Sometimes, when a football team plays a game, it is possible to describe what made the difference in the game with a single word. Talent, for example. Luck. Effort. Preparation.
Alabama's 48-43 win over Ole Miss, played over the span of more than four and a half hours, before the largest crowd ever to witness a football game in the State of Mississippi, is just such a game. It was a win that can be summarized with a single word. Character.
Trailing by 21 points on the road, with less than three minutes to play in the first half, some teams might quit; think about Southern Cal two weeks ago. Some might become frustrated and get chippy, resorting to personal fouls; think Georgia in the 2012 SEC CG, or Auburn just about anytime. Others might lose their poise or unity and start blaming each other for missed assignments or misjudged plays; again, think API. Yes, some teams might quit, become frustrated and lose their poise. The 2016 Crimson Tide is not among them.
Freshman QB Jalen Hurts, rebounded from having coughed up a fumble that gave Admiral Akbar its third TD of the half, to lead a sparkling 50 yard drive in three plays to notch Bama's first touchdown. The Defense responded by forcing a three and out and Eddie Jackson took the ensuing punt 85 yards for Alabama's second touchdown in 65 seconds of play. What was Bama's largest point deficit since the 2008 Sugar Bowl had become a very manageable 7 points heading into the locker room at the half.
Bama got the ball to start the second half and punted Ole Miss dead at the Ursuline 6 yard line. Two plays later, Chad Kelly was sacked, stripped of the ball, and Soph. Da'Ron Payne [6-2, 319; Shades Valley] scooped the loose ball and scored from three yards out.
With virtually the entire second half to play, the ball game was tied. Bama punted only once in the second half and scored 17 offensive points, while the Defense added another touchdown on Jonathan Allen's [Sr. DL; 6-3, 291; Leesburg, VA] 75 yard interception return.
Ole Miss showed their resolve in the game's waning moments, scoring two TDs and recovering an on-side kick, to bring the final tally within five points. The Tide killed the final 2:51 with determined running by Damien Harris [So. RB; 5-11, 214; Richmond, KY] and Cam Robinson's [Jr. OL; 6-6, 326; Monroe, LA] heads-up recovery of a Bo Scarbrough [So. RB; 6-2, 240; Northport] fumble.
In his post-game remarks, Coach Saban said some things I do not believe I have ever heard from a college football coach. In the run up to the game, he talked with his team about love. How love is a genuine, all-in, commitment. It's what makes marriages endure through adversity. And it is what will bind the members of a team to each other so that the team can overcome adversity. It was extraordinary.
If the 2016 Crimson Tide are champions at season's end, yesterday's game at Oxford will be rightly seen as the moment these players first showed the power of their love for each other, and the mettle of their character.
Here's how I grade the game:
Offense: B Alabama earned 23 first downs and compiled 492 total yards of offense [334 rushing]. They controlled the ball for 35:23 and converted 7 of 15 third downs. Each of the Tide's five possessions in the Red Zone resulted in a score. Jalen Hurts [Fr. QB; 6-2, 209; Channelview, TX] was the leading rusher, gaining 146 net yards on 18 attempts. Damien Harris added 144 yards on 16 carries. Joshua Jacobs [Fr. RB; 5-10, 204; Tulsa OK] contributed 33 yards on 3 plays. There were two stretches in the game where the Tide ran double digit totals of plays without a handoff to a running back. This is the new normal for the Alabama running game. When Alabama lines up in an empty formation, it may well be a running down.
Jalen has the reputation of being a gym-rat. I certainly hope that is true. He will need all of the fitness and conditioning that Coach Cochran can give him if he is to survive the pounding SEC defenses will scheme to deliver.
Hurts also completed 19 of 31 pass attempts for 158 yards, making him the first Tide QB since Tyler Watts to throw and run for more than 100 yards in the same game. Calvin Ridley [So. WR; 6-1, 188; Coconut Creek, FL] was the Tide's leading receiver with 81 yards on 8 catches. Gehrig Dieter [Sr. WR; 6-3, 207; South Bend, IN] added 47 yards on 2 catches. O.J. Howard [Sr. TE; 6-6, 251; Prattville] gained 24 yards on 2 receptions. Hale Hentges [So. TE; 6-5, 256; Jefferson City, MO] made 1 catch for 3 yards. Ardarius Stewart caught 4 passes for 2 yards. During one stretch in the first half, all of Lane Kiffin's play calls were screens, and Ole Miss knew it. Maybe Kiffin was stuck on screens because a blob of syrup was covering up the other plays on the Waffle House menu he uses to call plays.
The Offense started the game with a balanced, 17 play, 61 yard drive that took 7:13 off the clock, and scored a FG after Hurts missed a wide open Gehrig Dieter for a sure TD. This was followed by a 9 play, 23 yard drive resulting in a missed FG attempt from 47 yards. Then Bama's offense became utterly predictable, with predictable results. The next four possessions only ran 16 plays and resulted in three punts and a lost fumble recovered for a TD by Ole Miss. In the second half, play calling was much better, and Alabama got its running game on track.
Alabama had five drives that gained more than 40 yards [61, 50, 51, 75, 58] producing 3 TDs and 2 FGs.
The first half was also pocked with pre-snap penalties.
Defense: B Ole Miss notched 23 first downs and compiled 527 yards of total offense [106 rushing]. Chad Kelly played the best game of his college career, completing 26 of 41 attempts for 421 yards and 3 TDs. The Black Bear receivers are big and strong. Kelly was completing throws to open receivers as well as those who were covered about as well as is possible to do without a penalty. He was also the Formerly-Known-As Rebel's best running threat, gaining 48 net yards on 13 rushing attempts. Thanks to a Tide TD on a punt return and a recovered on-side kick, Ole Miss had more offensive possessions than Alabama [16-13], the Stop Troops held Ole Miss to 3 plays or less on 9 of those possessions.
The other seven? Mississippi put together drives of 75, 50, 80, 74, 54, 55 and 78 yards. In case you were wondering, that's not good. The one that galls the most, is the 12 play 78 yard drive Akbar put together for a TD with 2:24 to play in the game cutting Bama's 18 point lead to only 11. This set up the on-side kick recovery and quick strike, 37 yard TD that set the final score.
Reuben Foster led all tacklers with 12 [4 solo]. S. Hamilton at 7 stops including 2 tackles for lost yardage. Dalvin Tomlinson was in on 7 tackles. Minkah Fitzpatrick was credited with 6 tackles while Shyheim Carter [Fr. DB; 6-0, 190; Kentwood, LA] and Marlon Humphrey each earned 5.
Tide defenders notched 4 tackles for 19 lost yards including 2 sacks. Ryan Anderson forced Chad Kelly to fumble near the Ole Miss goal line. Da'Ron Payne recovered and scored. Kelly had 6 passes broken up, was hurried twice and intercepted once. Jonathan Allen's ensuing TD has to set some sort of record for Longest Pick-Six Return by Weight.
Special Teams:
Kick Offs: A+ Griff averaged 63.3 yards per kick on 9 kickoffs including 7 touchbacks. The coverage team allowed only 32 yards on two kick returns.
Punting: B+. JK Scott punted 5 times for an average of 38.8 yards and cranked off a longest punt that sailed 63 yards but with enough hang time so as not to out kick the coverage. However, he also shanked the very next punt which covered only 8 yards! Two of his punts were in excess of 50 yards and he dropped 2 inside the Mississippi 15 yard line. Eddie Jackson's 85 yard return for a touchdown would be enough to earn an automatic A, but the shank was almost as bad as a block, considering the field position.
Place Kicking: B. Griff was good on field goal attempts from 32 and 30. He missed from 47 and was perfect on 6 PAT's.
Coaching: C Bama had 9 penalties.....an improvement over last week to be sure, but nevertheless way too many. The coaches substituted freely and went deep in the roster. The participation report lists 52 players who saw action in the game, many of these were true freshmen. Offensive play calling was maddening at times, but Jalen Hurts appears to learn and improve with each play. His resilience is remarkable.
A few words are necessary on the quality of officiating. Here they are: horrible, ridiculous, buffoonish, embarrassing and pathetic. Take just about any 5 minute segment of the game and you will find examples to match with those words.
Around the league: the Barn lost.....in the Cow Pasture, er, I mean "Pat Dye Field".... Georgia darn near lost as did Tennessee. Vandy got smacked by Ga. Tech, and Florida looks like a good football team.
For Alabama, the most important game of the season so far is this coming Saturday against Kent State. Kickoff is 11:00 a.m.
I am starting to get excited about what this team can become.
Roll Tide Y'all.
The Commissioner
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