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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