Tire Store Report -- Week 8

Well, the Commissioner’s Son & Heir did such a great job on The Grades this week, that we didn’t really have much to add.  However, loyal readers will know that has never stopped us before.  So instead of focusing just on that game, the bye week seems an appropriate time to take a look over the 2018 edition of the Crimson Tide and see what we think this team is. 

Sometimes we get so caught up in the 24-Hour Rule and anticipating the next opponent that we come to the bye week and realize the end of the regular season is close enough to touch.  It has been that way with this team.  Alabama has four games remaining in the regular season.  How can that be? Perhaps this is a good time to slow down, take a deep breath and look at the 2018 Crimson Tide as a whole.  

We tried to limit our thoughts to eight, consistent with the eight wins so far:

 

1.  Let us start with the most obvious thing in the world.  Our passing game is really, really good.  The guy with the funny, hard-to-spell name is very good at playing quarterback, y’all.  (We also  really really wish his parents would call him by his middle name Donny, but we are just happy he has a nickname because his first name is actually Tuanigamanuolepola.) How good?  He’s responsible for more first half touchdowns this season than the orange-you-can’t-sit-with team has scored so far.  Let that sink in for a minute.  The second string quarterback is pretty darn good, too -- and he has as much grace, class, courage, dignity, and loyalty as any football player we can think of.

2.  The receiving corps may not be getting quite their due.  These guys are catching easy ones and hard ones.  And after they catch them, they prove to be hard to run down.  Jerry Jeudy is within striking distance of a lot of single season records currently held by guys like Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Amari Cooper.  Decent company for a sophomore.  The downfield blocking efforts are also tenacious, if not picture perfect.

3.  That new rule change that lets us throw the football to the tight end is proving to be a killer for other teams.  And the idea that we can throw to more than one tight end in a single game….  Well, what in the name of Don Hutson is going on here? Irv Smith, Jr. is playing his way up the NFL draft board.

4.  The defense was a worry coming into the year.  Many said that our defensive backfield would be very inexperienced and therefore vulnerable, our depth at linebacker was thinner than the sheets at the Moon Winx Motor Lodge, and our defensive linemen were good, except they had all gone to the NFL.  The idea was that we would have to rely on the offense to just outscore everyone.  Well, not so much.  The offensive accomplishments have tended to get all the glory (as usual) but this is a solid defensive team.  Even after losing Trevon Diggs, the defense is more than holding up its end and improving week over week.  Quinnen Williams spent about as much time in the Tennessee backfield as Jarrett Guarantano did.  Using the adjustments for quality of competition, disallowing late "garbage time" plays, etc. the Football Outsiders rate Alabama's defense as #14 against the rush and #5 against the pass.

5.  This team is relatively young, but has a lot of leadership at hand. Did you notice that Alabama was without key upperclass leadership on both sides of the ball Saturday? Neither Raekwon Davis nor Damien Harris started the game, each serving some disciplinary suspension.  You say you didn’t really notice? Yeah, that’s sort of the point.  The running back rotation from Josh Jacobs to Najee Harris was pretty seamless, as were the results.  LaBryan Ray filled in just fine for Davis.

 6.  If you like snake analogies (and to be honest we really haven’t since the day J.D. opened a hood and found a water moccasin from that creek that runs behind the store curled around the heater hose on an old Impala that had been left with us over night) for a few seasons people had been talking about Alabama teams as anacondas -- suffocating defense and ball-control offense.  They were constrictors that would just curl around you and slowly squeeze the very life out of you.  This year it was looking more like a cobra (the snake, not the nifty 64-65 Fords, though if anyone has one of those they are looking to unload, call us at the shop, but please do not speak to the comptroller about it) with a deadly quick strike capability that killed you before you knew what was happening.

If this team can stay relatively healthy from here on out, both things may come true.  For example, last Saturday Alabama scored 28 points in the first quarter on 21 offensive plays.  In contrast, Tennessee had net negative yardage for the first 14 minutes of the game.  When it decided to slow the game down and end it, Alabama held Tennessee to six offensive plays in fourth quarter and possessed the ball for nearly 10 minutes on one drive where they threw exactly one pass -- the fourth-string running back did the rest.  Cobra in the first quarter and anaconda in the fourth will win a lot of football games, y’all.

7.  This team can get better.  It still tends to incur far too many penalties.  We have dropped some passes that were going to make things extremely tough on the other team.  Our middle linebackers have improved significantly, especially over the last two games, but have a ways to go.  Their seems to be a little bit of let up in this team.  They get ahead by three or four touchdowns and decide that the other team isn’t really a threat.  That lack of focus might prove costly at some point -- we expect the coaches are working on it.  The running game has not always been as punishing as it might be -- some recent change on the offensive line may reflect that.  All that said, the idea that this team hasn’t yet reached its full potential should be cause for concern in other locker rooms.  Unlike some other teams, Alabama hasn’t had nail-biter wins against Texas A&M or Pitt or Vanderbilt or Memphis, much less outright losses to Maryland or been blown out by Purdue.

 

8.  Both Alabama and LSU control their own destiny.  LSU already has a conference loss, but beating Alabama a week from Saturday night would give it the tie-breaker over Alabama for the conference championship game, if LSU didn’t lose again.  But LSU still has to play Texas A&M on the road, while Alabama’s two remaining conference games are at home, in which they will probably be at least two touchdown favorites.  Regardless, the formula for both teams is simple -- win out and go to Atlanta.

10.  The Saban guy is a pretty good coach.  He was a late addition to the Coach of the Year watch list.  The fact that he doesn’t win it year over year is probably just an acknowledgement that the people sitting around the table to vote say something like “Well, ok, besides Nick Saban, who would you say?”  But the numbers are starting to pile up.  Considering only wins at the top level, Saban is rising through the ranks of very successful head coaches.  He passed Hayden Fry early this year and most recently passed Steve Spurrier on that list for 10^th place.  He has a very good chance to catch Bo Schembechler and Lou Holtz this season.  We expect he doesn’t care, but as you’d expect all of the other coaches we mentioned are in the College Football Hall of Fame.  Just saying.

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Tennessee Grades

Tennessee Grades


It was a day of firsts, or at least firsts in a while, both good and bad:

• It was the first time that Tennessee had scored more than 20 points in a game against Alabama since 2003.  
• It was the first time that Tennessee had scored more than 20 points in regulation against Alabama since 2001.
• 58 points are the most points that either team had scored against the other in 101 meetings.
• 12 straight losses are the most that Tennessee has ever lost to any opponent.
• It was the first time a fan has ever thrown a drink at Nick Saban while he walked toward the locker room at halftime.

Bama thoroughly dominated Tennessee for the third year in a row.  If Bama wasn't taking their foot off the gas and making mental errors, it would have been even worse.  While I respect Tennessee for refusing to quit, they were so completely overmatched that they could have played their best game of the season and it might have been another score closer.  Had Bama played their best game of the season, they might have scored 100.  The beatdown was so massive that the game was over, for all intents and purposes, by the end of the third quarter.  The fourth was nothing more than both teams running out the clock.

It would be very easy to forget that Alabama-Tennessee is, historically, the South's most important rivalry.  It has determined more SEC champions than any other pairing.  But the arrival of Nick Saban to the Capstone, and a string of disastrous hires on Rocky Top, have rendered this rivalry a bit of joke.  Tennessee is currently more akin to their rivals in Nashville than they are to their betters in T-Town.

I've always said that I could never envision a scenario in which I felt bad for Tennessee fans.  Turns out I was right.

Here's how I grade the game:

OFFENSE - A

But for a lifeless start to the second quarter and a late pick six, the offense would easily have an A+.  The Vols could do nothing to slow Bama down until the Tide lost focus up 28-0.  Tua was 19 of 29 for 306 yards and 4 TDs.  He's still yet to take a snap in the fourth quarter of any game.  Once again, Jerry Jeudy was his favorite target, snagging 5 catches for 72 yards and a score.  Irv Smith also had 5 catches and a TD to go along with 50 yards receiver.  True Freshman wunderkind Jaylen Waddle continues to prove that, if you let him get a head of steam, he will not be caught.  He had 4 catches for 117 yards, including a 77 yard score in which Tua put the ball on him in stride and let Waddle absolutely torch the UT secondary.  Henry Ruggs had 3 catches for 65 yards and a TD, and Damien Harris, Derek Kief, Josh Jacobs, and Najee Harris had 1 catch each.  Jalen Hurts completed 2 passes on 3 attempts; the third was returned for the aforementioned pick six.

As a team, the Tide ran 42 times for 218 yards, an average of 5.2 yards per carry.  Josh Jacobs got the start at tailback and was the teams leading rusher, carrying it 12 times for 68 yards and 2 TDs.  Hurts and Damien Harris each had a TD run.  Najee Harris continues to be a human highlight reel.  He carried it 9 times for 50 yards, including a 14 yard scamper during which he hurdled a safety.  I'm assuming the poor Tennessee DB has quit football in shame.

DEFENSE - B

Tennessee only had 31 yards rushing on 30 attempts, much of which came late in the game.  The defense forced 3 fumbles, and received credit for recovering 1, though I'm convinced they recovered another, but the refs gave it to the UT receiver.  The team had 3 sacks, countless QB hits, and 11 tackles for loss.  That's the good.  Tennessee had 227 yards passing, including 2 TDs.  The Vols started relying on back shoulder throws, and the Bama DBs often failed to look back for the ball.  Tennessee was only 4 for 14 on possession downs, but 3 of the four were plays of 7, 10, and 13.

Deionte Thompson led the team in tackles with 7.  Xavier McKinney, Shyheim Carter, and LaBryan Ray had 5 tackles each.  McKinney also had a sack, as did Isaiah Buggs and Christian Miller.  McKinney's sack resulted in a forced fumble, which was recovered by Miller.  Carer and Dylan Moses both had multiple tackles for loss.

Perhaps I'm being a bit hard with this grade.  But, after a first quarter in which UT barely had positive total yards, it seems like the defense relaxed a bit, and UT took advantage.  It was a good performance, but there is room for improvement.  They need to play better against LSU.

KICKOFFS - A-

Joseph Bulovas had a little trouble early, but the wind was whipping from one endzone, so it can be excused.  Tennessee averaged 13.8 yards on 5 returns, with a long of 22.

Bama averaged 21.5 yards per return, with Jacobs putting up a long of 42.

PLACEKICKING - A+

Bulovas was perfect on 8 extra points.  Bama did not attempt a field goal.

PUNTING - A+

This may be generous, but after our punting woes this season, I'm not going to apologize for it.  Mike Bernier kicked his first two punts of the season.  Both went for 41 yards, and neither was returned.

COACHING - A-

The team was ready to play.  They scored on their first 4 possessions and basically ended the game by the end of the first quarter.  However, the team relaxed and let UT to move the ball, and some of that is on the coaches.  A lot of guys saw playing time, and there don't appear to have been any significant injuries.

It was a great game.  It always is when Alabama beats Tennessee.  As I mentioned before, this 12th victory in a row surpasses Bear Bryant's streak of 11 between 1971 and '81.  The last three wins have been by 39, 38, and 37.  If that doesn't put a smile on your face, why are you subscribed to this blog?


If you'll indulge me in adding a personal note, the Grades lost a loyal subscriber this week.  Retired Army Colonel Tom Bowden bravely fought a battle with Early Onset Alzheimer's, and though he did not lose that battle, it ended this past Wednesday.  Tom, along with Barbara, his wife of 46 years, was a friend of the Commissioner for over four decades.  I was privileged to have known him for the past few years.  Please join me in praying for Barbara and their two daughters in this difficult time, and hug your loved ones just a little tighter tonight.


God Bless and Roll Tide,

The Commissioner's Son and Heir

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Tennessee Week -- Tire Store Tradition

When I was an undergrad I took a history course taught by a tenured professor who was an acknowledged expert in the field of the history and culture of freed slaves in the antebellum period.  He taught several courses.  The one I took had some sort of prosaic title like HY-424 History of the Southern United States 1565-1860, but was universally known by students as “The History of the Old South”.

At any rate, on Friday morning of the third week in October, the professor showed up as usual and said:

Today, we will begin our lesson with some geography.  There is a very significant fault line in the southern United States.  It runs from an area northwest of Memphis, Tennessee, northeastward through Missouri and Tennessee and ending near the Kentucky/Illinois border.  The line is generally known as the New Madrid Fault.  This designation is in honor of the small town of New Madrid, Missouri, which was destroyed by an earthquake along the fault in 1812 and was ultimately submerged beneath the course of the Mississippi River, which was altered by the quake.  In fact, the earthquake was so powerful that for a time the Mississippi River ran backwards.

Geographic evidence shows that there have been numerous quakes along this fault throughout history.  Today, a quake similar to the New Madrid quake along this line would destroy Memphis and could cause significant damage as far away as Little Rock, Nashville, and Jackson. 

In many ways it is similar to the danger posed by the San Andreas fault in Southern California.  Some people believe that a powerful quake along the San Andreas might someday cause the State of California to slide off the continental shelf into the Pacific Ocean.  However, you do not need to worry.  Even if there is someday another major quake along the New Madrid Fault, there is no danger of Alabama sliding off into the Gulf of Mexico, because … Tennessee sucks. 

Roll Tide.  Beat Tennessee.  Class dismissed.”

And he gathered up his stuff and walked out of class.

Tennessee has a new coach who is an Alabama native, Alabama graduate, and former member of the Alabama coaching staff.  I hope we put half a hundred on them. 

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Tire Store Report Missouri

Well said, Commissioner, well said. 

Offense:  The offensive execution was not as smooth this week.  We are attributing most of that to a QB playing with a worrisome injury and just the grind of the season.  Still, the statistics were even more dominant than the final score.  We are also mindful that the incompetent officiating crew took points off the board twice on what could best be described as “borderline” calls.  We were encouraged by run blocking, particularly on the left side.  We don’t do as well running between the tackles and we sort of wonder why we try.  The fourth down failure was discouraging.  We don’t know quite what happened, but it looked like the tight end leading the play had cleared a path to the right nearly to the end zone, but Harris broke inside where a not very tenacious block was thrown.  However, at this point we are quibbling over a four touchdown conference victory where we clearly put the horses in the barn sometime early in the second half.

Defense:  A great bounce back effort by the defense.  Missouri was missing their best receiver, which was fair, because we were missing our best pass defender.  However, make no mistake that Drew Lock is the real deal and will likely be a very wealthy young man come February when he is selected as one of the first quarterbacks in the NFL draft.   Missouri’s running game has been respectable.  The defense did a good job of holding them down.  Holding any conference opponent to 10 or fewer deserves the A+ and should win every time.

Punting:  Oh, dear.  We can only assume that our punting game looks much, much better in practice each week than it does in the games.  Unfortunately, our suspicion is that the issue with our punter is not between his leg and foot, but between his ears, which is a lot harder to work on.  Whatever.  This team probably does not need the punting game to be the weapon that it has been over the past few seasons.  However, it does need a certain minimal level of competence that is not met by a game with a 12-yard average.  To make things a bit worse, the depth chart lists Mack Wilson as the backup punter, and he has a broken foot.  There are over 200 high school football teams spread across Alabama’s 67 counties.  They all have punters on them.  Maybe  a fellow who has used up his high school eligibility and is now enrolled at the Capstone carries a high enough GPA to qualify to suit up next Saturday.

Place Kicking:  Bulovas still causes us to hold our breath, but seems to be figuring it out.  His kickoffs have been consistently pretty good.  Lest we forget, he was not the first team FG and PAT man at the beginning of the season.  We did not fault him for the missed field goal on Saturday -- a missed 52-yarder is the fault of the offense for not getting him closer to the goal post.

Coaching:  We are foursquare behind you on the play calling around the goal line and generally on short yardage.  Even in a game under control, we still get a little twitchy when we flash back to Texas A&M.  Both Harris’s appeared to be open on outlet passes near the goal line, though that invites the question of why we were calling difficult corner/fade/crossing plays in those situations to begin with.  However, Coach Locksley has done an excellent job of calling plays so far this year, so we will give him a pass on a slightly off night.  Probably the head coach will have some things to mention about it in the meetings this week.  Probably including phrases the students are discouraged from adding to Dixieland Delight.

Officiating:  There is not much that we can add about the officiating that would not be gilding the lily you have already offered.  The “holding” call on Williams was pathetic.  The defender fell of his own accord and it cost us 10 yards.  The spot on the scramble that removed Tagovailoa from the game was probably off by two or three yards. Regular readers know that we whine like a worn out fan belt about the sorry state of SEC officiating.  Even the players have started to speak up, with one defensive player saying he felt like he was held “on every play”.

We don’t see this crew very often -- like we can’t remember the last time.  It’s the one with the referee who looks like a cross between Basil Rathbone and the guys from Deliverance.  Every time he turns on his mike we expect to hear a riff of Dueling Banjos from the great Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith.  I would call officiating around the conference a “joke” but there’s nothing funny about it.  Florida / Vanderbilt nearly got out of hand, and not surprisingly given the game and the sobering events of last week.  (We did read where the player frighteningly injured there last week has finally been able to discontinue oxygen support and continues to improve).  We are surprised things didn’t get uglier in Lee County.  The only thing that is clear is that the SEC Office doesn’t care and doesn’t intend to do anything about how bad the officiating has gotten.  As such, they need to prepare themselves for how to handle it when the players on the field decide to take matters into their own hands.

 

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Missouri Grades

Football is a violent game. Large, strong, fast, agile people run into each other with the declared intent to tackle a ball carrier to the ground, prevent someone from tackling the ball carrier to the ground, prevent a receiver from catching a pass, or prevent a quarterback from throwing one. Rules circumscribing the techniques by which players do these things are calculated to regulate this violence thereby turning mayhem into sport. Coaches are expected to teach proper, rules-compliant techniques, and officials are on hand to enforce the rules by imposing penalties for their infraction. Player safety is an intended byproduct of this protocol.

Well, at least that’s the theory.

When the officials do not perform their enforcement function, or fail to perform it in an even-handed manner, the structure of the game breaks down. The inherent violence of the game, being unregulated, takes over. Players suffer unnecessary injuries. The sport of the contest is overcome by baser instincts.

OK, well that pretty much sums up four SEC games played in Week 7. Alabama’s homecoming game against Missouri was one of them.

I know Alabama fans are frequently mocked for complaining about officiating. “Y’all are just a bunch of entitled snobs who think you’re team is perfect.” Fine. I disagree, but have enough self-awareness to recognize a grain of truth in that charge.

Entitled or not, watch that game and tell me with a straight face the officials competently did their job.

Better yet, just watch number 47 on the Missouri defense as he spears Tide players with his helmet, twists players’ feet after a tackle like he’s trying to unscrew the foot from the leg, and grabs face gear to get off a block or bring a runner down. The only dirty move 47 didn’t try was the “Three Stooges Double Eye Gouge.” But maybe he did, and I just missed it. Which would put me in the same boat with the Zebras, except they are getting paid to not miss these infractions.

Number 47 was not the only Tiger player auditioning for a pro wrestling gig. He had plenty of company; like the offensive lineman who at least twice tried to take out Raekwon Davis’ knee.

To the officials’ credit, the video refs called a targeting penalty and ejected a Missouri player after the on-field crew didn’t even throw a flag. The on field crew called four other infractions, including the previously mentioned chop block - which they nullified by calling an “offsetting” face mask foul against Alabama when the tackler grabbed the Missouri player by the front of his jersey. (Hey, who can blame them? The Mizzou runner lowered his head to look down so, you know, mistakes happen. The Refs are human too. We live in a fallen world.)

But it seemed like all the officials’ mistakes ran in only one direction. At least twelve Alabama points were taken off the scoreboard by very ticky-tack holding calls. The Bama player certainly had some Mizzou jersey in his hands for a brief moment. But the inconsistent way the rule against offensive holding was enforced was so bad, that when Missouri finally was penalized for tackling an on-rushing Tide defensive lineman, the crowd gave the refs a standing ovation. (Hint to the SEC head office: the cheer was intended as sarcasm not praise.)

I’ve spent enough time on this topic. Nothing will change for the better. But I cannot leave this subject without a one-off comment on the ESPN broadcast crew’s critique of the officials. During Alabama’s third possession of the game, on 2d down and 8 from the Tide 13, Tua threw incomplete to Hale Hentges.  A Tide offensive lineman was flagged for a personal foul, hands to the face penalty, which Missouri declined. On the next play (3rd and 8 from the 13) Tua found Jerry Jeudy on a crossing route for 22 yards and a first down.

The ESPN broadcast analyst started mocking the officials for having spotted the ball at the Tide 13 to start the play. “That personal foul should have been half the distance to the goal”, he said. Either no one in the production van told him the penalty had been declined, his ear piece was not functioning, or he drank one too many Yellow Hammers before the game, because he repeated himself after the next play.

Where do they get these guys? Can ESPN give them back?

In spite of the officiating malpractice, Alabama gained 564 yards of total offense, earned 25 first downs, and converted 6 of 13 third downs. The final score of 39-10 is a fine margin of victory in the SEC and the Tide defense played a much better game against a much better opponent than it did against Arkansas in Week 6.

The players can’t control the officiating, so here is how I grade the game:

Offense:          A-         Alabama held the football for 32:17 and gained 184 net yards rushing. Tua completed 12 of 22 pass attempts for 265 yards and 3 TDs [Irv Smith, Jr., Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith]. Jalen completed 7 of 8 pass attempts for 115 yards. Tua was sacked once and lost a fumble. 

DeVonta Smith caught 4 passes for 100 yards, Jeudy caught 3 passes for 147. For the third consecutive week, Alabama has had two or more receivers gain 100 or more yards. This is an astonishing achievement when you consider that prior to this season, Alabama has only had five games IN ITS HISTORY with two receivers gaining over 100 yards. Eight different receivers caught passes. 

Damien Harris led all rushers with 62 yards on 14 runs. He scored the Tide's lone rushing TD. Najee Harris gained 57 net yards on 13 rushing plays. Josh Jacobs added 52 yards on 9 carries.

The Tide offense had 6 possessions that gained 40 or more yards [81, 67, 75, 83, 81, 40] resulting in 3 TDs, 2 FGs, and a turnover on downs. For the first time this season, Alabama had five drives with 9 or more plays [9, 9, 10, 9, 9] and six drives that took more than 3:00 minutes off the clock [3:18, 3:26, 3:28, 4:48, 4:09, 5:47]. This contributed to the defense being able to contain Mizzou's explosive offense.

Defense:          A+            Missouri was held to only 212 yards of total offense [70 net rushing], 13 first downs, and 6 conversions on 16 third down plays. Mack Wilson was the Tide's leading tackler with 11 stops. Quinnen Williams was credited with 7 tackles and Raekwon Davis made 6 tackles. Tide defenders made 8 tackles for lost yardage [4 sacks], forced [Isaiah Buggs] and recovered a fumble [Anfernee Jennings], made two interceptions [Saivion Smith,  JUCO Jr., DB; 6-1, 200, Miss. Gulf Coast Comm. Coll.], broke up 2 passes and hurried the Tiger QB 7 times.

On Missouri's first possession of the game, Saivion Smith nearly returned an interception for a TD, but stepped out of bounds at the Tiger 13. The defense scored 2 points with a safety in the third quarter [Q. Williams]. 

Raekwon Davis was guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct when he punched a Tiger offensive lineman who appeared to have speared a Tide linebacker. The ESPN crew took to their fainting couch over Davis' intentional foul. The guest official on the broadcast harumphed that Davis ought to have been ejected. Maybe so. The officials certainly could have taken a more assertive response to this clear infraction. Coming as it did late in the game, in my opinion, Davis' undisputed penalty was the result of frustration over Missouri's chronically dirty play that was not being properly policed by the refs. This is not an excuse, but it is an explanation. Coach Saban properly held Davis off the field for a few plays to get his head back in the game.

Special Teams:

Punting:         F         Skyler DeLong is still enrolled at the Capstone. This is no doubt good news to his parents, who might have been wondering where he was since Alabama did not attempt a punt in the two previous games. His lone punt covered 12 yards. Jaylen Waddle had only one opportunity to return a Tiger punt. He gained a single yard. 

Place Kicking:         A-          Joseph Bulovas was good from 30, 28, and 20 yards. He missed from 52. He was also perfect on 4 PATs.

Kick Offs:         A+          Bulovas kicked off 8 times for a gross average of 53.5 yards per kick. The coverage team yielded only 29 yards on two kick returns, while the Tide return team gained 88 yards on 3 kick returns, including a long return of 50 yards [Josh Jacobs].

Coaching:           A             The play by the defense was much improved over the last two games, and especially so coming off the 31 points surrendered to Arkansas in Week 6. The participation report lists 59 players who saw action in the game. Alabama was penalized 5 times for 60 yards.

I continue to be perplexed by the formation and play selection in short-yardage / goal line situations. Twice Alabama had first and goal with less than 10 yards to score. We ran on first down, then threw on 2d and 3rd out of spread formations with a single back. Twice Bama was held on downs. Would someone please find the pages in the playbook with the Jumbo formation?

Poor officiating did not mar only the Alabama / Missouri game. Georgia was plagued with some sorry work by the officials in its loss to LSU; however, the Bayou Bengals are a good football team. The Tide / Tiger game in Baton Rouge may very well decide the SEC West championship.

Likewise, Auburn had the assistance of the officials throughout their game with Tennessee. If you knew nothing about what constitutes pass interference or offensive holding, watching that game would have made you no wiser. Even so, Tennessee showed some real improvement, and character coming from behind to beat Auburn in The Village. The Tigers have now lost three SEC games and are mathematically eliminated from contention for the SEC West title. Auburn fans looking for a post-season holiday trip are crossing their fingers hoping for an invitation to the Music City Bowl. Why wouldn't they? Country Music Hall of Fame; Peddle Taverns; Lower Broad. What better do Shreveport and Memphis have to offer?

And finally, on the officiating theme: The refs let the Vanderbilt / Florida game get out of hand towards the end of the first half with a bench-clearing rhubarb. Both head coaches were very circumspect in their post-game comments. I think they both realize their respective players slipped the figurative leash. 

So .... seven weeks of the 2018 season are in the books.  Tennessee Week has officially begun. Enjoy:  Bama Fan Hates Tennessee - Retrospective 

Roll Tide Y'all

The Commissioner

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Arkansas Grades

You can find all sorts of things on the internet. Some of them are even worth reading. Take for example the results of a search for: How to roast a whole hog.

Did you know that hog cooking was an ancient tribal food ritual practiced around the world? Me neither. I thought outside the Deep South, you had to go to Hawaii to find ritual hog cookers. Tuscaloosa happens to be a Deep South college town with a bona fide Hawaiian hog roaster in residence.

Also, roasting the whole hog is not as simple as you may think. According to one authoritative source: “There are lean tender muscles like the loin and tenderloin that are best about 145 degrees, and tough sinewy knots of muscles like the shoulders and hams that won’t get tender until they hit 200 degrees.”

Considering Alabama’s 65-31 pig roast in Week 6 of the college football season, I would say the Arkansas defense consists of those tender muscles, while its offense is made up of shoulders and hams.

The Tide rolled for more than 600 yards total offense, scored 8 offensive TDs, and tallied more than enough points to win the game by halftime. Defensively, however, Bama was never able to make the Razorbacks quit. The 31 points allowed are the most points scored on an Alabama team since Clemson scored 35 in the 2016 College Football Playoff Championship Game. Coach Saban told reporters, “I don’t think you ‘beat’ the other team when you give up 31 points.”

Back to my internet culinary search, I think this is a good description of how Alabama fared against Arkansas: “What you end up doing is cooking everything to the higher temperature and then shredding it, dousing it with sauce, mix in some crunchy skin, and have a massive pile of pulled pork.”

Alabama shredded the Arkansas defense from the game’s first play; a Tua to Irv Smith check down pass that covered 76 yards for the Tide’s first of 8 total offensive TDs. The Defense doused the Pigs with Shyheim Carter’s 44 yard interception return that scored the season’s sixth non-offensive TD.  Bama mixed in some crunch with more than 240 yards rushing, led by Damien Harris who notched his first 100 + yard performance of the year.

Like a massive pile of pulled pork, this game had lots of things all mixed together. To sort through it all, here is how I grade the game.

Offense:         A+        The only flaws in the offensive performance were a turnover on downs, and a fumble by Irv Smith near the tail end of what would have been a huge catch and run for a first-and-goal. As the Football Gods willed it, however, Henry Ruggs, III picked up the bouncing ball and took it into the end zone for Bama's second TD. It was that sort of game. Which makes me worry that the fates have some sort of cruel come-upance awaiting. 

The offense gained 639 yards of total offense, earned 24 first downs, and converted 4 of 8 possession downs. Tua completed 10 of 13 pass attempts for 334 yards and 4 TDs. Jalen was equally efficient with 4 completions on 5 passes for 59 yards. Neither QB suffered an interception. Tua now leads the nation among quarterbacks for touchdown passes without an interception through 6 games.

Jerry Jeudy once again was the leading receiver with 135 yards on 4 catches and 2 TDs. The sophomore from Deerfield Beach, FL is lightning fast, as he demonstrated to the Hog defense with a 60 yard catch-and-sprint. Jaylen Waddle caught 4 passes for 49 yards. Irv Smith, Jr. scored a 76 yard TD on the game's opening play, and ended the day officially credited with 2 receptions for 123 yards. Devonta Smith caught 2 passes for 40 yards. Henry Ruggs, III was credited with 1 reception for a total of 33 yards and a TD, but his longest catch gained 21 yards. It's a statistical anomaly due to Ruggs having recovered Irv Smith's fumble which he advanced 12 yards. Because the play began as a pass, the score counts as a passing TD. Damien Harris added 13 yards on 1 reception.

Harris also led the Tide in rushing, with 111 yards and 2 TDs on 15 carries [7.4 avg]. Najee Harris averaged 9 yards per carry on 7 runs that gained 63 yards. Josh Jacobs scored a rushing TD and gained 10 net yards on 5 runs. Brian Robinson, Jr. contributed 23 net yards rushing and scored a TD. Six different players ran the ball for a net total of 246 yards. On two plays, both Jaylen and Tua were on the field at the same time. 

One observation: On 4th and 1 from the Tide 43, Alabama attempted a run up the middle from the Jumbo formation [2 tight ends, 2 RBs in the I]. Robinson was the lead blocker. He missed his block and Damien Harris was held for no gain. Later in the game, facing a 4th and goal, Bama ran a similar play, with the backs in a veer formation, but also with Robinson in for blocking support. This time, Harris scored, but only because he stretched the ball across the goal line after being hit at the line of scrimmage. I love the Jumbo formation. I believe Alabama ought to be able to gain 1 yard from anywhere on the field. Nobody ought to be able to stop Alabama in that situation. So I ask: what happened to the idea of having a defensive lineman lead the blocking? It's something Nick Saban coached teams have done since Terrence Cody wore a crimson jersey. I know Da'Ron Payne is in the NFL, but goodness gracious, to make a path for the running back in short yardage situations you need a road grader, not a sports car.

Alabama had 10 meaningful offensive possessions in the game. Nine of those gained 40 or more yards [76, 55, 76, 99, 74, 60, 44, 58, 72] resulting in 8 TDs and 1 FG [27 yds]. For the math challenged, that is a scoring efficiency of 100%.

Defense:         C+          You may think this is a harsh grade for a unit that achieved 8 tackles for lost yardage, forced 3 fumbles, recovered 2, scored a non-offensive touchdown on an interception return [Shyheim Carter], broke up 4 passes and hurried the opposing QB 7 times. But I do not know how else to grade a performance that allows 31 points, 405 total yards [172 rushing], and 22 first downs [6 of 12 on third down].

Coach Saban was none too pleased with the play from his Defense. He singled out the stop troops in his comments to reporters, even at half time. 

Dylan Moses led a tacklers with 10 stops [3 solo]. Deionte Thompson was credited with 9 tackles [4 solo] and Trevon Diggs made 7 tackles, all solo. 

More on the somewhat unsettling feeling I have from this performance later.

Special Teams:

Punting:         Incomplete       The punt return team never had a chance to return any of the Pigs' 3 punts. For the second game in a row Skyler DeLong never attempted a punt. This has to be some sort of record. I hope the Commissioner's Son and Heir will know whether NCAA compliance rules require DeLong to do something like buss tables in the dining facility to earn his scholarship. 

Place Kicking:          F                I give up. Even though Joseph Bulovas kicked a 24 yard FG, the Tide failed to convert a PAT opportunity. A former player once told me that Coach Stallings used to send the kickers over to Bryant-Denny Stadium to practice by themselves at least one day during the week. One particular day, Coach Stallings decided to go over to BDS just to let the players know they were not forgotten. He discovered them playing frisbee. Thus ended the "practice on your own" routine. Maybe it's time to try it again?

Kickoffs:               B-              Bulovas averaged 54.5 yards on 11 kick offs. Six were touchbacks. The coverage unit held the hogs to only 1 return, but it gained an unacceptable 78 yards. The Tide return game gained 67 yards on 6 kick returns, the longest of which was 20 yards.

Coaching:                A-           The Tide beat an SEC West opponent on the road by a 34-point margin. But the grade must reflect the inconsistent performance of the defense. Alabama was penalized 5 times for 31 yards. The participation report lists only 51 players who saw action in the game. This is good. Through five weeks, the 1s and 2s on Defense had not played a full game. From what I saw out of Mississippi State and Auburn last night, the Stop Troops better get used to playing a full 60 minutes.

This is one of those beautiful Sundays when it's the day following an Alabama win and an Auburn loss. But it would be unwise not to see the storm clouds on the distant horizon. Mississippi State beat Auburn in a very "old school" sort of way, with a punishing running attack behind a massive offensive line. Auburn's vaunted defensive front seven were whipped by game's end. The Bulldogs' defense looked like it had some holes in the secondary, so it covered that weakness by bringing relentless pressure on Auburn's quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, whose jersey was so stained with mud and grass it looked as if it had not been washed for two weeks .... but then again, this is Auburn I'm writing about, and maybe they don't do laundry down in the Village but once every couple of weeks. Anyway, my point is that Alabama has yet to play its toughest opponents. 

LSU, State, Auburn, the SEC East champion. All of these teams await if Alabama continues to win. But in order to continue winning, Alabama must improve. The offensive line certainly has improved over the last six weeks. But is it ready for the likes of the teams coming in November? Granted, the idea of trying to make Alabama's offense one-dimensional presents opposing coordinators with a Hobson's Choice; an illusory option which is really no option at all, unless the opponent is able to disrupt Tua/Jalen without having to blitz. State blitzed Auburn to its great advantage, I think Tua and Jalen are good enough to make opponents pay a dear price for leaving Jeudy, Ruggs, the two Smiths, and Waddle in single coverage. 

The defense must play better and with more consistency. There is nothing good about giving up 31 points, especially when those points are scored against the two-deep rotation. Each of the quality opponents on the November schedule will present the Tide defense with a serious challenge.

And Bama does not have to wait until November to face a quality foe. The Missouri Tigers come calling Saturday. Mizzou lost to South Carolina 35-37 in a game where the lead changed four times in the fourth quarter. The Tigers gained 490 yards of total offense including 286 on the ground. 

I do not believe Coach Saban has to worry about sports media rat poison this week. Anyone paying attention knows serious tests await the 2018 Crimson Tide starting this Saturday in Tuscaloosa. So, no more hog roasting. Finish up all that pulled pork. Three sets of Tigers, and a couple of Bulldogs await and the only recipe for that lot is hard work and trusting The Process.

Roll Tide, Y'all.

The Commissioner

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