Sometimes things are not nearly as bad
as they seem. That worrying ache in your lower back? Turns out it was just a
muscle strain, not a slipped disc. The
unopened letter from the IRS? When you finally get around to reading it, the
tax-man says you made a math error and you actually owe $10 less than you
thought. That “check engine” light in your car turns out to be a loose gas cap
instead of a blown head gasket…….sorry, Andy, I am stepping into your
wheelhouse with that one.
My point is, at first blush a
situation can look worse than it actually turns out to be once you look into it
a little more.
That is what I think about Alabama’s
31-24 win over the Starkville Bellringers. Through three quarters of the
contest, it looked as if Alabama were going to join Georgia and Notre Dame in
having post-season playoff prospects crushed. State was playing about as smart
as it could, milking the game clock on every possession and keeping the Tide
offense on the bench. MSU’s tall receivers were making plays, while their QB,
Nick Fitzgerald, proved he was as much a threat running as passing.
The Tide did not have the lead until
Andy Pappanastos’ 30-yard field goal early in the third quarter made the score
17-14 in Bama’s favor, a lead that was lost on State’s next possession (13
plays; 69 yards; 6:30 of game time).
Alabama responded to this reversal of
fortune with a three-and-out that lost two yards. The Bulldogs then added to
their lead with a 10-play drive, gaining 56 yards, consuming 5:37, capped with
a field goal less than one minute into the 4th quarter.
Mississippi State 24 - Alabama 17 ……
From the noise level, I can only guess there was not a cowbell to be had from any
souvenir store or feather-merchant in eastern Mississippi; any ‘80’s cover band
would have had to scratch “Don’t Fear the Reaper” from its set list. ESPN’s broadcast crew were researching the
last time the top three teams in the country each lost on the same weekend in
the regular season.
Then, Alabama seemed to say: “By
golly, that’s enough!” The rest of the quarter belonged to the Tide. Three
offensive possessions gained 82, 57 and 68 yards, accounted for 26 offensive
plays [nearly half of Bama’s 57 total plays], drained 9:35 from the game clock,
and scored 14 points. ….. And I will go
ahead and tee this issue up right now: if Coach Daboll had let the offense keep
running the ball on the second drive, there is no reason why the Tide would
have had to attempt….and miss….a 41 yard field goal.
Credit for the Tide’s 4th quarter
performance has to be shared with the defense. In the first three quarters,
Bama’s stop troops were on the field for nearly 34 minutes of game time, during
which, MSU converted 8 of 12 possession downs. There is a reason why Alabama’s
off-season conditioning program is “The Fourth Quarter”, and that reason was on
display Saturday night in Starkville. Bama’s players were better conditioned
than State’s. The Tide defense surrendered 125 yards to the Bulldogs in the
third quarter. In the fourth, MSU could only gain 33 yards without the aid of a
penalty.
Having taken some time to look more closely at
things, this is how I grade the game:
Offense: B+ Bama
gained 444 yards of total offense [202 rushing], earning 19 first downs, but
converted only 4 of 11 possession downs, and controlled the clock for only
21:04.
Jalen completed 10 of 19 pass attempts
for 242 yards and a touchdown [DeVonta Smith]. Calvin Ridley led all receivers
with 171 yards on 5 receptions. Five different receivers caught passes.
Damien Harris only touched the ball 8
times. He gained 93 yards for an average of 11.6 yards per rush. Josh Jacobs
averaged 6 yards per rush on six carries. Bo Scarbrough was handed the ball a
grand total of 5 times. He gained 33 yards [6.6 average]. No Tide running back
was tackled for a loss. For those keeping score at home…..that’s 19 carries by
running backs, for 172 yards. Jalen carried the ball 19 times himself, for 40
net yards after deducting 30 lost yards, including 22 yards lost to the 5 sacks
made by MSU’s constantly blitzing defense. The two crucial pass completions
made on Bama’s final drive were quickly thrown balls; the sell-out rush never
had time to reach Hurts before the ball was out of his hand.
Alabama had ten offensive possessions.
Six of the ten gained 40 or more yards [75, 75, 63, 82, 57, 68] and one gained
38. Those six sustained drives resulted in 4 TDs a FG and a missed FG. The
offense was held to “three-and-out” on 3 possessions. Each “three-and-out”
included a sack, two of the three included two incomplete pass attempts.
I believe it is better to show than to
tell. I have shown you the offensive statistics. I leave it to you to decide for
yourself what they tell us about Alabama’s running game, the O Line’s pass
blocking proficiency, and the play selection.
Defense: C+ Coach
Saban was clear in his post-game remarks: injuries to the linebacking corps are
having an impact on this team. Never in Saban’s coaching career, has he had a
season where so many injuries were incurred by players at a particular
position. Young players called upon to play are talented, but they lack
experience. This results in assignments being misunderstood, or incorrectly executed.
Look for this to be a focus in practice for the next two weeks……and, hopefully,
beyond.
State gained 330 yards of total
offense, earned 24 first downs, and converted 8 of 15 possession downs. In the
4th quarter, however, when it mattered the most the defense played its best.
Hootie Jones led all tacklers with 10
stops. Rashaan Evans recorded 9 tackles and Raekwon Davis added 8. Tide defenders
recorded 4 tackles for 16 lost yards, broke up 4 passes and hurried the
State QB 4 times.
Special Teams:
Punting: B After a
career game last week against LSU, JK Scott had a merely good night punting
against MSU. He averaged 43.5 yards per punt and allowed no returns. The return
game had a moment of high anxiety when Xavian Marks made a risky catch behind
and over his shoulder.
Place Kicking: B
Pappanastos was good from 30 yards, he missed from 41 yards, and was
perfect on 4 PATs.
Place Kicking: C- Oh my
word! Scott averaged only 58.2 yards per
kick on 6 kicks. He managed a touchback only once, and kicked the ball out of
bounds on the most crucial kick of the night immediately following the go-ahead
touchdown with :25 seconds to play.
Coaching: C- The Tide was
penalized 5 times for 60 yards, including a critical “leaping” penalty
committed during the attempt to block MSU’s first punt. The drive resulted in
the Bulldogs flipping field position and pinning Alabama inside its own 10 yard
line. A potentially costly penalty for unsportsman like conduct following Damien Harris' TD to tie the game at 24, gave State the ball in good field position. Another potentially costly penalty was the pass interference infraction
called on State’s first attempted “Hail Mary” at the end of the game.
The
participation report lists 53 players who saw action in the game. Coach Saban told reporters after the game he thinks Alabama is playing more true freshmen than any other FBS team.
Perhaps the coaching grade is too low.
I do believe the play calling placed insufficient emphasis on establishing the
running game. At the same time, however, I give all the credit in the world to
the great job done by Coach Cochran and his strength and conditioning staff.
While at times, things looked pretty
bad last Saturday night, it turns out the Tide out-gained the Dogs by more than
100 yards of offense, out played them in the 4th quarter, and won
the game. More importantly, the way Alabama won the game might pay dividends on
the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and maybe the Saturday after that.
This was a “character win.” Down by
seven, and getting beaten in the trenches for three quarters, Alabama’s players
rallied. They displayed the competitive spirit that is the trademark of Alabama
football. That sort of character is what enables teams to overcome adversity…..like
being behind in the 4th quarter….or being without the contribution
of injured starters…..or playing in a hostile environment in a game where the
officials’ copies of the rule book are written in Braille.
It is the character Alabama will need
to finish this season in Atlanta on January 9, 2018.
Before all of that, however, the most
important game of the season is this Saturday against Mercer. It’s scheduled
for an 11:00 am kickoff. It will be Senior Day……..more about that next edition
of The Grades. For now, suffice it to say, sometimes things turnout as good as
they seem!
Roll Tide, Y’all.
The Commissioner
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