Crimson Red Sports

                                              UT vs Bama


Bama got beat yesterday on the field.  They reverted back to making mistakes that help lead to the loss.  It will be a week where Bama will have to make improvements throughout the whole team.  I have said it before, and I will say it again, I am not sure Milroe can read defenses well enough to win tough games.  The vaunted OL did not live up to the expectations.  The main fact was that UT had the better QB and play caller. Also, is it just me or did Bama not use the motion like they did in the past game.

OFFFENSE:  The offense could not finish drives.  They made mistakes all around.  However, one of the main points was the lack of pass protection.  They may be big, but the quicker defensive players gave them some problems.  I also think the play calling came very predictable.  The inability to push the ball down the field allowed the safeties to play closer to the LOS which helped slow down a running game that started out well.  They also converted on only 5 of 14 3rd downs.
Yards:  362 total, 255 passing and 107 rushing. They rushed for 98 of those in the first half.

Negative plays:   5 tackles for losses, 5 sack, and 2 interceptions that led to 10 points.

3 and outs:  Bama had one 3 and a 1 and out because of an interception.

Plays for 10+ yards:  8 passing and 4 running.

Scoring:  Got into the red zone once and ended up kicking a field goal.  All other scores came from outside the red zone, 2 field goals and 2 touchdowns.

QB:  Milroe show some flaws in this game, but they weren’t all on him.  The OL didn’t help very much.  He was 14 for 27, but threw into coverage more than once and the receivers bailed him out.  More than 1 throw was high and the receivers did a good job going up and making a catch.  He did have a couple of good throws but seems to stop looking downfield when flushed from the pocket.

RB: The running backs ran well early. Again, they missed some blocks in the passing game.  Combined they only had 2 catches for the game.

REC:  They actually made some good catches, but they didn’t seem to get a lot of separation.  There were a couple of times where I didn’t understand the routes concepts as they were in the same area.  Even though Prince didn’t score he was the leading receiver and made some big/tough catches.

OL:  This could be an area of concern.  First, for the 2nd straight game, the center put ball on the ground with the snap. Second, UT was able to get pressure with 3 rushers and allow 8 to drop in coverage.  Third, the running game disappeared after the first half.  According to my stats, they had 9 rushing yards in the 2nd half. I understand sacks take off yards rushing.  Plus, there were 5 sacks in the game.

DEF:  Sark had a great game plan that made it difficult for the Bama defense.  Quick short passes help negate the pass rush.  Throwing wide made the players come up and make plays.  With all that, they still had Bama in the game, as I said 2 turnovers led to 10 points.  They missed more tackles this game than the first. 

NEG:  4 tackles for losses, forced 2 fumbles but recovered none.

3-OUTS:  2

Plays 10+ yards:  9 passing plays and 2 running plays, one of which was the loss of contain on the QB.

Scoring:  they got in the red zone 4 times and scored 2 field goals and 2 touchdowns.  Outside the red zone they had 2 touchdowns and a missed field goal.

DL:  They did a good job stopping the running game but didn’t really put much pressure on the QB on passing plays.  There were no sacks. 

LB:  They played well in the running game but seemed to get lost a few times in the passing game as receivers were open in the middle of the field.

DB:  They missed some tackles, and they were not in good position pass coverage wise.  I will say, I noticed a technique last night I don’t understand.  The safety turned his back to the field and opened to his left, I don’t know why they don’t back pedal.  Again, they allowed the receivers to get to close and had to resort to pass interference.  Even though they were in position a few times, the UT QB made some very good throws and beat the coverage.

Special Teams:  They were solid except for not having enough men on the field for the punt that pinned Bama back near their own goal line.

Penalties:  Bama was back to being Bama, 10 penalties.  The offense had 5, the defense had 4 and special teams had 1.  Some help extend drives and some help stall drives.

Finally, Bama has a lot of work to do.  This would be a good week for other players to step up and take a job away from someone who isn’t getting the job done.  When I say this I am talking about all positions.  The difference was the 2 interceptions that led to 10 pints.

18 and Counting

As always, Coach, thanks for your game recap.  I agree with everything you said.  I was VERY, VERY wrong about this team being a good team.  I predicted 34-24 but had Bama winning.

Watching the game, I thought Bama looked poorly coached.  Very disappointed in our new DC and especially OC.  Play design and playcalling on O was elementary school level. What the heck??? D was playing well early in the game but then faltered as game went on.  Maybe TX adjusted?

All the coaches from CNS on down should be slapped. Or maybe they should be doing push-ups in practice.

I've seen enough of Milroe, last year and this, to conclude there is little upside to him at QB.  Like you said, one of the other QBs needs to step up in practice and take the job away from him.  If not, it's gonna be a long season.

RTR

Thanks for the analysis coach.  Much appreciated.  I agree with everything you said.

There was one play in the second half that continues to haunt me.  Texas was on offense and we appeared to rush with three D linemen.  Leaving 8 defenders to play coverage.  And a Texas receiver goes wide open down the middle.  How on earth does that happen?

I will say that Coach Saban was visibly upset/frustrated in his post game press conference.  That may bode well for the future.

ROLL TIDE!!!

You nailed it to a T, Coach. We got beat in every phase of the game. Texas looked like a team full of veteran seniors and we looked like anemic freshman. Our O line, D line and secondary were atrocious for much of the game. Milroe is a great athlete but cannot read defenses worth a hoot, and was slow to deliver or get out of trouble.

And penalties, arggggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Different year, same sh**. No discipline, plain and simple. This game was painful to watch. They MUST do better and that will have to come from coaching. If Milroe is our best option at QB, this may be a long year.

So, basically, we are poorly coached and have zero motivation to improve as individual players and as a team. Gotcha!

Who said that?

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that you said it.  But for the record, I have heard that...

no problem, I just thought I missed something where someone said it.