Tires Store Report -- Western Carolina

Thanks, Commissioner, and we mean that in a lot of different ways.

We sometimes lose track of just how difficult it is to be as prompt and consistently crisp and clear as you are with your game reports.   Yours of yesterday was as bracing as a sunny November afternoon.  We know your task is especially tall when games are like the one on Saturday, with Alabama doing what a team like Alabama should do to a badly overmatched opponent.

All of the various ideas for topics to address that we had laying around the shop like so many air wrenches, you already described quite eloquently: a celebration of the seniors, check; a recounting of the game statistics, check; putting into context of the season just what this game meant, check; calling out a senior that even we have never heard of who has now proudly writ his name in crimson flame in the Alabama statistical record which will never be taken from him, check; an analysis of the coaching job done not just in this game and this season, but a sustained record of excellence that requires the occasional moment to stop and observe and just say “oh, my”, check; a quick look ahead at what the future might hold for the 2019 edition of the Crimson Tide, check….

Given your hard work we find little else to say about that contest or this season. Well done.

Instead, if the readership will indulge us, especially at this time of the year, we’ll pause to be thankful.  Down here in the land of brake dust and grease pits we occasionally run into a slow afternoon where even though there’s no real cause -- pretty weather, not a state holiday, not too far from payday -- it’s just a slow day.  Those days used to make us really anxious and wonder whether scattering a few roofing nails an intersection or two up the road might at least get us a few flat fixes, just to pass the time, you understand.

Given a little more age, we have learned that sooner or later the slow days will give way to some much busier days when there hardly seems room for all the cars to fit on the lot and everyone needs four plus an alignment.  So, we have learned to be a little more relaxed, to sit back in the chair, watch out the window as the cars go whizzing by, and be careful to give thanks for what we have.

One of the things we are thankful for on the slow days is this, whatever this is.  We appreciate the fact that we are part of the Alabama community.  In a day when civil discourse on issues where reasonable minds might differ too often quickly devolves into name-calling and worse, we, like Lewis Grizzard, are happy to have something we can rally around with confidence.  We are thankful for those who take a few minutes out of their very busy lives to join us here each week.  We have made life-long friends by virtue of this blog for whom we are everlastingly thankful.  Occasionally someone will take an extra minute out to send us an email -- we are appreciative of that, even when it starts with something like: “Hey, chucklehead, your pre-dementia is showing, that play you were talking about was in the ’78 season, not ’79.”

We have already rambled on longer than we intended this week.  Follow whatever traditions you hold to.  Ours is to remind ourselves that the blessings we have are not a product of what we have earned, but what we have been given. We hope that you and your families are able to gather safely this week.  We hope you find a slow time to stare out your equivalent of our plate glass and contemplate the things in your life that you hold dear and make you truly happy.  And if you need a starting point, go ahead and put your allegiance to your team on that list.  As the Commissioner has documented, Alabama has enjoyed a sustained level of excellence the last several years that is the envy of the college football world.  But, again with a nod to Mr. Grizzard, win or lose, always us.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  Let’s beat them like they stole a cow.

Roll Tide.

 

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Western Carolina Grades

Fifty-one and counting. That’s how many games the seniors in the Crimson Tide class of 2019 have won so far during the last four seasons. When you include the 2015 season to account for red-shirted players, the total wins increase to 65.

Since the 2016 season, this senior class has added hardware to the trophy cabinets in the Mal Moore Center for three SEC Western Division championships, two Conference championships, and a National Championship. Include the red-shirts and you have to find shelf space for another SEC Western Division and Southeastern Conference titles, as well as another National Championship. If Alabama moves from fifth to fourth place in the College Football Playoff standings on the strength of a win in the Iron Bowl, these seniors will have the opportunity to claim three national championships over five seasons; a record set by the 2015 senior class.

Whether or not the 2019 seniors scale those lofty heights, they have already secured a place of honor in the Alabama pantheon. It is safe to say there has not been a group of Alabama players since Ears Whitworth was run out of town, who have overcome more adversity in their playing careers.

Every program has to deal with injuries. Alabama is no exception. As a partisan fan I think we have suffered more than our fair share. But no team has suffered a higher number of experienced players departing early for the NFL. I suppose losing talented leadership to the pro ranks is a foreseeable consequence of having the nation’s best recruiting classes year after year. I am glad players are able to monetize their sacrifices and hard work; good for them. At the same time, however, I like the game of college football, and I do not believe early draft eligibility is good for the college game. I particularly do not think it has been good for Alabama.

You may disagree. But do you think we would have played so miserably on defense against Clemson last January if Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison, and Da’Ron Payne had been on the field? And this season, do you think we might have been able to keep LSU from converting on third and 10 to keep a scoring drive alive if Deionte Thompson, Q. Williams, and Mack Wilson had been on Alabama's side of the ball?

I’ve written before that Alabama does not have an elite defense this season. Early departures are a major part of the reason why. So, fans got to say an appreciative farewell to the players who stayed; DB Shyheim Carter, DL Raekwon Davis, DB Trevon Diggs, LB Anfernee Jennings, DB Jaren Mayden, LB Josh McMillon, DL Matt Womack.

This is another reason why Senior Day is something special: defensive stars Raekwon Davis, Phidarian Mathis, and DJ Dale were held out of the contest to heal up before Auburn, and Christian Barmore,, Tevita Musika, and Byron Young, got their first starts. In all, 71 players saw action in the game. Players who have toiled in obscurity on the practice squad got onto the field.

The final chapters of the book on the 2019 Crimson Tide have not yet been written. But there are potentially three more games to evaluate. A one-grade deduction for the level of competition would typically be applied in a game against an opponent from the FCS. Never in my memory has a Bama game against a non-conference foe been as fraught as yesterday’s tilt against Western Carolina. Without deductions or curves, here is how I grade the game:          

Offense:          A+                   Alabama gained 541 yards of total offense [231 net yards rushing] earned 23 first downs, and converted 5 of 8 third downs…..and most importantly scored 59 of Alabama’s 66 points. The only blemish on the day was a lost fumble at the Catamount goal line that resulted in a touchback. It was at worst an “effort” mistake. Trying to score from the three-yard line, the runner attempted to break the plane by extending the ball, when it was knocked loose.

Mac Jones started a little tentative. His passes were not quite a crisp as Tua’s, and he seemed to hold the ball just a wee bit longer than necessary. But after the opening drive, he settled in and became much more confident in running the offense. As a result, he completed 10 of his 12 pass attempts for 275 yards and 3 TDs. Taulia completed 2 of 3 attempted passes for 35 yards and a TD.

DeVonta Smith gained 94 yards and scored 2 TDs on 4 receptions. Jaylen Waddle caught 3 passes for 101 yards and a TD ….. By the way, it is a good thing they have big TV screens at BDS that show replays, otherwise I don’t think I would have believed what I witnessed on Waddle’s touchdown. He broke the ankles of so many would-be tacklers, it is a miracle those guys were able to walk again…… Jerry Jeudy caught 2 passes for 66 yards. Six different players caught passes.

The Tide’s leading rusher was Keilan Robinson [Fr.; 5-9, 184; Washington D.C.] who gained 92 yards on only 8 carries. He is going to be something special before his career at Alabama is celebrated on Senior Day 2022. Najee Harris carried the ball 14 times and gained 66 yards. RS Fr. Jerome Ford added 24 yards on 5 carries and The Pride of Tanner, Al, Chardarius Townsend [So. RB; 60-194] gained 24 yards on 6 runs. Columbia, Tennessee’s De’Marquise Lockridge [R. Sr.; 5-11, 216] made the most of his playing opportunity gaining 12 yards on 2 runs.

The Offense engineered seven drives gaining 40 or more yards [46, 79, 63, 65, 54, 73, 63] achieving a FG and 6 TDs. Alabama was forced to punt only once.

Defense:          A+                   The Catamounts were held to only 179 yards of total offense [67 net yards rushing] and 10 first downs. They only converted 2 of 12 third down opportunities.

Shane Lee led all defenders with 7 tackles [3 solo].  Christian Barmore made tackles [3 solo]. Christian Harris and Byron Young each were credited with 5 stops. The Bama Defense made seven tackles for lost yardage [4 sacks]. Xavier McKinney made two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Not to be outdone, Jaren Mayden also had two picks.

The defensive play-of-the-game has to be McKinney breaking up a pass he batted back to the WCU QB, who caught his own pass [he is credited with a reception in the official stats]. Xavier was no outraged by this reversal of fortune that he forced a fumble recovered by Patrick Surtain.

Special Teams:

Punting:           B                     Bama’s only punt was kicked from its own endzone following a false start penalty. The kick traveled only 33 yards. Jaylen Waddle returned 2 punts for 66 Yards and came within three yards of scoring a TD after a return of 49 yards.

Place Kicking:             A+                   Joseph Bulovas made a 22 yard FG and was successful on each of 9 PAT attempts.

Kickoffs:                     A+                   The Tide allowed no return yards.

Coaching:                    A+                   Alabama was penalized only 4 times. Seventy-one players saw action in the game. The team was mentally ready to play after the disruption and adversity caused by devastating injuries in last week’s game against Arkansas.

Tua received a sustained cheer from the crowd when he arrived on the Tide sideline in a golf cart. His future is uncertain. Will he pursue the NFL draft after he recovers from his hip injury? Or will he return to Tuscaloosa? Whatever he decides, people who love Alabama football will support him. But just imagine for a moment how special it would be for a healthy Tua Tagovailoa to lead a victorious Crimson Tide to a national title in the 2020 season. The final home game next year will be the Iron Bowl. What a Senior Day that would be!

Senior Day 2019 is in the books. Alabama did what it had to do: play well in all phases of the game. Dominate an opponent. Give Mac Jones the opportunity to gain confidence. Prove to the skeptics the roster remains stocked with talent regardless of injury and early departures for the pros.

Winning the Iron Bowl is a good thing whether the contest is the annual charity food drive, or the football game.  This year, beating Auburn is an absolute prerequisite to Alabama securing a spot in the playoffs. At least one team in the current top four will suffer a loss. My money is on Georgia losing to LSU in the SEC CG. It is possible Ohio State will also lose at least one of its final two games. In my opinion, a two-loss Georgia drops out of the top four, and Alabama, with a decisive victory this coming Saturday in the Village moves into the number 4 slot. Whether the rematch with LSU comes in the semi-finals or the final remains to be seen. Two weeks ago, Alabama demonstrated it was very capable of beating LSU.

Here’s hoping the Tide earns the opportunity.

To earn that opportunity: Beat Auburn.  For all that is right and true: Beat Auburn. Because Arkansas has suffered enough without the coach it really wants: Beat Auburn.

Roll Tide, Y’all!

The Commissioner

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Mississippi State Grades

The loss of Tua Tagovailoa for the remainder of the season is a crying shame. I can think of no Bama player in the modern era who achieved as much, played as brilliantly, and served so well as the face of the program in such a short period of time. Whatever faint hope may have flickered for Tua to come back in two weeks and lead the Tide to victory in the 2019 Iron Bowl was extinguished with a tersely worded statement from Dr. Lyle Cain late Saturday:

Tua Tagovailoa sustained a right hip dislocation that was immediately reduced at the stadium. He is undergoing further testing to determine the best course of treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery but will miss the remainder of the season.

Whether Tua’s football career at Alabama has come to an end remains to be seen. He and his family must work through a complex process to make the best decision for Tua and his younger brother. For any pundit to offer unsolicited advice, or speculate publicly based, is irresponsible.

There are two things the Alabama fan base ought to do. Celebrate the spectacular contributions Tua has made to the program we love. And encourage this team to finish the season by playing to the Alabama standard; trust The Process, be the best you can be, focus on making the right decisions and doing everything the right way.

Because there is no time like the present to get started, here is how I grade the Mississippi State game:

Offense:          A         Alabama gained 510 total offensive yards [160 net rushing], earned 24 first downs, converted 6 of 10 third downs, and controlled the ball for 27:57.

Despite playing only the first half, Tua completed 14 of 18 pass attempts for 256 yards and 2 TD’s. Mac Jones gained 94 passing yards on 7 completions on 11 attempts. Neither quarterback gave up an interception.

Jerry Jeudy was the Tide’s leading receiver with 114 yards on 7 catches. DeVonta Smith added 92 yards on 6 receptions, and Najee Harris gained 51 yards and scored a TD on three receptions. Jaylen Waddle also caught a TD pass. Six different receivers caught passes.

Najee Harris continued his dominance as a play maker with 88 net yards rushing and 3 rushing TDs. His four touchdowns in the first half tied DeVonta Smith’s school record for touchdowns in a half. Brian Robinson, Jr. averaged 7.0 yards per carry on 8 rushing plays for a net of 56 yards gained rushing.

The offense made seven drives that gained 40 or more yards [55, 70, 69, 70, 81, 43, 44] that achieved 4 TDs and a FG. The final two sustained drives were merely second-half clock killers.

Alabama scored a touchdown on each of its first five possessions of the game.

Defense:          A         The Bulldogs were limited to only 270 yards offense, 11 first downs, and 7 points. State was able to convert only 3 of 12 third downs, and 1 of 4 fourth down attempts. The SEC’s leading rusher entering the game, MSU’s Kylin Hill was held to only 35 net yards on 16 carries.

Freshman LB Shane Lee led all defenders with 10 tackles [2 solo]; he also intercepted a pass on MSU’s first offensive play of the game. Anfernee Jennings was credited with 8 tackles [3 solo], and Shyheim Carter logged 7 tackles [4 solo].

In total, the defense inflicted 6 tackles for lost yardage, broke up 4 passes, and hurried the State QB 4 times.

Special Teams

Punting:           A         Ty Perine punted twice for an average of 39.5 yards. Neither punt was returned. Jaylen Waddle returned two MSU punts for a total of 28 yards.

Kickoff:          B+       Joseph Bulovas averaged 41.4 yards per kick. The coverage team allowed the Bulldogs to gain 60 yards on a total of two returns.

Place Kicking: A         Bulovas was successful from 22 yards on his lone field goal attempt, and was perfect on PATs. The coaches substituted Mac Jones to hold on place kicks before Tua’s injury.

Coaching:        B+       I do not attribute any fault for Tua’s injury to the coaching staff. Fans are free to do otherwise, but they do so with the advantage of hindsight. Tua was playing well, did not re-injure his ankle, and his previous injury contributed nothing toward his dislocated hip. Coach Saban explained that Mac Jones was slated to play the second half and he wanted Tua to get in-game experience running the two-minute offense before making the switch to Jones.  The downgrade from an A-level performance is due to 7 penalties costing the Tide a combined 86 yards, and keeping alive MSU’s lone touchdown drive. The participation report lists 59 players who saw action in the game.

Twenty-one months ago, in January 2018, the Commissioner’s Long-Suffering Wife and I had the great fortune to be present in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium when Tua Tagovailoa led Alabama to an improbable comeback win over Georgia to claim the Tide’s 17^th National Championship. I had also seen Tua play earlier in the year when the Tide visited Nashville to deliver a beating to Vanderbilt Commodores. Tua entered the game early in the third quarter and dazzled everyone with his skill. One play in particular stands out in my memory. He was flushed from the pocket, spun to avoid a sack, ducked to avoid another, spotted DeVonta Smith in the endzone and, off balance, falling backwards, threw a perfect spiral for another Bama touchdown.

I was also present for last season’s SEC Championship Game where Jalen Hurts came off the bench to rally the Tide for another conference title. A return engagement with the Dawgs to contest the Conference Championship is the longest of long shots this season, because LSU holds the tie breaker over Alabama. The Tigers would have to lose this coming weekend to the hapless Razorbacks to not settle the SEC West. Meanwhile, the Piggies are busy cleaning out the head coach’s office hoping the Gus Bus arrives in Fayetteville after Auburn loses the Iron Bowl.

The Jalen Hurts role now passes to Mac Jones, but he will not have to carry the team alone. Najee Harris has been playing like a man possessed. The Tide receivers can make plays out of any ball thrown within their zip code. The Defense knows bad injury luck; it has dealt all season with key players being hurt.

So, here’s to Tua Tagovailoa: come what may in your football future, in my opinion you are the best to ever play quarterback for the Crimson Tide.

And here’s to the team. It’s time to finish the right way. Fight on .... Fight on .... Fight on, men. Beat the Catamounts ...  then the Barn. See you Saturday in Tuscaloosa!

Roll Tide, Y’all.

The Commissioner

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Tire Store Report -- LSU

Excellent work on a disappointing spectacle, Commissioner.  You did such an outstanding job on the performance of the various units, that we have little to add.  We'll spend our PSI on other issues.

Coaching:  We are glad we didn’t have to grade this category.  The second half adjustments were mostly very good.  The problem was, they needed to be brilliant and perfect, which they were not, because of how terrible the coaching was in the first half.  Alabama appeared to come out tight or flat or both, if that’s possible.  Aside from the very first, unproductive, drive, the first two quarters we were out-schemed by the LSU coordinators on both sides of the ball. 

Our redzone play calling has left some to be desired for a few weeks now.  However, Coach Sark has done a good job of playing to his team’s strengths and did a great job with Mac Jones in the Arkansas game.  Saturday afternoon?  Not so much.  Defensively, we allowed far too many LSU receivers to find empty spots in the field for uncontested catches.  On one touchdown, it appeared to us that two LSU receivers were wide open for the score.  Sometimes it is difficult to decide whether the issue is the scheme or the players.  The coaches can draw it up correctly, however, it is up to the players to be in the right spot and execute.  So you can attribute a few missed plays to players making errors, being in the wrong spot, tackling poorly, dropping a pass, etc.  It happens, especially in the college game.  A whole half of players out of position?  Nope, that is on the coaches.

Now, admittedly, this game may have actually been lost in fall camp as player after player was injured or chose to play and/or on the third Saturday in October and/or on the very strange injury to our best tight end.  Once it was obvious to everyone that Tua was: 1. Rusty; 2. Less than 100% healthy; and 3. Very unlikely to run or scramble, Alabama’s options offensive options became more limited in the game where that was least affordable.  Full credit to LSU for having a great plan, recognizing limitations, and executing their schemes.  Alabama turned the ball over three times a/k/a three times too many in what was essentially the Conference Championship play-in game.  And usually, when a team fumbles the ball, you credit the other team for a hard hit or the like.  No defender was within three yards on Tua’s fumble or the muffed punt snap (which appeared to us to be perfectly on target). So you are right, Commissioner, Alabama helped LSU beat Alabama.  You correctly point out that the punting issue was the same as a straight fumble.  And LSU converted both turnovers into points, as well as Tua's interception.  This team should have been better prepared.

Broadcasting:  F  I’m in favor of one of those fancy Go Fund Me campaigns to buy out the rest of the CBS contract.  Alabama probably cannot do it alone, but with 14 teams in the league, we ought to be able to make it happen.  Shoot, we’ll throw in a free balance and rotate for the first 50 people to sign up.  The commercials are still our major complaint.  No overtime and this game ran to nearly four hours long (aided by an awful lot of LSU player injuries from which most players recovered in a couple of downs).  Gary seemed particularly grating this time.  For example, no, Gary, Tua was not carrying the ball in his “non-dominant” hand on the first quarter fumble.  Tua is pretty famously right-handed; he just throws with his left.  Or at least we think a lot of people know that.  Gary doesn’t.  Good thing he isn’t being paid big bucks to know details about the teams he covers or anything like that.  And if we had a player make a reception like Moss’s at the goal line, do you think Gary wouldn’t mention that “controversial” call about 16 million times during the remainder of the game? As well as next year? “You know, Alabama wouldn’t really be ahead right now if that call on the sideline had gone the other way”; or “Alabama won by 5, but really that touchdown before the half should have been a penalty….”  Maybe before next season CBS will “promote” Gary to their NFL lineup.  We may ask Santa for that.

Officiating:  F.  These guys were truly, truly awful.  And with how low the SEC Bar for average officiating is currently set, that is saying something.  We’ll mention three things in particular.

First, it is a tribute to the Alabama conditioning program and the marvelous construction of the human body that Jalen Waddle was able to leave the game Saturday night with his head still attached to his body.  We cannot really recall a more obvious uncalled facemask infraction since, well, ever.   It wasn’t that his head moved, Waddle’s whole body turned around to face the official, opposite the direction he had just been running full speed.  The official was maybe 10 yards downfield.  Perhaps, in his infinite wisdom and experience he realized Waddle was going to take that one to the house so no reason to have to lean his overweight self over to pick up the flag from the turf.  But in a league that has supposedly gotten obsessed with player safety, ignoring a potential career-ending blow like that seems out of step.  Unless, of course, you weren’t watching the game.

Second, the little noticed targeting call on Barmore could have been a serious problem.  Barmore seemed to be our most effective player in the middle of the defensive line on Saturday.  Barmore has been called a couple of times this year for targeting -- one seemed legitimate, one not so much.  But this wasn’t even a particularly hard hit.  We understand that the officials are supposed to throw the flag on the field and let the booth sort it out.  As bad a night as they were having, we are very lucky he stayed in the game.  This is especially the case if you noticed that Tua was subject to several late-ish high hits in the pocket.

Third, the spots were an issue all night.  We are complaining about this only as part of a failure to meet a standard of competence, because it was bad for both teams.

Fourth, the Moss sideline catch was just incomprehensible (not taking anything from LSU, it was a perfectly placed ball and an athletic effort -- no angle we saw showed if he was in bounds at the time of the actual catch or not).  Otherwise, this has gone from ridiculous to ludicrous, or some such thing.  Words would fail Monsieur Roget himself. 

The SEC knows it has a serious officiating problem.  Now, we think they believe it is just an incorrect impression shared by fans and that they are actually doing a bang-up good job.  Rather than attempt in any public or demonstrable way that they are trying to improve the officiating, the League Office has embarked on a campaign to get people to not criticize its officials.  This campaign has included letting newspaper reporters pretend to be officials in a scrimmage or the like so they can see first-hand how “hard" the job is.  Well, that’s a fine exercise I guess, but no one is disputing that the task is difficult – the issue is that a difficult task is being performed poorly.  We suspect most of the reporters knew this and also knew this was nothing more than an opportunity to try to influence their reporting.

Next was an unprompted, longish vote of confidence from Conference Commissioner Sankey in response to, well, to nothing more than another lousy half season of officiating from his crews of blind mice. 

Then, CBS and ABC/ESPN adopted “rules experts” that they call on for interpretations in-game.  These are mostly retired officials, as far as we can tell.  The fairly obvious purpose is for them to be apologists for the on-field officiating to the viewing public.  Unfortunately, they are often in the spot of defending the indefensible.  We have never heard one consulted on a completely missed call, like the facemask on Waddle.  You might be interested to know that SEC Officials even have their own social media outlet to defend themselves.  Saturday evening their responses on Twitter about the sideline catch ruling was a sad and unintentionally hilarious montage that was somewhere between “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” and “There are no American troops anywhere in Iraq”.  The CBS expert was so perplexed that he talked with someone to get an explanation that he lamely trotted out several minutes after the fact.  Wonder who called whom?

The video replay booth appears to have joined the circle-the-wagons approach.  All too often the replay officials seem to be casting about for reasons to let calls stand than to get them right.  We have heard it proposed that the replay process in Major League Baseball be changed so that the officials in New York do not know what the umpire’s call on the field originally was.  I’m not sure how you do this because the original call is often obvious from the video, but it’s a great suggestion – that is, if what you are really focused on is getting the calls right rather than just making yourself look better than you actually are.

No help for any of that.  LSU played well and Alabama lost a winnable game.  The negative effects of that loss are far-reaching (though we think Coach O standing at mid-field and proclaiming that BDS was now "our house" was a bit over the top).  The coaches likely have a major task ahead in getting this team prepared to play on Saturday morning.  We are interested to see how they and the players respond.  That game will tell a lot about the character of this team.

Roll Tide.  Beat the Bulldogs.

 


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