Tire Store Report -- Alabama Polytechnic Institute

This morning when we woke up, the tail end of a fairly solid rain storm was still washing across the county.  An unbroken layer of gray and navy blue clouds meant that “sun up” was just something we were taking on faith as the sky went from pitch black to just not quite so dark.  A stubborn easterly wind blew the unraked leaves around the yard. 

Loved ones quietly began making preparation for long drives that would return them to homes in other states.  From the back of the mind a few unbidden and unpleasant memories came of projects we left undone at work on Wednesday afternoon; projects we were sure that the Tire Store elves would show up to complete -- or we’d win the lottery Saturday, one or the other.  

We also remembered a metric ton of Christmas decorations awaiting installation.  Speaking of tonnage, since last week we have avoided stepping on the bathroom scale like it was a fire ant mound. We have gift lists in which we have not made the first dent.  Worst of all, we have some hard, hard decisions to make with regard to the final disposition of certain parts of a three-day-old feast, especially about half of a really outstanding pecan pie.

In short, it was the sort of morning that could make you want to stay in bed and stick your head under the cool side of the pillow.

Just as all of that started to creep up the back of the neck into something like a feeling of dread, a stray pair of two-digit non-prime numbers crossed our mind, 52 and 21.  Just like that the dawning of a depressing day blossomed into a combination of Christmas morning, the first day of summer vacation, and Independence Day fireworks, all rolled into one.  Alabama had beaten Auburn by 31 points in a game where it had played, frankly, less than its best. 

Great set of grades, Commissioner.  And thanks for imparting a little of the spirit of the scene on the ground for those of us who were not able to be there in person.  We have some thoughts about the performance we saw on television.

The offense seemed out of synch in the first half.  We think some of that had to do with the other team dialing up run blitzes on what seemed like every down and positioning their safeties in ways that caused problems with the pass routes we were calling.  This got straightened out at half time and that is a credit to the offensive players and Coach Locksley, who we understand is on the nominee list for assistant coach of the year.  Auburn is not the first team this year to apparently begin from the proposition that “we are not going to let Alabama beat us with their running game”. 

Now, we understand that facing the prospect of Jacobs, both Harrises and Robinson can cause a defensive coordinator to have some sleepless nights.  But we aren’t sure we would think the solution is to put the game in the hands of Tagovailoa, Ruggs, Waddle, Smith, and Jeudy and say "see if you can beat us down the field".  Perhaps there isn’t a good option even if you just decide that every down you are going to hold on to the Alabama receivers like a pretty prom date.  The only quarterback sack recorded by the Tiger/Plainsmen/Villagers/War Eagles was the result of an “intentional grounding” flag when our receiver ran a post route and our quarterback was clearly anticipating an out route.  Whatever, we think that putting 50+ on the cross-state rival deserved the grade you issued, no matter what else.

The defense had a few predictable struggles in this game.  For whatever reason, the Lee County Brain Trust that is the Auburn coaching staff continues to rely on a gimmicky playground offense that scores a few points, but isn’t going to carry the day against a well-coached defense.  There were double passes, end arounds, wildcats, sugar huddles (we do NOT want to know why they call it that), quick snaps, and all sorts of other stuff, culminating in a field goal play where half of the kicking team ran away from the center, half of it stayed up, and a wide receiver threw a drag route pass to the kicker -- who was appropriately dispatched by an alert freshman cornerback.  It all reminds us of our old Sunday afternoon games in Don McKenzie’s backyard -- “ok, Phil you run a curl route in front of the birdbath and I’ll throw deep to Randall and try not to lead him into old lady Bensko’s rose bushes.  On two.”  Difference is, no one in that huddle had a $32 million buyout. 

There was a darker side to the performance from the East Alabama Male College that you ably documented, Commissioner.  The “hit” on Waddle after he signaled fair catch and the ball was still several feet in the air should have warranted an apology, not a celebration.  Cut blocks are still permitted though we honestly cannot understand why.  We hope that the gallant Isaiah Buggs can return to action next week after taking a helmet in the shin/knee from an offensive lineman.  Perhaps Alabama should spend a couple of weeks featuring this technique -- you can bet the relevant NCAA committees would have no problem crafting a rule to outlaw them before the next kickoff.

Penalties taken on this side of the ball, especially on third down, just have to stop (though one of those was a pretty silly call, which is to say par for the course for an officiating crew that could star in any given episode of Funniest Home Videos, at least we didn’t have the Barnum and Bailey rejects that showed up in College Station).  It’s a new season and that sort of mental error won’t cut it anymore.  We have a good bit of confidence the coaches will address this in the coming days.

Special teams misadventures continue and led indirectly to one of the Auburn scores.   Why one of the three players in our picket in front of the punter would peel out of his position to leave open a clear lane to the punter is a mystery.  Why our punter (otherwise the feel good story of the season on special teams) would rotate the ball and study it, like he was trying to read the fine print on the leather regarding inflation pressures or country of manufacture is more of a mystery.  Perhaps it is a good lesson learned.

We mentioned a few issues with the coaching on the other side, above.  We thought it a measure of how much Alabama has changed its game that down by three with 2:30 left in the half, Auburn took the ball and decided to let the clock expire on the half, even though Alabama would get the ball to open the second half.  We think that would have been handled differently last year.  Our coach, and therefore our program, have changed with the times.  In the past, no one particularly worried about an Alabama attack focused mostly on pounding a defense into dust, might take the ball with less than two minutes remaining and end up with a quick strike score.  However, it has happened enough times this year that the Gus Bus, instead of choosing to run the double reverse flanker flea flicker with a half twist around the Iris bed, just sat quietly at idle till the half time whistle blew.

This group of seniors deserves a great deal of special praise.  Adversity comes in all sorts of packages.  Oddly enough, enjoying very sustained success can lead to complacency, over confidence, laziness, hubris, there are probably some more adjectives this side of “rat poison” but you get the idea.  It is a credit to this coaching staff, full of new faces, that it has managed to keep this team focused on achieving their goals and playing at the highest levels.

All that said, an undefeated regular season is a monumental achievement.  Winning games at a clip not seen since the 1888 Yale team, which also dispatched its entire regular season list of opponents by more than 20 points each, is worthy of note.  However, most of this team’s goals are still in front of it.  Those goals are there for the taking.  This team has the talent, the will, the schemes, and the coaching to do so.  However, it is appropriate to take just a minute or two to celebrate what has already happened in 2018.  Hurrah for the dear old alma mater, hurrah for the seniors, hurrah for the pecan pie.

That’s enough of that. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  It is now time for the team to return to Atlanta for the second match up with the Georgia Bulldogs to decide a championship this calendar year.  It promises to be a great game.  Have a safe week to make sure you don’t miss it, even if you have to endure Gary Danielson to do so.  Till then, keep in mind the numbers 52 and 21.

Roll Tide, everyone.  Beat Georgia.

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Auburn Grades

It seems like wherever I have gone recently people ask a variation of the same question: “Is it boring to cheer for Alabama since they win all the time?”

Obviously people who could even think such a question, much less give it voice, do not remember the time before Nick Saban coached the Tide. They respond with a blank stare when you mention “The Mikes”.

They also were not at Bryant-Denny Stadium to witness the Tide boat race the Awbs 52-21 before a raucous crowd Saturday night. There was nothing boring about the 2018 Iron Bowl. The Senior Day pregame ceremony recognized the families and players of a senior class with a record-setting win-loss mark of 53-3. Tua lit up the Auburn defense with a third quarter, 21-point blitz. Jalen was welcomed with yet another standing ovation. He promptly engineered a one-play scoring drive with a perfectly thrown pass to The Other Jaylen,  and the crowd went crazy.  “Dixieland Delight” was loud enough to be heard in Northport, and profane enough to be banned for at least another decade. The student section’s impromptu descant mostly occurred during a TV timeout, so there is a chance the peck-sniffs might not trample on the First Amendment rights of the undergraduates.

If you still need some measure of how exciting it was for Alabama to curb-stomp its cross-state rival, just watch Gus Malzahn’s post-game presser. His churlish, ungracious, monotone tells you all you need to know.

Gus must have coached up his players to “play hard” if they wanted a chance to beat Alabama. The Auburn players responded by doubling down on cheap shots. The first quarter alone featured an Auburn TD nullified by an offensive holding call so blatant it’s amazing the refs actually flagged it. Malzahn was so unhinged by the uncharacteristic enforcement of blocking rules, he cost his team an additional 15 yards for his own unsportsmanlike conduct. When the Tigers punted three plays later, Auburn’s number 13 hit Jaylen Waddle while he was looking up for the ball. It’s a testament to Coach Cochran’s strength and conditioning program that Jaylen survived the dirty hit. It’s a testament to the character of the Auburn program that while Jaylen lay crumpled on the turf, number 13 took his helmet off and made a conspicuous fool of himself on the field.

The game was marred by penalties on both sides. More on this later.

Because beating Auburn is always glorious, and especially so when the Tide scores 50 or more points on the Tigers for the third time in the history of the rivalry, and the second time in the last five seasons, here is how I grade the game:

Offense:              A           Alabama gained 500 yards of total offense (123 net rushing) earned 23 first downs, converted 5 of 11 third downs, and controlled the ball for 25:23. Tua completed 25 of 32 pass attempts for 324 yards and 5 TDs. Jalen completed his lone pass attempt for a 53 yard TD [The Other Jaylen].

Jerry Jeudy gained 77 yards and scored a TD on 5 receptions. Henry Ruggs, III caught 5 passes for 62 yards and 2 TDs. His second TD was a one-handed catch while being interfered with. DeVonta Smith added 72 yards on 4 receptions. Josh Jacobs caught 4 passes for 53 yards. The Other Jaylen, and Irv Smith, Jr. each caught 3 passes. Damien, and Najee each caught a pass. Jeudy, Ruggs, Smith, Jacobs, and Waddle each caught at least one pass for a touchdown.

 Damien was the Tide’s leading rusher with 41 net yards on 9 rushing attempts. Jacobs gained 28 net yards on 5 runs. Tua added 26 net yards running that ball and scored the Tide’s lone rushing TD. [With 5 TD passes and a rushing TD, Tua accounted for a record 6 TDs in a single game.] Najee gained 25 net yards on 7 attempts, and Jalen added 3 yards on his lone run.

The offense had 7 possessions that gained at least 40 yards or more [65, 57, 75, 69, 75, 43, 53] resulting in 6 TDs and a FG. Four times the Alabama offense punted after only three downs. Two of those punts came in the second quarter allowing Auburn to get back in the game. At the half, Alabama only led 17-14.

Defense:            A-.              Auburn only gained 283 total yards of offense [130 net rushing] and earned 15 first downs; 4 additional first downs came by way of Alabama defensive penalties.

Dylan Moses and LaBryan Ray were each credited with 9 tackles. Anfernee Jennings made 8 tackles and intercepted a pass. Raekwon Davis was credited with 7 tackles. All total, Alabama made 5 tackles for lost yardage, including 3 sacks. Defenders broke up 6 passes and hurried the Auburn QB 8 times. 

The down grade is the result of defensive penalties extending Auburn drives four times on third down plays. These penalties hurt the team. The grade should reflect that.

Special Teams:

Punting:           F          Mike Bernier averaged 41 yards on 4 punts. The coverage team allowed four returns for a total of 8 yards. A blocked punt earns the failing grade.

Place kicking:         A.        Joseph Bulovas made a 30 yard FG attempt and was perfect on each of 7 PATs.

Kickoffs:          B.       Bulovas averaged 53.3 yards on 9 kickoffs. Two of his kicks were touchbacks. The coverage team allowed 3 returns that gained a total of 65 yards and a longest return of 27 yards.

Coaching:          A.          This was a decisive win with demoralizing effect on the Villagers. For reasons well documented earlier this season, the coaching grade is not impacted by penalties, but it is worth pointing out that Alabama was penalized 8 times for a total of 82 yards. Coach Saban was rightly displeased with the defense not playing with discipline sufficient to avoid personal fouls on what would otherwise have been drive killing third downs.  The participation report lists 53 players who saw action in the game.

On a personal note, I should add that the Commissioner's Long Suffering Wife and I had a great time at the game. A game weekend is always more enjoyable when you can share it with daughters, and former law partners.

Also, I want to urge readers of this blog to check out an excellent new podcast: Bama Expats. Marc Torrence and Matt Dover are doing a weekly breakdown of Crimson Tide sports from an analytical perspective. They take a deep dive into statistics, and provide insights you will find interesting and thought provoking. Get the podcast on your cell phone, computer, or mobile device and give a listen to these two Alabama expatriates now living and working in New York City.

So the regular season is now in the books. Alabama is undefeated and top ranked going into the SEC Championship Game on December 1 against SEC East Champion Georgia. The Bulldogs dispatched Georgia Tech in their season finale. Clemson, the presumptive ACC Champion likewise put the Fighting Chickens away after a bit of excitement early. Notre Dame struggled against a bad USC team to close out an undefeated season, and since Notre Dame is Notre Dame the Irish do not have to play anyone else to land a spot in the playoffs. 

Michigan was tub-thumped by Ohio State. The two-loss Wolverines are out of the discussion, and the Buckeyes are very much in the discussion. I for one like discussing the fact OSU lost to unranked Purdue by 29 points. You Big 10 apologists discuss whatever topic y'all want.

Oklahoma appears to be in the best position to benefit from Michigan's demise. A rematch against Texas stands between the Sooners and a playoff bid. At the CFB Championship Game in January some Georgia fans remarked to me how pleased they were to be playing in an all-SEC title game; according to them, the Oklahoma fans were hateful and ill mannered. I suspect we will get the chance to find out if they have learned some humility in the intervening twelve months. 

A one-loss SEC Champion Georgia would deserve to get into the playoffs. It's Alabama's job to make sure that does not happen, because a one-loss SEC runner-up Alabama would be dropped like a hot rock by the selection committee. 

Is it boring being an Alabama fan? Not on your life! 

Next week's edition of The Grades might be a day later than usual. See y'all in Atlanta.

Roll Tide, Y'all.....

The Commissioner 

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Tire Store Report -- The Citadel

We agree with those grades, Commissioner.  You just cannot really tell much about your team when it schedules this level of competition.  We aren't going to open the "why" can of worms on that today.  Suffice it to say that we'd prefer a system where everyone played at least top division competition in every game every year.   Alabama played a lackluster first half and could easily have scored sixty in this one if it had cared to try.  Which it just sort of didn't.

A couple of points bear mentioning.  Alabama continues to not get penalty calls because, we suppose, the officials just feel like they don't need to call them.  Saturday, though, they ignored a very cheap shot on Quinnen Williams as well as a couple of horse collars.  The disputed touchdown in the Vanderbilt Mississippi game was troubling.  So, SEC officiating is about as efficient and trustworthy as a set of Florida election officials.  In other news, water is wet, the sun sets in the west, and Gus Malzahn bears a striking resemblance to cast members on The Muppet Show.

Despite having attended operas, tractor pulls, ballet recitals, boxing matches, rodeos, red mass, tent revivals, and three-day seminars on the tire business (you'd think they'd run out of ways to say "round tires roll better") we don't have the words to describe the state of the kicking game.  Every part of it has failed this year at some point.  The one thing we just cannot get past are the missed extra points.  Those are practically free points for the taking and we are leaving them on the field.  Shoot, Saturday we very nearly gave up two points the other way.  We hope that doesn't jump up and bite us between now and the end of the season because hope is about all we have left.

On another completely random topic, we hate how the centerpiece of Bryant Denny Stadium looks and plays.  We don't understand how a University with the facilities that this one has for its athletic teams (from football to wheelchair basketball), can tolerate a playing field like this one.  Gracious.  We have recruiting rooms and a press conference room and a weight room and an academic center and an indoor practice field and a nutrition center and ice baths and waterfalls and locker rooms and sky boxes and zone seating and statues and marble floors, and I don't know what all, but we can't seem to grow grass in a field that drains.  I have read about what the problems are.  Apparently an aquifer runs under the stadium.  It rained a good bit last week. And I've heard the analogy that because of the stands, getting grass to grow on the field is like trying to grow grass at the bottom of a well.  And I know that the grass has to somehow survive the scorching hot temperatures of the end of August to the relatively frigid temperatures of early December, but my goodness. 

There were more divots in between the hashes than in the fairway after the local country club tournament.  The cameras found numerous examples when the announcers started talking about it.  The point is not just asthetics.  Saturday's slippery conditions cost Alabama yardage and more than once.  Waddle slipped once on a pass route and once on a kick return, both resulting in his going down without being touched by a defender.  Ruggs slipped and fell turning a pass upfield.  We'll spare you our full list of examples.

One other thing, on Waddle's great catch going out of the end zone, not only did both feet slide out from under him in what looked like plain old mud just past the sideline of the end zone, he nearly hit that stupid fence around the edge of the field.  It's padded now, but that space also fills up with photographers and reporters.  So it's not just looking bad, it's not just playing bad, there are parts of the playing area that are flat out dangerous, to players, press, and probably some priviledged fans. 

The University is about to spend money on the stadium for gigantic video boards, a "plaza" for people to, we don't know, walk around and chat while the game is going on,  glass exterior partitions on the lowest level (down here in the Tire Store office we call those our "windows") the need for which we really cannot understand, etc. all to the tune of eleventy million dollars.  Maybe, just maybe, it would be a good idea to drop some of that money on the part of Bryant Denny Stadium that all the other stuff is about -- the playing field.

Speaking of playing at BDS, the 2018 edition of the Crimson Tide will take that field for the final time on Saturday afternoon ranked #1 in the country, SEC Western Division Champions, undefeated, and facing the team from the East Alabama Male College.  We owe that team some licks after last year.  Let's pay up.

Roll Tide, everyone.  And have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

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Citadel Grades

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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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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