The announcer on ESPN radio, whose name I did not catch…..it could have been Edward Bundy or Chas Manson, for sure it was not Bob Lee or Jeff Davis….whatever…..his name doesn’t matter…It’s what he said that got my attention. He was doing a recap of Alabama’s 24-7 win over third-ranked Florida State, and he says: “The score was 10-7 in favor of the Tide after the first half. But in the second half, Alabama did what Alabama does.”
That’s the phrase that stuck with me…..”Alabama does.”
Just what is it that Alabama “does?” I do not believe it is “find a way to win” or “keep focused” or “play in the moment” or any of the dozens of other coach-speak phrases. What Alabama did, especially in the second half in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, was to batter a very good football team; make the opponent one dimensional, then snuff out even that mono-existence; deny them possession of the football, and make them regret getting it back.
Consider this: on the final play of the first half, Alabama blocked a ‘Nole field goal attempt, FSU got the ball to start the second half…the results of its second half possessions were punt, blocked punt, fumble, interception, interception, punt, and punt. From 10:06 to play in the 3rd quarter, to the end of the game, FSU ran only 17 more offensive plays, gained only 39 yards, and surrendered 14 points to Alabama.
The Tide could have, indeed should have, scored more than 24 points. The offense was spotty. Formation and play selection produced significant head-scratching; particularly when presented by the special teams with a first and goal from the FSU 7 yard line. Personnel and scheme adjustments by the defense generated more pressure on FSU’s very fine, and gutsy quarterback, Deondre Francois, leading inevitably to hurried, off-target throws and two interceptions [Mack Wilson (So. LB; 6-2, 236; Montgomery) and Levi Wallace (Sr. DB; 6-0, 183; Tucson, AZ)]. The offensive brain-trust under the guidance of new coordinator, Brian Daboll, never seem to figure out how to protect Jalen Hurts from FSU pass rush from the left edge. To put a finer point on it, why we ran any plays in the second half out of an empty backfield formation remains an unsolved mystery. Post game take away: make sure Doug Nussmeyer doesn’t still have his sideline pass.
More analysis of these issues awaits a dive into the stats. First, I need to try describing what it was like to witness the inaugural event in Mercedes Benz Stadium. Some who have attended a game in Cowboy Stadium said “Jerry World” is as grand or more so than MBS. I have never been in a more spectacular indoor sport’s arena than Atlanta’s gleaming high-tech replacement for the Georgia Dome.
Compared to its predecessor, MBS is gigantic.
You approach through a large, landscaped area complete with fountains and water-effects.
Physical security starts with a ring of hundreds of metal detectors, each manned with three people The screeners were polite, efficient and friendly. Less than an hour before kickoff, there were no lines.
Ticket validation is done by a ring of kiosks and turn styles, situated inside the ring of metal detections. Scanning your ticket and and entering the building is designed and laid out to eliminate choke points. The only interruption in the flow of people to seats, is in the main concourse, where folks who entered at the north end were trying to get to sections in the lower bowl nearer to the south end, and vice versa. This would be helped greatly if tickets would include a suggested entry portal.
Large TV screens are everywhere; including the restrooms.
The Jumbo Video screens are in a circular array near the retractable roof. From the lower bowl, close to the field, it is a bit awkward to look up, but I expect the angle is much better for the higher seats.
It did not look as if any players were distracted, even during punts and kicks, and I imagine if it were a problem coaches would have discovered it.
The lights are near the Jumbo Video screens, and I needed a hat to shade my eyes from the glare.
One of the best features, however, may be how fan-friendly the concessions are, starting with reasonable prices. Also, the purchase of a souvenir cup entitles the fan to free re-fills at numerous stand-alone beverage dispenser stations positioned in the concourses away from the lines to the concession vendors. The Falcons organization must have figured out you can lower prices and increase revenue. Other NFL teams should take note.
The Chick-fil-A organization puts on a first-class sporting event. But I must share two things that no doubt were missing from the broadcast. First, when the Tide took the field for the coin toss, the team made its running entrance from the home-team tunnel earlier than expected. About a dozen players, including Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris, Jalen Hurts, and Henry Riggs, III, sprinted to the goal line, where they removed their helmets, knelt and individually prayed.
Next was the invocation, delivered by Ernie Johnson. When was the last time you attended a public event with over 77,000 people that began with an invocation? This was a really good one. He gave thanks. He prayed for Houston, others suffering from Hurricane Harvey, and those who are providing aid and rescue. He prayed for unity, exhorting all to recognize our shared humanity. The crowd was attentive, silent; until he arrived at the closing. When it became obvious this invocation was to be unapologetically Christian, the assembled crowd became a thousands-strong amen chorus, spontaneously erupting in cheerful applause. It felt affirming and viscerally powerful, as if saying “this is our culture and we are not deplorable.”
But this blog is about Alabama football….so this is how I grade the game:
Offense: C One of the top five take-aways from this game is: Jalen Hurts remains a work-in-progress. There were situations presented where last year, he would have been quicker to run downfield. Now, he looks for a receiver……few were open. Last year, Jalen might have tried to force the ball and risk an interception. Now he throws the ball safely away. Last year, he attempted deep passes to a receiver behind the coverage…..I think he completed one….maybe….against FSU Jalen threw a perfect pass to Calvin Ridley for a 53-yard touchdown. The offense gained 269 total yards (173 rushing), earned 13 first downs, converted each of its four trips into the red-zone and controlled the ball for 32:47.
Jalen completed 10 of 18 pass attempts…..7 to Calvin Ridley, one each to Scorbrough and Damien Harris….and one to himself, a brilliantly heads-up play where he snagged a batted pass, preventing an interception. Ridley gained 82 yards on his seven receptions, including the 53 yard TD. A holding call negated what would have been a terrific completion to Jerry Jeudy.
Harris gained 73 yards on 9 carries and 11 yards on his lone reception. He also blocked a punt. The stats sheet does not reflect whether he also served Chick-fil-A sandwiches to fans in section 109.
Alabama had three sustained drives (50, 44, 85), its first three of the game, that produced a missed field goal, a touchdown and field goal.
Defense: A. Coming into this season, the most frequent question asked was whether Alabama would be able to re-load a defensive unit depleted by the 2017 NFL draft. Defensive take away: I think that question is settled.
FSU had only two drives that gained 40 or more yards (90, 50). One resulted in the ‘Noles’ lone score, the other in a blocked field goal attempt [Minkah Fitzpatrick]. FSU gained 250 offensive yards (40 rushing), earned 15 first downs and converted only 4 of 13 possession downs.
Shaun Dion Hamilton led all tacklers with 8 stops. Anthony Averett was credited with 6 tackles. Fitzpatrick, Harrison, Lewis, Payne and Evans each made 5. Tide defenders made 9 tackles for 32 yards of loss [3 sacks], and took the ball away with two interceptions and two turnovers on downs. The pass rush, which was not particularly effective in the first quarter, turned up the pressure as the game progressed. Francois was not officially hurried, but six passes were broken up, and the pass rush clearly contributed to the Tide’s interceptions.
Special Teams:
Overall: A+ Two blocked kicks, combined with recovering a fumble forced on a kick return clearly earn the maximum grade for special teams. On a detailed level, however, the story is somewhat mixed.
Place Kicking: C Andy Pappanastos attempted five field goals and converted three [25, 35, 33]. He missed from 42 and 41. Special teams take away: I hope we are not faced with a game where we have to win with a late field goal.
Punting: A. JK Scott punted 6 times for an average of 35.2 yards. His longest punt covered 53 yards and he dropped 3 punts inside the FSU 10 yard line. The Noles did not return any punt.
Kickoffs: A+ Scott also handled kickoff duties, and averaged 64.8 yards per kick. Coverage was smothering. FSU only attempted two returns for an average of 10 yards per return.
Coaching: B+ This grade was the topic of heated controversy during the drive back to Birmingham. The Commissioner’s preliminary grade for the coaching staff was C-. Upon reflection, I concede that mark was too low, and was too heavily influence by the play calling after the blocked punt when Alabama had second down and goal from the 3 1/2 yard line and ended up settling for a field goal. I remain dismayed by this lost opportunity, but a broader perspective is required. The participation report lists 51 players who saw action in the game, including several true freshmen. Alabama was penalized 5 times for 30 yards. Alabama defeated the number 3 team in the country by three scores. Coach Saban continues his streak of season opening wins, and victories over his former assistants.
Coaching take away: I can’t improve over what Coach Saban said: we didn’t play a flawless game, and we have lots to work on. Over the next few weeks, watch for this team to get lots better. After all……under Coach Saban, that’s what Alabama does.
Roll Tide, Y’all.
The Commissioner
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