sack, while Josh Chapman combined with Dareus for yet another.
McClain deserves to be singled out for some deserved criticism for the two personal fouls he committed late in the second quarter that directly led to VPI scoring its first offensive TD of the game. He is one of the most important leaders on the defense and he just cannot repeat that kind of loss of composure.
Va. Tech had 13 drives. Nine of those drives were limited to four plays or less. The Hokies didn’t scrimmage on Alabama’s side of the 50 until there were only :23 seconds left if the first quarter.
Special Teams:
Kick offs: F Bama’s coverage unit allowed 243 yards on 8 returns including a 98 yard TD that gave the Gobblers an unearned boost and flipped momentum for the remainder of the half. Leigh Tiffin averaged aver very respectable 64.6 yards on 8 kicks, but the porous coverage earns the failing grade.
Punting: A P. J. Fitzgerald averaged 44 yards on 5 punts, only 2 of which were returned for only 11 yards.
Place Kicking: B Tiffin made 4 of 5 FG attempts including a 49 yarder on Bama’s first possession, but missed from 36 at the end of the first half.
Coaching: B The improvement throughout the game is a credit to the coaching staff; at the same time, the 10 penalties and the 9 times we ran that unproductive “Wild” play are minuses. For the second consecutive year, Bama has opened the season by beating the premier team of the ACC. Coach Bryant said that a football team makes more improvement between the first and second games of the season than at any other time. I fully expect to see the 2009 edition of the Tide prove the truth of that maxim. But I really don’t want to see that “Wild” thing again.
I promised a word or two about the Hokie fans. I’m not sure that I can do justice to that odious rabble with just a word or two.
First, let me acknowledge that not every Bama fan I saw was a candidate for sainthood, many Va. Tech fans were appropriately behaved and beverage alcohol was at the root of all the bad behavior, but I have not seen such a collection of drunken, boorish louts this side of Knoxville. At one point i wondered if the inmates of some Lee County reform school had been decked out in maroon and orange and bussed up to Atlanta. A gaggle of Hokie “co-eds” seated near me were so ill behaved that a Scottish soccer hooligan would have called for security. And don’t get me started on the thirty-something woman with the earsplitting shriek that she emitted irrespective of what was happening on the field. If she had only been at Gitmo, Khalid Sheik Mohammed would have given up everything he knows without the water board. When she wasn’t purging her inner demons through primal scream therapy she was shouting profanity that I haven’t heard since basic training. At one point she dropped so many F-bombs that I wanted to suggest that she buy a vowel. I wonder if she talks to her mother with that mouth. But I think the capper to my encounter with Va Tech fans came at 10:00 this morning, when I had to step around one lying on the side walk, sleeping it off, next to the entrance of my hotel.
The 2009 season is off to a very good start. The Process is obviously at work. This team will have the chance to do something really special. Stay tuned.
The Commissioner
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