Tire Store Report Wisconsin

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Hurray for the return of The Grades.  Excellent job, Commissioner.  Good to see that your time “on the bench” has not impacted delivery of this fundamental public service.

Down here at the Tire Store Saturday night, we were reminded of a very old formula for winning a football game -- run the ball, stop the run, don’t turn the football over.  When last we left the Crimson Tide, they had failed, pretty spectacularly, in applying that formula to a Big-However- Many team.  Saturday night at least, it appeared that things were moving back to the basics.  Alabama ran the ball with authority, smothered what may be the best rushing attack in its opponent’s conference, and had 0 turnovers.  More about all of this below.  Before that, Alabama put together a solid win on a day when some iconic programs were not able to do so, Penn State lost to Temple, Michigan lost to Utah, Nebraska lost, Texas was embarrassed….  In short, we should not overlook the fact that Alabama again took care of a quality opponent to start the season.

Offense:  We thought the offense looked pretty good for a first outing.  All the quarterback talk through the Spring and Summer seemed to revolve around why no one and stepped up and been named the starter.  To an extent, that discussion somehow evolved into, “none of the quarterbacks are any good”.  We don’t think that is the case.  From what we saw Saturday night, it looked like at least two of the quarterbacks are pretty good and capable of directing the offense.  After the first drive, at least, Coker seemed comfortable.  He took a couple of needless sacks and just missed on a couple of long throws, but we hope and expect that will get straightened out as the season goes along.  Bateman played pretty well in relief, though without perhaps the same opportunities that Coker had.

The offensive line, which has been more or less the same five guys since the Spring, played pretty well, too.  They seem better at run blocking than pass blocking right now.  Having lost receivers who have made NFL rosters like Cooper and White, there was concern about who would step up to run crisp routes and catch the ball.  Lots of receivers participated in the game.  All of them looked pretty good.  The one we were most excited about was freshman Calvin Ridley, who reached up an snatched a couple of bullets out of the air.  We like a player who reaches up and catches the ball with his hands, not gathering it into his chest.  If he and the quarterback can adjust their timing just a bit on deep balls, he may have a great season.  Mullaney, a transfer from Oregon, reminded us just a bit of Kevin Norwood.  Also nice to see OJ Howard pulling in passes. 

But the first part of the formula is about running the football, and Alabama did that with authority.  Henry and Drake racked up yards in bunches.  It was interesting to see how Drake would play after his horrific injury on that God-forsaken turf they have over in Oxford.  We did not perceive any lasting effects.  Henry took over the lead back role -- it seemed to fit him just fine.  He seems a little bigger than last year, and maybe faster, too.  He did not hesitate in the backfield as he did on occasion last year but plowed forward, hole open or not.  It’s exactly what he needs to do.  For our money, though, his best play of the night was when he stayed in to protect on an obvious passing down.  A Wisconsin linebacker who was blitzing on the play hit Henry and then just bounced back about three yards towards the line of scrimmage.  It looked like the Wily Coyote running into some sort of weird spring loaded door he had set as a trap for the Roadrunner.  All that was needed was a cartoon sound effect.

Defense: As the Commissioner has chronicled, the defense played very well.  Make no mistake, Wisconsin is, and will be, a serious force in their Conference.  They averaged over 400 yards rushing per game last season.  They have a massive (if somewhat inexperienced) offensive line and a very experienced quarterback.  That offense managed one good drive in each half.  And frankly, the second half drive was against mostly the Alabama second string.  Reggie Ragland was all over the field, both coaching up his teammates and knocking down ball carriers.  As the game went on, Alabama was getting to the quarterback with four rushers, because Wisconsin had largely abandoned its running game.

Step two of the formula, stop the run, was handled in excellent fashion.  Alabama will see teams with better running games, Arkansas comes to mind, but not many and not that much better.  The front seven, variously described as “vicious” and “Best in America” pretty much lived up to the billing.  Wisconsin found very narrow running lanes. As the game wore on the front four brought more pressure,  and batted down passes.  A’Shawn Robinson plays as mature as he looks.    Freshman nose tackle Daron Payne has slimmed down to a mere 315 pounds.  He’ll be exciting to watch.  The young defensive backs need experience to go with their God-given talents.  As Coach Kines used to say, “You can’t learn to ride a bicycle sitting on the porch.”  I expect this unit to continue to improve week-by-week.

ST:  Oy vey.  As much good news as there was on offense and defense, the bright spot on special teams was that we kicked off the football into the dadgum endzone (at least mostly) which is a positive change.  We didn’t muff fielding any kicks, though Cyrus Jones being back there makes us hold our breath like someone was turning rotors in the shop.  Just don’t get hurt, CJ.  Otherwise, it was a forgettable night.  We missed two very makeable field goals, which didn’t even matter to people who had bet on Alabama to cover, but sure as heck will matter before the end of December.  Worse, our punter who last season may have been the best punter in football, (not college football, ALL of football), was very pedestrian.  Maybe that big, low-hanging scoreboard was bothering him.  One of the commentators said he had not had a good fall camp, though it was the first time we’d heard that.  Anyway, something has changed for a player that was averaging over 50 yards a kick on A-Day.  Hoping it was just an off night and is out of his system.

Coaching:  We’d give the coaches a high grade.  The team was ready to play.  Most commentators feel like having a quarterback “controversy” is upsetting to a team.  This is at least the third time since Coach Saban came that we have gone into the season with no clear “starting” quarterback -- once we won the National Championship and once we won the SEC.  They appear to know how to handle it.  Our halftime adjustments were excellent.  Kiffen continues to call plays that should go for touchdowns, though sometimes the execution is lacking.  Our estimate is that Alabama left at least 13 and maybe 20 points on the field through poor execution.  I’m not fan of the new “card” system, but there were very few plays Saturday where the play clock was an issue.  We would give demerits for clock management at the end of the half.  For some weird reason, that has never been a strong suit for Saban-coached teams.  But if that’s the biggest gripe we have for a team that is replacing as much as Alabama is this year, we’ll take it.

One interesting thing to conclude this already-too-long Report.  Coach Saban preaches to the players about forgetting the last play, forgetting the score, forgetting everything else in favor of focusing on doing your absolute best on the upcoming play.  In an interview after the game, Derrick Henry said that he didn’t actually know that it was 4^th and 1 when he took the handoff for his highlight reel touchdown run.  He just played his best on that play -- secured the football, hit the hole hard, ran through a tackle, and outran everyone on the defense to the end zone.  To be honest, I’m not all that sure any of the Wisconsin DBs wanted to catch him. 

We think if Saban can get the rest of the team to follow his philosophy as demonstrated by Henry on that play, it’s going to be a very exciting season.  On to MTSU, which put 70 points on Jackson State Saturday.  It’s good to have football back.

Wisconsin Grades

The Commissioner's Patient and Long-Suffering Wife really likes a website called Trip Advisor. She's a planner, and before we go anywhere she thoroughly researches our destination. In particular she studies the reviews that other Trip Advisor fans have posted on hotels, attractions and restaurants. From time to time, she comes across negative reviews that make her laugh. People deficient in self-awareness sometimes complain about things that ought to have been perfectly obvious. 

For example: "Expecting the chef to be equal to his reputation, I placed my dinner order with two substitutions, a temperature request and a dietary restriction. Everyone else at our table was served before I was!" Or: "We booked this four star hotel in Paris a week before we arrived, and the room was small, the bed was only a queen-size, and the 'complimentary' breakfast consisted of different kinds of bread with butter and jam." Or this one: "The guide books all tout this country's history, but the castles were mostly in ruins, the big country estates all charge for tours, and I nearly bumped my head on the low ceiling in the local pub."

There is a name for these sorts of complaints: "First World Problems."

The morning after beating Wisconsin 35-17, The Commissioner might very well be guilty of complaining about First World Problems. As My Son And Heir said at the end of the night, "feeling dissatisfied about beating a ranked team on the opening game of the season by more than two touchdowns isn't such a bad thing."

Coach Saban told reporters after the game that the game provided the coaches with a clear picture of "here's where we are. Here's the things we did well. Here's the things we need to improve on to get up to a standard."  Among those who did not play up to the standard were the defensive subs who allowed the Badgers to drive 75 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. They were joined, by the starting defensive secondary whose play in the first half was a continuation of the last three games of the 2014 season. Also not playing up to standard was practically the entire kicking game. 

The list of things done well, however, is quite impressive. Foremost on that list is the play of the defensive front seven. It didn't seem to matter how deep the Tide coaches went in the defensive rotation, the defensive line and linebackers were ferocious and formidable. The Badgers are a running team. They have a big, strong offensive line and big talented running backs. With 9:00 to play in the game, they had earned a grand total of 8 yards rushing. The longest run from scrimmage by any of Wisconsin's featured backs was 5 yards. In the first half, Badgers' QB, Joel Stave, looked like he might be having one of those once-in-a-career nights; think about South Carolina's otherwise forgettable Stephen Garcia in his 2010 game against the Crimson Tide. 

After intermission, however, the Badgers had 7 possessions. Five of those resulted in 4 punts and an interception on a total of 16 plays. It was astonishing to see how much better the Tide secondary was in coverage when the front seven pressured the opposing quarterback.

Also add Jake Coker to the list of things done well. In his first career start, the fifth-year senior completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 213 yards and a TD [Robert Foster]. He took two really bad sacks early in the game when he seemed confused by the Wisconsin blitz. He also badly missed a wide-open receiver on a deep pattern down the right sideline in the third quarter. On the whole, his performance reminded me of GMac's improvement during the course of the 2009 season opener against Virginia Tech. Cooper Bateman played well in relief, completing 7 of 8 pass attempts for 51 yards. 

You can round out the list of things done well with the run game. Derrick Henry and Kenyon Drake accounted for 4 rushing TDs. Henry was an absolute beast gaining 147 yards on 13 carries. But one of his best plays was a blitz pick-up that allowed Jake to complete a long pass for a first down. Henry stone-walled the defensive end who stunted through a gap in the O Line. The official stats don't have a category for that sort of play, but it was the kind of hit that would have made Coach Bryant say: "Bingo! That was a goodie!"

So at the risk of sounding like one of those whiners on Trip Advisor, here is how I grade the game:

Offense: B- Alabama compiled 27 first downs [12 rushing], on 502 total yards [238 rushing]. Tide QBs combined for 22 completions on 29 attempts for 264 yards. 

True freshman Damien Harris complimented Henry and Drake's efforts by gaining 23 yards on 9 carries.

Robert Foster lead all receivers with 4 receptions for 55 yards and a TD [22 yards]. Ardarius Stewart also made 4 receptions for 44 yards. OJ Howard and Calvin Ridley each accounted for 3 receptions. Drake and Henry had two catches apiece. Transfer, Richard Mullaney also made two receptions gaining 38 yards. In all, 9 different players caught passes.

The Offense put together five drives that gained 40 or more yards [90, 88, 56, 67, 53] resulting in 4 TDs and a missed FG, while suffering only one true 3 and out.  The other three-play drive covered only 27 yards and resulted in a TD. 

In the category of First World Problems: the Tide only converted 4 of 11 third down opportunities, suffered three consecutive plays with penalties [2 false starts and a hold], and surrendered 24 negative yards on 3 sacks.

Defense B+ Wisconsin's proud rushing game was limited to only 40 yards on 21 carries, and 24 of those yards came on a single play in the fourth quarter where the Badgers' starters were playing against the Tide's "Twos". 

Reggie Ragland led all defenders with 5 solo tackles and 7 assists. He also was credited with hurrying the Wisconsin QB. Eddie Jackson had 6 solo tackles and an interception, the game's only turnover. 

Soph. LB, Shaun Dion Hamilton, accounted for 4 solo stops and 2 assists. 

The head-turner of the night, may well be true freshman DB Minkah Fitzpatrick [6-1, 195]. The Old Bridge, NJ native, playing in his first-ever collegiate game, accounted for 3 solo tackles, 2 assists, 1 tackle for lost yardage [sack] and a pass breakup. 

Also accounting for 3 solo stops was new-starter, Reuben Foster. No. 10 got lost in coverage a couple of times in the first half, which allowed Wisconsin to complete some throws to backs coming open in the flats, but Foster's closing speed and hard tackling prevented any big gains. Fellow first-time starter, Marlon Humphrey also had 3 solo tackles.      

Jr. DL, Jonathan Allen [6-3, 283] made 2 solo tackles and 2 assists. Both of his solo tackles were for lost yardage. He also broke up a pass.

First World Problem: Poor coverage in the secondary in the first half, and lack of intensity in the closing minutes of the game. Also, Marlon Humphrey was penalized for interference on a play where all he had to do in order to avoid the penalty was turn his head and look at the ball. This would also have resulted in an interception since the ball would have lodged itself in Marlon's face mask.

Special Teams:

Oh,good Lord!

Punting: F We punted 4 times for a gross average of only 36.8 yards and our coverage yielded 15 yards on two returns making the net average a paltry 33 yards. This is a decrease of more than 15 net yards over last season's averages.

Place Kicking: D Griff was perfect on all 5 PATs but missed wide on both of his FG attempts [44, 39].

Kick Offs: B+ Griff did a very good job kicking off. His gross average was 65 yards and the coverage unit by and large contained the Badger return efforts achieving a net of 42.7 yards per kick.  The Tide return game gave rise to some First World Problems: The Badger kick off net average was 49 yards and on one return our ball carrier took a knee......at the seven yard line!

Coaching: B The participation report lists 59 players who saw action in the AdvoCare Classic. Among those were true freshmen: Calvin Ridley, Ronnie Harrison, Minkah Fitzpatick, Daron Payne, Shawn Burgess-Becker, Damien Harris, Lester Cotton and Dallas Warmack. Redshirt freshmen Marlon Humphrey, Christian Miller and Keith Holcombe joined the youth-movement.

The Tide was penalized 11 times for 120 yards. That is not a First World Problem, even considering that the officials were supplied by the Big 12 Conference, and at least three flags were so obviously miscalled that Coach Saban's protest by-passed the Bug Zapper and went straight for the Screaming Cruise Missile. That many penalties and that much lost yardage has to be addressed.

I don't want to dwell on First World Problems and end this edition of The Grades with a complaining tone.  The win over Wisconsin provides much to be excited about. The 2014 season ended one game too early in a loss to a very good team out of the Big Ten Conference. The 2015 season began with a resounding win over a ranked Big Ten team. Alabama's record against the current members of that league is 25-13 [.658]. With the win over Wisconsin, the Tide's record against the AP top 25 is 32-11 [.744] which includes Coach Saban's record at Alabama over the AP top 10 of 17-6!  The Tide has made 33 appearances on ESPN's College GameDay, and owns a record of 21-12. Coach Saban's share of that record is 18-6. Alabama's 24 GameDay appearances under Coach Saban is the most for any program since 2007. (Oregon, with 20 appearances is in second place.) Finally, Jake's 213 passing yards against the Badgers marks a career high, surpassing the 202 yards he achieved last season against Florida Atlantic. His 15 completions ties his career best, and his 213 passing yards is the 10th most by a Tide quarterback in a starting debut.

So there is a lot to be very excited about, while there is also work to be done. The most important game of the season, so far, is next Saturday's home opener against MTSU. My Son And Heir will be handling responsibility for The Grades, as The Commissioner will be in a location without wi-fi or TV next weekend. I am confident he will bring his A-Game.

Roll Tide, Y'all.

The Commissioner