Crimson Red Sports

                                                                                            Tenn vs Bama

First, congrats to the Bama coaches and players on the win.  At this point, in my opinion, Bama has some huge improvements to make if they plan to be in the running for the National Championship.  This is on both sides of the ball, especially defensively after last nights performance. 

OFFFENSE:  The offense put together 373 yards of total offense which included 233 passing and 140 rushing.  Since they had 259 total yards in the first half, this means they only had 114 yards of total offense in the 2nd half.  There are a couple of reasons that attributed to this stat.  First, Bama lost a possession when they returned the fumble for a touchdown and 2nd, UT had the ball on a very long drive which ate up over 8 minutes in the fourth quarter.  For negative plays, I have Bama with 4 tackles for losses, 2 sacks, and a huge interception.  I have Bama with 2 three and outs and would have been four if it hadn’t been for a penalty by the UT defense on 3rd down.  As for plays that covered 10+ yards, I have Bama with 9 passing plays and 6 running plays.  Bama got into the red zone 6 times.  They scored 4 touchdowns, threw an interception, and turned the ball over on downs at the end of the game.  The only chance of putting points on the board from outside the red zone was a missed 41-yard field goal.  The other score came from the defense when Diggs returned the fumble 100 yards.  It may be just me, but I thought Bama ran the ball better to their right side as opposed to their left side.

QB:   Tua completed 11 of 12 passes to his team, the other was a horrible decision that went for an interception.  Sometimes you have to just throw the ball away.  It was 1st and goal from the 2 when the interception was thrown.  This could be game breaker in a close game.  He has too much experience to make a mistake like this.  He also underthrew the pass to Ruggs that went for 48 yards and should have been a touchdown.  Jones came in and it was a pressure situation for him for the first time this season.  He did make a couple of bad throws, however he also made a couple of throws that should have been caught.  He was 6 for 11, but should have been 8 for 11 because of the drops.  Also, one of the drops looked like it could have been a nice gain.  He did look a little nervous and it showed when he didn’t do a good job with his footwork.  Hopefully, with a week of prep with the first team will be beneficial for him.

RB:  Harris and Robinson combined for 145 yards rushing on 28 carries which equates to around 5.2 yards per carry.  They both did a very good job on yards after contact.  I will also say here, Harris had one of the drops that should have been a nice gain.

Rec: The ball was spread around for the receivers.  Ruggs had 4 receptions for 72 yards to lead the way.  Jeudy and Forristall both had 3 and Smith and Waddle had 1 each.  Again, a receiver was called for holding, however they took the holding call on the right tackle instead. 

OL:  The OL, I thought had one of their Jekyll and Hyde games.  They looked great at time and at other they didn’t sustain their block.  They got to the second level then didn’t get to the second level.  They got blown up on 2nd or 3rd and short once or twice.  As I stated above, I thought Bama ran the ball from the middle to the right side of the OL.   

Def:  I thought the defense probably played better than I will give them credit for.  They did miss some tackles and other things I will address in positions.  They gave up a total of 231 yards which consisted of 117 passing and 114 rushing.  At the half, UT had 135 total yards which included 71 passing and 64 rushing.  This means they were held to 96 yards in the 2nd half, 50 rushing and 46 passing yard.  Fifty-eight of their total yards came on two running plays.  I think the penalties are what makes you seem the defense didn’t play as well as they did since they prolonged drives.  As for negative plays, I credit the defense with 4 tackles for losses, 3 sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery which was returned for a touchdown.  I have Bama credited with 4 three and outs and you could count it as 5 if you count the interception on 3rd down as one.  As for plays that cover 10+ yards, I have UT with 4 passing plays and 3 running plays.  UT got into the red zone 4 times and scored one touchdown and kicked 2 field goals.  The other trip was when the QB fumbled which was returned for the touchdown and sealed the game. 

DL:  I thought at times they played outstanding.  However, there were times they didn’t keep the OL off the 2nd level.  They also looked to take the wrong path on their rush as the outside guy on the defensive LOS went inside with allowed the edge to be free.  There was no one there to take the outside gap.  They are times they don’t use their hands to shed block and allow the OL to lock on to them. 

LB:   In this part I am including Jenning, Miller, Harris, and Lee.  This group led the team with tackles.  However, they made some mistakes.  I noticed Lee taking blocks on with the wrong shoulder which enabled the running back to escape.  Also, they need to break down, especially on sack situations, where they are so out of control they allow the QB to make a move and escape.  This also means keeping the proper leverage where if they do escape the only outlet is back where the help is.  They still made big plays and I know they are young, but they must improve.   Also, there were times where the LB’s were put in coverage with a man that is very difficult for them to cover.

DB:  I really don’t know what to say here.  If you look at the stats, they played pretty well.  However, it looked to me like they played lazy.  There were 4 PI calls in the game. They didn’t use the best techniques all day.  With this being said, I thought Mayden played a pretty good game.  Also, Mckinney had a huge tackle at the 2 on the drive that Bama got the fumble in the end zone.  Diggs did make a play when he was beat.  However, the UT QB missed an open receiver that would have been a touchdown with a good throw.   

Special Teams:  The special teams had and up and down day, but the ups outweighed the downs. The down was the missed field goal.  It looks to me like the kicker just goes too much across his body on his follow thru.  The punt return team was solid.  The kick-off return was wanting to make something happen and probably should have taken a knee on a couple they decided to return.  Punting, after the first one, was pretty good, however, they did allow a return on one.  I want to acknowledge Kaho who always seems to be on or near the play especially on the kick-off cover team.

Penalties:  The good news, is they reduced their penalties from 10 to 8, really 9 because one was declined.  They hurt themselves on at least 3 drives that did or could have led to points.  On the touchdown drive, there was a holding call that put the ball in the red zone for UT.  On one of the field goal drives, they was a pass interference call that help move the ball down the field.  On the drive that ended in the fumble recovery, the was a pass interference drive on a 3rd and 10 that kept the drive alive.  They are making too many mistakes and helping the other team.  This being said, Bama was the beneficiary of some calls that help them during the game.  Probably none bigger than the one on 3rd down that allowed Bama to get a first down and later went on to score a touchdown.

Finally, Bama has work to do if they want to compete for the National Championship.  First, they have to get the defense playing better assignment football.  Second, they have to get the OL where they can consistently run the ball especially in close games where they can work the clock.  Third they have to eliminate the penalties, especially those that keep drives alive.  Also, they have to stop leaving points on the field.  This game, they left at least 6 to 10 points on the field because of the missed field goal and the interception in the red zone.  I know injuries have been a factor, but these guys have played enough games where they should not be considered freshmen anymore.

Feel free to comment:

17 and Counting

Thanks, coach.  Good stuff.  Hope Mac has a good game against Arky and we get Tua back for LSU!  ROLL TIDE!!!

Thanks Coach. Great job. Thank God we were playing Tennessee. If we played like this against most any other team, we would be talking about a loss today. Lots to work on this week to get ready for Arky, and then a most merciful bye week.

Time is on our side, I hope.

Lordy hscoach you are dead on. I just hope our klicking game someday will improve. RTR!

Thanks Coach.  I enjoyed seeing the goal line stand and turnover for the Bama TD that put the game away.  Trevon Diggs looked fast on that run back.

Let’s hope the Bama coaches can help the freshmen along in the next few weeks.

The new led lighting is going to take some getting used to for this old fan.

Well RE, in all fairness, we did get a happy ending.  :lol2:

Thanks again for an excellent review, coach.   :worship:

Since it appears we'll have Mac Jones as our QB going forward, please comment on his strengths and weaknesses.  We saw his missed crossing patterns, which is Tua's bread and butter.  You mentioned his footwork.  Mac Jones did pretty well in Spring Games the past 2 years, but looked shaky against Tenn.

Thanks.

Hey Coach, it seems to me that Tua has been throwing just a bit behind the receivers several times this season. Maybe that is just my perception but it seems like he is.  Have you noticed this and what would you think is causing it if so?  Is it his mechanics or what?

Thanks again for the write-up.  Great job...

As little as I have seen him, I really don't know his strengths and weaknesses.  He has had the opportunity to watch and learn.  Is his arm as strong as Tua's, I don't think so but I don't know for sure.  I do remember him looking pretty good in the spring game.  The thing is, can he handle the pressure of being a starter.  He has been fortunate getting to come in where there has been very little pressure.  I do know if I was setting up the defensive game plan this week, I would probably have a blitz package to see if he could handle it.  He missed a slant and another couple of throws, but he also had a couple of drops that didn't help him.  It would be great if Bama could establish the running game to help take pressure off of him.  If I am looking at the stats correctly Ark is giving up 192 yards a game rushing.

I think he has been slightly behind also. There are a few factors that could attribute to this.   I think the system with the RPO's doesn't allow him to get his feet set properly every time.  Also, sometimes a QB will take a little off throws trying to be to perfect which could mean the throw may be a little off.  One other thing that could happen is the depth of each route, especially if it changes a bit each time.  All these are just a guess on my part.

Maybe try some runs from a passing formation to try and draw a blitz package?  That might burn their defense while at the same time keeping them honest for when we really do pass... Maybe?   :dunno:

I love the running game from 4 wide because it limits how many defenders you put in the box.  Also, you as they do, can have a couple of plays called for numbers in the box.

And we'll prolly give LSU some things to worry about, like running the wildcat against Arkansas.  And running Mac, which he did against UT.  He's a better runner than Tua, and that threat may help keep LSU from blitzing as much.

Hopefully Mac won't stand like a statue, as he did when the UT safety blasted him.

Just sucks that we have developed a complex of crossing patterns, and were ready to build on that for LSU.  Now we're back to finding simple passes for Mac.  One thing I saw in the spring game; Mac is accurate throwing deep.  Hope he gets to use that talent to loosen the defenses.

If I remember correctly he was pretty accurate in the spring game and the gams he has appeared in earlier this year.  I really don't think you have to change the offense because of the QB change.  He ran the same offense as Tua when he replaced him in the games earlier.

I think Mac is gonna be a Greg and AJ type of offense. RTR!