Game notes: Bama vs MSU

[hscoach]

First: I want to congratulate the Bama coaches and players on the win.  I also want to congratulate MSU on playing hard and not being intimidated by the number 1 ranked team.  Bama did not look like a number one team last night.  AJ said the leadership would not let the team come out and play flat.   They did play flat and allowed MSU to stay in the game.  There was very little emotion displayed by Bama last night.  I know Bama just came off a huge emotional victory last week, but you have to play your best every game to be a champion. 

Offense:   The offense sputtered most of the night, they just didn’t look focused.  They only had 3 three and outs and one of those was because of a fumble.  The got into the red zone only 4 times and had 2 TD’s and 2 FG’s.  Bama was their own worst enemy. They had 4 turnovers in the game.   As far as negative plays (11), Bama’s offense gave up 6 tackles for losses, 1 sack, along with 2 ints and 2 fumbles.  One of the fumbles led to a TD and the other should have led to a TD. One of the int’s was just outside red zone.    Bama also wasted good field position twice.  First, they had a short punt and started on the 47 going in.  They went 3 and out and were hurt by a drop that would have given them a first down.  Second they had the ball on their 47 and turned the ball over on the int.  On a positive side, Bama had 4 runs for 10 plus yards while they had 9 completions for 10 plus yards.  The other positive was when Bama’s O drove for a TD after MSU scored. 

QB:  AJ did not have a good night.  I thought his footwork was lazy and he threw off his back foot numerous times.  On the second int, and the rec was open, all he had to do was step up inside the rush and throw the ball.  Instead he throws of the back foot and it becomes and int and Bama loses a scoring opportunity.  I also thought he could have checked out of some plays that would have given them a better chance to be successful.  They was also a time where he tried to throw to Norwood who was surrounded by 4 players. 

RB:   They ran hard, but didn’t protect the football.  They, both Yeldon and Drake picked up the blitz well a few times.  On one pass it looked like Yeldon was looking for contact instead of the ball. 

REC:  They caught the ball most of the night.  There was at least 1 drop that would have kept a drive alive.  I still can’t understand why the Bama recs are so bad at the scramble drill.  Once when AJ was scrambling to his left the rec down field was going away from him.  Deep recs didn’t try to come back to help.

OL:   The OL didn’t have a great game.  Usually when Bama plays the announcer point out at least once or twice how well the OL is playing.  This really didn’t happen until the 2nd half.  The OL allowed players to cross their face and make plays from the backside.  They did show how effective they could be a few times last night, but they were inconsistent much of the night.  At first you didn’t see them getting to the second level.  There was one time when it looked like Cyrus Kouandjio didn’t even know what play they were running.  There were also times when it looked like they didn’t finish/sustain their blocks and were caught standing around. 

Defense:  They looked confused at times last night.  In the first half I have them for one negative play, which was a tackle for a loss.  The second half they had 2 sacks, 3 tackles for losses and 1 interception.  They did have 7 three or four and outs.    One of the 3 and outs was after the int which gave MSU good field position. They gave up no runs for 10+ yards, but gave up 6 pass plays for 10+ yards.  The only real emotion I saw was by CJ who made the big hit in the second half and in the 4th quarter.   They did have a big stop early in the red zone.  They only gave up 199 total yards and part of this was because Bama gave them the ball 4 times.  MSU had been averaging 250 yards a game rushing and was held to 55.  This was aided by the MSU running QB not being able to play.

DL:    They played well against the run, but didn’t put much pressure on the QB until late in the game.  No one really stood out to me.

LB:  It looked like this is the most pass coverage DePriest has played this year and he did a decent job. CJ made a couple of big plays, but again, there just didn’t seem to be a sense of urgency by the defense. 

DB:  They were not tested very much.  Most of the throws were short either to the outside or underneath.  I don’t understand why a DB allows and inside release, the slant again, when you don’t have any help over the top.  Maybe the scouting report didn’t show MSU running slants with inside rec. 

Penalties:  Bama had some penalties in this game which hurt them.  If MSU had a more potent offense Bama could have been in real trouble.     

Special teams:  Two points I want to make here.  First, the hustle by White when he got down there to knock the ball out of bounds was great.  Second,  I still don’t like the pooch punt as opposed to kicking to the far corner.

Finally:  I think Bama escaped while playing a bad game.  Good team win games when they don’t play well.  Also, I do think Jones could have been called for targeting on the kick off.  It was one of the biggest hits of the night and it came from and offensive player. 

Good Luck and Roll Tide Roll 
15 and counting

[Marshal Dillon]

First: I want to congratulate the Bama coaches and players on the win.  I also want to congratulate MSU on playing hard and not being intimidated by the number 1 ranked team.  Bama did not look like a number one team last night.  AJ said the leadership would not let the team come out and play flat.   They did play flat and allowed MSU to stay in the game.  There was very little emotion displayed by Bama last night.  I know Bama just came off a huge emotional victory last week, but you have to play your best every game to be a champion. 

Offense:   The offense sputtered most of the night, they just didn’t look focused.  They only had 3 three and outs and one of those was because of a fumble.  The got into the red zone only 4 times and had 2 TD’s and 2 FG’s.  Bama was their own worst enemy. They had 4 turnovers in the game.   As far as negative plays (11), Bama’s offense gave up 6 tackles for losses, 1 sack, along with 2 ints and 2 fumbles.  One of the fumbles led to a TD and the other should have led to a TD. One of the int’s was just outside red zone.    Bama also wasted good field position twice.  First, they had a short punt and started on the 47 going in.  They went 3 and out and were hurt by a drop that would have given them a first down.  Second they had the ball on their 47 and turned the ball over on the int.  On a positive side, Bama had 4 runs for 10 plus yards while they had 9 completions for 10 plus yards.  The other positive was when Bama’s O drove for a TD after MSU scored. 

QB:  AJ did not have a good night.  I thought his footwork was lazy and he threw off his back foot numerous times.  On the second int, and the rec was open, all he had to do was step up inside the rush and throw the ball.  Instead he throws of the back foot and it becomes and int and Bama loses a scoring opportunity.  I also thought he could have checked out of some plays that would have given them a better chance to be successful.  They was also a time where he tried to throw to Norwood who was surrounded by 4 players. 

RB:   They ran hard, but didn’t protect the football.  They, both Yeldon and Drake picked up the blitz well a few times.  On one pass it looked like Yeldon was looking for contact instead of the ball. 

REC:  They caught the ball most of the night.  There was at least 1 drop that would have kept a drive alive.  I still can’t understand why the Bama recs are so bad at the scramble drill.  Once when AJ was scrambling to his left the rec down field was going away from him.  Deep recs didn’t try to come back to help.

OL:   The OL didn’t have a great game.  Usually when Bama plays the announcer point out at least once or twice how well the OL is playing.  This really didn’t happen until the 2nd half.  The OL allowed players to cross their face and make plays from the backside.  They did show how effective they could be a few times last night, but they were inconsistent much of the night.  At first you didn’t see them getting to the second level.  There was one time when it looked like Cyrus Kouandjio didn’t even know what play they were running.  There were also times when it looked like they didn’t finish/sustain their
blocks and were caught standing around. 

Defense:  They looked confused at times last night.  In the first half I have them for one negative play, which was a tackle for a loss.  The second half they had 2 sacks, 3 tackles for losses and 1 interception.  They did have 7 three or four and outs.    One of the 3 and outs was after the int which gave MSU good field position. They gave up no runs for 10+ yards, but gave up 6 pass plays for 10+ yards.  The only real emotion I saw was by CJ who made the big hit in the second half and in the 4th quarter.   They did have a big stop early in the red zone.  They only gave up 199 total yards and part of this was because Bama gave them the ball 4 times.  MSU had been averaging 250 yards a game rushing and was held to 55.  This was aided by the MSU running QB not being able to play.

DL:    They played well against the run, but didn’t put much pressure on the QB until late in the game.  No one really stood out to me.

LB:  It looked like this is the most pass coverage DePriest has played this year and he did a decent job. CJ made a couple of big plays, but again, there just didn’t seem to be a sense of urgency by the defense. 

DB:  They were not tested very much.  Most of the throws were short either to the outside or underneath.  I don’t understand why a DB allows and inside release, the slant again, when you don’t have any help over the top.  Maybe the scouting report didn’t show MSU running slants with inside rec. 

Penalties:  Bama had some penalties in this game which hurt them.  If MSU had a more potent offense Bama could have been in real trouble.     

Special teams:  Two points I want to make here.  First, the hustle by White when he got down there to knock the ball out of bounds was great.  Second,  I still don’t like the pooch punt as opposed to kicking to the far corner.

Finally:  I think Bama escaped while playing a bad game.  Good team win games when they don’t play well.  Also, I do think Jones could have been called for targeting on the kick off.  It was one of the biggest hits of the night and it came from and offensive player. 

Good Luck and Roll Tide Roll 
15 and counting

How do you explain the performance of AJ? Did he have "happy feet." Same goes for the OL, what was their problem?


 

[hscoach]

First: I want to congratulate the Bama coaches and players on the win.  I also want to congratulate MSU on playing hard and not being intimidated by the number 1 ranked team.  Bama did not look like a number one team last night.  AJ said the leadership would not let the team come out and play flat.   They did play flat and allowed MSU to stay in the game.  There was very little emotion displayed by Bama last night.  I know Bama just came off a huge emotional victory last week, but you have to play your best every game to be a champion. 

Offense:   The offense sputtered most of the night, they just didn’t look focused.  They only had 3 three and outs and one of those was because of a fumble.  The got into the red zone only 4 times and had 2 TD’s and 2 FG’s.  Bama was their own worst enemy. They had 4 turnovers in the game.   As far as negative plays (11), Bama’s offense gave up 6 tackles for losses, 1 sack, along with 2 ints and 2 fumbles.  One of the fumbles led to a TD and the other should have led to a TD. One of the int’s was just outside red zone.    Bama also wasted good field position twice.  First, they had a short punt and started on the 47 going in.  They went 3 and out and were hurt by a drop that would have given them a first down.  Second they had the ball on their 47 and turned the ball over on the int.  On a positive side, Bama had 4 runs for 10 plus yards while they had 9 completions for 10 plus yards.  The other positive was when Bama’s O drove for a TD after MSU scored. 

QB:  AJ did not have a good night.  I thought his footwork was lazy and he threw off his back foot numerous times.  On the second int, and the rec was open, all he had to do was step up inside the rush and throw the ball.  Instead he throws of the back foot and it becomes and int and Bama loses a scoring opportunity.  I also thought he could have checked out of some plays that would have given them a better chance to be successful.  They was also a time where he tried to throw to Norwood who was surrounded by 4 players. 

RB:   They ran hard, but didn’t protect the football.  They, both Yeldon and Drake picked up the blitz well a few times.  On one pass it looked like Yeldon was looking for contact instead of the ball. 

REC:  They caught the ball most of the night.  There was at least 1 drop that would have kept a drive alive.  I still can’t understand why the Bama recs are so bad at the scramble drill.  Once when AJ was scrambling to his left the rec down field was going away from him.  Deep recs didn’t try to come back to help.

OL:   The OL didn’t have a great game.  Usually when Bama plays the announcer point out at least once or twice how well the OL is playing.  This really didn’t happen until the 2nd half.  The OL allowed players to cross their face and make plays from the backside.  They did show how effective they could be a few times last night, but they were inconsistent much of the night.  At first you didn’t see them getting to the second level.  There was one time when it looked like Cyrus Kouandjio didn’t even know what play they were running.  There were also times when it looked like they didn’t finish/sustain their
blocks and were caught standing around. 

Defense:  They looked confused at times last night.  In the first half I have them for one negative play, which was a tackle for a loss.  The second half they had 2 sacks, 3 tackles for losses and 1 interception.  They did have 7 three or four and outs.    One of the 3 and outs was after the int which gave MSU good field position. They gave up no runs for 10+ yards, but gave up 6 pass plays for 10+ yards.  The only real emotion I saw was by CJ who made the big hit in the second half and in the 4th quarter.   They did have a big stop early in the red zone.  They only gave up 199 total yards and part of this was because Bama gave them the ball 4 times.  MSU had been averaging 250 yards a game rushing and was held to 55.  This was aided by the MSU running QB not being able to play.

DL:    They played well against the run, but didn’t put much pressure on the QB until late in the game.  No one really stood out to me.

LB:  It looked like this is the most pass coverage DePriest has played this year and he did a decent job. CJ made a couple of big plays, but again, there just didn’t seem to be a sense of urgency by the defense. 

DB:  They were not tested very much.  Most of the throws were short either to the outside or underneath.  I don’t understand why a DB allows and inside release, the slant again, when you don’t have any help over the top.  Maybe the scouting report didn’t show MSU running slants with inside rec. 

Penalties:  Bama had some penalties in this game which hurt them.  If MSU had a more potent offense Bama could have been in real trouble.     

Special teams:  Two points I want to make here.  First, the hustle by White when he got down there to knock the ball out of bounds was great.  Second,  I still don’t like the pooch punt as opposed to kicking to the far corner.

Finally:  I think Bama escaped while playing a bad game.  Good team win games when they don’t play well.  Also, I do think Jones could have been called for targeting on the kick off.  It was one of the biggest hits of the night and it came from and offensive player. 

Good Luck and Roll Tide Roll 
15 and counting

How do you explain the performance of AJ? Did he have "happy feet." Same goes for the OL, what was their problem?


 

A lot of it has to do with focus.  Lazy steps by the OL and AJ not moving his when going thru progressions.  He threw off his back foot more than once last night and the big one in my opinion was the int when Bama could have put the game away.  If you watch the game again look and see if all he as to do is step up then set his feet and make the throw.  He probably could have done this a couple of times.

[McBaman]

Coach -- If Yeldon & Drake were on your team, what would you do to cure their fumbleitus?

[Chechem]

Coach -- If Yeldon & Drake were on your team, what would you do to cure their fumbleitus?

I'd play Chattanooga!  But, I'm not hscoach. 

[hscoach]

Coach -- If Yeldon & Drake were on your team, what would you do to cure their fumbleitus?

About the only thing you can do is work them against the strip drills, but also emphasize the game situations.  You have to cover the ball with both hands at times.  This is hard to do because they want to gain more yards and you don't run as fast with both hands on the ball.  This being said when you know contact is coming protect the ball and play the next play.

[Marshal Dillon]

Coach -- If Yeldon & Drake were on your team, what would you do to cure their fumbleitus?

About the only thing you can do is work them against the strip drills, but also emphasize the game situations.  You have to cover the ball with both hands at times.  This is hard to do because they want to gain more yards and you don't run as fast with both hands on the ball.  This being said when you know contact is coming protect the ball and play the next play.

On one of Drake's fumbles he was surrounded by the MSU defenders but he did not seem to care.

[lstephen]

We've all heard the saying "I'd rather be lucky than good."  Last night we were lucky.  I hope the team doesn't count on luck bailing them out again this season!

Thanks for the notes, coach, and ROLL TIDE!!!

[Merk]

Great take, HC. Seems we play a lot better man than zone. Do you think that's the case or about the same?

[SUPERCOACH]

Coach -- If Yeldon & Drake were on your team, what would you do to cure their fumbleitus?

About the only thing you can do is work them against the strip drills, but also emphasize the game situations.  You have to cover the ball with both hands at times.  This is hard to do because they want to gain more yards and you don't run as fast with both hands on the ball.  This being said when you know contact is coming protect the ball and play the next play.

This is the key problem IMO.  It is just a habit they need to learn.  Maybe they can get about 10,000 reps in the next couple of weeks.

I thought the hit by Jones should have been called targeting.  I am not sure why it was not.  Maybe it doesn't apply on kickoffs when the ball is live and can be recovered by either team? 

We played horrible, but we got the win.  We may very well do the same thing against Chattanooga.  That is the best possible outcome IMO with Auburn in 2 weeks.  The way Auburn won last night, everybody knows where the golden horseshoe resides.  The team will go into that game knowing they have to put their foot on Auburn's throat at the very beginning and stand there for 60 minutes.  That is the recipe for a 98-0 beat down.

[2Stater]

Thanks Coach. Great analysis as usual. I think this was a typical hangover game for us, and certainly not the first. It's happened to us several times and it happens to every team. Just look at Stanford against USC. I picked USC just for this very reason. The entire team, at times, appeared to just be going through the motions.

I did not notice any real intensity until CJ started getting fired up in the 2nd half. We played better in the 2nd half, but not to Bama standards. Definitely some sloppy play at times, but I absolutely think we will be ready for Auburn.

Conditions were slick on the field and I am going to give TJ and Drake the benefit of the doubt and mark their fumbles up to that.

AJ uncharacteristically threw many errant passes. I know officially he threw 2 interceptions, but one of those was out of bounds. Why it wasn't reviewed, I will never know.

We have pretty much an upcoming scrimmage with UTC, and an opportunity to get things right before we play in the Iron Bowl. Whooda thunk the Golden Horseshoe sporting barners would be 9-1 coming into this? 

Anyway, 10-0, still #1 and Roll Tide!

[hscoach]

Great take, HC. Seems we play a lot better man than zone. Do you think that's the case or about the same?

That is hard to day.  I would imagine the decision to play more man/zone is determined by many factors.  For instance, filed position,quality of receivers, and what kind of pass rush as well as who the QB is.  Too me a good example is I don't want to play a lot of man with a QB like Johnny F. With zone you have to communicate routes and be ready to jump the man when he comes in your zone.  I don't know if this really addresses your question.

[hscoach]

Thanks Coach. Great analysis as usual. I think this was a typical hangover game for us, and certainly not the first. It's happened to us several times and it happens to every team. Just look at Stanford against USC. I picked USC just for this very reason. The entire team, at times, appeared to just be going through the motions.

I did not notice any real intensity until CJ started getting fired up in the 2nd half. We played better in the 2nd half, but not to Bama standards. Definitely some sloppy play at times, but I absolutely think we will be ready for Auburn.

Conditions were slick on the field and I am going to give TJ and Drake the benefit of the doubt and mark their fumbles up to that.

AJ uncharacteristically threw many errant passes. I know officially he threw 2 interceptions, but one of those was out of bounds. Why it wasn't reviewed, I will never know.

We have pretty much an upcoming scrimmage with UTC, and an opportunity to get things right before we play in the Iron Bowl. Whooda thunk the Golden Horseshoe sporting barners would be 9-1 coming into this? 

Anyway, 10-0, still #1 and Roll Tide!

I also questioned the int. Usually those plays are reviewed.

[Marshal Dillon]

Great take, HC. Seems we play a lot better man than zone. Do you think that's the case or about the same?

That is hard to day.  I would imagine the decision to play more man/zone is determined by many factors.  For instance, filed position,quality of receivers, and what kind of pass rush as well as who the QB is.  Too me a good example is I don't want to play a lot of man with a QB like Johnny F. With zone you have to communicate routes and be ready to jump the man when he comes in your zone.  I don't know if this really addresses your question.

Let me ask you a provocative question. Do you think the players might be getting bored/complacent with the process and Coach Saban. We played flat against LSU in the first half, poorly against Colorado State, and now Miss. State. Could there be another problem with the team?


 

[Jamos]

Good job coach. I think this game may serve more benefit that what we are giving it credit for. No doubt that they stunk up Starkville pretty good but this game may have come at a very opportune time. We didn't need this to happen against Auburn.

Maybe the team has been reading the papers or watching tv but they had lost some of their spark and intensity, not including the 2nd half of the LSU game recently. That could have been accredited to the schedule. The game last night should serve as an eye opener for the upcoming game with Auburn. I'm speaking a game past our next game but the only thing I fear out of UTC is some possible injuries.

Bama needed this wakeup call because they could not beat Aubarn playing the way they played last night. The coaches shouldn't have much trouble getting their attention these next two weeks and should be able to get some good practice out of them and I  think that is just what this team needed, a good eye opener. A coach can say all he wants in warning the players of their play but seeing is believing and they saw a lot of themselves last night. It sure wasn't pretty.

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