Why do the Alabama’s of the college football world play programs
like the Citadel? Why does Auburn play Liberty University?
There really is no good reason for it. What is there to gain? So
you beat a non-FBS opponent 50-17, what do you get out of it? Experience
defending against the triple option? Nobody in the SEC runs the triple option.
Getting your younger players some game experience? This was week 12, if you
don’t know who can play, the weekend before the Iron Bowl is too late to start
finding out. Covering the spread and not getting anyone seriously injured are
about the only goals one can reasonably set for such a lopsided contest.
There surely are some people who were
delighted Alabama played the military college of South Carolina. No doubt a
pickup bed full of Villagers rolled Toomer’s Corner when they learned the score
at the half was tied at 10.
During intermission, Coach Saban
reminded the team that none of the players on the Bulldog squad could make the
Tide roster. From all press accounts, Saban did not scorch the paint off the
locker room walls at half time. He pointed out what everyone knew, the position
coaches made adjustments, and the players, especially one of the more vocal
leaders on the defense, Anfernee Jennings, took over from there.
Alabama opened the second half with a
fumble on the kick return and gave the Pups excellent field position. The Tide
Defense forced a longish field goal attempt which failed to score. From that
point forward, with one blown assignment on defense, and two botched PAT tries,
the second half was “Built by Bama.”
Tua threw for two TDs. Irv Smith, Jr.
caught a pass in the middle of the field and juked a would be tackler in a
scoring play that should be featured in this week’s edition of “Mama, there go
my ankles.” Jalen returned to action to the delight of the crowd, and found
DeVonta Smith in the end zone for a score. The defense turned in another Non
Offensive Touchdown with an 18 yard scoop and score [Anfernee Jennings].
In the first half the team was suffering from
a bad dose of rat poison. Because it
might prove to be a rat poison antidote, here is how I grade the game
[automatic one whole letter grade reduction for quality of opponent]:
Offense: C+ Despite a
dreadful first half, the Tide gained 561 yards of total offense [school record
tenth 500+ total this season] earned 21 first downs, and converted 3 of 5 third
downs. The offense also lost a fumble in the fist half, thus ending a promising
drive, but scored a touchdown on each of five possessions in the second half.
Tua completed 18 of his 22 pass
attempts for 340 yards and 3 TDs. His 3 TD passes in the game brought his
season total to 31, surpassing A.J. McCarren for the school record of touchdown
passes in a season. Jalen completed 3 of 4 pass attempts for 31 yards and a TD.
Henry Ruggs, III was the leading
receiver with 114 yards on 6 receptions. Jaylen Waddle caught 6 passes for 90
yards and 2 TDs. Jerry Jeudy added 77 yards on 6 receptions. Irv Smith, Jr.’s
aforementioned ankle-breaking run resulted in a 68 yard TD. Josh Jacobs and
DeVonta Smith rounded out the list of Tide players who caught passes.
Damien Harris was the lead rusher with
83 yards on 7 runs. He left the game after landing head first at the end of a
73 yard run. He did not return to the game, and as I write this set of The
Grades, I have not seen any report on his condition. Najee Harris contributed
51 yards on 4 carries. Tua gained 37 yards on 4 rushes, and Ronnie Clark netted
14 yards on 3 runs. All total, Alabama gained 190 net yards rushing.
The Tide had seven sustained drives
[80, 86, 72, 85, 63, 80, 55] that produced 6 TDs and a field goal. You might be
thinking the overall grade is too low. I don’t know any other way to emphasize
how poorly the offense played in the first half, where it only had four
possessions and the drive chart reads: “TD, Punt, Fumble, FG”.
Defense: C- The Citadel gained 275 yards total
offense; all on the ground. The Dogs earned 13 first downs, converted 6 of 17
third downs, held the ball for 36:23, and scored 17 points. Twice the Dogs were
able to convert 4th down attempts. The Dogs’ running back Dante Smith gashed
the Tide defense for 130 net yards.
Anfernee Jennings was the leading
tackler with 11 stops and scored on a fumble recovery. Mack Wilson made 9
tackles, Deionte Thompson recorded 8 stops while LaBryan Ray and Dylan Moses
each recorded 7 stops. The defense recorded 5 tackles for lost yardage and
forced a fumble which I was recovered for a touchdown.
Special Teams:
Punting: C Mike Bernier only punted once for 34
yards. The coverage unit allowed a 4 yard return. Jaylen Waddle slipped on what could have been
a big return. Instead, the Tide realized no yards returning punts.
Place Kicking: F Two
missed PATs.
Kickoffs: F A
lost fumble on a kick return.
Coaching: B- Sixty-two players saw action in the
game. None of them were ready to play at the opening kickoff. Some late-game
personal foul penalties were dealt with very quickly by the staff as soon as
the offending players reached the bench. The kicking game continues to be ….
well …. “atrocious” is a word I haven’t used in a while but seems a fitting
description. Saban did make a personnel change after the second failed PAT.
Well, enough is enough. Twenty four
hours is far too long to celebrate beating The Citadel. This year’s Iron Bowl
presents all kinds of opportunities: for a perfect regular season, for revenge,
for an important milestone on the Road to 18, for a rational universe.
Alabama vs Auburn is not just some
run-of-the-mill rivalry. It is the struggle between Gog and Magog; between
light and darkness; between culture and agriculture. Practice hard this week, Y’all. Put in the
extra time in the film room (if you don’t have a film room, YouTube has hours
of Tide highlights). Stay focused. Give thanks on Thursday for your families,
your faith, your freedoms, and being a Tide fan.
Drive safe. See Y’all in Tuscaloosa!
Roll Tide, Y’all.
The Commissioner
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