Auburn Grades

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Eighteen Points ... or was it twenty two ... or was it only six?

One of those numbers is the answer to the question that has plagued me since Friday night. The question is: How many points did Alabama leave on the field in the 2010 Iron Bowl? It will probably not make the cut for inclusion in a sports trivia contest, but it is the relevant question to ask the day after Alabama blows a 24 point lead and loses to Auburn by a single point in the fourth quarter.

Readers of The Grades can probably tick off the missed opportunities without prompting. (i) First and 10 from the Alabama 40, GMac completes a pass over the middle to Mark Ingram who runs 41 yards to the Auburn 19 and loses a fumble at the end of the run; the ball scoots out of the back of the end zone for a touch back-minimum of 3 points lost. (ii) First and goal from the Auburn 3; Trent Richardson drops a pass on a well blocked duplicate of last year's game-winner; Richardson gains one yard on second down from the Wildcat and we settle for a FG after GMac misses Hanks on 3rd down-4 points left begging. (iii) Second and goal from the Auburn 8, the ninth play of a 67 yard drive late in the second quarter, GMac is sacked by an unblocked Nick Fairley who forces a fumble he then recovers-at least 3, possibly 7 points lost. (iv) Third quarter; Aub punt returner, Quidarius Carr, is deboned by Courtney Upshaw who forces a fumble recovered by Dre Kirkpatrick at the Barn 12 yard line; a false start penalty followed by a sack, cause the Tide to settle for a 32 yard FG-4 points lost.

Two things have been repeatedly written and said about the 2010 Tide: (i) this is a team in search of an identity, and (ii) this team has yet to play a complete game. Well, we are at the end of a 9-3 season and I think it is safe to say: "This is a team whose identity is to not play complete games."  One of our Correspondents made the observation that the members of Nick Saban's first No. 1 recruiting class, who are juniors this year, need to forget about the 2011 NFL draft, and focus their senior year on the unfinished work from 2010.  For the most part, that's hard to argue against.

Has Marcell Dareus played to his full potential? Has Marquis Maze? Mark Barron? What about Josh Chapman? Courtney Upshaw? William Vlachos? And don't forget Brad Smelley, and while you're at it-what about, yes, Mark Ingram?

In my opinion, there is one member of this junior class who has come to play in every game, who, from my perspective never takes a play off, and is the best football player on the Crimson Tide: Julio Jones. He has more than earned whatever opportunities await players selected in the 2011 NFL draft.  The remainder of his classmates have work left to do; much like those points that were left on the field instead of notched on the scoreboard against Auburn.

I will address what I see as work to be done, but first, here's how I grade the game:

Offense:     D-     What other grade is there to give? Yes, the first quarter was spectacular. The offense didn't have a single negative play in the first 15 minutes of the game and scored three TDs in its first three possessions. Then the wheels fell off. In the second quarter, the offense managed 3 points from a first and goal inside the Auburn 5. For the remainder of the game, Alabama answered Auburn's 4 TDs with a single field goal.

GMac had one of his best statistical games on Senior Day, as he completed 27 of 37 pass attempts for 377 yards and 2 TDs. Julio Jones led all receivers with 10 catches for 199 yards. Darius Hanks caught 5 passes for 39 yards, and Mark Ingram added 91 yards on 4 receptions; Mark's longest reception [41 yards] was marred by a forced fumble at the end of a determined catch and run. Maze had 2 receptions for 13 yards, including one on the left sideline for a first down, that would make the highlights in the NFL. He appeared to be open but as the pressure picked up on GMac, there were fewer balls thrown his way.

The running game was statistically pathetic [69 net yards], but 5 sacks totaling 23 yards of losses, are a drag on a performance that would otherwise have been merely weak [93 gross rushing yards]. Ingram had 36 yards on 10 carries and Trent Richardson had 24 yards on 10 rushing attempts. It is certainly worth noting that the offense attempted to take advantage of what Auburn was giving, and the Auburn secondary is not all that good. After the first quarter, the Tigers' pass rush improved-or the Tide O Line had a harder time protecting.

Julio accounted for 273 all purpose yards [199 receiving; 12 rushing, 62 kick returns].

Alabama had 6 drives for 40 or more yards-all consecutive, all in the first half-[71, 81, 61, 83, 48, 65] that resulted in 3 TDs, 2 fumbles and a FG. In the second half, the Tide's longest drive was 29 yards. It could have been the game winner, however, after reaching the Auburn 34 yard line with a first and 10 the next three plays were a loss of 2 running, an incomplete pass and a loss of 4 on a sack. GMac suffered a concussion on the tackle and was finished for the game.

Defense:     C+      Cam Newton came into the game averaging 117 yards rushing per game. He managed only 39.  As a team, Auburn averages 291 yards rushing and 41.6 points per game. Against Alabama, the Barners managed only 108 yards rushing and scored only 28.

Auburn's first 4 possessions of the game consumed all of 15 plays, gained only 35 yards and resulted in four punts. Newton was obviously unaccustomed to being tackled by a single player who was strong and quick enough to bring him down. Consequently, on option plays, Newton consistently dished the ball too early and Alabama had that play well defensed all night. Marcel Dareus made a picture perfect open field tackle of Auburn's soon to be Heisman Trophy winner [and eventually to be determined ineligible player] that set the tone for a solid defensive effort.

There was no way that the defense was going to keep Auburn from scoring, but giving up a 70 yard TD on the second play of the second half, was a bust that allowed the Aubs to close the score to a difference of 10 points and shifted the momentum for the remainder of the game.

Each of Auburn's TDs came on long drives [8 plays 80 yards; 2 plays 69 yards; 8 plays 75 yards; 11 plays 67 yards].

Courtney Upshaw had his best game of the season, recording 10 tackles [7 solo; 8 for loss (-19), 3 sacks] 2 forced fumbles and a QB hurry.

Demarcus Milliner was credited with 9 tackles [8 solo] and C. J. Mosley had 6 [5 solo]. Barron, Luther Davis, Dont'a Hightower, Dequan Menzie and Robert Lester each had 4 tackles, while Will Lowery, Dareus, Damion Square and Dre Kirkpatrick each had 3.

All total, Alabama defenders recorded 9 tackles [4 sacks] for loss of 37 yards.

Special Teams:

Punting:    B      Forcing a fumble in punt coverage, like blocking an opponent's punt, almost guarantees an A+. However, shanking a punt for only 13 yards, like getting a punt blocked, almost guarantees an F. Alabama punted 4 times, all in the second half, for an average of 33.8 yards per kick. Marquis Maze returned 2 Auburn punts for zero yards.

Place Kicking:     A     Jeremy Shelley was good from 20 and 32 yards and was perfect on all three PATs. The only problem with place kicking was that the offense didn't provide more PAT opportunities.

Kick Offs:       C+      Cade Foster only averaged 60 yards gross per kick. The coverage team allowed an average of 17.8 yards per return, thereby producing a net average per kick of only 42.2 yards. The return game was reasonably effective: 3 returns for 62 yards.

Coaching:      C-   I may be accused of being charitable with this grade, and I can understand that criticism. Immediately after the game I would have assigned an F to the coaches. There is plenty of justification for a failing grade: (i) 7 penalties, including 2 substitution infractions on defense; (ii) asking Cody Mandell to execute a play-punting to the corner-that he has struggled with all year; (iii) being 12 games into the season and not having an offensive line that can produce a credible inside running game; and (iv) losing to Auburn. After a night's reflection, however, I have to give the coaching staff credit for devising a game plan the held Auburn's offense in check, and allowed the offense the opportunity to put the game out of reach before intermission.

But this was Auburn. And this was a loss, unlike the loss at South Carolina, that was self-inflicted. This one hurts.

Coach Saban told the media after the game: "To succeed you have to finish things." Alabama didn't finish this game, and it didn't finish its season. Nobody knows that more viscerally and intensely than Saban.  So what are some of the unfinished items in the business of Alabama football?  For what it's worth, here are my five contributions to the suggestion box:

1.  The offensive line needs to get stronger, tougher and more dominant. There is no good reason why Alabama cannot score a running touchdown from the 3 yard line with 4 plays to do it.  Likewise, there is no good reason why a guy like Nick Fairly should ever get an unblocked shot at our quarterback.

2.  The defensive front 7 needs to pick up where it ended this season and improve. The D-Line and linebackers generated good pressure against an outstanding Auburn offensive line. This sort of effort, plus a little more, needs to be the standard.

3.  The secondary has to keep working on recognizing what the opposing offense is doing, and adjusting within the framework of the defensive play.

4.  Overall conditioning has to be addressed as well. In 2009, Alabama was clearly the better conditioned team in all of its games. That differential was not present this year against LSU and Auburn.

5.  Recruiting is the life-blood of every college football program. I'm excited about the existing 2001  commitments. We need to get them in the door, and continue to apply The Process to the players already aboard.

I had convinced myself that  writing The Grades would ease the frustration I feel. I was wrong. The fans at BDS were outstanding yesterday; nobody left until the clock was all zeros and the Bama faithful were in it to the bitter end.  Coach Saban acknowledged that fact in his post-game remarks and he took responsibility for the fact that the team did not play up to the standards set by the program. As the players headed to their respective locker rooms, and the fans began to leave their seats, the Auburn band played the "Rammer Jammer" their fans mocked Alabama with a twisted version of that iconic cheer. My abiding hope is that twelve months from now, Coach Saba and the players-especially next year's seniors-make them pay for that disrespect.

With no Alabama game to grade next week, my next Blog post will be end of year recognition for MVPs and others.

The Commissioner

Georgia State Grades

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I always thought that Bill Curry was an odd choice to be Alabama's head football coach.
It wasn't just that he was a Georgia Tech guy, with all the baggage that comes with that particular affiliation. It certainly wasn't his football pedigree; three trips to the Super Bowl, two championship rings, played for Vince Lombardi, etc. It had more to do with his approach to things. With Bill Curry, I always got the feeling that he was impressed with his own superior moral sense-even when he didn't live up to his moral posturing.

Remember when he was the coach at Kentucky, and answered a reporter's question about whether he would start then freshman Tim Couch at quarterback? He said something along the lines of: "Anybody who would do such an unfair thing to such a fine young man has no business coaching college football." Well it turns out Curry was right. He started Couch about two weeks later. By the end of the season, the bosses at Kentucky decided that Curry had no business coaching football any longer for the Wildcats.

I also recall when he was a commentator with ESPN. Somehow, the producers at the Four Letter Network would assign Curry to be the color guy for broadcasts of Alabama games. He always took an uncomplimentary jab or two at Alabama, its fans, or, most often in Curry-speak, the "culture" of Alabama football. Like when he was covering the Mississippi State game when Sylvester Croom made his first journey to Tuscaloosa to coach a game against Alabama under the leadership of Mike Shula. Curry yammered incessantly about how tough it was to grow up black in Tuscaloosa. I'm sure it was; but how would he know? I was a charter member of the Hire Sly Croom Club when Dennis Fran-phony bolted from Tuscaloosa to Texas A&M, but I could not abide Bill Curry's preening self-righteousness at Alabama's expense as he tut-tutted about how shabbily Alabama had treated one of its own.

And, of course, who can forget the infamous "rock-through-the-window" business? I suppose there are folks reading The Grades who were not alive at the time, so maybe a little history is in order. During Curry's tenure as the Tide head coach, Ole Miss came to Tuscaloosa for Homecoming. The Rebs left town that day a winner, and Alabama played so poorly, that the offense failed to complete a single pass. The next day, Curry claimed he discovered that his office had been vandalized by a rock thrown through the window. The police were summoned, and Curry gave several interviews where he lamented the darkness at the heart of Alabama fans. Assuming the rock story was true-a subject that has never been free of debate-Curry could have been a hero with fans if he had only said: "I would like to find the person who threw that rock through my window, because we obviously need to find somebody who can hit what they are throwing at, and it's my job as coach to go recruit them."

There was a time, twenty one years ago, when Bill Curry said that Lexington, Kentucky was a better place to coach college football than Tuscaloosa. For him, I suppose that must have been true. Nothing else can explain why this paragon of virtue would breach his contract with the University, quit his job with a year left to work, and an offer of a two-year extension on the table.

Well, I must have mellowed with time, because as I watched Curry on the Georgia State sidelines Thursday night, I actually found myself sympathetic to him. His pre-game remarks to Erin Andrews were complimentary of the Alabama program, and he had somewhat of the air of an elder statesman about him; like an emeritus professor.

His team played with admirable heart, and got crushed by better athletes, who are better coached, better conditioned, and better prepared. Georgia State has nothing to be ashamed of losing to Alabama 63-7. So, enough about Bill Curry.

Alabama scored 63 points on a team that it ought to have scored 63 points on. The Tide played everybody in a red jersey. GMac became a spectator with one third of the second quarter left to play. It was a good tune-up for Alabama with Auburn coming to town the day after Thanksgiving.

Readers of this space know that I typically apply a one letter grade reduction to take into account the quality of opposition. Considering how deep Alabama went into its roster, I think the playing field was ultimately leveled to the point that no reduction is required. Here's how I grade the game:

Offense:     A      Alabama gained 478 yards of total offense [262 rushing], earned 24 first downs, and did not punt the ball until the 8:00 mark in the 4th quarter. GMac completed 12 of 13 pass attempts for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns. A.J. completed 7 of 9 for 57 and a TD.

Julio Jones was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 86 yards and two TDs. Marquis Maze, Darius Hanks and Kevin Norwood each had 2 receptions. In all, 10 players caught passes.

Mark Ingram carried the ball 12 times for 86 yards and a TD. Eddie Lacy, Jalston Fowler and Demetrius Goode each scored rushing touchdowns. It was fun to watch these backs run the ball. Lacy gained 81 net yards on 13 rushes. Fowler gained 42 yards on 2 carries, his longest being a 36 yard TD. It was troubling that on Alabama's second possession of the game, we were not able to score by running between the tackles. Mark had to run over left end to score from 1 yard out.

Mark was the leader in all purpose yards with 102 [86 rush; 16 receiving].

Bama had five drives of 40 or more yards [67, 71, 72, 60 and 50] resulting in 4 TDs and a missed FG.

Defense:      A      Here's a stat for you: the three leading tacklers in Thursday night's game were Neighbors [6], Jerrell Harris [5] and Chris Jordan [5]; you have to drill four deep before you find a familiar name [Demarcus Milliner-4 tackles]. Milliner is followed by Will Lowery, Tana Patrick, Michael DeJohn [not exactly a household name] and Dont'a Hightower all with 3 tackles each.

The Stop-Troops accounted for 6 tackles for 17 lost yards, 4 interceptions returned for a total of 66 yards, 3 broken up pass attempts, and 10 QB hurries. Robert Lester, Chris Jordan, Mark Barron and C. J. Mosley each had an interception. Mosley returned his pick in the second quarter 41 yards for a TD.

Special Teams:


Punting:     A+     Chavis Williams blocked a second quarter punt attempt. Brandon Gibson recovered the block and returned it 22 yards for a TD.

Kickoffs:   F        I'm sorry, but despite the 63.3 gross average per kick on 10 kicks, the coverage team allowed a 97 yard return for a TD. That sort of play earns an automatic F.

Place Kicking:  F Again, it doesn't matter that Bama's snap-hold-kick effort was perfect on PATs, Jeremy Shelley missed from 27 yards; banging the ball off the right-side upright. Cade Foster was initially good from 49 yards, but the FG unit was unable to beat the play clock and he had to try again from 54 yards. He missed it the second time.

Coaching:  A      The special teams play notwithstanding, the coaches did exactly what needed to be done in this game. In addition to the 22 starters, 57 players off the bench participated in the game. And if you have any doubt about the commitment and intensity of this coaching staff, especially at the top, you should consider the fact that, with seconds to play in the game, Coach Saban was still coaching up the number 3 quarterback and the number 7 running back. We played two-deep at every position on the offensive and defensive lines as well as the defensive secondary. At some line and DB positions Bama played 3 deep.

I mentioned earlier, how Bill Curry found Kentucky to be a better place for him than Alabama. In the longer view of things, had he not done so, Bama would not have had Gene Stallings in 1990 and would certainly not have earned a national championship in '92. At his introductory press conference, Coach Stallings was asked by a reporter how badly he wanted to beat Auburn, since his predecessor was winless against the Tigers.

Stallings gave a two word answer: "Real bad."

When Coach Stallings arrived in Tuscaloosa, Auburn was engaged in a pay-for-play scandal that eventually would make Eric Ramsey temporarily famous, and cost Pat Dye his job. I suppose this would be an excellent trivia question: What college football program would fire a coach for paying players and still put his name on their stadium? Fast forward two decades, and scandal once again is swirling around the Auburn program like flies on a carcass. I will have much more to say on the Newton Affair in The Williamson Herald. For readers of The Grades, I will only say this: Alabama can beat Auburn this year. It will be extremely hard to do, but it is possible. More likely than not, Auburn will leave Tuscaloosa with more points on the score board. But when all the shoes have dropped, the official record books will not reflect that Auburn beat Alabama in 2010.

The Commissioner