Mississippi State Grades

The four weeks between the LSU game and the first Saturday in December is National Dog Training Month.

Well, maybe not from sea to shining sea, but certainly in the State of Alabama. Of the Tide’s four opponents during that stretch three are bulldogs. So as a public service to the readers of The Commissioners Blog here are some answers to important questions directly from the internet on how to teach a bulldog to behave with translation into football-speak in parenthesis:

Q: What is the easiest way to train a dog?

A: Put him on a leash. (Shut down the running game.)

Q: In what order should I teach my dog commands?

A: Start with “sit”, then move to the more complicated tasks of “down”, “stay”, and finally “don’t touch.” (Control the line of scrimmage. Keep Tua’s jersey clean; give him time in the pocket.)

Q: How can I get my dog to calm down in the house?

A: Ignore your dog if he is too energetic or out of control. (Don’t retaliate when they get chippy; the retaliation always draws the flag.) Take beaks during play. (Keep possession of the ball, control the pace of the game, use the clock wisely, and get their fans out of the game.)

Q: How do you discipline a dog?

A: Distract, scruff-shake, isolation, squirt bottles (The first three require no translation. I think the team’s squirt bottles are best used during time outs for on-field hydration and it would probably be a 15 yard penalty if a trainer squirted an opposing player, so let’s just ignore that one.)

The first of the Tide’s three sessions of teaching good behavior to bulldogs resulted in a 24-0 win over Alabama’s oldest rival. For weeks I have been quietly worried about Mississippi State. The Starkville Bulldogs have a very fine defense, and an offense through nine games that had rushed for more than 2000 yards and scored 19 rushing touchdowns. The Puppies defense averaged allowing only 14 points per game.

Alabama plays State the week after LSU. That game is always physical. Consequently, MSU catches Alabama coming off a tough game and is able to keep the score close. Add to that mix the 2018 Bulldogs’ particular strengths and you have a recipe for at best a struggle win. To beat the Dogs by 24 in a shutout, is a respectable accomplishment. As much as I would have liked to see Bama score one more touchdown on its final drive rather than turning the ball over on downs at the MSU 1 yard line, a score of 31-7 would be less satisfying than notching a second consecutive shutout of a top-25 ranked team; the first such accomplishment in program history.

The Tide’s game plan was well-conceived. Rather than relying on Tua to light up the scoreboard with an up-tempo passing attack, Alabama chose to rely on its stable of excellent running backs. It was Alabama, not Mississippi State, smashing the opposing D Line, moving the chains, and draining the clock. Bama was up by two TDs at the end of the first quarter and had 21 points at the half.

State made some gap adjustments on defense during intermission, and the second half turned into a struggle of attrition. In the fourth quarter, Bama tacked on a 49 yard field goal,  then engineered a 10 play, 54 yard drive, consuming 6:18 effectively ending the game.

There were few electrifying moments in the passing game, although Josh Jacobs took a screen pass 14 yards for the Tide’s second touchdown. The running game, however, was brutally effective. The Defense on the other hand, turned in a second consecutive “Statement Game.” Pundits no longer blather the trope about the 2018 defense being a qualitative drop-off. If defenses win championships, it is safe to say the Tide defense are now playing like champions.

Here is how I grade the game:

Offense:           B          Alabama gained 305 yards of total offense [142 net rushing], earned 23 first downs, converted 4 of 12 third downs, and possessed the ball for 33:55 of the game [10:43 in the first stanza and 9:34 in the final].

Tua completed 14 of 21 pass attempts for 164 yards and one TD [Jacobs]. He was intercepted once and left the game in the third quarter after taking a helmet to his right leg, above the brace. The State player was clearly going for Tua’s knee. Thankfully, his aim was high. Mac Jones played the rest of the way and completed 3 of 6 attempted passes for a net loss of 1 yard.

Opposing defenses have figured out the only way to defend Tide receivers is grab their jerseys as soon as the ball is snapped and hang on through the play. They will keep employing this …. “Technique” ….until officials start calling pass interference. I will not hold my breath waiting for the Zebras to experience this Epiphany. Jerry Jeudy was the Tide leading receiver with 45 yards on 6 catches. Irv Smith, Jr. caught 5 balls for 70 yards. Jaylen Waddle has solidified his position in the rotation and added 26 yards on 3 receptions. A total of 5 different players caught passes.

Josh Jacobs had an outstanding game. Not only did he take a screen pass 14 yards for a touchdown. He added 97 rushing yards on 20 runs [4.8 avg]. Damien Harris carried the ball 14 times for 53 yards. Najee Harris ran the ball 3 times and gained 16 yards. Tua ran the ball 8 times, but half of those were sacks; accordingly, his 15 yards gained rushing netted out to a loss of 24 yards.

Alabama had only three sustained drives [73, 83, 54] resulting in two TDs and a turnover on downs at the MSU 1. The Tide’s third TD came on a short field thanks to recovery of a muffed punt at the MSU 27. MSU held Alabama to three possessions of three and out.

Defense:          A+.          MSU gained only 169 yards of total offense [44 net rushing]. The Dogs had seven possessions ending in three and out, and mounted only a single drive that gained 40 or more yards [51] which resulted in a missed FG.

Quinnen Williams [RS Soph.; DL; 6-4, 289; Birmingham] made 6 tackles [4 solo; 2 TFL]. Dylan Moses [Soph.; LB; 6-3, 233; Baton Rouge, La.] was also credited with 6 stops. Xavier McKinney, Raekwon Davis, Mack Wilson, and Isaiah Buggs were each credited with 5 tackles. Tide defenders made 10 tackles for lost yardage including 5 sacks, broke up 4 passes and hurried Nick Fitzgerald 3 times.

Think about this: Except for Isaiah Buggs, each of the individual defenders mentioned by name in the preceding paragraph are eligible to return to play for the Tide in 2019.

Several times Tide defenders were in position to intercept but did not manage to finish the takeaway.  

Special Teams:

Place Kicking:             A+       The play of the game was Joseph Bulovas kicking a 49 yard field goal. He was also perfect on each of his 3 PATs.

Punting:                      A+.       Walk-on graduate transfer Mike Bernier averaged 36.6 yards per punt on 5 punts. He landed 1 inside the Bulldog 20. The coverage team allowed no returns, and recovered a fumbled punt at the MSU 14. The Offense converted the turnover into a TD, so the fumble recovery was a good as a return for a score.

Kickoffs:                     B+.         Bulovas averaged 57.4 yards per kick on 5 kickoffs. One sailed out of bounds. Two were touchbacks. Josh Jacobs (who else?) returned one kick for 27 yards. The coverage team allowed only a single return for 12 yards.

Coaching:                    A.            Is someone in the Mal Moore complex reading The Grades? Last week I wrote the coaching grade would not be worthy of an A until the kicking woes were addressed. Well ….. it’s hard to argue they have not been. At the same time, however, I am still not taking penalties into account. Although the Tide did not suffer a single penalty, the quality of officiating in the game was, shall we say, not up to any acceptable standard. (However, put me in the category of folks like the MSU press box coaches who saw the football in Damien Harris' right hand when his knee when down. That's not a fumble, Gary! I would be more supportive of Danielson's critique of SEC officiating if it were not one-sided. With Gary, the refs are worthy of on-air criticism only when their screw-ups benefit Alabama. Can someone please hurry up and invent an app that allows you to listen to Eli Gold while watching the CBS broadcast without a 30 second delay?) The participation report lists 49 players who saw action in the game.

Alabama has a rendezvous scheduled with the silver-britches-wearing Bulldogs in the SEC CG. Those canines whipped the Villagers 27-10 between the hedges Saturday night. The CG however is two games, including the Iron Bowl away.

Although hating Auburn never goes out of season, the coaches, players, and fans must not overlook the scrappy Bulldogs of The Citadel, who come to Tuscaloosa this weekend.

Several months ago, I was chatting with a very well-respected retired colleague, who received his commission in the Infantry in the mid 1960’s from the military college of South Carolina. He was chastising me over the fact Alabama had never played The Citadel in football. “How can Alabama claim to be so good at football when it’s never played The Citadel?”, he asked.

“Because a game against The Citadel is one Alabama can never afford to lose,” I replied.

Well, this weekend Alabama has the opportunity, and challenge, of putting a check next to that particular box on its football resume. At the University of Alabama, teaching Bulldogs to behave is really important. Heck, we even sing about it.

As Coach Saban says, it does not matter who our opponent is. Alabama should strive to play its best every week. Bulldogs are Bulldogs. Get the leash ….

Roll Tide Y’all.

The Commissioner. 

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