First:   First congrats to the Bama team for the victory.  This was a great game for Bama considering what they had to come back from, the physical play from the game last week.

Offense:  The offense only had 335 total yards in the game and missed some opportunities to score more.  They had 5 tackles for losses, and 1 sack for 6 total negative plays.  They had sic total 3 and outs and out which equated to 3 each half.   Two of the three and outs in the first half were on back to back series. The only put together a couple of long drive, but one was crucial in the second half to seal the game.   They had a total of 4 runs of 10+ yards and 8 passes for 10+ yards.  Bama got to the red zone 5 times and had 1 field goa l and 3 touchdowns.  There was a missed field goal again that could have been costly if not for the defense.  In my opinion this wasn’t one of Bama’s better played games which I will address in the individual sections.  The most worrying part is Bama’s offense did not give the defense very good breaks by sustaining drive in the second half when they had the 13 point lead.  The biggest high point was the important drive that put the game back to a 2 score game.
 
QB :  Blake completed 61% of his passes.  I think he played a pretty good game.  The drops were not his fault, but he did miss a couple of open rec.  The biggest complaint was the underthrown balls that could have been a touchdown, especially the one to AS.  The biggest plus was his directing and making plays on the drive that put the game back to a two score game in the 4th quarter.  He made some huge plays on the scrambles and checking down to his recs.

RB:  They ran hard and pass blocked well when called upon.  The problem was there wasn’t a lot of room at times which I will address in the OL.   They caught the ball and made big plays when it counted.

REC:  In my opinion this was not on of the better blocking games by the recs.  There was one  play AC doesn’t block on an outside run to him.  Also it looked like he was running a route.  On the outside screen BV missed a block where he had the perfect angle on him..  On the plus side AC made some big catches by going up and getting the ball.  In other words he high pointed the ball.  I am not completely sure he didn’t score on the long pass because it looked like he was laying on the defender when he went down.  There were drops by AC and OJH which were big.  If OJH makes the catch Bama does not have one of their three and outs in the second half.  I think it would have been a huge momentum builder and given the D a little more rest.  DW missed a big block on the wide rec screen to AC which looked like he had room to run.

OL:   This is where I think Bama didn’t play well.  I know there were not many negative plays , but I saw too many mistakes.  On one play running to the right, AK goes left.  Would this have made a huge difference, probably not.   Many times the center was hit in the mouth and driven back.  There were opportunities for combo blocks that were not made.   The MSU LB ran thru when LB didn’t come off the combo block to take the LB.  I don’t think they took good angles to get to the second level.  One on play run to the right for a short gain there were 4 or 5 MSU players and only 2 crimson shirts, where the OL?  When they did make the blocks and sustained them Bama moved the ball well.

Defense:  As much as they were on the field they played well.  They had to defend 88 plays and gave up 428 yards.  You can look at this a couple of ways.  First they were on the field for 88 plays which breaks down to 4.9 yards per play.  You can also take the incomplete passes out and say they gained 428 yards on 67 plays which equates to 6.4 yards per play.  You also have to take in account the last drive where Bama was playing safe and not letting them score quickly and MSU moved the ball 70 yards.  Bama’s defense had 7 tackles for losses, on sack and 3 interceptions for negative plays.  They had 4 three and outs and one 2 and out when they got the safety early in the game.   MSU got into the red zone 6 times and came away with 2 field goals and 2 touchdowns.  They also had two of the 3 ints in the red zone.  These guys in my opinion deserve a hell of a lot of credit coming off last week’s physical game and playing 88 snaps in this game.  They were aided by the special teams which I will talk about later. 
 
DL:  I thought these guys played a very good game.  They help hold two powerful runners to a total of 119 yards on 32 carries.  I thought JR played well again along with AR.  They played their positioning well and allowed the LB to make plays if they got to them. 

LB:  You didn’t hear their name much.  I thought TD played up and down.  It looked like he was spying on Dak and didn’t come hard to make the hit a couple of times.  He also missed a big tackle that would have forced a three and out.   

DB:  I thought they played well here.   CJ always seems to be in position and so was EJ most of the time when he wasn’t getting pushed.  They had three picks that stopped drives and two were in the red zone.  I had both CJ and EJ for two PBU’s.   They were aided by a pass rush that may not have gotten to the QB, but put enough pressure on him to hurry some throws.

Penalties: Bama had 7 penalties in the game.  Most of them were overcome.  The ones that hurt were the false start by CR that didn’t allow Bama to go for a 4th and 4.  They were forced to punt because of this.  The face mask penalty help move MSU in the drive before half time where they kicked a  field goal.  This was tough because TD was going to make the tackle and DP dove and his hand just went to the face mask.  The big one that didn’t hurt because Bama got a three and out was the personal foul by DD where Bama had MSU pinned on the 5 and then the ball was moved to the 21.

Special teams:   Scott did a great job pinning MSU back on their side of the field and deep.  Also, the coverage team on both the kick offs and punts did well except for one.   After the 5 yard delay, Scott punted for 46 yards but MSU returned it to the Bama 38 and they later scored their first touchdown.  AG again missed a makeable field goal.  I can’t see what the problem is, he hit one from practically the same distance earlier.  This was 3 important points left on the field.

Finally:  This game was also a battle.  My hat is off to MSU who played hard and never gave up even when Bama was up 19-0.  Bama made the big drive when needed. The areas that need to be cleaned up are the OL run blocking, the rec blocking, the dropped passes, and penalties.  I also hope Bama gets a good lead early and can get some backups in as rest for the starters.

Please feel free to comment.
 
Good Luck and Roll Tide Roll

15 and counting

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It was quite a contrast to the way the team played Monday night and as I left Coleman tonight, I felt like this team has a chance to beat some teams this year after beating Towson 82-54. The team started slow and Towson was fired up just to be on the University of Alabama campus so the first 15 minutes of the game was pretty much a standoff between the two. Bama then turned up the heat on the defensive end and never looked back. They totally shut Towson down with the defense for the first 15 minutes of the second half and just ran away with the game. In reality though, this is what they were supposed to do if they are to get some recognition this year.

This team has a lot of talent and speed along with some improved shooting from the free throw line to the 3 point range. This team also has some experience from the newcomers that should pay them big dividends as the chemistry of the team starts to jell. There was no players standing around wondering what to do next, something that was all too prevalent on the past two year's teams. They made some mistakes but they were hustling mistakes and that is something that will improve as the team pratices and plays more games.

I didn't notice any one player that stood out above the rest either. Levi is the leader of the team but he didn't try to put the game on his back, he just played his role as just one of the players on the court which I think means a lot to the chemistry of the team. Bama doesn't need a go to guy, all they need is the confidence that any of the players can make the shot and tonight's play reflected that.

One game doesn't make a season but I think this team has a chance to have something this year providing they grow off of each game and keep improving. There will be some bumps in the road for them but with the number of players they have this year, they will have the option of playing the ones with the hot hands, something they haven't had in a very long time. RTR!!!!

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Montevallo is under sized compared to Division I teams. We should have been able to pound the ball inside and score at will. I expected Taylor to dominate under the basket. Taylor finished with 4 points and 8 rebounds. We only had 5 offensive rebounds to their 9. We only out rebounded them 37-33. I am looking forward to Kessens getting in the lineup. I think he will made a difference.

Randolph, Hale and Cooper looked good. They combined to score 54 of our points. I thought Coleman played well at the point for a true freshman. He is quick but very small. All the freshmen got to play. Norris had 6 pts and Mitchell had 4. Slaughter was 2-2 with both shots 3 pointers.

I think we will be a different team with Tarrant at the point and Kessens down low. I hope those guys are ready to play soon because the season starts Friday.

Last night we looked very similar to last year. Poor ball movement just passing around the perimeter and no inside game. We shot 25 three pointers. We can only hope we will be better when everyone is healthy. I am as optimistic as it gets but I am very concerned about this team. I hope I am wrong.

Bama did win the game against a team that they should beat but I have to give Montevallo credit, they had a couple of players that were making shots from Greensboro Ave and McFarland Blvd. They were a decent team that should do well in their conference again this year.

Bama struggled a lot tonight but with the lineups they were using I thought they would. The young ones were playing hard but not smart but that will work itself out as they get more playing time. My biggest disappointment is Jimmie Taylor, he just doesn't have the skills to assert himself offensively or defensively. For the most he just gets pushed around and when he does try to assert himself he fouls.

Bama's outside shooting was much improved over last years  and their free throw shooting picked up, as it should, at the end of the game. Randolph, Hale, and Cooper picked up where they left off last year. I thought Coleman played hard and has a very good outside shot but he isn't very tall and I wonder how he will match up with the big guards in the SEC. He reminds me a lot of Pettway when he played at Bama, just smaller. Riley Norris played a little passive in the first half of the game but he picked up his pace in the last 10 minutes of the game and showed he can fit in with the team with more experience. I thought Dakota Slaughter played well, he's not flashy but he is physical and has a pretty good shot from the outside.

Right now the key to this team is getting the injured healed and get them in the lineup. To me, Kessens is the key player that Bama needs to step in and be a force. Again, this was an exhibition game and Bama played pretty sloppy with  lot of fouls in the first half but that should get corrected as the team plays more games. I was pleased to see the effort of the players, especially the new ones, but I think the team should and will look better Friday night. I'm worried about Obasohan though, he had an ice pack on his left ankle the whole game.

The big question is will this team be better than last year's team? There is no way that question can be answered after watching the game tonight, this game was all about playing everyone that was available and that is exactly what happened.

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Sorry for the delay in responding to hs coach's analysis but had some issues going on.

First another great analysis by hs coach, and a hard fought victory for our boys in Death Valley!!
This was almost a carbon copy of the game two years ago. We all knew that LSU would be big time fired up for this game!! This makes four in a row including the 2011 NC game that we have defeated them. They came out out very physical and had a determined state of mind to win this game.

Offense: They did struggle for the biggest portion of the game due to the amount of noise making it hard to hear. They did not really get the push that was needed to open up the run game either. They did fairly well on the pass blocking all night. This week will be another huge challenge for them.

QB: Blake did not have a great game but he he had a solid game with no turn overs, he missed a few throws but also with the uncharacteristic drops by Amari & company did not help him but when it came down to the nitty gritty and we had to drive the ball down the field he made the plays that were needed to put us in position to tie the game and ultimately win the game in OT.

RB: They did not have a lot of space to run in but when they did they made the most of it. I am not sure that TJY was at his best for the game and the injury at the end of the game that resulted in the fumble does not help him recover from it. So it could be that we are in line for a big dose of Derrick Henry this week!!

REC: Again not their best game but when plays had to be made they were there. Coop's drops were not like him at all and hurt us when they happened. But what about the big catch made by Green in OT?? Totally out of the blue right there!! But I was very proud of the way the offense responded after the PF against Leon Brown that backed us up after it was First and Goal from the 1 yard line!! The pass play to score the winning TD was run to perfection by D White & company and it was a Great Pass that was on the money by Blake.

OL: Nothing else needed to say except as I mentioned above they have another huge challenge this week and must step up and give the RB's a little room to run the ball!!

Defense: This group stepped up to the big challenge of shutting down the run game and did just that. LSU hit a couple of descent runs but no huge run or pass plays!! 

DL: They had a mighty task for the game and performed very well imo. For the most part of the game the shut their running attack down and between RR & JR they combined for 28 tackles!!

LB: Another very solid game turned in by RR & TD. RR has become a force for us and only gets better and better with each game he plays!!

DB: What can you say about these guys!! They had a very solid game and made the plays at the end to secure the win for us!!! Congrats to this group!! They have made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks and I hope they continue to do so!!

Penalties: The PF on Leon Brown in OT could have easily cost us the game but the offense rose up to the occasion and moved the ball back down to the goal line to set up the game winning pass.

Special Teams: JK Scott did not have the booming punts that we have come accustomed to but he had good ones that help flip the field position. Adam Griffin did miss his first attempt of the night but made the big one when we had to have!!!

Final Thoughts: This was pure smash mouth football that we all love and want to see!! Very physical all night long as we expected it to be. But we get no reprieve this week as MS St. comes to call and we are in for another very tough and physical game!! Bottom line this week is we need to run the ball!!

Please let me know what yall think.

Roll Tide!!!!




 

First:   First congrats to the Bama team for the victory.  This was a tough battle on both side of the ball.  This was big boy football.   

Offense:  The offense struggled most of the night.  They only had one long drive during the game which ended with a missed field goal.  They had seven 3 and outs.    Bama only ran 16 plays in the 2nd half until the 9 play drive to tie up the game.  They put together only 315 yards of offense.   The offense only had 4 running plays for 10+ yards.  They did have 10 pass plays of over 10 yards, but most of those were throw under 10 yard and the yardage was made after the catch.  Bama’s offense only got into the red zone three times and one of those was in overtime. The positive beside the win, is Bama only had 4 negative plays last night; two were tackles for losses, one was a sack where Cooper was blocking instead of running a route, and the big fumble which allowed LSU to take the lead.   It looked like they didn’t communicate well on offense.

QB:  Blake did not make some throws in this game, but did make the plays in the last 50 seconds and in overtime for Bama to tie and ultimately win the game. Sims missed some big balls which were underthrown and a few passes were behind his rec but some still made the catch.   He was not helped by 4 drops which I will address later.  It looked at times he wasn’t keeping his eyes downfield. 

RB:  They ran hard in very little space.  The LSU players hit them hard and often.  If you watched when they were pass blocking, which they did a pretty good job, they were getting jacked.  One big play not made was the pass to TJY who had a lot of open field to work with.

REC:  There were some opportunities here but plays weren’t made.  I do think LSU got away with a couple of pass interference calls that were not made.  I had Cooper for 3 drops.  I also didn’t think White ran some routes well or didn’t think he was getting the ball.  The good thing here is more rec got involved in the game.

OL:  They did a good job pass blocking but never really established dominance in the running game.  The line did get a push a couple of time,

Defense:  They only gave up 259 yards.   They had 6 tackles for losses, 2 sacks, and 1 interception.   They had 4 three and outs, but one of those was because of the interception.   They did lose contain a couple of time but overall played well.  The biggest plays the LSU had were when the QB scrambled.  The QB ran for 40 yards and most of that was on 3 scrambling plays.  They did have some substitution problems early, but seem to get them worked out.  In the game, LSU had 6 runs for 10+ yards and 4 passes for 10+ yards. 

DL:  Against the big physical offense the DL held their own.  The only problem was they lost contain a couple of times, and when they rushed the QB they got too far up the field allowing a lane for the QB to escape.

LB:   RR again a very good game.  He had at least 8 tackles in the first half alone.   TD also played pretty well, but RR is the one that seems to stand out each week. 
 
DB:  They played a solid game.  One of the best plays of the night was on the 3rd play of the game when LSU ran the option.  Collins got cut and still got up to make the play. 

Penalties: Bama had 3 penalties in the game.  They overcame every one of them which is a plus. 

Special teams:   Scott did a good job in the clutch flipping the field. 

Finally:  This game was a battle.  It is what we have come to expect in these games.  I do think Bama needs to be more balanced on offense.  They threw the ball 46 times and ran 29.   


Please feel free to comment.

Good Luck and Roll Tide Roll 
15 and counting

Thanks to Mrs. McCarron, we now have an awesome new BBC code:

Looking at the remaining schedules of the top 6 teams, plus GA, it appears Bama has the toughest road to the playoffs, and to the NC.  I assigned points for difficulty, in reverse order, for playing teams currently ranked by the new committee, giving 25 difficulty points for playing the #1 team and 1 point for playing the #25 team.  No points given for playing teams outside the top 25.  I had to do some assumptions on conference championship games, and pairings in the playoffs.

Bama...........72 points to get to the playoffs, 117 points to win it.
Ole Miss.......63 points to get to the playoffs, 108 points to win it.
AU..............68 points to get to the playoffs, 113 points to win it.
Miss St........58 points to get to the playoffs, 103 points to win it.
UGA...........43 points to get to the playoffs, 88 points to win it.
Oregon.......12 points to get to the playoffs, 56 points to win it.
FSU............2 points to get to the playoffs, 43 points to win it.

Bottom line, I just wasted 15 minutes of my life to come up with useless, highly non-scientific, information.

As many of us know Blake Sims has performed better than expected.  One thing I really like about this is, it hasn't gone to his head  Cooper is having a fantastic year and is a huge part of the success of the offense.  My disappointment, if you can call it that, is that more rec are not involved in the offense.  I am not saying don't throw the ball to Cooper if he is open, I just think there are options that haven't come thru yet.  After watching the spring game I wasn't sure Robinson was ready for a left starting position in the SEC.  He has proved me very wrong.  Another pleasing fact is the performance of the OL.  They have made some mistakes but they have had a lot more positives than negatives.  On defense, Cyrus Jones has become a very good cover guy.  It seems teams go away from him more than at him.  Bama has had the luxury of playing both Jackson and Brown at corner and they have performed satisfactory.  One of the biggest surprises is Ragland at linebacker.  In my opinion he has become one of the biggest hitters on the D.  As far as special team, Scott is a game changer because he can flip the field and cause teams to have to drive over 70 yards.  I don't know, but I would like to know the average starting field positions for teams this year after a punt.  Now, this year kind of reminds me of when Bama lost to LSU.  They made too many mistakes in that game against LSU to win the first time.  The same thing happened when they played Ole Miss.  I hope the same results come about. 
A few disappointment are the numerous penalties Bama has had this year.  These are some of the mistakes that hurt them in the Ole Miss game.
Finally, the new rankings came out and they don't mean anything at this point.  There are too many head to head games that need to be played.  If Bama plays the way they are capable they can get back to the NC game.

Hopefully, you will add your own assessment.